Handmade Halloween

It's only the beginning of October and I feel like I've already blown through my Halloween budget for the year, especially since we're already kinda on a tight budget. So, I think it's time for me to get a little resourceful, and start making a lot more of my spooky effects. Here are some cute DIY ideas from Country Living you can do with stuff you have or on the cheap.








Get all the tutes over on Country Living...

The season so far...

It really started with an apple orchard (cider, yum!) and a country pumpkin vendor...


Aren't these just glorious looking pumpkins? That's my baby there, center left.


We grabbed a trusty old rusty wagon to haul our pumpkin finds in. They had perfectly shaped little orange ones, and beautiful snow white ones...


Can you believe that's even a real pumpkin? It just looks too perfect on my stoop. That thing is going to make a wicked jack come Halloween.


The buffet table in progress so far. Note the apothecary jars. I need way more on this table. I'm thinking about making a creepy halloween tree for the middle out of old branches from the backyard...


Again, can you believe that white pumpkin is real? Mr. Crow can't. Look at his eye goin' all buggy.

My entryway table. Perhaps not surprisingly, it looks not far from this most days, minus the skull, cobwebs and lights. We just collect or create odd knick-knacks. I made the big metal book senior year in college. It's one of my favorite props.

So, a long way to go, but hey, it's not even October yet. I'll keep you updated as progress marches on...

Dusty Walls and Ghostly Writings

There's something kinda spooky about chalk. Wipe clean your image and left behind is a ghostly image of drawings past. There's something wonderfully wicked about old dusty chalkboards. Dusty old anything reminds me of tattered sheets in the wind and creaky doors. Perfect for a little Halloween fun! Check out some of these wicked Halloween inspirations using chalkboard paint and some good old dusty chalk.


Poetic Home has some fantastic chalkboard ideas...


Old books and planters make great Halloween accessories! Not to mention that vintage typewriter... where can I get me one of those?


Apartment Therapy knows how to spook up some glam with chalkboard paint borders.


Make online has these fantastic chalkboard paint bottles. Write dusty messages or contents of potion bottles on them!


LittleBigHead made this super cute chalkboard pumpkin. Dress him up differently every day! I personally dig the mustachio look.


What about this charming chalkboard witch from Colonial Candle? I bet you could make your own with some chipboard and vintage photos.

Chalkboard paint is a great way to not only add a little darkness, but an ever changing surface! Paint a frame, paint and old statue... it all looks cool with chalkboard paint and a little imagination.

A Country Halloween

It's September, and in my eyes officially fall! I pranced over to Michael's store and bought some apothecary jars and lots of mallow pumpkins to liven up my buffet table, and am now happily watching Sleepy Hollow and ogling over Johnny Depp. Let the season begin!


Very much like my refusal to admit in public I'm a deep fan of Martha Stewart (but only when Halloween is involved) I am also as unlikely to admit that I'm quite fond of Country Living. They did a fabulous lineup of vintage images I featured before, but that's not all they have up their sleeves. They have a whole host of delectable images and ideas that make me think maybe country bumpkins know something I don't. These images just make me want to run away to a house in the woods as soon as the fall air arrives...












They have a variety of tutorials and templates you can try out to achieve some of these darling effects. Get all the ghoulish details over on the webpage.

Handmade Halloween Mini Book

Spotted this beauty over on Craftster, made by user Melissaurus.
She made a fanastic mini book on her favorite theme, crows! Just goes to show you it doesn't have to be all classic pumpkins and the like to invoke the spooky spirit of Hallow's eve. Of course, black and orange help a bit...





Stunning. I would love to add something like this to my Halloween collection. Check out more details and photos over on her post.