Check out Target’s Halloween Page for these fun DIY ideas.
We have officially begun the countdown to Halloween. I’ve been buzzing about Halloween for a month now! So you know I’m a little excited. On September 30th I hung up our Pottery Barn Halloween Countdown Calendar and since then we’ve been surprising the kids with Halloween goodies every day. October 1st was some fab Halloween Books. October 2nd we put a note saying we’re going to pick pumpkins. Our local patches weren’t open yet, so we went to Target, where they were selling Pumpkins for $3.99 each.
Of course, we couldn’t just walk out with pumpkins. I needed more goodies for the Countdown Calendar, so I stopped by their Halloween Goody Bag section and picked up some $1 party sets – stickers, bats, notepads and pencils are what caught my eye. My husband wanted some neon spider web for $4. I picked up a bag of 100 plastic spiders for a project for $4. We bought a strand of spider lights for $8. And I also bought two boxes of up & up gauze bandages and Heavy Duty Starch for another Halloween Project I was working on. The kids wanted to load our cart up even more, but I thought that was a good start for getting our house decorated.
PROJECT ONE: CARVE THE PUMPKINS
When we go home, I opened up our Pumpkin Masters Carving Kits. Depending on the Target you go to, there are different kits with varying tools and stencil designs. You can find these kits in both the veggie aisle, where they have the Pumpkins, and in the official Halloween section. Pumpkin Master Kits have LOADS of fun stencil designs, but you can find other cool ones – like the bats we did – on Target’s Halloween Page.
Once you choose your paper stencil, you cut it out as close to the design as possible. Then you use the Pumpkin Master Pumpkin Poker to poke along the outline of the design. And the saw to cut out the shape of the design. Of course, you want to gut your pumpkin before all of this. But this was our first time using stencils and we LOVED it. We are going to be carving more pumpkins mid-month with this method.
Click here for EXCLUSIVE PUMPKIN STENCILS from Target.
PROJECT TWO: DIY Treat Bags
There was also a project on Target’s Page on how to make your own pillow case treat bag. How old school, with a new twist – iron on printables! Target sells special Iron-On paper that you can print a design on with your own inkjet printer. You just cut the design out, iron on to your pillow case and you are done in less than ten minutes. Some prep time is needed, since you do want to wash your pillow cases before you start ironing the design on them. The boys wanted bats – so that’s what we printed from Target’s DIY Page. I put three bat designs onto each pillow case. It was a cool effect or swirling bats.
Click here for Iron-On Trick or Treat Bag instructions and stencils.
PROJECT THREE: Luminaries
Target has this cool Luminaries idea. You print out a cool design, like skeletons, bats and witches. Cut the design out and tape to a white bag using double-sided tape. Then you put a battery-operated candle into the bag, to keep it from burning itself or kids. It makes for a real cool effect. And you can also do the same thing to make cute goody bags for a Halloween Party. My kids decided to keep the bags I made for them in their rooms.
Click here for Eerie Decorative Lighting from Target.
PROJECT FOUR: Spider Sac
Okay, I didn’t find this on the Target website. I think it was a Martha Stewart Project, but when I googled it recently I could only come up with her panty hose egg sacs. But I thought I could figure out this project on my own to get the effect I wanted. And this is why I stopped to buy Heavy Duty Starch, 100 Plastic Spiders and 2 boxes of up & up gauze at Target. You’ll also want a balloon and string. And some towels for under the project.
Step 1: Blow up the Balloon.
Step 2: Hang it with the “belly button” pointing up.
Step 3: Spray the balloon with starch
Step 4: Start wrapping the gauze around the balloon. You’ll need to spray the starch and the balloon completely as you wrap around. Keep wrapping and spraying. Starch will drip, but your towels will catch it. I used up both my rolls of gauze. You don’t need to completely cover the balloon – a few gaps and some heavier bandaged areas are fine.
Step 5: Stick the spiders to the gauze, the starch will act as an adhesive. Make sure the whole thing is wet with starch.
Step 6: Let it dry.
Step 7: When completely dry, pop the balloon.
Step 8: You now have a hull of gauze with spiders. Attach a string to the top, I used a sewing needle to get mine on.
Step 9: Glue on loose spiders.
PROJECT 5: Decorate!
We had some Target Pumpkin Lights from last year, but these new ones are better. They can be connected end-to-end, while our Pumpkin ones from last year had no way to connect one strand to the next. So we put up our new, purple, LED spider lights that my son chose. Other spooky lights were available, as well. And my husband put up his neon green web across our front window. Then he took some of my plastic spiders and he and the boys attached them to the web.
After shopping at Target for Halloween goodies, my 5-year proclaimed this to be “the best Halloween ever“. And just imagine – we are just getting started!
Disclosure: A representative of Target did supply the pillow cases, iron-on paper, computer paper, one Pumpkin Master’s kit, one battery-operated candle and paper bags to help complete these projects, along with some art & crafts supplies. We purchased the lights, spider webs, pumpkins, gauze, goody favors and spiders to complete our projects. And we already owned 1 Pumpkin Master’s Kit, another battery operated light and some other decor you may see in these pictures.
I love the iron-on bats for pillowcases. That is such a good idea!
love the iron on bats!!
can’t wait to decorate this weekend
You shared some great ideas! I have not even begun to decorate yet. Just gathering some ideas on what I want to do this year.
I love the smiling pumpkin and decorations
The pumpkin lights are so cute!
These are such great ideas. It looks like you really get into the Halloween spirit. Very inspiring and we’ll have to give some of these ideas a try.
The pumpkin lights are my favorite. So cute!
I LIKE YOUR SPIDER SAC
This is the most expansive Halloween I’ve ever seen. You get everyone involved in lots of projects. Happy Halloween season (since it’s not just one day for you)
I realli like the treat bags you made
I love the inexpensive goodies. They are great to send into school with the kids to give out to their friends in class
I love those halloween pumpkin stencils.
I love the spider lights, it looks like you guys had a lot of fun!
I like the gauze covered balloon with spiders…..what an idea.
gourdsrmylife(at)yahoo(dot)com
Your family is adorable! Love the Luminaries project!
I love it! This looks like a fun family project. Great job and I love the pumpkins and lights.
Looks like fun. We’ll get a pumpkin next week.
I have never decorated for halloween with these ideas I should start.
LOVE the DIY treat bags!
I already loved getting regular items in the dollar spot at Target but getting them for halloween and using them for Halloween or goodie bags at halloween parties is such a great idea as it will save so much money!
i didn’t realize target had so many cool halloween decorations, love the pumpkin lights
The carved pumpkins look great!
I appreciate you spending the time to do a “step by step” Halloween “how-to” that involves children. The spider sac looks a little….creepy haha.
Wow! Those stencils would make pumpkin carving SOOOOO much easier! And much more professional looking!
Those DIY treat bags are amazing! They look like something you would buy at Target actually, and it’s such a versatile idea that you could make many other kinds of bags (like reusable shopping bags) with the same instructions. Thanks for sharing!
Nice tip on the Goody Bag section at Target. I knew they had it, but totally forgot until you mentioned it. They do always have cute things in there the kids like to have for the holiday.
The pictures look great. We’re excited about Halloween too!
How fun! I love all of these ideas!
A big congrats on winning the challenge! You did such a fabulous job and it looks like your kids had a blast!
i love the idea of the halloween countdown..my son would love a little trick or treat everyday leading up to halloween
nannypanpan at gmail.com
Oh I love all these ideas!!! The candy sack is my favorite!! Your pumpkins are awesome – the one on the right looks like the Tater Tots from Sonic!
Such great ideas!
I lovce all of the projects. We may do some this week.
The image with the spider webs on the lower right? That could be my house – everyday… LOL
I love the spider sack… Creepy
mtdoonmeister at gmail dot com
The DIY treat bags are awesome..I love them. I’m already thinking I could do something like that for Xmas gift bags too! Great post!!!!!
I love all of your ideas! I am a mom to a young toddler and am always looking for new fun ideas to try. The DIY treat bags are adorable and look so easy!
Stumble Upon entry 1
@Toodiesmomma
Stumble upon entry 2
@Toodiesmomma
Hi, this is a great post! Thanks..
what a great idea to have iron on transfers for the pillow cases! We have decorated free hand before but took a LOT of cash for different colors of paint and fabric markers…this a much better idea I think! Looks like you go all out and must be fun for the kids. I have always loved Halloween as my bday is the next day. Funny thing, I always have a tummy ache the day after…even now. lol. wonder why;)
I love those iron on bats! ADORABLE. Nice pumpkins too!
love,love all these wonderful ideals,I have 2 grandsons that would love to do this with me,,what fun
Oooh, you do Halloween big! Love that, and all your ideas and projects here are great!
Katharina angelsandmusic[at]gmail[dot]com
WOW! You really go all out! It looks like so much fun! My family loves Halloween too, but we don’t do as many cool things as you! You have given my some really great ideas though!
I found the coolest girl pirate costume at a thrift store for 7.00 brand new with tags on it. It was originally like 30.00. Score. I will wear my blonde wig and tights and high black boots and voila…. hot costume!
I love the spooky lights!
lyndsey.rullman at hotmail dot com
Decorations are great and the pumpkins great too. Super activities for the whole family!
brich22 at earthlink dot net
That is a great pumpkin carving method/kit. We’re going to have to check that out.
wow everything looks so fun i love halloween. They did an awesome job on all the projects and I will have to try a few myself..so cute