Going Green for Halloween - Recycled Craft, Decor and Costume Ideas

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Come Halloween time every year, I don't doubt that every hostess wracks her brains for new and creative ideas on how to make this Halloween celebration more special than the previous one. (Or the one the neighbor's held last year...)

Visiting retail stores and shopping malls has become the norm as party-planning goes into frenzy mode and outlets advertise their "new releases" - more spectacular than previous years, more colorful, more spookier - and no doubt just that much more expensive!

This year don't go out and spend a fortune on Halloween decor that will need to be spiced up next year or will be outdated by newer freakier decorations that are twice the price. Making and creating fun and ghoulish decor using all the little bits and pieces that can be found lying around your home, attic, garage - even grandma's storeroom - can become an enormously challenging and exciting activity as you put together your uniquely YOU Halloween theme and decor.

Here are some ideas.

Marshmallows could make great ghost figures. Do you remember the classic film 'Ghostbusters'? The Marshmallow Man has truly made an impact to that generation. Turn ordinary and small marshmallows into the ghostly figure, using toothpicks and pink and white marshmallows. A little food dye in red and green would be effective and add a little "oomph!" to the MM. It could be truly fun, especially for the kiddies.

Gauze would make a great mummy. Yes, mummies can be scary generally but they are made fun during Halloween. There are several other materials you could use if you want to create fun mummy figures. How about food?

Here is one great idea. Wrap dough sheets all around several pieces of hotdogs to create mummy treats that every child would surely have fun to eat. You could make your mummy treats a lot spookier using a little imagination. Use ketchup or even mustard to draw mummy eyes as well as mouths on the mummies. You could also put in several other edible decor to make your hotdog mummy more appealing.

Spider webs are always topping the lists of popular Halloween decor. They give an "old" and unused feeling. (I always think of derelict and abandoned houses as seen in the movies, with cobwebs draped from the ceilings and from corner to corner.) That is why they are used as a spooky idea.

Rolls of cotton will make really great spiderwebs. Just be creative and resourceful in doing your artificial spider webs and don't forget that the odd (large) spider with the wide unblinking eyes that can be seen occasionally in the corner of the room through the flickering candlelight, is an absolute necessity!

Do you plan to make fake graveyards? Use recycled cardboard or used boxes to do so the tombstones )or headstones). The material is perfect for creating graveyards and "Rest in Peace" or "RIP" signs.

Inject a little more creativity into the graveyard by asking ask your children how they think the object could be made even scarier. It would look more realistic if you wrote names of famous deceased icons or characters on the grave. Be innovative. And remember that the tombstones can be given an eerie and old look and feel by using a little black water paint around the borders, with a few painted "cracks" here and there.

Dry ice could be used to create a steam effect on the party venue.

Mini ghosts could be created using facial tissue that is painted with ghoulish faces.

And as always make-up or face paint are truly the finishing touch to any Halloween costume.

You could begin the task by deciding to reuse old clothes and costumes. There is no need to buy new Halloween costumes every year. You could not only save money. You could save the environment. Why not recycle or reuse your old costumes?

If you want variety, you could ask several of your friends to lend you their old costumes. In turn, you could lend to them yours.

For a twist, spice up a bargain purchase from a good used-clothing store... The possibilities are endless... Top your head with a polystyrene bowler hat (or a pointed witchy-hat which you can make yourself from recycled cardboard or paper)and underneath it position a long black wig. Chunky faux jewellery is and has always been madly popular, especially with kiddies. Scarves and feather boas always complete a look, as do fish-net stockings, ankle length skirts or dresses.

This way, you would be wearing an entirely new costume, old, but something you have not worn on the previous Halloweens.

Save your children's worn out and small costumes so that you could lend them or hand them to other children who may need fun and spooky Halloween costumes.

It's also a good idea to remember that the make up plays an important role with any Halloween costume, and there again the choice would be for ozone-friendly products or face paints.

Image Credit Hershey.ca

It may be tempting to change and buy new decors every year. But this year, do a difference. Perhaps, your garage may contain tons of old Halloween decor from previous years. Clean some of them and decide to reuse or recycle them. You could save a lot by not buying any Halloween decor this year. Besides, such materials could also cost a lot. Decorations are meant to be spooky. By using recycled decor, you would not have a problem on making the ornaments look spooky and old. It would come naturally.

Reuse other Halloween materials. You could opt to reuse old trick or treating bags. Do not throw those after use. You could always save them to be used on the coming years. If you want, you could also improvise such bags. Paper bags are more admirable and recommended than the usual cloth and plastic ones for obvious environmental reasons.

A great idea is to create a few home-made creatures and spice up your Halloween décor with a scarecrow. Cut several old items of clothing and even newspapers into strips. Use these to stuff other items of clothing so that you create a scarecrow. It's seriously THAT easy. You could hold all the materials together using a belt, safety pins, or thread. Opt to use a balloon with yarn as a head. A stuffed pillow case would also do. Put up a spooky face then add a hat to make a Halloween creature. Or make a few :)

You might be fond of using different colored electric light bulbs that are enclosed in pumpkins, or strings of brightly colored lights.

Candlelight is so far the cheapest way to decorate Halloween. You could opt to purchase a hundred-bag of tea lights. Use creative containers that you could make on your own, as a fun family crafting experience. You could put up and light such candles all around your house. It would look spectacular.

Containers can be anything - old cans punched through with holes, weighted down with a small amount of sand inside, creates a unique candle-holder which provides a really effective dancing shadow. And each will be different.

Pumpkins or small hallowed-out gourds could do the trick. Also use small vases and drinking glasses and plain tea lights in a mantel to create an eerie atmosphere.

Arranging old, broken twigs in glasses near candles would create really interesting and spooky "moving" shadows.

Used and discarded glass bottles turned into candle-holders have for years been used to create atmosphere. By firmly inserting a dinner candle into the mouth of the bottle the wax will form shapes and rivulets as the candle burns down. You're not limited to only one color either. Red wax over white, orange over black or white or yellow and red all create really pretty effects, particularly as the glass bottle becomes almost completely covered in different layers of wax.

Warnings: As with any DIY or craft projects, please exercise adequate supervision, particularly where children will be present, and when working with small, sharp or hot objects.