Halloween Fun Stuff

Balloon Ghost: To make this fun Halloween decoration you will need a white balloon, scissors, white plastic grocery or garbage bags, tape, string and a black marker. Cut the plastic bags into strips leaving an uncut edge to hold the strips together. Blow up the balloon. Tape the cut up bags around the balloon to make the ghost's body. Make sure the balloon is upside down when you tape the bags on so that you have something to hang the ghost from. Draw a face on the balloon to make the ghost's head. Tie a string to the balloon and hang the ghost up.

Egg Carton Spider: For this craft project you will need an egg carton, googly eyes, scissors, pipe cleaners and crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Cut one section out of the egg carton. Poke four holes in each side of the cup with scissors. Put a pipe cleaner into each of the holes and bend them to look like spider legs. Draw a face on the spider with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.

Pompom Spider: Supplies needed for this craft are yarn, scissors, pipe cleaners, cardboard, glue and googly eyes. Cut yarn into a 2 foot long piece and a yard long piece. Cut a piece of cardboard into a 3 inch by 2 inch rectangle. Loosely wrap the yard of yarn around the cardboard piece. Take the yarn off the cardboard, being careful to make sure the loops stay together. Put 4 pipe cleaners on the yarn loops. Tie the yarn loops and pipe cleaners together tightly with the 2 foot piece of yarn. Cut the loops in half to make a pompom shape. Bend the pipe cleaners in the shape of spider legs. Glue googly eyes onto the spider.

Pasta and Beans Skeleton: This craft project is made with a piece of black construction paper, glue, dried beans and several types of pasta (small shells, wagon wheels, ziti, elbow macaroni, salad macaroni, spaghetti, spirals, etc.). Lay out the pasta and beans in the shape of a skeleton. Elbow macaroni is good for ribs. Spaghetti can be used as toes and fingers. Small shells or small beans make good joints. Lima beans are perfect for hips. After you are satisfied with the layout of your skeleton, glue it down.

Ghost Necklace: For this craft project you will need Elmer's glue, a small paper clip, googly eyes, wax paper and string. On wax paper, make a ghost shape out of your glue. Unbend the paper clip and reform it into a V. Stick the ends of the V into the glue at top of the ghost's head. Put googly eyes on the ghost's head. After a few days, the glue will turn completely clear. Peel it off the wax paper and thread your string through the paper clip to turn it into a necklace.

Jack-o-lantern Pinata: Make a perfect Halloween party item by gathering a balloon, newspaper, flour, water, a bowl, a pot, a wooden spoon, scissors, orange craft paint, a paintbrush and a black marker. Make papier-mâché glue by mixing 1/2 cup of flour into 1/2 cup of water. Then stir the flour and water mix into 2 cups of boiling water. Simmer for a few minutes. Let it cool. Take newspaper and tear into 1 inch wide strips. Dip strips of paper in the glue and wrap around the balloon. Repeat process, covering the entire balloon. Let a layer dry and then add another layer. It dry completely, then pop the balloon, and remove it. Cut a small hole in the top to put in the candy. Decorate with the orange craft paint and black marker, making a jack-o-lantern face. Hang the pinata and have a party!

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Crafts

Halloween is a great time to host a kid's party. After all, what child doesn't like Halloween? One of the most enjoyable aspects of Halloween is the food. There are hundreds of recipes that have been specifically created for this spooky holiday. The following ideas will help you plan the yummiest menu possible.

Serve a minimum of sweet treats. You don't want your guests suffering from 'sugar overload' during the party. To celebrate the occasion, serve chicken fingers with a blood (any red dipping sauce.) If you prepare them from scratch, it's not hard to make them resembling the more human variety. Add a sliced almond for the finger nail for a realistic approach.

Another dish to try is to add equal parts red, blue, and yellow food color to spaghetti after it's been cooked so it turns an ugly brownish color. Serve with a green pesto sauce and call it snakes in the swamp.

Make goofy eyeball meatballs. Shape seasoned ground meat into an oval with a flat top and bottom, bake until done. Cut a round circle out of mozzarella cheese about the size of a half dollar or one inch in diameter. Cut grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes into three slices. Cut black olives in half. Assemble the goofy eyeballs by placing a slice of cheese on the meatball, then a slice of tomato on the cheese and top with a black olive half. Vary the placement of the toppings so the eyeballs are looking in different directions.

If you will be serving punch, why not serve the ghoulish variety? Simply make your favorite punch and add a few ghoul hands. To make these hands, fill non-powdered rubber gloves with cranberry or other red juice. (Don't overfill, the fingers of the glove should still move easily.)
Close gloves tightly with rubber bands and freeze flat on cookie sheets, which have been lined with paper towels. When ready to serve, open gloves with scissors and add to punch. You may want to break off one or two fingers and add them separately.

A fun punch can be with one quart of lime drink, one quart of lemon lime soda and one cup of lime sherbet. The sherbet should be added right before serving. Stir so the sherbet foams up a bit with the soda. Dust the foam lightly with cocoa powder to resemble dirt.

It's not a good idea to use dry ice in your punch to make it smoke. Curious hands may try to touch the dry ice resulting in freezer burn. Instead place the dry ice in containers out of reach, such as the back of a table and you'll still have the atmosphere of the smoky fog without the worry of accidents.

Keep the food simple and familiar but with a twist. Rename favorites in the Halloween theme. Use food coloring in blues, greens, and browns to alter the way a dish looks. Or use familiar food in unfamiliar ways. For example blanch a cauliflower head, break apart and then reassemble (this makes the cauliflower easier to serve) cover the cauliflower with ranch dressing then using ketchup in a squeeze bottle outline each floret with the ketchup so it looks like a brain.

Have fun with your food at Halloween.

Get your free booklet Party Ideas for Kids Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books and the novel, Over Time Dee's hobbies include gardening, and jewelry. She is the proud companion to Rose, the Irish Setter and Kate, the English Springer Spaniel.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! Some of the best and most fun parties I've planned have been Halloween parties. There are dozens of great Halloween party ideas. Here's a few: monster footprints, ghosts, green pumpkins, bobbling ghosts, wicked witch, body parts, icky cobwebs, and many more. People love to dress up in different costumes as ghostly figures and celebrate Halloween with great zeal every year.

Monster Footprints - This is one of the most creative, yet seldom used, Halloween party ideas. Get a big sponge and use a marker to draw the outline of a foot. Use a scissor to cut away the extra sponge. Get a 1/8 inch aluminum pan and fill it with washable paint. Use the sponge as a stamp. Dip it in the paint and stamp these footprints in front of the door, or around the sides of dark, spooky house. Just turn the sponge upside down and you've got the other foot.

Ghosts - Crumple a large piece of tissue paper into a ball. Lay out another large piece of tissue paper and place the crumpled ball in the middle. Twist the edges of the tissue paper around the ball. Tie a piece of string around the base of the crumple ball to form the ghost's neck. Use a marker to give the ghost a scary face. Make a few more and hang them from trees in the yard or from light fixtures or ceiling fans in the house.

Green Pumpkins - Try carving green peppers as jack-o-lanterns. They are small enough that you can make enough for a whole row. Mix it up using red or yellow peppers. Trick-or-treaters will get a delightful fright from the army of creepy faces at your door.

Bobbling Ghosts - For this Halloween party idea, you'll need some helium filled balloons and a several large pieces of cheesecloth. Place the balloon in the middle of the cloth and tie it off at the bottom with a piece of string or twine. Draw a nasty looking face on the cloth. Make a few of these and place them in a box. When the box is opened the ghosts will fly up and give everyone a fright. Alternately, you can hang them in a window or near a fan and watch them float around in the breeze.

Body parts - Use this great Halloween party idea for a dimly lit room in your house or in your yard. Your friends and trick-or-treaters will be grossed out by a bowl full of body parts. Fill the bowl with slimy hot dogs and cooked spaghetti. Toss in some onions for the eyeballs. Blow up a red balloon with water and spread it with strawberry jam. Instant brains! This Halloween party idea will surely horrify your friends.

Icky cobwebs - You'll want to dim the lights in the room for this Halloween party idea. Cut some strings and paste them to the ceiling. Before the unsuspecting party-goers enter, wet those strings with water and when people will walk in, slimy strings will brush across their foreheads and scare them.

Crunching bones - Spread out some dried bread and pretzels under a rug. When people will walk on it, it will make noise as if there are bones crunching underneath. Round it out by adding some scary moaning sounds from a sound effects tape.

These Halloween party ideas will definitely make your Halloween a most memorable one.

Cheri Brennan is an avid party planning enthusiast. She has planned many parties for friends, family and corporate settings. To get more great articles, tips and party planning ideas click over to http://www.planyourbestparty.com - Visit today and get the "Appetizer Recipe Collection" as a free gift!

Halloween is one of those days which both children and adults always look forward to, after Christmas, and Independence Day, Halloween is the most celebrated day in America. People indulge themselves in playing pranks and wearing scary costumes. The children also go out for some Trick-or-Treating. While all this is so much fun, most of us don't know about the real origin of Halloween and why we do the things we do to celebrate it.

Halloween was brought to America by the Irish people in the 1840s. The word Halloween actually refers to 'All Hallows Eve' which is celebrated on 31st October in the north-west of Europe. Their New Year began on November 1st which is celebrated as 'All Saints Day'. So 'All Hallows Eve' is actually the eve of 'All Saints day'.

The origins of Halloween date back to 5th century BC in Ireland. The Celtic tribes that inhabited the place celebrated their new year on November 1st. On the eve of the New Year they celebrated the festival Samhain. This day marked the end of summer season and the beginning of winter. The people believed that on this day the spirits of the dead people descended upon earth and would try to enter any living soul. So they wore scary clothes dressing up like ghouls, witches etc and made spooky noises in order to confuse the ghosts that they were dead and not living. This is why people now dress up as ghosts and other monsters during Halloween.

Even the Trick-or-Treat part of Halloween has its own origin. It is believed that on Halloween priests and saints would go out to each and every house to pray for the soul of any of their dead relatives in exchange for some cakes and buns.

Halloween is nothing without the Jack-O-Lantern. The Jack-O-Lantern is derived from a person called Jack who was being chased by the devil because he was destined to go to Hell. Later, he tricked the devil into climbing up a tree. When the devil was in the tree Jack carved a cross on it to prevent him from coming down. The devil then made a pact with Jack that he wouldn't throw him in Hell if he removed the cross. When Jack died he neither went in Hell nor in Heaven. So he wandered the earth with only a candle to light his path. This candle was placed in turnip to prevent it from extinguishing. Later on, when Irish people came to America, the turnip was replaced with a pumpkin.

All this has finally lead to the present day scenario where people decorate their home in a spooky way and kids go out dressed up like ghosts for some trick-or-treating.

Would you like to read more details about the origins of Halloween? TrueGhostTales.com has a special area that is devoted just to Halloween, our absolute favorite holiday. Read about the history and origins of Halloween Costumes, Jack-o-Lanterns, Trick-or-Treating and more. We even have Halloween recipes that will make your festivities even more fun. Of course there are loads of ghost stories and other great stuff too!

Copyright 2008 TrueGhostTales.com Permission is given for the republication of this article on your website or blog provided that links and copyright information be left intact.

So, you are looking for some ways to have fun during Halloween, but you are coming up short on ideas. No problem! I have a small list of grown-up things you can do during the season (that do not involve trick-or-treating or other kiddie stuff).

1. Throw a Themed Party

OK, this might seem obvious, but when I say "party", I mean the kind that you have to be at least 21 to have fun at. Bring your favorite mixed drinks, dust off your list of beer games, invite a large list of people, get in costume, and have a blast. No kiddies allowed.

2. Go on a Ghost Tour

I'm talking something that is considered to be actually haunted, like Alcatraz. Look around in your area for places that offer tours of haunted ground - its scary fun!

3. Go to a Themed Party

You might not have enough room or resources to throw a party, so why not go to one? Ask around if anyone you know is interested in throwing a Halloween themed party, or needs help throwing a Halloween themed party.

4. Plan a "Fright Night"

Go to your local movie store and pick out some of your favorite horror or slasher films. Invite over several people to enjoy the event.

5. Hit the Club

If you are not interested in throwing a party, and neither is anyone you know, you can always go to your local club. Many clubs throw Halloween bashes where people will come in various costumes to dance it up and have a great time. Since Halloween is during the weekend this year, several clubs in your area will be planning events just like this. Some will have events where the person dressed in the best costume wins a prize. Check it out!

Get all the Hottest Costumes at www.NothingButCostumes.com/ and http://www.BuyThisCostume.com/

Summer is over, but the fun just begins. Autumn brings along, all over the world, holidays to celebrate nature and crops, but there is a certain holiday celebrating the spirits of those who have died: Halloween.

While Halloween is really loved by kids for all that trick-or-treat fun, there's no reason why grownups should not get their own "creepy" treats. You can impress your guests with one of the spine-chilling cocktails listed below, or why not, create a new one in which you'll drop a gummy worm or other weird garnishes.

Halloween does have a few predominant colors: black, red, orange and yellow. Can you master a black cocktail? One that has some devil eyeballs in it? Creepy! Black cocktails are a recent trend. They had an amazing public impact in 2003 when many bars, clubs and luxury restaurants included on their menus some surprisingly flavorsome black drinks, such as Midnight Cosmopolitan, Black Mystique or Blacker Dahlia. Probably one of the most interesting black cocktails is the famous Black Velvet: half Guinness Beer, half Champagne (beer first).

While black cocktails could certainly be creepy and elegant, don't forget the other Halloween colors. Red drinks are as amazing and tasty as the black ones. They lack the soberness of a black drink, but they give a feeling of romance and passion, that's if you need such feelings on Halloween.

The creepy touch comes with a special cocktail such as the Atomic Bomb, our first spine-chilling cocktail recommendation. In a shot glass pour equal parts of Sambuca and Bailey's, then pour over the back of a spoon a dash of grenadine. That's it. Decide for yourself why this cocktail wears its name.

What about a creepy orange cocktail? We've got that too: Passoa Death. Passoa is a sweet liqueur with passion fruit flavor. For this special cocktail, you need vodka, passoa, melon liqueur, orange juice and sprite or 7up. Shake 30 ml vodka with 20 ml passoa and ice. Into a highball glass pour 10 ml melon liqueur over ice and then strain over it the vodka-passoa mix. Fill up with equal amounts of orange juice and sprite and you've got a wonderful cocktail that has nothing to do with death. except its name. But hey, the name itself is creepy enough to get you into the Halloween spirit.

Our third recommendation for Halloween is another drink with a scary name: Red Devil. Shake 20 ml vodka, 5 ml cassis liqueur, pineapple juice and ice and strain the mix into a martini glass. Wow! It's red, it's frightening and with the right garnish it will certainly make the perfect Halloween statement. Your guests will really wonder: is it a trick or a treat?

On place four we have a black cocktail: Black Magic. Shake 30 ml vodka, 30 ml Kahlua and a dash of lemon juice with crushed ice. Strain the mix into a glass and garnish it with a creepy Halloween figure.

Last, but not least, we recommend a very elegant, yet mysterious cocktail: Black Shadow. This is not a black drink, but green. In fact, its color is creepy enough. Shake 20 ml blue Curacao with 5 ml cassis liqueur and ice. Pour into a flute glass and top up with chilled Champagne.

Happy Halloween!

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Bartending

There may be a link between certain Halloween ghost stories and the occult. For this reason, parents should be especially cautious when telling these types of stories, and should also pay close attention to the stories that their children relay to them that they have been exposed to.

Children are heavily influenced by their peers, and when it comes to the occult, those who are involved in such a religious foundation may begin to recruit during the fall when Halloween draws near. One of the methods of recruitment includes the telling of Halloween ghost stories to draw an interest and appeal to the peers who they are attempting to recruit.

When we think of the occult, we may get an image of a demonic cult, or a religious sect that practices in secret. This is basically what an occult is. The actual meaning of the word actually is geared toward that which is "done in secret", or "is kept hidden", and even has been described as "dark and ominous" in certain situations. Individuals who are part of these organizations believe that they are able to contact various types of "spirits", "ghosts" - these may be described as "pure", or those of the "light".

However, many are often described as "demonic" in nature due to the fact that these are the spirits that can awaken a soul to the world and offer power, and other advantages to the individual that is in contact with them. These are some of the popular types of Halloween ghost stories that are spoken in the time of the Wiccan New Year, or "Halloween" as most westerners know it.

There are several different types of occult practices. Then, there are those sects that experiment with a number of these practices in order to explore their spiritual path. These practices may include, but are not limited to:

1. The telling of fortunes
2. Witchcraft practices
3. Described as "Spiritualism"
4. Paganism
5. Satanism
6. Elemental
7. Tarot practices
8. Ouija Board practices
9. Casting of spells
10. Skyclad practices

During the fall, when Halloween ghost stories are being told from one person to another, it is essential that you know and understand the potential for occult recruitment - especially when it involves your children. In turn, you should be comfortable in expressing the dangers associated with involvement in these types of religious sects with your child.

It is essential to remember that not all children join these types of occults in an effort to contact the dead, receive spiritual wisdom from those in the spiritual world, or to bring evil into their lives, most do so based on peer pressure. Knowledge is essential when it comes to avoiding occult recruitment with the use of Halloween ghost stories.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to www.spookynite.com supplying you with all the information and resources you need to know about Halloween costumes, Halloween food recipes, Halloween party ideas.

After Halloween many people are left with pumpkins they had bought to decorate their homes or yards. Now you can put these "leftovers" to good use! The seasoned pumpkin seeds are an easy and fun food to make with children, and the pancakes with maple sauce are a delicious fall breakfast delicacy. Enjoy!

Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons Ariston Olive Oil
1 tsp Bayou Blackening Balm

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. While it's OK to leave some strings and pulp on your seeds (it adds flavor) clean off any major chunks.
3. Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with Ariston Olive Oil and Bayou Blackening Balm.
4. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on baking sheet.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Pumpkin Maple Sauce

Pancakes
1 bag Maple Flapjacks Mix
1 3/4 cups milk or soymilk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (such as Libby's)
1 large egg
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Pumpkin Maple Sauce
1 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp Pie Spice

To make Pumpkin Maple Sauce:

1. Heat maple syrup, pumpkin, and Pie Spice in small saucepan until warm; cover and set aside.
To make pancakes:
2. Combine Maple Flapjacks mix with milk, pumpkin, egg and vegetable oil in small bowl; mix well.
3. Add to flour mixture.
4. Stir just until moistened; batter may be lumpy.
5. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with vegetable oil.
6. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook until bubbles begin to burst.
7. Turn and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes; repeat with remaining batter.
8. Serve with prepared Pumpkin Maple Sauce.

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Halloween is coming and your kids are begging you to turn your home into a haunted house. The only problem is, you don't know where to start. With today's great Halloween decorations, a few black trash bags and a lot of imagination, anyone can create a haunted house to die for. Here are some tips that will help get you there:

Outside

The experience should begin before your visitors step foot into the house. Start by blacking out your windows. Hang black trash bags on the inside of them. Hang some strings of Halloween lights on your railings or lay them in the bushes. Replace any porch lights with colored bulbs. A black light on your porch shining on some glow-in-the-dark creatures also creates an eerie effect.

If you have a porch, put some fake spider webs in the corners. You can also lay some in the bushes in front of the house. Be sure to hang fake spiders around to go with the webs! Black cats and jack-o-lanterns can also add to the ambiance of a haunted house.

Your plain old door won't work - decorate it to look like a coffin. Buy some Styrofoam gravestones to put on your lawn or make them out of spare plywood or lumber and gray paint. Get a recording of scary sounds and scary music and play it.

Inside

Set the tone for your haunted house right as the visitors step into the front door. Take some old pants and an old shirt and stuff them. Top them off with a head made from a bleach bottle and an old hat. Hang the "body" from a nearby light fixture. Place several plastic spiders and fake webs throughout the entryway to keep him company.

Close off rooms that aren't being used. Decorate the doors like coffins or cover with black trash bags. Try to secure some crime scene tape and drape across the doors. If you want to add to the horror, place someone behind the closed doors and have them jump out periodically and scare your guests.

Place a wide variety of Halloween decorations in corners throughout the house. Buy or make some gruesome props and put them throughout the rooms. Dry ice can create some great fog, but be careful to place it where it can't be touched as it can burn the skin if touched.

Hang things from the ceilings that will brush against your visitors as they walk through the house. Yarn that has been dampened can feel pretty creepy when it brushes against someone's face. If you're using black lights in the house, be sure to use black thread instead of fishing line to hang things. The fishing line will react to black lights.

Create a laboratory by filling bowls with gross-feeling food items that will represent body innards. Have someone who has a great Dr. Frankenstein voice lead blindfolded visitors through the laboratory, encouraging them to touch the different items with their hands. Expect to hear a lot of "Yuk" and "Ooh, gross!"

Once you have your haunted house set up, walk through it as though you were a visitor. Check out the Halloween Decorations and if you are 100% convinced that it is as scary and haunting as you can make it, then relax. It's sure to be a huge success!

Joseph L Wilson is an affiliate marketer and loves Halloween. Discover more great Halloween decorating ideas at http://www.hauntedhangings.com

Ghost hunting and paranormal investigations are becoming increasingly popular with amateur ghost hunters, in part due to the easy access of information on the internet and current television shows about hauntings. Since the spirit of Halloween revolves around the souls of the dead returning to earth to haunt the living, Halloween night is considering a "prime time" for hunting ghosts. It's an annual right of passage for both amateur and professional ghost hunters to be out in full gear that night.

Ghost Hunt - going to a location that may or may not be haunted and trying to capture them on film (video and/or photos). A graveyard late at night is the number one place to start.

Ghost Investigation - going to a known haunted place and recording data (video, photos, audio and temperatures), taking notes, interviews and other evidence to prove/disprove the haunting and existence of ghosts.

For many the quest is to seek out allegedly haunted locations, authenticate evidence of ghosts, do research and conduct investigations into paranormal activity. Among ghost hunters, some are also devotees of urban exploration, a growing hobby where enthusiasts venture into abandoned structures such as hospitals, asylums, and sanatoriums. The more experienced hunters investigate and document reports of ghosts, hauntings and paranormal activity; where as many of the amateur ghost hunters are just out to have fun.

The definition of a "haunting" is a recurring presence of a ghost, demon, or similar supernatural being at a specific place. Old houses, hotels, restaurants, pubs, prisons, cemeteries and graveyards are the most common haunted places. Belief in hauntings and ghosts spans the world and is recorded throughout history in legends and ghost stories.

There are five primary types of hauntings:

Intelligent - may be a ghost or demon. The entity is aware of its surroundings, including living people who may be present.

Residual - the entity does not seem to be aware of any living beings and performs the same repetitive act (often the reenactment of a tragic event).

Benevolent - a ghost that seeks to help or protect the living sometimes from an evil spirit.

Malevolent - ghost or demon that seeks to inflict harm on the living.

Benign - entity that is either unconcerned about the living or unaware of their presence.

What better time of year than Halloween to check out some of the "hauntings" in your neck of the woods! Whether you're a more experienced paranormal investigator or just out for a night of ghost hunting, the souls of the dead are waiting for you on Halloween night. Good luck and happy haunting!

Anna Bradford is an author and blogger for Halloween Express where you'll find the absolute largest selection of Halloween costumes and costume accessories available anywhere. Halloween Express is the exclusive retailer for the Tom Arma line of Kids Costumes and Toddler Costumes.