Halloween party - The Idea Room

Severed Witch Finger Pens

We just got back from a family vacation where I ate WAY too much and went unplugged for a week. It was awesome! And now I am having a horrible time re-entering my regular schedule. The vacation was just what we needed…and unfortunately had to come to an end at some point. Now I am knee deep in laundry and all the mess that goes along with a family trip.

But I wanted to hurry up and get these Halloween Crafts up so that some of you might have a chance to make it before Halloween this year if it is something you are interested in…Halloween Severed Witch Finger Pens.

My son came home with one of these from a Halloween Classroom Party last year. It was a huge hit at our house. So, of course, I had to make some this year. All you need are a few simple items.

You will need:

Model Magic (we used white)

Fake Fingernails

Pen

Simply grab a small bit of model magic. A little bit will really go a long way. You need just enough to cover the pen. Then simply roll the clay between your fingers and a table top so that you have a long “snake” like roll that is just a bit longer than your pen.

Place your pen on top of the roll making sure to leave the writing end of the pen uncovered. Carefully pinch and roll the clay around the pen so that the pen is completely covered. Gently roll the pen and the clay now between your fingers and the table again so that you get a nice smooth edge where the clay comes together along the seam. Make sure the end of the pen is covered completely. This is going to be the tip of the finger.

Then gently press in areas on the finger that would coincide with the knuckles and natural bends in a finger. I then took a knife and gently made some marks to look like the wrinkles over the knuckles on the skin of the finger.

Push the fake fingernail into the top of the pen so that it looks like a natural fingernail. I pushed it in a bit more at the base of the fingernail so that it gives it a more natural fingernail. You can leave the fingernail natural or you can paint the nail. I chose to paint ours red. I simply took the nail off the clay before it dried and painted it. When the paint was dry, I glued the nail onto the finger with some hot glue. Then you can let the fingers air dry for a couple of days or bake them in a very low oven (100 degrees). Be sure your fingernails can handle the heat before you go that route though…

These are so easy to make and would be the perfect party craft for kids to make on their own. What do you think?

October 23, 2012 · Filed under: Halloween Tagged with halloween classroom ideas, Halloween craft, halloween fingers, halloween ideas, Halloween party, witch fingers

Halloween Party Napkins

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Hi Idea Room readers! My name is Tauni and I blog at SNAP! – a site where I can share social media tips, DIY and entertainingideas. I also host a fun social media conference with Amy and a few other fun ladies in the spring.

I am simply thrilled to be guest posting today. I found Amy’s site when she first started blogging and have followed her ever since. She’s taught me so much about being a mom, a woman and a positive person and I am truly grateful to call her my friend…

Halloween has become one of my favorite holidays. It’s fun to decorate AND fun to celebrate. Each year, we mark the week of Halloween with a spooky dinner.

This year, bats have dominated conversation so we’re having a bat themed dinner. I couldn’t find any fun party napkins with bats, so we made our own! Today I am sharing with you how to make your own DIY Halloween Napkins.

This is a really simple project that takes minutes and you can even have your kids join in on the fun…

Simple Halloween Party Napkin Supplies

Variety of stamps (letters, bats, etc.)
Stamp pads
Paper napkins

How to Make Simple Halloween Party Napkins

These napkins are great for instances where you need something really specific. The best part is they are super inexpensive too!

I had some fun, sort of rough letter/number stamps (sort of creepy, right?) on hand that I decided to mix in with the little bat stamp I found at Hobby Lobby. I think I paid about $2 for the bat stamp.

I love the clear plexi stamps. It makes it so easy to line things up and get them where you want them…If I would have thought of it in advance, I probably would have tried to find a bat I could have used on the plexi block as well.

I prefer the pigment ink stamps that run about $2-3. The don’t seem to bleed as much as some of the other inks I tried on the paper napkins.

All you have to do is ink up, stamp lightly and let dry. Bam! You’re all done!!!

They’d also be perfect for a fun classroom party…

I love simple party projects with high impact, don’t you?!

Of course, the napkins are just part of our decor. We’ve got this spooky skeleton wreath on the front door…

And this fun bat wreath hanging inside…

(to go with the bat theme of course)

I’d love to get to know YOU better. I hope you will stop by the blog, or join me on Facebook and Pinterest.

Thanks so much for sharing these fun Halloween napkins Tauni. They are so perfect for a Halloween party! I have enjoyed working with Tauni on a lot of different projects and am always asking her for advice. She has become a good friend and I am so grateful for the blessings I have been able to enjoy because of this blog. Thanks Tauni! –Amy

October 5, 2012 · Filed under: Fall Festival, Halloween Tagged with decorate your napkins, DIY Halloween, halloween crafts, Halloween party, halloween party crafts, halloween party supplies

Bendable Halloween Mummies

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I recently volunteered to help in my daughter’s classroom for her Halloween party. I was asked to come up with the Halloween Crafts the kids could make in about 10 minutes. After seeing a bunch of well used ideas on the internet, we came across an idea to make “bendable mummy dolls.”

You will need (per mummy):
2 pipe cleaners
1 cotton ball
3 12 inch strips of white cloth
2 google eyes

First take two pipe cleaners (any color will do since they will be covered). We picked white to represent the bones of the skeleton. We twisted two together to come up with the basic shape of a stick figure. We started with the head and then worked our way around. Stick the cottonball into a circle made out of the pipe cleaners. (Sorry about the red food coloring stained fingers…that was from some other project).

Then we took strips of an old sheet and tore it into a LOT of tiny strips. Then we just started wrapping the mummy up. I started on the neck and went up around the head and then around each body part. It takes a little practice to figure out how to wrap it for the best look. We then tied knots and tucked the ends of the strips into the cloth to start the next strip. Each mummy took about three 12 inch strips of material.

Then I helped each of the kids hot glue some “google eyes” on their mummies.

They were a hit. Some kids had a hard time with the wrapping. But most really enjoyed coming up with their individual creations. I did it by myself with about 7-8 kids in each station. A helper would have been nice. But all in all it worked out pretty well. I premade all the skeletons because I didn’t think all the kids would be able to do that part. I would not recommend this for classes younger than 2nd grade.