Halloween is coming up on us so quickly and it would be fun to be able to decorate for this holiday. I don’t know about you, but the decorating in my area seems to be close to rivaling Christmas! For this holiday, I prefer to keep things somewhat simple and easy to do. I also like to use it as a transition from autumn decorations on through Thanksgiving. As a kid, when the decorating wasn’t so high- tech, there were several things I looked forward to making each year.

Do you like to have a scarecrow enhance your yard? Are there some clothes you are thinking about getting rid of? Why not keep a pair of pants and a shirt, just a little longer? All of my children made scarecrows in preschool with some old clothing. All you need are a pair of pants, a shirt, some newspapers, safety pins and a brown paper bag. Close off the arms and legs, pin the top and bottom together and stuff them with newspapers. Decorate the paper bag as the face in any way you would like. You can add any type of embellishment to the clothing you like-my one daughter added a “pearl” necklace to hers. Add hair, a hat or anything else. Our scarecrow happily sits on a bench on our porch to help welcome any visitors. We are considering making this a bit more permanent by changing the paper bag into a fabric face and adding some wooden dowels to help the scarecrow “stand”.

Do you remember the white ghosts that hang from the trees? These are so easy to make and add a cute touch to your yard. Simply take a white plastic bag (recycle one, maybe?), and cut it into a square, or squares, depending on the size ghost you would want. Use newspaper or paper towels rolled into a ball to stuff the head. Tie string or yarn around to form a neck and make the string long enough to tie the ghost onto a tree branch or other area to hang. If these will be indoors, or protected, you could use permanent markers or glue to paint a simple face onto the ghost. If you want something much larger, why not consider a larger ghost using a sheet or pillow case. Just the other day, I saw a whole family of ghosts in a yard made with these, and they were held up by tying the fabric to the trees or supported by wooden sticks. It was done in such a cute, and clever, manner.

Of course, you can then add things that you cut from construction paper, or pictures you color. I hope you have a wonderful time decorating for this fun holiday. Please stop by the forum and share your experiences with your fellow crafters. It’s always fun to hear from you.