Halloween is lurking just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to get mad creative to boost your family’s spirits. Whether you’re haunting the neighbourhood or planning for a spooky night in, these Halloween hacks will be a scream for your frightening family.
When it comes to costumes: Think DisneyBounding.
The best Halloween costumes are comfortable, wearable and unique. DisneyBounding involves dressing to embody a character’s distinctive style without technically wearing a costume. Invented to get around rules against adults wearing costumes at Disney theme parks, DisneyBounding also offers a few other helpful lessons to apply to Halloween costume shopping.
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- Make the character your own. Whether you’re dressing up like a Disney character or any other character, person, animal or thing – you don’t have to copy what’s been done before. Let your unique style and personality shine through!
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- Use what’s already in your closet. Before you head out to buy something new or secondhand, check for staple pieces that match your chosen costume’s colour palette and vibe in your wardrobe.
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- Add artistic touches. You can add fabric paint to a garment or go wild with dramatic accessories to complete your look.
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- Thrifting is your friend. It’s already a fantastic way to save money on stylish clothes, and you might be surprised what you can find to help put together a fierce Halloween look. It’s a bonus if you buy something for your Halloween ensemble that you can wear year-round!
Give basic treats a spooky makeover.
Don’t have time to make every devilishly delicious recipe you see on Instagram? No problem! You can dress up staple snacks to get kids in the Halloween spirit.
Use a black marker to transform cheese sticks and oranges into ghosts and jack o’lanterns, or try one of these other transformative packaging crafts from Better Homes & Gardens.
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- Turn marshmallows and cheese balls into ghastly ghost and pumpkin poo. Sounds gross? That’s the point!
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- Stay hydrated with pumpkin juice, spider cider (orange juice and vitamin water) and monstrous juice boxes.
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- Or reanimate non-edible goodies like bubbles, hand sanitizer and snack or modelling clay containers.
These seasonal packaging makeovers are perfect for creative parents who need a break from the mess and stress of the kitchen.
Think orange, black and green.
When decorating your home this year, play Dr. Frankenstein and give discarded plastics a second life. Halloween is a little less scary when you know that your family is doing its part to protect the environment!
We love these laundry jug jack-o-lanterns, plastic bottle planters and recycled k-cup garlands. They’re Halloween decorations that won’t rot on your front porch (no offence, pumpkins) and can be reused and appreciated for their hand-drawn details year after year.
Add fresh paint to make items look old and distressed.
Chances are you still have some dollar store decor from Halloween’s past. These are our favourite hacks for giving outdated items a new life and saving them from the early grave of a landfill.
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- Try giving ordinary plastic pumpkins more character by painting them like rusted antiques.
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- Make a faded lawn flamingo the boney star of your yard, complete with DIY graves or even zombie garden gnomes.
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- Do you ever buy products like candy or bubble bath, just for the fancy glass containers? Hand-painted apothecary bottles are an impressive way to make your shelves look genuinely haunted.
When all else fails, don’t be afraid to borrow from other holidays.
Are you still lacking the motivation to get into the spooky season? Why not adapt your favourite Christmas or Easter traditions?
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- Thrift a Christmas village that’s seen better days to make your own miniature Halloween town or build a menacing gingerbread house Hansel and Gretel style.
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- Get your little ones excited for October 31st with a treat bag countdown calendar.
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- Host a Halloween candy egg hunt.
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- Paint eggs to make smoking boo bombs or boil bloodshot deviled eggs that look disgustingly delicious.
No matter what you’re wearing and who you’re trick or treating with this Halloween, stay safe, creep it real, and have fun!