~How to make a paper wig~

While browsing Martha Stewart’s website this morning I came across this tutorial.  This is such a great alternative to buying an expensive wig that you may only wear once or twice for Halloween, plus it is eco-friendly!  

If you don’t like the “newspaper print” look you could always spray paint or spray glitter the paper.  Here are the directions to make this unique costume accessory:

Tools and Materials
Plastic grocery bag
Scissors
Round object to use as a head form (we used a cabbage)
Masking tape
Newspaper, thin colored paper, or curling ribbon for "hair"
Double-sided tape
Paper Wigs How-To

1. Cut down a plastic grocery bag to create a single sheet of plastic. Place plastic sheet over cabbage.

2. Apply strips of masking tape to plastic, overlapping each slightly, until you have formed the shape of a skull cap. Add two to three more layers of masking tape to create a firm wig base.

3. Remove cap from cabbage, and trim excess plastic around cap. To add extra support, place a few strips of masking tape around the edge and inside the skull cap.

4. Place cap back on the cabbage and begin styling the wig. Cut colored paper or newspaper to 1/2-inch strips, or cut lengths of curling ribbon to create hair. Curl "hair" by carefully dragging across the closed blade of a pair of scissors.

5. Add 4- to 6-inch strips of double-sided tape to the bottom rim of the cap, and begin adding hair. Continue adding more tape and "hair" strips until you reach the crown of the cap and the wig is full.

*Tutorial courtesy of MarthaStewart.com – for the original tutorial click HERE*

~Pumpkin Carving 101 + Roasted Pumpkin Seeds~

We carved pumpkins this past Sunday and I wanted to share the photos of our spooky creations.  Mike and I have never carved pumpkins together so it was   something we had to do!  Naturally after you carve pumpkins you save the seeds and roast them!  It’s a little work but totally worth it.  Mike had never eaten a pumpkin seed so that gave me another reason to make them.

 The recipe I used was from my favorite online recipe web site, www.Allrecipes.com.  Here is the link to the pumpkin seed recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

And…here is a photo of our pumpkin seeds roasting in the oven!  They smelled delicious while baking, it really feels like fall when you are roasting seeds and carving pumpkins!   

And to end this post here are our pumpkins all lit up looking spooky on the patio.  The right pumpkin is mine and the left one is Mike’s.  It’s hard to see in this photo but Mike’s pumpkin has ears.  Looking forward to the weekend, Halloween will be a blast this year!

~Etsy Pumpkins~

Since Fall has officially arrived I decided to search Etsy for pumpkin type items to feature on my blog.  I really love featuring Etsy Shop Owners who have under 50 sales.  Hopefully giving these Shops some exposure will boost their sales.  So the moral of this blog post is support handmade artisans this holiday season and purchase from either one of these fantastic Etsy Shops!

The first item I found is this yummy Pumpkin Salt Scrub from HumbleHill’s Shop.  Salt scrubs are a wonderful way to exfoliate and still moisturize your skin.  Jennifer, the shop owner of HumbleHill, is from Sequim, WA.  Ironically that’s just a few hours away from where I live in Issaquah.  Good Luck with your shop this year Jennifer!

Check out this adorable Jack-O-Lantern Pin from Jenni Shea’s Shop.  This pin can be given as a great gift or bought for yourself.  Looks like all Halloween items in Jenni’s shop are shipping for free these days.  Go check out the rest of her creative earrings and pins.  

Need some Halloween gift tags to put together party favors or goodie bags for trick or treaters?  Check out these Pumpkins, Ghosts and Bats – Small Circles/Tags from Paper Wick’s shop.  Get these quick for they are on sale!

Happy Shopping!

~Mini Halloween Gift Guide By Jenna~

Since Halloween is next week I decided to put together a gift guide for those of you out there who buy gifts for your favorite ghosts and goblins. Who says you can't buy gifts for Halloween?

Along with the holidays we find ourselves in the kitchen whipping up themed meals or baking those yummy frosted sugar cookies. You can't go wrong with giving the chef or baker in your life a Halloween dish towel! Check out this Halloween dish towel from 2nd Street Designs shop. The best part about this towel is that it was crocheted by the shop owners 86 year old father. What a treat to own something like this. This kitchen towel is currently on sale for $2.50. If you aren't into Halloween check out 2nd Street Designs other items, everything is unique and one of a kind, especially the floral wreaths!

After the kids come in from trick or treating their hands are full of germs! Running around from house to house ringing door bells and knocking on doors. Before letting the goblins go through their candy loot give them some soap to wash up with! I found the perfect mini soaps at Machine Gun Lullaby's shop. Check out these skull and pumpkin mini colored soaps! Vegan friendly and on sale to boot! You pay $1.40 for 10 sweet shea lotion soaps. What a great deal and a fun gift!

Need a trick or treat bag to hold all the loot you plan on collecting Halloween night? Well here is the perfect bag especially if you love kitties! This Halloween Themed Orange & Black Cat Bag comes from Monk Rock Creation's shop. Not only is this bag environmentally friendly but a great tote to use for any number of items! At $10 this bag is a steal. :-)

Don't forget to bring out the candles to light your way on Halloween night. These Halloween Tealight Holders are not only one of a kind but hand painted and decorated individually. No two holders are alike! These fabulous tealight holders come from Dizzee Lizzee's shop. Not only does Dizzee Lizzee have an awesome shop but she is located just a few hours away from me in Washington state!

Now that we have the candle holder figured out we need to find some tealights to put inside. I have found the perfect tealights at Sweet Surrender Candle Shop. Check out these Pumpkin Spice Soy Tealights! Makes me want to eat pumpkin pie. :-) You get a dozen tealights for $6.99. I noticed there is a sale going on at the Sweet Surrender Candle Shop. Until Ocotober 25th you buy 5 candles and get the 6th one free! What an awesome sale and a great way to stock on up wonderful smelling candles.

Well there you have it! My mini Halloween gift buying guide from etsy sellers. I forgot one thing! If you need Halloween cards to go with any of these fabulous gift picks check out my Halloween cards. Right now all Halloween cards are 50% off.