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DIY: Halloween

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Much like last year, there are Halloween decorations going up left and right and it’s getting me all giddy. And much like last year, I’ve found some superawesomefun and cheap as all heck Halloween-themed craft ideas to get you all pumped for the holiday. After all, Halloween isn’t just about tossing back electric green colored shots and partying til dawn with the girl dressed like a slutty Strawberry Shortcake. It’s about adorable, creepy, freaky bizarreness all over the place – and what does that better than bats, skulls, ghosts, cobwebs and snakes and stuff? So here are the ten cheapest ideas for this years All Hallows.

Lego Skull: If you have Lego’s laying around then you are a) rad and b) one step ahead. Everyone else, grab some Legos then check these assembly instructions. Paint if desired and done.

Bats and Cobwebs: Soo easy. For bats, trace and cut out the template then tape ‘em up. If you’re putting them outside consider laminating them (on the cheap, you can seal them using clear packing tape well enough). For cobwebs, fold up a coffee filter then trace your web and cut.

Jack O Lanterns and Candy Corn: pretty straightforward yeah? Empty and wash milk jugs, draw faces then cut a hole in the back and string lights inside. For the candy corn, you’ll wash bottles then spray paint white. Paint a stripe of orange in the middle then work in the yellow at the end. Works as a vase too.

Snakes, Ghosts and More Skulls: For glitter skulls, you’ll first spray paint the skull then adhere to a candle holder base. Add some Spanish moss and a candle. Snakes are super simple: just weave fistfuls of toy snakes through a standard dark wreath and glue to hold. For ghosts, carefully wash egg shells, then draw on faces with marker. Poke a hole in the top with a safety pin and string together. Spoooooky!

Plates and Wreaths: These last two are of the fuckin’-classy variety but are broke-ass all the way. The Raven themed dinnerware costs less than $3 a plate; just use a porcelain 150 pen, stencils and painters tape to write on the plates then bake according to the directions on the pen. For the wreath, all you need is a foam circle and black grosgrain ribbon. You’ll measure and tie off the ribbons around the circle. That one actually works so well I’m thinking of leaving it up all year.

Images courtesy craftycrafty.com, dana-made-it.com, dollarstorecrafts.com, and casasugar.com

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Amber Bouman - Crafty & Cashless

Amber Bouman - Crafty & Cashless

A freelance writer, blogger and poet based in San Francisco, Amber has written for PC World, InfoWorld, and the 16th & Mission Review. She has performed at City Hall, Litquake, the Brainwash, 16th & Mission, BlueSix, and SFSU among other places. Amber is also consummate fan of swearing, organizational freak, yoga practitioner, music geek, caffeine addict, and tattoo enthusiast who enjoys platform shoes, making out, thumb wrestling and fighting the good fight. She owns a bicycle named Gretel, a motor scooter named Elroy and a cat named Simon. She can be found in various virtual locations all over your interwebs.