Easy Peasy Upcycled Halloween Crafts

Are you a crafter? Do you see a box of glitter and an old cardboard box and think, I can make something out of that? I wish I could join you, but I’m messy with a glue gun and can barely sew on a button. My DIY projects pretty much stop at simple beauty treatments and two-ingredient perfumes.

But Halloween is a different story! Unless you DIY this holiday, you’re forced to buy a whole slew of totally not Fair Trade plastic junk.

Luckily, these Halloween crafts are easy enough for a toddler to manage (with a little help), and they can also help show how much fun upcycling can be!

A great project for this season is Mummy Jars, which I found on the blog Crafts Redesigned. They’re adorable additions to any party décor—and they’re super easy to make.

To make Mummy Jars, you’ll need:

• Recycled jars (no lids)

• Medical gauze

• Mod Podge or white glue

• Googly eyes
Brush

• LED candle (can add later)

Directions:

1. Paint the bottle with glue
.
2. Starting at the bottom, wrap the gauze around the bottle
.
3. As you wrap, paint glue between the slightly overlapping layers
.
4. Only use one layer of gauze
.
5. Once you reach the top, paint over your layers
.
6. Add googly eyes
.
7. Set an LED candle inside.

Another fun Halloween craft, especially if the organic milk consumption in your house is anything like it is in mine, is this Spirit Jugs project I found on Spoonful.com. Plus, it's a fun and festive way to recycle those milk jugs!

To make Spirit Jugs, you’ll need:

• Clean plastic gallon milk jugs with lids on (lids stop them from collapsing when you draw)

• Black permanent market

• Craft knife

• LED candle (can add later)

Directions:

1. Draw ghost eyes and mouth on the jugs
.
2. Cut a hole in the back of the jug (parents can do later)
.
3. Place the LED candle inside
(You can also make several and group them using a string of clear low-wattage holiday lights).

Happy Halloween!