Halloween Pennant Printables

 Halloween pennant flags are my favorite thing this year! I designed a couple different kinds. They are available in my etsy shop. You can purchase them HERE and HERE. They are perfect for gifts and sticking in plants or containers around the house, or in boo baskets.

What would you use a pennant flag for this Halloween?

Thanks for stopping by.

Xo -Risa

DIY Acrylic Sign with a Marker

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These acrylic signs are super easy to make and inexpensive! You need a piece of acrylic from Home Depot, a water based marker like this and a base. You can make your own, or buy bases like these.

You print out a sign, and put it under the acrylic, then simply trace over it with a marker, and you're finished! I created bunch of adorable printable signs, and they are in my Etsy shop. You can visit my Etsy shop here. The signs are cute enough to print and display on their own, or you can print one and use it to trace for this project. 

When choosing a marker, only use water based markers, not oil based markers, and be sure and use the finest tip you can get. A fine tip is the key to getting the fonts to really stand out be distinct. Outline each letter, then fill it in. I used this marker:

Using only water based markers will insure you can clean it up and wipe it off if you make a mistake.   It cleans up by wiping with your finger when it's wet, or using window cleaner when it's dry. You might just need to let the window cleaner sit for a minute, before wiping off. Oil based paint will not come off the acrylic. It will come off glass with a razor blade, but a razor blade will scratch the acrylic.

My son had homecoming last weekend, and we hosted the dinner in our home. I decided to make each guest a place card, using the glass from dollar store frames. The kids were amazed when they walked in, and just loved having their own name at their place. They each got to take it home at the end of the night. 

So, it can be done on glass as well, but I would only recommend using glass for decor that is not going to be around children, wind, or in a place where it can be knocked over easily.

SPOOKIEST SPOOK Halloween Game

This game is so much fun! You play it as a family, at night, in your house, in the dark! Everyone draws a card. They person who draws the card with the spookiest spook on it, is, "IT!" No one knows who's, "it." Everyone hides and the person who's, "it," then tries to find the other people who are playing. When they are found, the person who is, "it," says, "I am the spookiest spook!" then the found person screams as loud as they can, and helps the spookiest spook find the other players. 

  The Spookiest Halloween Game

Download the game cards and rules HERE.

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Halloween Ghost Game

STEAL THE GHOST

This is a Halloween twist on a game we have played as a family for years! It is perfect for game nights. Its easy to make, and you might even be able to do it with things you already have on hand.

You get dollar store ping pong balls or eyeballs, cover them in muslin or white fabric, and tie with a string to make them look like a ghost. You also get a giant funnel from the dollar store. 

The finished game will look like this.

Your balls need to be able to fit in the funnel.

The person starting has the funnel in one hand and 2 dice in the other and starts rolling the dice. Every time they come up equaling 7 the person who rolled tries to trap the ghosts with the funnel. Any who get trapped have to give the trapper two of whatever you decide to use: pennies, beans, candy etc. I put little white beans in plastic cups. 40 per person. 

This game moves fast! You set a time for how long the person gets the turn. If a person pulls their ghost out and the dice don't equal 7, they give the person rolling the dice one bean. My kids loved this, and we had $5 up for grabs. In my family growing up, we would play this at Christmas sometimes, and tie foam curlers instead of making ghosts. Sometimes we drew  blood!

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a Happy and Creative aDay!

Risa

Halloween Matching Game

I found the sweetest Halloween clipart, and decided to create a darling and cute little matching game. The fun thing about the characters, is you find the match for the character you turn over, not find the same card. That way, you match up cute little Halloween couples!

  Halloween Matching Game Restless Risa

Click HERE to download matching game.

For a fun twist on traditional matching game, print out these darling tombstone cupcake toppers, leaving space at the base. Fold the white base backwards, so the tombstones will stand up, and place the matching game cards face down in front of each grave marker. (You might need to put a candy pumpkin on the back of each, to help it stand up.

We call this game, "Ghost in the Graveyard." Whomever makes a match of the ghost cards gets a treat!

Clipart came from THIS Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Halloween Decor in my front room

I painted my front room. After 7 years, I decided to get rid of the dark blue. I really did love it, and was unsure even as I was paint over it that I was doing the right thing, but I am thrilled with the way the lighter color has made the space feel so much bigger, and so fresh!

This is how it used to look last October.

You can find more pics from last year, and a tutorial for the cool zombie art HERE.

I brought in some $3 Target pumpkins, and used the same glass skull (Homegoods) from last year. It  really simplified my coffee table decor.

Love my skeleton magnifying glass - TJ Maxx.

I hung the FABULOUS spooky family picture above my couch. You can find the rest of the photos HERE They are really fun! I am so glad we did it. This print is 30x40 inches, and cost under $25 to print and mount. I printed it at Staples for $8.91. They now do color engineer prints!!! Happy Dance!!! I then had it mounted at Bennion Crafts for $15. Amazing, right?!? I was so excited when I heard that Staples now does color engineer prints.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Adding Holiday Decor to your living Space (Halloween)

Every year, when Halloween rolls around, I feel both excitement and dread when it comes to decorating. I like being fun and festive. My kids love it!  On October 1, I get my bins out, and start to decorate. My house is transformed, and feels like a Halloween store. But, as the days tick by, it really starts to make me itch, because it doesn't feel like my house. I like it for about a week, and pretty soon, it's all I can do to force myself not to take it all down before Halloween even hits! I make myself wait until Halloween night. I move most of it to the front porch to make a festive scene, and put the rest of the decorations in bins between answering the door for trick-or-treaters. Is that terrible? I know I am not alone. This year, I decided I was going to make Halloween fit my decor, not make my decor fit Halloween.

Anyone that knows me, knows I like color. I don't like it, I love it! It instantly brightens any space. There are basically two colors I don't decorate with... Orange and Red. This tends to be a problem with the major holidays. I have no problem with other people decorating with orange and red, in fact, like it when I see it in other peoples houses, I just don't love it in my own (besides kids bedrooms). I did have it in my last house, and got my fill, and have been taking a break.

This year, we had some FUN Halloween pictures taken by our awesome photographer Randomly Candid. Please check her out! Her prices and very reasonable, photographs are so beautiful, and turn around is so quick!

You can see the photos HERE. I LOVE decorating with pictures of my family. Family photos are my favorite thing to display, as my kids are my greatest work of art. Cheesy much? Yes. True? Yes.

I blew up a couple of my favorites at Staples, in what's called, "Border Prints." They go up to 18x24, are printed, mounted on foam, and laminated, for one $10 each!!! The quality is awesome. It is usually same day turn around, and you get to take them home and hang them.  They are not listed online for some reason, and when I have done them in the past, I always email my order in, and tell them I want to do a border print. So, call your local Staples, and figure out how they want you to do it. You really can't beat the price and quality.

I feel like they are such a great addition to my Halloween decor. They say Halloween, without making you feel like you are in a Halloween store.

I swapped them out on my wall, for some family photo canvases that were already there, and the transition looks great! I also swapped out another big picture for the Wizard of Oz silhouette I painted a few years back. It feels a little spooky and festive, without screaming, Halloween!

I set out my three witches, and a couple jack-o-lanterns, and I feel like I can live with this through the end of the month.

This dip picture is my favorite. The color is so vibrant with the border prints, I just couldn't get a photo without glare, because of the lamination.

Easy peasy, and not itchy at all. Happy Fall!

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Day of the Dead (Los Muertos) Display

My kids are in the Spanish Immersion program in school. It is SO AMAZING to hear them speak! Their teachers rotate being from Europe, and South or Central America. A few years back, my son had a teacher from Mexico. He came home with a sugar skull, and told me a little about Los Muertos, that he had learned from his teacher. I wanted to learn more. As I sometimes do, I became a little obsessed, and learned more. It is a pretty cool part of the culture, and not scary.

Los muertos is observed in Mexico and some other countries as a day to remember and celebrate the dead. They even hope to welcome their spirits to visit, by using bright colors and flowers, and serving meals and treats the deceased would like. They tell stories, and share memories about the deceased  as a way to honor and remember them. They remember infants and children on November 1, and adults on November 2.

This could be a fun angle to bring to a classroom party in October!

Tissue paper flowers are a great way to add color, and they are so easy and inexpensive to make!!! Cut out circles, or scallops, about 4 sheets deep, pinch the middle, and staple to a straw. I did the same this with pattern pieces HERE. I like them on bendy straws, because you can set the angles you want for the flower arrangement.

These peg dolls are my favorite! I painted them last year.

I found a website with a ton of free printables. You have to email them to request the files, but they are sent immediately! For the website,

CLICK HERE

To look at all the ideas, then click on Free templates, to see which ones are free.

They have masks, food labels, and bingo. They also have a sheet of Day of the Dead phrases.

For the skeleton, I got a paper mask from Michael's, and painted it in traditional Los Muertos fashion. 

I hot glued dollar store flowers to the top, and put a wig on her.

I borrowed a shirt from my neighbor's daughter, and put a skirt that was actually a thrifted curtain on for a skirt.

She's the perfect addition to a Los Muertos or even a Halloween party.

The banner is from Zurchers.

These are a few more pics in my house. The color is not great,  but I like the set-up better.

I am starting to see so much of this stuff in so many stores, including; Micheal's, Joann's, World Market, and many more. If you look, you will see it all over the place!

Close op shots of the pegs!

I kinda love them!

The piñata is from Wal-mart.

The striped fabric is from Ikea.

To see more Los Muertos ideas, check out my DAY OF THE DEAD BOARD on Pinterest. Thanks for stopping by!

Have a happy and Creative day.

Risa