Journalling and bullet journal supplies for Halloween

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I love writing in my notebooks, and I have two journals consistently on the go. I use my bullet journal to plan my weekly schedule and keep track of my tasks for the day, then I use my illustrated journal to write down my thoughts and also as a creative outlet for small sketches and collages. I enjoy theming them both to the time of year, and with Halloween coming up I thought I'd share some Halloween themed supplies which would work really well for all types of journalling. 

Photo credit Michelle Gordon via Unsplash

Almost all of my bullet journal pages are edged with a strip of washi tape, I just love it! I have a pack of Halloween themed washi tape that I bought a few years ago and it's the perfect way to give a page an instant Halloween look. If you want something similar then you might like this big pack of cheerful Halloween washi tape, or you might prefer something darker like this huge set of magic and witch themed washi tape. 

When I'm working on a themed journal page, I often use some patterned paper as a background or as matting for a piece of ephemera. Something like this Halloween paper ephemera would work perfectly, or for a less bulky look some Halloween tissue paper would also work really well. 

I use stickers in both my bullet journal and my illustrated journal. For my bullet journal I like to use something small and fun, like these simple Halloween stickers. I especially like the small icons which you could use as bullet point markers. The stickers below are part of my Aesthetic Planner Stickers set which covers holidays and occasions throughout the year. But for my journal I want something a bit more dramatic, so I often go for some printed collage images which you can have fun cutting out and arranging on the page. I love this Vintage Halloween Ephemera Collection which is packed with spooky illustrations for all sorts of paper Halloween projects.

Until recently I always used the same fountain pen for writing in my journal, but after buying some new pens in gorgeous colours I've started to mix it up a bit. I use a new pen colour each day to make my entries stand out, and at this time of year I'm really drawn to autumnal colours. I have a set of these lovely pens - Zebra Sarasa gel pens - which come in a range of muted, vintage colours and are really comfortable to write with. It's difficult to choose a favourite colour but at the moment I'm really enjoying the golden yellow and the dark red.

Halloween usually calls for more muted, darker colours, so you can reflect this in the other accents that you use in your journal. For example coloured sticky tabs as bookmarks or to help find a certain journal page. I also love these fun Autumn leaf sticky notes which really stand out, both to use in a bullet journal or as a quick reminder around the house. 

I hope you enjoyed these ideas for bringing some Halloween fun to your journal pages this month!

Halloween activities for older children and teenagers

This is a collaborative post

I've always enjoyed having fun at Halloween with my children, but now that they are older we've sadly moved beyond Halloween toilet roll tube crafts and dressing up in sweet costumes for trick or treating. It doesn't mean that they are too old for the fun though, there are still plenty of crafts and activities that are more suited to older children. Here are some of my favourites!

Carving pumpkins

This is the classic Halloween activity, and is definitely one of our favourite Halloween traditions. I'm not the best at carving pumpkins myself, and I tend to stick with a simple grinning face. But there are loads of pumpkin carving templates available, and if you can trust your teenager with a sharp knife then they may enjoy attempting something a bit more complicated.

Photo credit Andy Holmes via Unsplash

Doing some Halloween themed baking 

My favourite Halloween bake was these Halloween iced gingerbread biscuits. They are so simple to make, and with some clever icing you can make all sorts of different designs. Even if you don't have any specific Halloween cookie cutters you can still improvise with what you have - I used gingerbread men cutters for mummies and Easter egg cutters for skulls! You can also make really simple Halloween cupcakes with some edible eye decorations and a selection of icing in vibrant colours. 

Making Halloween decorations

The children might have grown out of toddler Halloween crafts, but you can still get them involved in decorating the house for Halloween. Just bear in mind that as they get older their imagination might turn towards more realistic and gruesome ideas! You could think about a theme for the whole house, including window displays, lighting and garden decorations. I also love the idea of repurposing some of their toys into Halloween decorations, like old dolls and stuffed animals. Then on the night itself they can dress up to help hand out sweets to the younger visitors.

Photo credit Jen Theodore via Unsplash

Painting ceramic decorations

My children have always enjoyed pottery painting, and there are some lovely kits available, either classic Halloween designs or maybe something a bit more grown up like a decorative pumpkin or sugar skull. I find that the kits don't always contain the best paints, so we usually use our own acrylic paints and take the time to mix the correct colours and let the layers dry in between coats for a nicer finish. 

Taking photos at a pumpkin patch

They might be a bit old now to pose prettily next to an aesthetic pumpkin display, but if your teenager enjoys taking photographs then they might still enjoy a visit to the local pumpkin patch. It's a fun family day out and they can take some photos to share with friends on social media.

Photo credit Marius Ciocirlan via Unsplash

Having a scary Halloween adventure

If your teenager doesn't scare too easily then they might enjoy something a bit more adventurous like a Halloween themed escape room or horror maze. In the UK these are becoming much more common, and although they are a little too terrifying for me I can imagine that plenty of teens would love them, especially if they can visit with their friends rather than their boring parents!

Have fun celebrating Halloween with your older children!

Halloween crafts using Hama beads

This is a collaborative post

A few years ago I published this post - Hama bead crafts for Halloween. But that was a long time ago, and since then I've published many more Halloween crafts using Hama beads on my blog, both the usual midi size and also the much smaller mini sized beads. So I thought that I would publish an updated post containing all of the Halloween Hama bead crafts that I've shared to date! Make sure that you click the link to the original post for the full tutorial and patterns.

Small Halloween Hama bead designs

These pixel art Halloween designs would also work really well for cross stitch or other digital art. The small designs don't use too many beads and can be customised to use the colours that you have.

Hama bead sugar skull bunting

This Halloween sugar skull bunting uses a very simple pattern that can be made in lots of different ways. It's a great craft for using up odds and ends of colours and looks fantastic hung up on a mantelpiece or across a window.

Hama bead witch designs using the princess pegboard

I used the versatile princess pegboard (you can find a link at the bottom of this post) to make some Halloween witches. I used lots of purple and black beads!

These designs can then be used as Halloween decorations, maybe to make a Halloween witch display.

Hama bead Halloween coasters

I love using Hama beads to make coasters, the small circular pegboard is just the right size. These coasters all have a Halloween theme.

Hama bead Halloween napkin rings

If you are planning a Halloween party then these Hama bead Halloween napkin rings would look amazing on the table!

Halloween house using the Hama bead house pegboard

I used the Hama bead house pegboard (there's a link at the bottom of the post) to make this Hama bead haunted Halloween house, complete with bats and pumpkin.

Hama bead sugar skull Halloween picture

Remember the Hama bead sugar skull bunting I shared earlier? I used the same pattern to make sugar skulls which I arranged on black cardboard to make a spooky Halloween picture.

The following crafts use mini Hama beads. These tiny beads can be fiddly, so it's a craft better suited to adults, but the results can be very intricate and satisfying. “Crafting with such detail allows you to bring out creativity in small but powerful ways. It’s the patience and care in these tiny projects that make them so rewarding, transforming simple materials into meaningful Halloween decor." says John Webber of Carved, a handmade goods company.

Halloween pin badges using mini Hama beads

These little pin badges don't take long to make and would make a great subtle Halloween accessory.

Mini Hama bead sugar skull earrings

I used the Hama bead sugar skull pattern once again but this time with the mini Hama beads to make some little Halloween earrings.

Phew, I didn't realise that I had shared quite so many Halloween Hama bead crafts over here! I do hope that you found something to inspire you!

Felt crafts for Halloween - a round up

I love crafting with felt! It's such a versatile material, you can cut it easily, it doesn't fray, it's easy to sew and it comes in a range of gorgeous bright colours and pretty pastels. I've shared a few Halloween crafts using felt on my blog over the last couple of years and I thought I'd bring them all together here in case you are looking for some Halloween felt crafting inspiration.

Last year I made this Halloween felt bunting using scraps of felt and other bits and pieces from my stash. 

Each pendant has a different theme, alternating black and orange along with plenty of embellishments like buttons, sequins, ric rac and ribbon. I love the variation in the pieces!

This year I made a really simple Halloween felt garland which I'm going to string up next to the bunting. All you need are small scraps of felt in Halloween colours like black, orange, grey and purple. The pieces are cut into small shapes about 3-4cm across and quickly sewn together using a sewing machine. I added some sequins to make them sparkle. 

Another great Halloween felt craft for using up scraps are these embroidered felt sugar skulls. My skulls measure about 10cm in height so they are a good size to use as hanging decorations. You can use a range of coloured scraps along with sequins and small beads to make each one unique. I used white for the background of the skulls but I'm also very tempted to make some in vibrant pinks and purples!

For my next Halloween felt craft I'd like to try a Halloween themed picture. I found this full video tutorial linked below for a circular piece which I love, so I might attempt something similar:

Finally, if you are looking for more beautiful felt craft ideas then I love Bugs and Fishes as a source for inspiration and tutorials.

I've shared many Halloween crafts on my blog over the years, if you are looking for more then you might also enjoy these last minute Halloween crafts for children. 

Free - mini Halloween pixel art designs for Hama beads or cross stitch

With Halloween approaching, I thought I would use my newly organised Hama bead supplies to make some little Halloween Hama bead pieces! These designs are very small (they measure about 3-5cm across) and so they don't use too many beads. They would also be great for cross stitch or other pixel art crafts. I came up with designs for a moon and star, a bat, a skull, a ghost, a pumpkin and a witch's hat.

Here are the patterns for the designs. You can vary the colours of course based on what colour beads you have available - I have plenty of grey beads so I used those for the ghost, and the skull is made from an unusual off white shade that I found in my stash.

These designs can all be assembled on the basic square pegboard. If you are new to Hama beads then you might find this post useful - Ironing tips for Hama beads. You can find links to some useful supplies at the bottom of this post.

Ways that you could use the finished Hama Halloween bead pieces:

To stick to place card for a Halloween party

Scattered across a Halloween party table

As Halloween party bag gifts

Make into magnets or keyrings

Make into bunting or strings as Halloween decorations

Use as gift tags for Halloween presents

Hand to trick or treaters for a sugar free alternative

Add a cord to make a spooky pendant

If you enjoyed this post then you might also like my round up of Halloween Hama bead crafts!

You can find all my Hama bead posts here - Hama bead crafts

Halloween themed felt garland bunting craft

For a little while now I've been brainstorming craft projects with the intention of working my way through my craft supplies stash. One thing that I have in abundance is felt, and so I decided that with Halloween coming up I'd work on a simple felt Halloween craft!

I still love the simple felt heart garland bunting which I made a little while ago, and it hangs from our mantelpiece almost year round. I thought I could come up with something similar using Halloween colours and simple shapes. And here it is, embellished with sequins, my very easy Halloween felt garland:

I began by sketching out a few simple designs. I discovered some pre-cut black felt circles in my stash which I thought would fit well in between the shapes. I didn't have quite enough so I cut some more circles from grey felt, and made enough to alternate with my other designs. I made simple pumpkins, ghosts and witch hats, taking some shape inspiration from some gorgeous bunting at Easy Thing to Sew.

I cut my shapes a little smaller (about 3-4cm across) and designed them to be little more rounded so that they could be sewn closer together. I used some lovely dark yellow cotton for the sewing.

 

I used a sewing machine to make up the garland. It's a bit of a fiddly job to sew the shapes together as they are so small. I found that I had to sew across a shape and then lift the presser foot a little to pop the next one into place, with the edges nice and snug together. 

I was really pleased with how it looked, but I felt that it was missing something, especially on the ghosts. Wanting to continue crafting only with my stash I hunted out my big bag of sequins and sorted out some black circles for the eyes of the ghosts, gold squares for a buckle on the hats, and green circles to add a bit of colour to the pumpkins. They are glued in place, and I added sequins on both sides in case the shapes flip around while they are hanging. Subtle yet sparkly!

I have my bunting strung up across the fireplace, along with some fairy lights (don't worry, the fireplace underneath is disconnected so there is no fire risk, remember to be careful where you display bunting!)

While I was hanging it I thought something like this would also be great hung down in long strings across a doorway, maybe if you are hosting a Halloween party or greeting Trick or Treaters! 

If you like this Halloween felt craft then you may also like my Homemade Halloween felt bunting, using scraps of felt along with ribbon, buttons and sequins.

Some of my favourite sugar skull crafts for Halloween

With Halloween approaching I thought I'd share some of my favourite sugar skull crafts, in case you are looking for some simple Halloween décor inspiration!

Embroidered felt sugar skulls

I think these are my favourite Halloween craft. They are so simple to make with white felt and odd scraps of coloured felt. I added sequins and tiny beads and embroidered in contrasting thread colours. You could add a ribbon loop for hanging, string them together to make bunting, or simply pile them in a bowl and leave out on display.

Painted wooden sugar skull craft

I bought these wooden skull blanks from Hobbycraft last year and knew that they would make perfect sugar skull decorations. We painted them white to start with then decorated with acrylic paint, felt pens, sequins and plastic gems. 

Hama bead sugar skull bunting

This Hama bead craft is a great way to use up any odd coloured beads that you have lying around. Strung on black ribbon these Hama bead sugar skulls make great bunting.

Mini Hama bead sugar skull earrings

I used the same Hama bead pattern with the tiny mini Hama beads to make a pair of delicate sugar skull earrings. You could make matching or contrasting ones, they could also be mounted on pin badge backings to make badges.

A Halloween picture with Hama bead sugar skulls

The Hama bead sugar skulls also look great displayed on a black background for a spooky Halloween picture.

The last three sugar skull crafts were made using this simple Hama bead cross stitch or pixel art design. It would also be perfect for some cross stitch Hama bead sugar skulls, something that I'm going to be working on for next year!

I hope that you enjoyed my sugar skull Halloween craft round up!

If you are looking for more Halloween craft posts then you might like these:

Hama bead crafts for Halloween

Last minute Halloween crafts for children

The Autumn tag

I spotted this Autumn Tag over on Life as Kim and as it's been ages since I took part in one of these I thought I'd give it a go!

1. The smell of pumpkin guts OR rotting leaves?

I'm not sure that I like the smell of either to be honest, but I'd probably choose the leaves because I don't much enjoy scooping out pumpkin guts!

2. Sweet OR salty pumpkin seeds?

I've not had either but I think I'd prefer salty ones, I associate pumpkins with a savoury taste.

3. Store bought OR pumpkin patch pumpkins?

I've never been to a pumpkin patch, I think they started up around here when mine were getting a bit too old for them, and also I'm not organised enough to get to one in time. So we usually have a store bought one unless my Dad has given us one that he's grown!

4. Wool OR knit sweaters?

As a crafter I probably should know the difference, but I'm afraid I don't. But I'm thinking that knit sweaters are probably easier to wash so I would choose that!

5. Halloween party OR explore haunted places?

A Halloween party definitely. This year we having a very small one for the first time combined with trick or treating in my village. So I'll be putting up a few extra decorations and maybe springing for some themed tableware. 

6. Apple pie or pumpkin pie?

Apple pie definitely. I prefer pumpkin as a vegetable in a stew or soup. 

7. Still, silent nights OR rainy, windblown nights?

I love a rainy, windblown night or even a day, just as long as I don't have to go out anywhere!

8. Witches OR ghosts?

I think witches, ghosts are too unpredictable.

9. Raking leaves or climbing trees?

I hate raking leaves so definitely climbing trees for me!

10. Ouija boards OR ghost stories around a campfire?

Ghosts stories around a campfire, I wouldn't use an Ouija board. I remember a guide camp once when I took a book of horror stories and that was a very bad idea, I was terrified at night time. It was one of those Point Horror books which I loved to read at that age but not a good idea for when camping in the woods.

11. October OR November?

October because that's my birthday month! Also the weather can still be sunny and not too cold, I associate November with dark afternoons and rain.

12. Black cats OR owls?

I love a black cat.

13. Fireplace OR candle light?

I'm not sure that I could be bothered with a real fire, we do have a gas one but we've never used it so it's not connected at the moment. I do like to have candles though, especially now the children are older so I don't have to worry about them so much.

14. Monster movies OR their classic novels?

The classic novels, and I've read quite a few of them. We do watch some horror films and television shows and I like them, but there have been some that I've had to turn off halfway through because I just found them too disturbing. I thought It was a horrible film and I remember being freaked out by Jeepers Creepers a few years ago.

15. Carve OR paint pumpkins?

Always carve, at least then they can be composted. I'm not very good at carving them though, I just go with a very simple face and lots of jagged lines that are easy to cut!

Photo credit David Menidrey via Unsplash

Homemade Halloween felt bunting

I love making seasonal bunting to string from our mantelpiece and decorate for the season. A few years back I made some embroidered felt Christmas bunting, and as I'm currently trying to work through my felt stash I decided to make some similar Halloween felt bunting using felt, buttons and scraps of ribbon. 

I made a simple cardboard triangle template for the flags which I used to cut out the felt. Because I was working from my stash I was a little limited when it came to my colour choices, so I chose to alternative black felt with a dark orange mustard shade. I first used my sewing machine to go around the edges of each flag and to sew them each to a length of thin black ribbon. The patterned ribbon and ric rac along the top of each flag covers up the stitches.

I love working with felt, it's so forgiving and so satisfying to sew on by hand. 

Each flag is different, with a different felt cut out picture as you can see in the pictures above. I either made up my own templates or adapted designs that I found online. The basic shapes are cut from felt and sewn into place, then the flags are embellished with scraps of ribbon, ric rac and buttons. I used co-ordinating embroidery threads for the sewing. The spider is sitting on some gorgeous spiderweb fabric and the cauldron is spouting tiny star shaped buttons.

The scariest thing about this bunting is that I was able to make it entirely from my craft stash! Between past blog collaborations, supplies that I've treated myself to over the years and leftovers from past projects I have a sizeable stash of crafty bits and pieces. Although I'm not sure that I've made much of a dent, it was nice to be able to use up some things that I've had around for a while!

I'm really pleased with my spooky Halloween bunting!

Embroidered felt sugar skulls craft for Halloween

I've really been enjoying crafting with felt lately. After I sewed these felt Autumn leaves my thoughts turned to Halloween, and seeing that I had plenty of white felt in my stash I decided to make some felt sugar skulls. I also took the opportunity to sort through my sequin collection and discovered some fantastic flower sequins which I knew would be perfect for the eyes, and that gave me my starting point. I made four skulls, each one measures about 10cm in height and each one is different.

They were so easy and quick to make. I made paper templates for the different pieces, cut them out and then sewed them together, sometimes using matching thread and sometimes using contrasting colours. I tried to spread the colours out across the skulls so that they work well together as well as on their own. 

If like me you have various scraps of coloured felt and a collection of sequins and beads this is the perfect craft for a bit of stash busting! They would also make great hanging decorations with a loop of string or ribbon, or could be strung onto bunting. I always make a window display for our house on Halloween and these sugar skulls will definitely be making an appearance!

I loved making these felt sugar skulls and I'm filled with ideas for making more. I have some lovely bright colours of felt in my stash so I think that next time I might use brighter colours for the background rather than the white. I quite fancy having a big bowl on display filled with tiny felt sugar skulls in a rainbow of colours!

I've made several different sugar skull crafts over the years as Halloween approaches. If you enjoyed this craft then you might also like these:

Hama bead sugar skull bunting

Halloween picture with Hama bead sugar skulls

Mini Hama bead sugar skull earrings

Painted wooden sugar skull craft

Painted wooden sugar skull craft for Halloween

With Halloween falling at the end of the half-term holiday this year, and with Halloween plans being back on track now that covid restrictions have eased, it's the perfect time to do some Halloween crafting! I did a quick trip to Hobbycraft last week to stock up on some craft supplies, and I couldn't resist buying us each a blank wooden skull to decorate. I thought that they would look great decorated as sugar skulls and I wasn't wrong - look at our amazing results!

This is what we started with - a simple blank wooden cut out. It's about 20cm in height and 15cm across and comes with hanging hole and ribbon. The jaw at the bottom is attached by wire so it is moveable if you are careful when painting.

We began our decorating with a couple of coats of white acrylic paint, which was enough to cover up the blank outlines and give a smooth surface. Then we added extra details with acrylic paint and felt pens, and glued on craft gemstones and sequins. I think it worked well to stick to a limited colour palette so I tried to encourage the children to pick their three or four favourite colours. There is plenty of inspiration online if you need some ideas but you can pretty much let your imagination run wild!

We'll be hanging our finished sugar skulls in the hallway and I'm hoping that they will be used as Halloween decorations for years to come.

If you are looking for more sugar skull Halloween crafts you might like these:

Hama bead sugar skull bunting - including a free pixel art sugar skull design which can be used with Hama beads or other pixel art projects such as cross stitch.

Mini Hama bead sugar skull earrings - using tiny mini Hama beads to make some sugar skull earrings which make a great Halloween costume accessory.

A Halloween picture using Hama bead sugar skulls - Hama bead sugar skulls arranged to make a lovely Halloween piece of art.

For our painted wooden sugar skulls we used this Hanging Halloween Wooden Skull Decoration from Hobbycraft which we bought instore.