DIY trick or treat bags

DIY halloween trick or treat bag

I’m not sure we could get our children to agree to floss, visit the dentist, go to bed early and eat their green leafy vegetables without some sweet and sugary bribery. Halloween is no exception – it s a sugar-high holiday for kiddos – so why not have ‘fun’ with the kids and talk to them about what you expect of them after they consume of all that addicting sugar…oh, and get their commitment in writing!

How To
Buy a monster or pumpkin tote bag from the Dollar Section at Target
Use the Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool to create a fun contract. Be sure to mirror the image before printing.
Place the text face-up on the tote bag, and cover it with a thin cotton cloth.
Iron on the image with an iron on medium heat. Press down firmly for 45-60 seconds, let cool for about 30 seconds, and peel off. You will likely have repeat the iron step several times – I know I did for all the letters to stick.
If you don’t have a Silhouette, another option is to use Sharpies or even stencils.

target trick or treat bag

DIY trick or treat bag_jsorelle

diy halloween trick or treat bag

We shopped around for other fabulous DIY bags for you too!
1. Pillowcase Ghosts, Martha Stewart
2. Duct Tape Bag, Dukes and Duchesses
3. Silhouette Bag, Uncommon Designs
4. Witch Hat, So You Think You’re Crafty
5. Wild Things Tote, Bloesem Kids
6. Graphic Tote, Country Living

DIY halloween treat bags_jsorelle

{images via j. sorelle, Martha StewartUncommon Designs, Dukes and Duchesses, Country Living, So You Think Your Crafty, Bloesem Kids}

DIY Bat Halloween Cards

love you to the moon and bat halloween cards_jsorelle

We know bats and Halloween aren’t always associated with fuzzy feelings of love. When we think of Halloween, we think of candy, scary ghosts and goblins, vampire fangs, trick or treating, etc. But, why not take the opportunity to tell friends and family you love them with a Halloween favorite…BATS.

How cute are these ‘love you to the moon and bat’ Halloween cards? We frequently say, “I love you to the moon and back,” to our kids, so this phrase carries a lot of meaning at our house. We used our awesome, amazing, couldn’t-live-wihout Silhouette to cut the images of bats, and also to create the cut out cards. We added glitter, orange and black and white striped paper behind the front of the card to make the letters pop.

Happy {early} Halloween. We love you to the moon and bat too!

love you to the moon and bat_jsorelle

love you to the moon and bat_jsorelle

love you to the moon and bat_jsorelle

{images via j. sorelle}

Fall in a Basket Ideas

fall in a basket_silhouette letters_jsorelle

When a Silhouette America Portrait electronic cutting machine arrived at our door step, we literally leaped with joy! We know, who seriously reacts in such a way when an electronic cutting machine arrives? US! And, for good reason – the Silhouette is amazing. It takes our projects to a whole new level of creativity and endless possibility, and it’s a major time saver since it so perfectly cuts everything for us! It’s been a dream come true for us. Honestly, it was on Jessica’s Christmas list – and she will argue it was a NEED, but it was a WANT, a desperate want.

We have found it to be very user-friendly, and we love it. We don’t know what we ever did without it. We’ve made thank you cards, and some other fun projects we will reveal soon, but with the changing colors and the crisp air, a Fall in a Basket seemed appropriate…and too cute not to do.

fall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

Fall in A Basket Ingredients
A fall-inspired basket
Pumpkin Mason Jar {spray paint a vintage green mason jar orange, buy green lids designed for mason jars, find a small branch, cut and glue, then add a raffia ribbon}
Starbucks Via Pumpkin Spice Latte individual packet
Essie “she’s pampered” nail polish
Apple, caramel and a stick – the essentials to make a delicious caramel apple
A cinnamon stick garland {tie cinnamon sticks to twine to create the cutest garland ever}

And, of course, buy or use your Silhouette to print letters, “Happy Fall Y’all,” then use a hot glue gun to glue tiny clothes pins and the letters to the basket handle.

fall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

fall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

fallin a basket_silhouette_jsorellefall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

Happy Fall Y’all!

j. sorelle received products for this post from Silhouette, however we love would Silhouette even if they didn’t send us product, and all opinions are ours, we promise. View all of Silhouette’s amazing products here

{images via j. sorelle}

Healthy Halloween Treats for Kids

Our kids are overloaded with sugar this time of year, so for school/friend Halloween treats, we took a ‘healthier’ route. I know Halloween is 2 days away – where does the time go? These are super simple treats you can do in an hour or two…even if it’s the night before your kid’s school Halloween party….like me.

Cutie Pumpkin

How To:
Buy a bag of clementines.
Use a black sharpie to draw pumpkin faces on the pumpkin.
Wrap a toothpick with a green Pipe Cleaner, leaving a nail-length space on the bottom to insert in the top of the Clementine.
Stick the toothpick in the top of the Clementine.

Halloween BOOty
{get it…BOO-ty with actual Pirate’s Booty?}

How To:
Buy small cellophane bags, twine/ribbon and bag of Pirate’s Booty {if you haven’t tried Pirate’s Booty before…you are missing out on this gluten-free goodness – GO BUY IT}.
Print off our Halloween BOOty labels, by the one and only Jenna, of Fleur de Lis, a paperie.
Go here to download them for FREE.
Fill the cellophane bag with BOOty.
Wrap the bag with twine, and attach label.

 {images via Tutto Bella}

last minute

…it’s my style. No matter how much I try to prepare, I am always doing things at the last-minute. So Halloween is no different this year for me. Here’s some last-minute Halloween ideas that you can easily do, and still impress your guests, or kids. Some can even lengthen the ‘fall’ holidays {Halloween and Thanksgiving}, because the idea may be relevant for both occasions.

Pumpkin Punch, Honestly Yum

Fang Napkin Holders, Food Network

Pumpkin and Ghost Sharpie Balloons, Pinterest

Spider Ice Cubes, Love This Pic

Pumpkin Cooler, Southern Living

Mummy Door, Honey and Fitz

In the Fun Lane, Ravens and Driftwood
I love the idea of using branches or driftwood with Halloween decor…and I love the candles too 

{images via Southern Living, Honestly YumPinterest, Food Network, Love This Pic, Honey and Fitz and In the Fun Lane}