v 5 issue 13: Celebrate Halloween

Halloween is almost here and we have unveiled our finds to make this Halloween a treat. Be sure to read our article on planning a simple Halloween party.

Cover by Shannon Lott










1 Halloween Rocks is kapowed off a burnout tee to emit a message of spirit & excitement for Halloween. Super soft and comfy, the tee comes in a chilling black and orange color combination. Throw it over a long sleeve on cool days or wear it with a pettiskirt to spice things up. - Paperlili. Enter code: FRIEND for 20% off.

2 Gobs of gobbly good Halloween-inspired photocards are available @ inababycarriage.com. Invitations, announcements, or Halloween tidings are all good reasons for sending out one of these single-sided, 5" x 7" photocards with included envelopes. Black and white or color photos take center stage on your choice of eerie or harvest inspired backdrops. Enter code: TTWHOLIDAY for 15% off thru 10/23.

3 Strap some kooky little pumpkins on the toes of your tot this October. "Playful Pumpkins" mary jane shoes are uniquely styled with glow-in-the-dark eyes, as are all shoes in the Glow Bugs collection found at Monkey Toes. Enter code: TTWHALL09 for 30% off all purchases!

4 With an included food coloring marker, you can write a special message to someone using the unique & scrumptious Kookie Stationery. The Trick or Treat Kookie is 6.4" wide x 6.43" tall and comes with a built in easel and envelope package for display. "It really is an edible cookie!"

5 Dig down deep into a bowl from Sweet Mady's and you'll get more than just a full belly. At the bottom of each 20 ounce bowl, a Halloween inspired design awaits to spook up some personalized fun. Enter code: trendy for 15% off.

6 EM Tanner Designs invites you to bite into a spooktacular collection of Halloween tees. Add a child's name to Dracu to create a personalized tee kiddies can't vait to sink their fangs into. A mouthful of personalized designs and colors to choose from. Take a look! Enter code: TOTTRENDS for 20% off.

7 Sure to scare up lots of booty for trick-or-treat night, the pirate costume from Sage Nicole's comes with everything to create a truly authentic pint-sized Captain Black. All you need to add is the perfect sword to shiver the timbers out of the neighborhood! Enter code: TRENDYBABY for 15% off.

8 The Halloween Spooktacular DVD from HIT Entertainment scares up some "EEK" for the little ones. Bob the Builder, Thomas, & Sam the Fireman spin tales with bats, ghostly trains, and jack-'o-lanterns, while Barney and Angelina show the kids how to have some fun. 57 minutes of Boo!


Halloween Party Food Ideas
Getting ready for a howling Halloween party this year? Spruce up your party this year with some icky, but yummy party food. Here are some fun food ideas for your ghostly Halloween party:

Bad apples
Using a small, sharp knife cut a small, round hole in one side of the top of an apple. Insert a gummy worm inside the hole. Create display of “bad apples” in a wooden bucket.

Terrifying Tortilla Chips: Start with some flour tortillas and spray a bit of canola oil on them. Sprinkle parmesan cheese or cinnamon and sugar on them. Then cut fun shapes out of the tortillas with a bat, ghost or pumpkin cookie cutter. Put the shapes into the oven for a crispy treat.

Buggy Ice Cubes
Insert gummy worms or raisins (for bugs) in ice trays with water and freeze. Insert frozen buggy ice cubes in your bowl of party punch.

Snot cubes
Refrigerate yellow and green Jello (any flavors) in ice cube trays. Serve chilled.

Worms in snot
Make snot cubes, as directed above, out of Jello. Insert gummy worms in each cube of Jello then refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Monster Mash
In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:

* 10 cups popcorn
* 1 pound plain M&M’s
* 1-14 oz. jar dry roasted peanuts
* 1 cup raisins (optional)
* 1 cup Reece’s pieces (found in baking isle by chocolate chips)

Bowl of Brains
Scramble several eggs. To get the gray brain color, mix in green, red, and blue food coloring as you beat the eggs before cooking them.

Fun Halloween Games for Kids
Part of the fun of Halloween is playing silly games. When planning the games, it’s best to keep the costumes in mind and plan things that will work around them. Games should be simple with easy to follow rules.

Jack-o-Lantern Faces – Hang a picture of a jack-o-lantern on the wall and have matching face pieces cut out of black paper for the eyes, nose and mouth. Place sticky-tack on the back of the pieces. Blindfold each player when it is their turn and play the same as pin the tail on the donkey except players put the eyes, nose and mouth on the pumpkin face. Younger children can do just the mouth, while older children and adults can do the entire face for more of a challenge.

Bobbing for apples without the water– Tie the stems of the apples to varied lengths of string and then hang them up. Then the kids have to put their hands behind their back and try to take a bite out of the apple. You can also play the game using marshmallows.

Mummy Wrap Up – Divide kids into small groups. Provide them each with a roll or two of toilet paper and see who can use the tissue paper to wrap up one of their teammates the fastest. The first one to complete their mummy using the entire roll wins.

Ghost Bowling – Collect ten empty one or two liter soda pop bottles (use the larger bottles for younger guests). Paint the bottles white and decorate with silly ghost faces. Use a small playground size ball as the bowling ball. If you can find orange ones, decorating them as jack-o-lanterns can add to the fun.

Pirates’ Treasure – Fill two small buckets with sand and place inside a larger washtub or box. Bury treasure in the buckets such as small prizes or candy. Each player receives a plastic spoon to dig for their treasure. Divide players into two teams. Position players around their designated bucket and tell them when to start. They dig in their treasure “chests” until every piece is found. The first team to find all their treasure wins.