So here’s a few budget-friendly crafty ideas for Halloween decorations with the kiddos!
Spooky Jars
What you need:
Glass Jars (you can get some at the craft store, or recycle some mayo, pickle or even baby food jars!)
Paint (I used acrylics, but my kids are older and less apt to eat it)
Paintbrushes
Battery Tea Lights
What to do:
Get your kids set up at the table, I usually strip there shirts and put on those painting smocks to reduce the likelihood of painting their clothes. An old adult tshirt makes great painting smocks!
Let your kids choose what kind of character they want to make. You can look things up online to show pictures of ghosts and witches for them to get an idea. Give them their base color on a paper plate or cup that has been cut down (this way you control how much paint they are using at once). Hand them a paint brush and let them paint the jar! It doesn’t have to be perfect or completely painted, just let them go! You can paint the lid to match your character also. Even babies can get in on the act- get some non-toxic paint and paint their fingers and make their hand prints on the jars, or just let them finger paint themselves. Just watch what goes towards their mouths!
Once the base color has dried, you can help them paint the faces or let them do it themselves. Let it dry.
Drop in a tea light and turn off the lights and see your creations glow!!!
(the above picture is from left to right mine, Miles’-age 6, and Ava’s- age 20 months)
Trashy Ghosts
What you need:
White trash bags
Newspaper
Tiny elastics (the kind you use for little girl’s hair- I have a huge bag from CVS for $.99)
Sharpie marker
Needle and thread
String or yarn
What to do:
Cut your trash bags into 12/12 squares depending on how many you want to make.
Roll a small ball of newspaper and put in the middle of the square. Use elastic to tie around the bottom of the ball a couple of times to make a neck.
Make eyes and mouths with the marker.
Use the needle and thread to make a small loop on the top of the ghost head (I go right thru the newspaper to make it stronger.
Get a length of yarn and tie to the loop and hang your trashy ghost where you want them! We hang them on the tree out front and because they are plastic bags they are weather proof! Ours last year went through a bit of rain and most of them made it (though a couple flew away).
Have fun!!!!
CT Working Moms 
Dena- these are such great ideas! I have been saving Jake’s glass baby food jars just knowing i’d find a project to use with them. While he can’t help me out this halloween, at least i can make some of these cute candle holders and tell him he helped by eating the food out of them 🙂 I love the trashy ghost idea- it reminds me of when we used to take kleenex and tootsie roll pops and make ghosts out of them when i was little.
CUTE!