Make // DIY Kids Halloween Cards

Every year the boys make Halloween cards as one of our school's community service events. These cards, accompanied by a handful of goodies, go to children who are part of our county's foster care system. I love that this project is hands-on and meaningful for both the children who receive the cards, as well as the ones who make them.

The boys and I brainstormed and decided to make cards with ghosts and bats. I've been testing out a few ideas for Christmas and happened to have  a lot of "stuff" out on our kitchen counter. AKA, I make a mess and don't always clean it up! The white "abominable snowman" fur grabbed their attention and we agreed that furry white ghosts were in order!

White Furry Ghosts

materials needed: white craft fur, black craft foam or card stock, glue gun, small alphabet stamps, white ink pad, scissors

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I love the 3-dimensional effect. They're really simple but not plain at all.

instructions: Freehand your ghost template on the back of the faux fur (it has a thick canvas-like backing which is perfect for writing on). Make sure the fur is going in the direction that you want it to (mine combs down). Cut out your ghost template. Use googly eyes or cut out the eyes and mouth from black craft foam or paper. Glue it down and you're done! You can also add some fun words and details using mini alphabet stamps and a white stamp pad.

Black 3-D Paper Bats

The boys also liked the bats that I used in our entry, so they used the same template to create their own bat cards.

materials needed: black card stock, bat template (if necessary, reduce the size), metallic gel sticks, metallic colored pencils, white puffy paint 

instructions: To give the bats an iridescent shimmer, the kids colored the bats with metallic gel sticks (aka gelatos) and blended it in with a baby wipe. When the paper dried, they then added details using metallic pencils and puffy paint.

Are you ready for Halloween? Ready or not, it'll be here in two weeks!  I have to mend a couple of costumes but, unless there are some last minute changing of the minds, I think we're ready to go!