Big scary list of Halloween crafts, recipes and tips

Halloween is almost upon us. Time to get cracking with holiday-themed crafts and entertainment tips to make this the coolest holiday of the year!

Crafts

Mr. & Mrs. Pumkin head – Zakkalife takes a Mr. Potato Head set and applies it to pumpkins.
Halloween Paper Bag Bowls – serve your Halloween treats in papier-mâché recycled bag jack o’ lantern bowls.
Make your own dry ice fog pumpkin – Why rent a dry ice machine for your party, when you can make this yourself on the cheap?
Bat Leaf Prints – The Long Thread makes watercolor bat images by painting dried leaves and pressing them onto paper. Follow the link for details.
Fishbowl Jack O’ Lantern Tutorial - Bella Dia shows you sstep by step how to turn a fishbowl into a convincing Jack O’ Lantern
Decorate your home with scrim – Also from Bella Dia, a cheap, easy way to make your home look spooky. Excellent if you’re planning a party!
Turn egg cartons into spiders, make your own ghostly popup greeting cards or let a balloon ghost hang around your home with these tutorials from Enchanted Learning.
Egg cartons also make little ghost graveyards
Make a Frankenstein out of the cardboard from a roll of toilet paper
Want decor that’s even easier to make? Fire up your printer! (These make great door hangings)
Last year, Real Simple published some great Halloween ideas, almost too late to be of any use – so here they are in plenty of time for this year.
Light the way to your front door with luminaries made out of used tin cans
Or maybe you’re hungry for some pumpkin mochi
For kids who like bats and spiders, this page of crafts will keep them busy.
Don’t forget to check TipNut’s Halloween section – she adds new stuff every year!
And check out Bohemian Revolution’s previous posts on Halloween delights: Gourmet Eyeballs, Make your own Halloween Costume, and the unforgettable mirror disco ball costume.

Jack o’ lantern carving tips:

Pumpkin Carving 101 is just what it sounds like. It takes you through choosing a pumpkin, collecting the tools you need, and then a number of different ways to create your design and get it carved just right.
Ever-reliable Ehow has your basic instructions and safety tips.
Carve a virtual pumpkin for practice (it actually almost feels like the real thing)
Choose from lots of carving patterns
If you’ve mastered the pumpkins and are bored now, try apples – Witch Apple Dolls

Recipes & Entertainment Tips

For the kids:

Edible Mini Jack o’ Lanterns from Zakka life. Made out of clementines.
Roast your pumpkin seeds – it’s easy to do, and they’re so yummy and relatively healthy!
Pumpkin Spice Truffles – yummy and not-so-healthy

For the (supposed) grown-ups:

Spooky Skittles Vodka. Using the Skittles Vodka tutorial from our sister site, Mix That Drink, serve these neon-colored concoctions in spooky lab flasks or potion bottles with cats on them.
Or get gummi candies in the shape of worms or anything gross or spooky and follow the Vodka Gummi Bears tutorial. Works great with rum, too!
Delicious gourmet eyeballs that taste oddly Italian.