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Scarily Easy Tips for a Halloween Party!

It’s scary how much I love Halloween!

However, Halloween always seems like such a hectic time of year. We’ve finally adjusted to the back-to-school routine and then *BAM* it’s time to make costumes, carve pumpkins and get ready for trick-or-treat! The next thing you know I’m watching the Macy’s day parade while baking a turkey and then turn around to find that Christmas carols are playing and my kids are married and have kids of their own! O.k. perhaps it’s not that hectic but it seems like it is especially when my oldest is actually turning 13 years old this weekend.

Sniff.

A TEENAGER?

How can this be?

It was only yesterday that I was looking into the sweet, pink, wrinkled little face of my first born child wasn’t it?

<gulp, sniff, sob>

See my point?

Time flies in the blink of an eye.

And this is precisely why I am so happy to have these quick and easy little ditties to turn to while I’m trying to forget, I mean, celebrate my first born turning into a teenager.

Wait until you see how easy it is to pull together a last minute Halloween soiree in about 30 minutes flat.

First I’m going to show you how to make cute little spider cookies with oreo cookies!

I made these for her Birthday Halloween themed party about 6 years ago, when I was allowed to do cute little things for her party. I believe that I got the idea from Martha herself, but I can’t be certain.

These are the ingredients: double stuff Oreo® cookies, mini M&M®‘s, rope black licorice and white icing.

First thing you’ll want to do is make the icing. Just mix 1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar with 2 tablespoons of water. Easy peasy.

Pour the icing into a sandwich baggie.

By the way my tween soon to be TEEN helped me with this fun little treat.

I have to milk every opportunity to share time with her and I’m not above enticing her to assist me in photos.

Squeeze excess air out of the baggie and twist to keep icing in the tip of the baggie.

This will be your glue for the spider eyes.

Now it’s time for the spider legs. Just snip off pairs of 2 inch pieces and badda boom badda bing…spider legs!

Gently insert licorice into the sides of the double stuff oreo. This is why I like to use double stuff oreos, you’ll have plenty of room to fit the licorice!

Cut the tip off of the plastic baggie filled with icing and gently squeeze out 2 cute little dollops of icing where the eyes should be…

and place 2 mini m&m’s on top of the icing.

Aren’t they just the cutest little spiders that you ever did see?

Now it’s time for some fun decorations…all you need are a few paper napkins!

Now if you’re like me you have a drawer (o.k. a few drawers) of festive paper napkins. And if you don’t, well, do yourself a favor and go buy some. Now be sure to buy 2 sets like I do so that you’ll always have some on hand and I won’t be the only crazy person with drawers full of paper napkins! This summer I was reading one of my 432 magazines, I think that it was Country Living, anyway I saw some darling tablecloths made out of paper napkins and thought “great scott! now I can use up some of my napkin stash!” I decided to take it a step further and came up with the idea to make banners with the paper napkins as well! I mean everyone needs celebratory banners hanging about don’t they?

Here’s all that you’ll need to make some darling banners to hang around the house.

Napkins and ribbon.

Fold the napkin in 1/2 leaving fold of the napkin at the top then cut on a diagonal upward leaving the fold in tact at the widest part.

This is the easy way to cut out a perfect triangle.

Next lay out your napkins in the pattern that you want them to hang. I personally like to use 4 different napkins with one being a smaller size and alternate that smaller one between the larger ones.

Oh, and you’ll want glue too. Forgot to mention that earlier. Sorry. I’m overworked and underpaid.

Open up the triangles and lay the ribbon in the crease of the napkin and then dab a dot of glue at the crease and tip.

Gently smooth out any wrinkles and repeat until you’ve used desired amount of napkin triangles. I like to use this banner idea for any occasion – birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day – truly you could go on and on…see why I need drawers of paper napkins?

I like to hang my banners along my fireplaces.

It’s festive dontcha think?

Now for the tablecloth, actually I decided to make a table runner at the last moment to save time.

Here’s what you’ll need: paper napkins and scotch tape.

Lay the napkins out in a pattern that makes you swoon…

turn them over and tape the seems together. That’s it.

And then my friend, you’ve got a party!

Decorating and entertaining really don’t have to be expensive and difficult!

Just let you’re imagination run wild.

Wishing you a spooktacular stress-free Halloween!

Wenderly

Wenderly

Married my soulmate. Mama of 2. Love to inspire. Can't help but to relish in all things beautiful inside & out. Join me in Savoring the Art of Living.

17 Comments

  1. Why didn’t I know about your clever ideas when I needed them? Did I stifle you as a child? MY house….well actually, YOUR house too, could have been the envy of Dublin!

    Guess it’s not too late to teach an old mom new tricks. ( I especially loved the Halloween banners.)

    I really DO think you take after me….and my latent creativity….don’t ya think!
    Love,
    Mom

  2. Ok that is dang cute. I am lame when it comes to decorating for any other holiday other than Christmas, but you could so transfer that whole idea to Christmas napkins! love it!

  3. Wendy!!! I LOVE these ideas! Who KNEW you could DO cute things with paper napkins?!? I didn’t! Adding them to my grocery list today….nothing like waiting until the last minute! 😉

  4. I love all your quick and ienexpensive ideas. A party in a drawer, who knew?

    I so understand about the kids growing up. Mine will be 16 after Christmas and I just took her to DMV for her driving permet. YIKES! Stay off the roads. Who knows where she’ll be!

    Maybe I can get some quality time with her by asking her to take my pictures. Brilliant idea! LOL

  5. I love your ideas, especially the mantle banner & tablecloth—so simple & so darling! I’m trying your table runner idea for our party on Halloween night. Can’t wait!

  6. […] This banner was another fun idea from the web. I bought three packages of Halloween napkins. Cost: $6. I made two banners, the table runner (check it out in the first picture), and I still had plenty of napkins left over to use at the party! In fact, there are still enough left over to use for next year! I love this idea because it is SO easy, SO cheap, AND you can do it for any holiday! Check it out here.  […]

  7. I made spider treats from peanut butter, Ritz crackers, raisins and chow mein noodles with my 3 year old grandson yesterday. He loved making them!! I saw your Oreo cookie spiders on Pinterest and would like to do these with him the next time he visits (It’ll be after Halloween, but that’s ok). I was wondering where you purchased the black rope licorice?? Thank you

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