This jar of opossum bones is appropriate for Halloween décor; don’t you think? This is the month we choose to display gross/ cool science things like this.

Want some real icky bones for display? If you live in or near the woods, you might also come across a dead animal. You can cover it with chicken wire or something to prevent it from being carried away in the night. I covered the body of this opossum with a metal milk crate. I weighted down the top with bricks. Nature will take care of decomposing all but the bones. It won’t take long. (I’m not at all suggesting that you kill an animal just to have the bones! Also, there are laws against having migrating bird parts of any kind; even if the cat brought it in.)

You might even come across some bones, a skull, or a turtle shell- and dead bugs (plenty of ick appeal).

Strangely, this dead opossum was on my driveway one morning. Not sure what killed it.

I think the skull and teeth of this opossum are particularly interesting- and gross.

Whenever we have young guests over, they have a good time checking out all the weird things we have displayed in jars. Perhaps I’ll share more pictures in another post- including: the bones of a diamondback terrapin that I found (apparently it was trapped behind where rocks are placed along the shoreline to prevent (naturally occurring) erosion, a petrified mouse, snake skin, deer teeth from a road kill…

Too gross?

Don’t you just love these charming can Jack O’ Lanterns? They are great. You don’t have to spend money for these fabulous fall decorations. You keep the cans from beign put in a landfill. You would not be buying something plastic which would also most likely end up in a landfill. You can reuse them year after year. And… You would have a perfect way to greet guests during your next autumn/Halloween party.

How to:

Collect used gallon sized metal paint cans. I saved these cans from when I painted my house. First you have to design the face. Next draw it on your can; I used a crayon. Then you need to make a starter hole in each section you are cutting out. Make a starter hole with a nail and a hammer. The can will have a tendency to cave in at this point so be careful. Once you get a starter hole, you can use utility snips to cut the rest. The smaller metal snips work best for me. You will want to use gloves because the metal edges will be sharp. Keep in mind that simple shapes are easier. If you keep them inside, the cans will stay silver. Over time they will rust, however,  if you leave them out in the rain. I like the way they look when they get rusty. At night you can display them with a tea light inside.

Here I have them lined up along my driveway.

Pyracanthas (also known as Firethorns) have beautiful orange fruit that are perfect for fall décor. I love to bring in large bouquets of these berry laden branches. I also love the way they add color to my garden in the fall. The berries persist into the winter as well and provide food for birds. Cardinals especially love them. Harvesting from your garden for home décor is a way to make your house gorgeous without spending any money! Plus the seasons provide variety and change is good.

I recommend planting a pyracantha bush. This one in my yard is a Mohave Pyracantha (Pyracantha x ‘Mohave’).

Make your own unique gift boxes for your Halloween party. You’re sure to get complements on these clever boxes made from vintage text books and encyclopedias.

How to:

Search for old school text books. Look for interesting vintage books that only use a few colors like the one used in the photo above. Books that are entirely done in black and white would also be great. You should be able to find some really cheap.

Find the sections on the skeletal system, the nervous system, the human heart and anything else that has to do with bones, blood and innards or any kind.

To fold the boxes, see my post: How To Fold Origami Gift Boxes: Easy To Follow Photo Instructions

Here is a chance to make use of the paint buckets from your last home-improvement project. Transform them into playful Trick or Treat pails!

How to:

All you need is some black plastic paint buckets, some scrap paper, scissors, glue and some clever kids.

Try making a ghost, Jack O Lantern, scary or scared face, and even a Frank N Stein head.

Cut out the face(s) from scrap paper if you can. Use full sheets of paper only when you need them. We keep a box of colored paper scrapes leftover from other projects. Glue the pieces on with white glue or use Mod Podge. Next, paint on a layer of Mod Podge or equivalent product to help protect your creation so it can be used year after year.

My daughter liked making these Halloween themed pails with me.

If you’d like, add some text like I did. I provided the file here: just print it out and incorporate it as desired.

Crazy about candy

All the pieces for this menacing yet useful guy were recycled.

Don’t turn your back on this grabby little monster: he may steal your candy.

What to put in your Robot Monster Pitcher? Robot Oil (i.e. Apple Juice) of course!

I used this at my daughter’s robot party too.

How to:

Get your hands on a second-hand coffee pot. Then gut out the innards. Clean it really well. The exterior bottom of my coffee pot was damaged by its previous owner from overheating but I think it adds character to our monster. The inside of the pot wasn’t damaged. Check the inside before bringing one home.

Eyes are burned out red Christmas light bulbs. Arms are thrift-store forks. Mouth was made from a metal shower curtain ring that I bent up using a pair of pliers.

Gluing the pieces on:

Gorilla glue worked for the arms. When the glue was dry, I used a razor blade to clean off the glue that squeezed out. A clear epoxy worked for the eyes and mouth.

Be creative and design your own scary Robot Monster Pitcher.

P.S. These posts take me a long time to develop. Don’t forget to send me a dollar once in a while so I can continue to do posts. Is it worth that to you?

My daughter and I had a lot of fun making this goofy robot costume. I did all the cutting and she thought of all the embellishments. I love it when she comes up with great ideas on her own. At our robot party, we made sure we took photos of all the kids wearing the costume. The videos were even better.

Here is a cute/ funny video. Someday I hope to do a little video editing to change the sound track to something a robot would dance to.
To make this costume, we took two boxes and cut a hole for the face and another hole for a child’s head to go up into the head box.
This costume was made entirely with recycled items: cardboard boxes, broken calculator (very cool don’t you think?!), bottle tops (make good knobs), broken watch, previously used but clean aluminum foil, antennas (from broken radios)… even the arms were made from a salvaged piece of dryer vent. So many possibilities.
This project took very little time to complete.
We made this costume for a robot party but you can make one for a Halloween costume or anytime the kids have some free time.
You may want to check out our robot building game that doubles as a party favor.

Butterfly wings- food for the imagination

How to tips:
I used salvaged wire coat hangers (5) and bent them to form the frame for the wings. When I got a shape I liked, I made matching wings for the other side. I connected the wire pieces with some duct tape. (I sketched over the photo so you could see where I placed the wires. Next, I stretched an old pair of nylon tights (cream colored) across the frame. This is one good use for tights that have a hole in them or otherwise need to be thrown out. I first pinned the nylon in place, stretching it as I went around. I cut off the extra material and hand sewed in place, rolling the edge around the wire to cover it. I also sewed the top wings to the bottom wings. I only sewed half way because I wanted the wings to spread apart a little. After making some sketches of butterfly wings, I painted them. I embellished the wings with a small piece of a black boa (found at a craft store) and some ribbon.
I made these wings 7 or so years ago and they still look good despite all the use.

X-rays from my husband’s head MRI and x-ray from his broken elbow turned out to be perfect for making Halloween themed décor. X-rays by their very nature are great when put in front of a light so it wasn’t much of a leap to come up with these lighting ideas. You will need to ask around for unwanted x-rays. Your friends will think you are weird but who cares? Or, ask your vet if they have any animal x-rays that they will be throwing away.

Night light
How to: Cover a night-light with a portion of an x-ray. I used a creepy head x-ray because of the eyeballs at the bottom.

Candle Votive
How to: Cut the x-ray in a rectangle of desired proportions. The ones pictured here are 5 ½ inches tall. Bring the sides around and overlap a little. You could use a stapler or glue but I used a paper clip on the top and one on the bottom because I can easily unroll them for storage. Inside you can use small jars to put in tea lights or a votive. Be careful of where you place your candles because the bottom of the jars can get hot.
These x-rays are creepy looking and therefore provide great mood lighting for a Halloween party!

Lamp shade
How to: Get a second -hand lamp and use the shade as a stencil to cut out a new shade out of an x-ray. Use black electrical tape along the seam. Also, you can use the tape to trim around the top and bottom of the lampshade.

bones +skulls+innards = Halloween

How to:
Set aside suitable single serving milk bottles. Make sure you wash them out really well; old milk smells really bad. I got these bottles at Chick-Fil-A. If you don’t eat at that restaurant, ask all your friends to save them for you or find a similar bottle elsewhere. Depending on your needs, you may want to start collecting well in advance. (I’ve been known to save all year or longer for projects.)
Paint on the faces with black acrylic paint and let dry. Your kids will want to make some too! I accidently discovered that if you paint the face and let it dry a little but not all the way, you can use your brush to slide around the paint to make even scarier faces.
When your paint is dry, use a hole- punch to make two holes at the top of the bottles (see arrows in picture). Then use scrap ribbon or wire to attach your ghosts to a set of string-lights: use the holes you just made. Put one ghost over each light.