Easy Halloween Decorations You Can Make for About $5

by Oz SpiesOctober 16, 2018

Hosting a crew of ghosts, witches, and goblins this October? Get ready for a spooky good time with these easy, affordable Halloween decorations. Many can be made with things you already have around the house, like glass jars and construction paper, and a few of the options are perfect for crafty kids ready to help deck your soon-to-be haunted halls. Happy haunting!

Halloween Terrarium

It's super easy to make an eerie centerpiece with twigs and rocks, glass jars and a few Halloween goodies from your fave craft store. You can use skulls and crows, or put a few mini pumpkins under the jars to turn down the scare factor. Using scrubbed-out jelly jars makes this decoration affordable, and you can put it together in less time than it takes to say hocus-pocus. Head on over to Today's Creative Life for the step-by-step instructions to make your Halloween terrarium.

Pine Cone Spiders

If you live near evergreen trees, this one is for you. First, send your kids outdoors to gather up the key supply: pine cones. Add brown pipe cleaners and googly eyes, and you'll be hanging up your own web spinners in no time. Plus, check out Fireflies + Mudpies blogger Melissa's affordable tip for making webs to go along with the eight-legged creations. Click here to learn how to make these pine cone spiders.

Crow Door

A flock of ominous birds will descend on your door with no more than a pack of black paper and a pair of scissors. This Halloween decoration costs less than a pumpkin spice latte and, as a bonus, it's easy to put up and take down. Peek at the detailed instructions on Idlewife to make your own nest of crows.

Spirit Jugs

Create a ghostly trail leading party guests to your front door with spooky spirit jugs. This easy project makes use of milk jugs (starting saving now or ask friends!), meaning it can be made on the cheap. Crafty kids can help make these eerie, party-perfect outdoor Halloween decorations. Find out how at Eighteen 25.

Candy Corn Wreath

Pick up a bag of candy corn to make a wreath that's all treats, and no tricks. It's a simple DIY project that, when hanging from your front door, will announce that the party's inside. Jellybean Junkyard can show you how.

Melted Crayon Pumpkins

Wondering what to do with broken crayon bits? Gather them up to create bright, festive pumpkins perfect for any Halloween party. Use craft pumpkins if you'd like Halloween decorations that won't decay before it's time to trick-or-treat. Follow Katie Friedman's how-to here.

Halloween Window Monster Decorations

Save your Amazon boxes and use them to make creatures of all shapes and sizes to watch over your house from every window. Artsy kids can imagine and design monsters, and you can safely cut out the scary shape with an X-Acto knife. Creep over to The Ledford Life to learn how to create these affordable Halloween monsters.

Masking Tape Mummy

Deck your walls with a crowd of mummies for extra Halloween fun. This simple tape-and-construction paper project doubles as a fun kid craft and an affordable Halloween decoration. Eighteen 25 has the easy-peasy how-to.

Ghoulish Lanterns

Gather up a few mason jars to create an eerie glow with spooky lanterns. You can make a handful of different creepy creatures, from Frankenstein's monster to a purple-and-black ghost. These glowing ghouls can be pulled out for Halloween parties year after year. Life's a Batch shows you how to make your own.

Twine Pumpkin Luminary

A glowing pumpkin luminary will add a lovely, warm touch to your Halloween party decorations. Bonus: add a few gourds and keep this harvest decoration around all the way to Thanksgiving. Round up twine, glue and a strand of Christmas lights, then skip on over to Flourish to make your own.

Door Monster

Create a boo-tiful door monster, either inside or outside of your house. This is one Halloween decoration that you can put together with goodies from craft supplies you probably have on hand already. Amber's post tells you how to make your own fiendishly fun monster.

Halloween Bunting Flags

If your monster tastes run more cute and cuddly than bloodthirsty and bump-in-the-night, this wall hanging will be perfect. Make your own Halloween bunting with supplies you probably have at home (think construction paper and string). Find out how over at We're Going To Make It.

DIY Light Up Haunted House

Shock your party guests with this awesome DIY haunted house party decoration. You'll need heavy black cardstock, battery-operated tea lights and cardboard or wood for the base. Note that this project is best for folks with Cricut machines, but it can also be created with a good pair of scissors, a craft knife and a little more time. For the step-by-step instructions to create a spooky manor of your own, visit The Crafty Gentleman.

Amazon Spheres: Your Guide to How to Get Inside & What to See

by Jeff ToteyApril 17, 2018

After two-and-a-half years of construction, Jeff Bezos dedicated The Spheres at Amazon’s downtown Seattle campus in late January. And Seattleites were excited with the news that they would finally be able to tour the uber-cool glass domes and virtual rain forest. However, due to some miscommunication and information about The Understory, a free exhibit that is housed underneath the giant terrarium, many anxious visitors have come only to be disappointed. But don’t fret, Seattle parents. We recently visited The Spheres and have the inside scoop on how you and your family can get inside. Read on!

Two Ways to Get Inside
In order to visit The Spheres, it will take some planning and patience and one of two options. The first option is to sign up for a 90-minute guided tour of Amazon’s Seattle headquarters. Tours take place on most Wednesdays from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. and include a visit to a few buildings such as the Doppler and Day 1 (two of the main Amazon office buildings), a trip through Amazon Go (a new partially automated grocery store that allows customers to make purchases without the need of a cashier) and some time in The Spheres. Tours are available for anyone ages six and older, however you must register online ahead of time. Psst…at the time of this writing, tours are filled up for the next month. Note: Amazon does offer a variation of its headquarters tour, one that is self-guided and can be done any time, but it does not offer access to the inside of The Spheres.

The second option is to visit during the special Open House days. Two Saturdays per month, Amazon arranges unguided visits to The Spheres between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Again, you’ll have to register in advance and reservations open 30 days in advance of each date. There are no age restrictions for the Open House events, but all minors (ages 18 and under) must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and anyone age 18 and older must present a valid government issued identification card to the reception desk in order to enter.

First Things First
While not the star of the event, The Understory does serve well as fairly decent pre-show. The 360-degree exhibit features some interactive displays, including a super-cool miniature model of the building, a sample of the “living walls” made from a variety of plants and a grouping of floor-to-ceiling video monitors showing incredible footage of the things you’ll see up above. The Understory is open Mon.-Sat. from 10 a.m.–8 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

What You’ll Find Inside The Spheres
The 90-foot-tall biosphere, which looks like three large soap bubbles, contains 2,643 rounded glass panels and is home to over 40,000 plants from over 30 countries. Here, you’ll find grouping of tables and chairs in various nooks and out in the open. Psst…it’s estimated that the complex can seat 800 people at one time!

There are wonderful sights around every corner inside the four-level building. As you walk around, you’ll find cascading waterfalls, a fernery and short pathways through the foliage. The lower level contains an Old World Garden with plants from Africa and Asia and a New World Garden that features plants from the Americas including the crown jewel, Rubi, a 36,000-pound fichus tree. The 49-year old tree was transplanted from California where it had lived since 1969. Above that, you’ll find the “birdcage,” a seating area that sits alongside a wraparound wooden walkway and gives the sensation that you are walking on a rope bridge.

On the 6^th Ave. side of The Spheres is where you’ll find the Living Wall. The 60-foot wall contains 200 plant species and can be seen on all four levels. The wall also includes a ventilation system and several misters that spray the plants every so often.

Where to Nosh
For those needing a snack, doughnuts and coffee can be found on Open House days on the second level at The Spheres’ resident cafe, General Porpoise. The doughnut shop, created by James Beard award-winning chef Renee Erickson in 2016, serves delish doughnuts filled with seasonal jams, jellies, curds, custards and creams as well as top quality coffees from multiple roasters and house-made gelato.

Before You Go
As to be expected, Amazon has a few rules when visiting The Spheres. You’ll be asked to remain on the walkways at all times and not touch the plant life. No outside food or drink, strollers or weapons of any kind are allowed inside The Spheres and all bags must not be larger than 12”x12”. Our best advice? Put your babe in his front pack carrier and leave your bulky diaper bag in the car. And don’t bundle up either. The inside temperature hovers right around 72 degrees, with 60 percent humidity.

The Spheres
2111 7^th Ave.
Seattle, Wa 98121
Online: seattlespheres.com

Have you seen the inside of The Spheres? Planning to go soon? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

—Jeffrey Totey (all photos courtesy of the writer)

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Put a Lid on It: 7 Inexpensive DIY Gifts in a Jar

by Amber GuetebierSeptember 18, 2017

Need a nice gift on the quick? Before you spend big money on scarves and gift cards, put some love into a jar with these easy, inexpensive homemade gifts. Scroll down for seven super sweet ways to say you care, lids included.

photo: Hamburger Helper via flickr

1. Jar Terrarium
If you live somewhere with a woodland area you can gather a few sticks, stones and moss when out on a walk. Your local garden center also sells moss and sand. The key here is to choose a plant that requires little room to grow very little water, like a succulent or our favorite, tillandsias. Also known as air plants, they just require bright, indirect light and misting once or twice a week with a spray bottle of water (or soaking in water once a week). They don’t need to be planted, as they just rest on the surface of the rocks or whatever you’ve placed in the jar. Their low-to-no maintenance makes them a great option for an office or teacher’s desk, too.

photo: Erin Lem

2. Paperwhite Bulbs
Start this one early so the blooms are ready in time for the giving season. It’s remarkably easy and all you need are some stones, good light, cute jars and, of course, paperwhite (narcissus) bulbs, available at most garden centers this time of year. Click here for the full tutorial.

photo: Sarah R via flickr

3. Cookie or Cake Ingredients
This one couldn’t be easier and is a great idea for assembling with kids. Look up any basic recipe for cookies, brownies or cake and then purchase the ingredients. Simply measure out each ingredient in a layer (alternating darker and lighter ingredients) and attach a recipe card. Your giftees will need to purchase the wet ingredients themselves, so you can say something like “just add eggs and 2 cups of milk” and stir. You can also expand this to be pancakes (cinnamon and dried cranberries are nice festive ingredients, scones or just about anything that can be dumped into a bowl and mixed!)

Tip: This one is fun to use a colorful candy, like M&Ms, in seasonal colors as an ingredient.

photo: Amber Guetebier

4. DIY I-Spy Jar
An easy task for any little maker, this is a fun gift for kids of all ages. Draft up a “key card” with the answers and include it in the gift. As a bonus you can use up all those party favors, broken watches and other miscellaneous items you’ve been meaning to throw away. Grab the instructions here.

photo credit: Kelly via flickr

5. Easiest Homemade Pickles Ever
When you think of jars you probably think of pickles, so why not give them a serious upgrade and make an easy gift for all the foodies in your life? Click here for the complete recipe and how-to.

6. Mason Jar Ice Cream Cake
This sweet gift concocted by Evermine probably needs to be assembled on-site so it makes a fun “I’ll bring dessert” item that will delight your hosts and all of the guests. Get the yummy tutorial here.

photo: j bizzie via flickr

7. Easy Peasy Cookie or Candy Jar
Make or buy cookies and stack them in a colorful jar (Ball has a heritage series that includes blue, green and even purple). Just tie on a ribbon and, baby, you’re done! Just make sure you measure the jar before purchasing or measuring out the cookies (you can use the lid as a template!) Easier option? Fill a jar with candy and don a ribbon, and you’re done.

—Amber Guetebier

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