Halloween 2013

 

Here's how we dressed Alonzo for this year's trick or treat -- as an SM hypermart bagger boy!

 

 

We scoured the malls for a plain, collared, neon green shirt but couldn't find one that fit the budget. We were about to settle for a branded one but luckily hubby found this shirt from Divisoria. I then attached the SM logo which was printed on sticker paper. The "sash" is a recycled strip of tarpaulin which I turned over and had sticker paper attached as well. 

  

We got him a "grocery basket" from Japan Home to finish the bagger boy look. Also, this cleverly served as his candy bucket!

 

Employee of the Month



 Happy to serve!

Happy Halloween!!!
 



DIY Halloween Goodie Bag

Our neighborhood has become more into the practice of the Halloween celebration these past few years.

 

 

For this year's trick or treat we decided that instead of candies we'll be giving out goodies that are a little more substantial such as nuts, Mochi, crackers and raisins which were packed in brown paper bags. 

 

 

For a more festive touch, I used crayons to draw Halloween designs 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Head Paper Mache

About two weeks ago the neighbors have started decorating their homes for our village's trick or treat and for the first time Alonzo got all interested in Halloween. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get him involved in some of my craft projects.   



 

This Halloween project is courtesy of my good, old friend, Martha Stewart (ehem). I have had (thanks to Ondoy) a copy of one of her Halloween edition Living magazine (I had it since college!) and this paper mache pumpkin is one that I really love. The instructions are basically the same as steps 1 to 2 used for the Easter eggshell hats which I did before. Use orange papel de Hapon to save you the extra step of having to paint them.  

 

 

Cut a piece of green paper to form the stem and with a sharp knife cut out the mouth and other details.

 



Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana



The eggplants from our garden always turn out so small. I wonder why? Do they belong to a certain variety or are we doing something wrong. I try to wait a little longer before harvesting to give them more time to grow. My father-in-laws, however, says that once the skins become glossy they will stop getting larger. Overripe eggplants will turn hard and bitter. Let me just say that they do look adorably cute... but a little too cute to eat. My father-in-law still uses them for his pinakbet though.

 



 

Anyway, let us just pretend that these eggplants are the ones from OUR garden, okay?

    



 

Ingredients:

Eggplants, sliced lengthwise

Jar of ready-made pomodoro sauce

Mozzarella

 

The procedure is fairly simple. Instead of frying the eggplants I prefer to grill them until they become soft. Pour pomodoro sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Pop them in the microwave until the cheese melts.  
 

 

Enjoy!

DIY Rug Makeover

The Monday-Tuesday holiday made up for the busy weekend. I had my finals exam last Saturday and I had the opportunity to sit-in in a lecture last Sunday. Whew! Thank God, the 2-day non-weekend gave us time to unwind and spend time with Alonzo (who must have thought it was really Sunday yesterday!). It also gave me time to catch up with some projects that had to be put on hold.

 

I couldn't help but gush at how proud I am of this one...

 

 

My mother-in-law has this not-so-old, wheat colored area rug which she rolled and kept in storage for a few years. I had been planning to give it a makeover for some time but was scared that it would end up a disaster instead.  

 

    

Anyway, I mustered enough courage to finally go for it (with my mother-in-law's permission, of course!).

 



 

While contemplating on this project I really wanted to create a cool pattern (such as chain, loop or chevron). I'll be honest; I chickened out and decided on a simpler dot pattern. The procedure is that same as my other stencil projects.

 

 

Although I regret not being brave enough to have tried a more complicated design (I imagine it would have turned out quite spectacular) I can't say I didn't have fun. Alonzo also enjoyed helping me peel off the pattern) and for a while couldn't help giggle over our "new" polka dot rug.

 

I can't wait to see mother-in-law's reaction when she sees it!

Toilet Paper Roll Owls

 You may already know by now how much I love to "work" with toilet paper rolls. Over the weekend I created these flock of owls (did you know that they called a parliament?) out of toilet paper rolls in an attempt to get started with Halloween.

 

 

To make you'll need a couple of toilet paper rolls, marker pens and crayons or colored pencils.

 

Get started by following steps 1-3 of one of my favorite "trash to toys" projects. The next step is pretty much self-explanatory. Draw an owl and color.     

 

 

 

I don't think I succeeded in making these owls appear anything near scary-looking but I think these little guys turned out looking pretty handsome.

 









DIY Play Lighthouse

Late last year I asked our local modista to save her empty thread spools for me.  She had a lot of those huge conical ones and since it was nearing the Christmas season then that I instantly thought of using those to create little Christmas trees. Eagerly, the modista gave me a small bag full of spools and told me to come back in a few months for more. Unfortunately, the spools never got their way out of the bag in which they came. Needless to say, I forgot all about them. It was only last weekend as I curiously peered through the clear plastic bag (carelessly left on top of a shelf which conveniently hides away my "trash") that I realized what were inside. It would have been nice to start my Christmas crafts this early (I haven't even made plans yet for Halloween!) but I decided to save my time and energy to prepare for the dreaded exam season. In case you don't know yet I'm back in school and am loaded up to my ears for things to submit for class (stress!!!).

 

 

 

So anyway, here's a little fun and quick craft that I did as I started to get restless over my statistics class report.  

  

 

For the lighthouse, you'll need an empty cone thread spool, plastic bottle cap such as a squeeze top Gatorade bottle cover (here I used the covers of an empty Mccormicks spice bottle and an empty cologne bottle). Glue the cover over the top of the spool and wrap colored tape diagonally around.  

 

While you're at it, make tiny origami boats and attach little flags by folding colored tape over a matchstick and glue.

 

Sometimes a little crafting can really help keep my nerves settled down.



Popsicle Stick Puppet



I found a box of tongue depressors (left over from a medical-dental mission)last Sunday. I've completely forgotten all about those. The last time I saw the box was for the chain choker that I made last year. Anyway, this project is so much easier than that. 

 

All you'll need are a couple of tongue depressors or popsicle sticks, yarn or chochet thread and marker pens to create these stick puppets.  

 

 

These puppets could also double as a bookmark.