by Colleen Moulding

Large hanging ghosts that will sway spookily in the breeze outside can be made easily by draping a white sheet, tablecloth or pillowcase over a balloon and tying below the head. Small ones for indoors can be made from white paper napkins or kitchen paper tied over any small ball or crumpled tissue paper or stuffed sock then secured with string or thread and a face drawn on with marker pens.

Scarecrows to decorate the party room, trees, patio or porch can be put together cheaply by stuffing old clothes with rags or rolled up newspapers tied at elbow and knee to look jointed. Faces can be made from the back of old shirts or tee shirts tied over a ball or balloon and hair can be stuck on made from straw from a pet supplies shop, raffia, yarn or strips of fabric poking out from beneath an old hat.

Creepy looking headstones can be fashioned from painted cardboard or wood and joke shop spiders and flies can be stuck on to windows and doors with sticky tack. Spiders and flies are also good for decorating sandwiches and the table, but not if there are very young children around who may actually try to eat them!

Children will enjoy cutting cats from black paper and sticking on large eyes made from kitchen foil or making bats to hang from the ceiling by folding an oblong of black paper in half, drawing half of a bat shape and cutting away the excess.

Even very young children can paint or colour in huge orange paper pumpkins using bright yellow to represent the light shining through the eyes and mouth.

Any old Ghostbuster toys that you have around can be fun decorations for the table and an inexpensive centrepiece can be made by using a dollar store/pound shop black plant cauldron with a large bowl inside it, or just a large bowl covered with black tissue paper and filled with cola or blackcurrant cordial plus a few grapes, cubes of pineapple or pieces of apple floating around for a gruesome looking witches brew.

Have Fun! Find Halloween screensavers, scary jokes, party food, costume ideas, games and lots more spooky stuff on a selection of sites reviewed at http://www.allthatwomenwant.com/halloween.htm

Colleen Moulding Copyright 2000

About the Author

Colleen Moulding is a freelance writer from England where she has had many features on parenting, childcare, travel, the Internet and many more subjects published in national magazines and newspapers. She has also published a variety of women's and children's fiction. Her work frequently appears at many sites on the Internet and at her own site for women and children All That Women Want.com a magazine, web guide and resource for women everywhere. Subscribe to the free monthly e-zine covering home and decorating, parenting, saving money, organizing, gardening, women's biz, health, recipes, relationships and more. Spend your five minutes peace with us. It was made for you! Subscribe by sending a blank e-mail to: allthatwomenwant-subscribe@egroups.com

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