Vampire Bites

When I was a kid, mom's would bring in incredible homemade creations for class parties and I always had it in my head that I would do the same. I had heard talk through friends with older kids that you could no longer bring food into the class for your kid’s birthday. What I didn't realize, until my daughter started school, is that you cannot bring homemade food at all. At first I was horrified! It was the death of the bake sale. I couldn't imagine someone thinking that packaged processed food would be better than a homemade wholesome creation. I called my girlfriend to tell her about this appalling travesty happening in the schools. She said, “Well, think of it like this: did the person making these homemade treats wash their hands? Use fresh ingredients? Were they sick? Did they lick their fingers, or the spoon?” GAG!

Touché, my friend. I am now a supporter of prepackaged food in the classroom. I will have to find something else to do with all those clever holiday treat ideas I pinned. But for our class's upcoming Halloween party, I wanted to think of a way to bring homemade into the mix. I made these Vampire Bites to share with the class instead of cookies. It was very simple and I am sharing my PDF for the labels with you.

You can pick up vampire teeth at the 99 Cent Store, Target or any place that sells Halloween stuff. The small treat bags are available at JoAnn. I used Wilton treat bags, but any bag the right size will do.

Print out my Vampire Bites PDF, and make sure you print it onto cardstock. Regular paper would be too flimsy for this. If you wanted to, you could use colored paper. I used white because I love all things black and white.

Vampire Bites PDF

Cut the labels out. There are three labels per sheet. Cut a line across the bottom leaving the same size white margin that is printed along the top. Then make two cuts down the columns directly in the center of each column. This should leave you with three rectangle-shaped labels containing two dotted-edged boxes. You will then fold the card in half, creating a tent. Only one dotted box should show on each side. Place the vampire teeth in the baggy and slide the baggy between the tent. Staple it shut, twice.

Now you have Vampire Bites for your classroom party stash! They're also good for getting "Boo'd."

My stash of materials:

Cardstock

Wilton Treat Bags

Halloween Sugar Skull Masks

Recently we went on a camping trip with friends. I took to Pinterest in search of Halloween themed crafts for the kids and found the perfect thing from Yucca Flats, NM. They have an amazing Sugar Skull coloring page you can download here. The kids colored their masks, cut them out and then we added elastic. It kept the kids busy for a long time and they enjoyed wearing their masks for the rest of the trip!

It's the perfect Halloween craft for your holiday stash.

Halloween Trick or Treat Bags

Halloween is SO MUCH MORE FUN with kids. I love it. It’s my new favorite holiday- type of love. I never truly appreciated fall for all its warmth and magic, but I have seen the light. I love the costume creations, the pumpkins, the crafts, the feeling, the food, the decorations - it's all so magical! Have you discovered Pandora Halloween Party Radio? It is a blast. My kids and I listen to it for hours on end and never stop dancing. It will rock your socks off with fun creepy songs. I especially love when they play the theme song from Disney's haunted house. In fact, it's playing right now and I can't help but feel giddy!

Last year I made the kids their own personalized trick-or-treat bags. I wanted to share a tutorial on how to make your own. I don't have many action shots, but you will get the gist.

I purchased two black canvas totes from Jo-Ann. You can use any tote. I made letter appliqués to put their names on them. You can see a tutorial here on how to do that. I used the exact same technique to make the ghosts too. I just sketched a ghost for this, but you could always Google some Halloween clip-art to get a stencil to use. You're looking for very basic shaped images that will transfer into an appliqué easily - nothing with intricate detail.

For the trim, I pinned the pompom fringe in place and ran a zigzag stitch over it with the sewing machine. The problem here is that the thread that matches the fringe can be seen from the inside, and when you are sewing over a bumpy trim, it doesn't always look pretty. So, to cover this up, I just got black cross-grain ribbon and found fusible web tape (double sided) that was the same size (or a little smaller) than the ribbon. I ironed it on over the stitch the same way as I apply the appliqués. However, you will want to use a thin cloth between the iron and the ribbon to keep the ribbon from melting.

To create a clean edge where the ribbon meets, turn the ribbon under and make a fold, then match the other end to that. Place the fusible tape under the folded under side to secure it. You could also just cut the ends to match perfectly and run a lighter quickly over the cut ends to melt and prevent fraying. This should create a clean, secure cover that blends with the color of the bag.

Now you have personalized trick-or-treat bags for your Halloween stash!

My Stash of Materials:

Canvas Tote

Felt

Pompom Fringe

Cross Grain Ribbon

Double Sided Fusible Web Tape