Ridiculously easy Halloween Garland for kids

This little Halloween garland is so ridiculously easy. I just gave my 4 year old all the supplies and let him have at it. Here is what you need for this simple decoration:

- Construction paper *we went with orange, black and green*
- Markers or crayon
- Scissors
- Glue or tape
- String

So first let you kiddos cut out some pumpkin shapes. 

Then draw some pumpkin faces on them. This was the only part I really helped with. 

Hey look, a Miley pumpkin! (hehe)

Then have the kiddos use the green paper to cut out some stems for the pumpkins. Have them glue on each side of the top of the pumpkin so there is an opening left on the stem to fish the string through. 

And voila. That's it. Just fish the string through the stems and hang it where you please. Easy peasy! 

Happy Haunting! ~ Miranda

2 Moms- featured in an article on MSN - Ivillage

We were recently contacted by MSN - Ivillage about using our post about the DIY puppy dog costume in an article for their website. We are so thrilled that the article is now live and you can view it here:

http://www.ivillage.com/12-diy-halloween-costumes-make-leotards-or-sweats/6-b-139545#139554

Here is a picture of CJ in his little costume from a couple of years ago (isn't he just the cutest little puppy ever?)...

This is going to be such a great positive boost for our little blog. We've been working hard to come up with fresh new ideas to share with all of you that will be useful, and keeping in tune with the frugal lifestyle so many of us have! 

So we want to say thanks to our readers, thanks for spreading the word about 2 Moms and a Blog. We are so grateful to share our projects, ideas and lives with you!

Yay! ~ Kelsey and Miranda

Felt Pumpkin Tutorial- kids can change the face of the pumpkin anytime!

This is a really easy, and really fun little craft for you to make for your kids leading up to Halloween. The idea came from last year's Halloween pumpkin fiasco. We let our son paint one pumpkin, and help choose the template for carving the rest. Well after all the pumpkins had been carved, he wanted them changed. Yea, that wasn't going to happen. So I've come up with a solution. A felt pumpkin with lots of different eyes, noses and mouths that he can play with to make different faces. It was so easy and cheap to make, and I got it done super fast! Here is how I did it...

What you'll need:

-Felt squares in orange, green and black (or whatever color pumpkins you want to make!)
-A roll of velcro (you can find this for cheap at your local craft store)
-Scissors (because no craft is complete without cutting something you didn't mean to!)
-Hot glue gun





Next, using the orange cut out the shapes of some pumpkins. Then cut out some different shapes for eyes, noses and mouths using the black (or again, whatever colors you want to use for your pumpkins!).

Then using the green cut a little stem for the top of the pumpkin. While you're at all this cutting, go ahead and cut some of the velcro into small strips.

Using the hot glue, attach the stem to the top of the pumpkin and let it dry while you get on with the next task.

Now glue all of those velcro pieces onto the cut outs of the eyes noses and mouths. 

And VIOLA! Once all the glue is dry it's all done and ready for it's face!

or this...

And your kids will love putting all the different shapes on the pumpkin to make different faces!

And there you have it, a really incredibly easy, super frugal craft your kids are going to have so much fun with for Halloween!

Have fun! ~ Miranda

Halloween party menu ideas- PRODUCT GIVEAWAY!

We had a Halloween party this morning, and it's not even October yet. The kids dressed as Spider Man and Buzz Lightyear. Even Super Dad paid a visit to the treats to indulge in the gross display of yummy food
.

We turned raisins into bat droppings and frozen cheese sticks into gross ghost fingers!

With the help of Farm Rich cheese sticks, we were able to quickly cook up these 'ghost fingers' for our little goblins (and ourselves!) to enjoy.

We just cooked up the sticks and let them cool. Put them on the platter and opened a few to let the cheese ooze and covered the other sticks with it. Using our own marinara sauce we splattered some of it over the sticks to give it a creepy look and put the rest down the middle of the platter. It just so happened the sauce came out looking like a ghost! This whole platter is only half a bag, we still have more left! You really get a lot for your money with these products. Farm Rich can provide you with quick solutions to last minute entertaining, and you have an opportunity to put your own twist to the recipes.

it didn't take long until the platter looked like this...

To add some character to our food table we used some inexpensive Halloween buckets used from previous years trick or treating to hold some small bags of chips, and a bowl from the dollar section of Target with ice to hold some juice boxes. We scattered some small pumpkins around the table and our witchy pumpkin pal was at the center of the fun. We will be doing another post soon for a fun craft on how to make your own pumpkin pals with your kids!

Spider Man and Super Dad fly in for a bite!

Buzz Lightyear could eat these for infinity- and beyond!

So are you ready for your chance to win a voucher good for one Farm Rich product of your own? 

Maybe you could make some of these ghost fingers. Or use the yummy meatballs and call them monster brain bites and put them on a small roll for the kiddos! 

2 of our lucky readers will win in this contest, here is how to enter!

Leave a comment on our page, maybe let us know some of your great Halloween party tips! 

(Commenting is a mandatory entry!)

Go like us on Facebook (not mandatory, but you don't want to miss out on any news or future give aways!)

Tweet us on Twitter using #2MomsAndABlog (again, not mandatory, but hey- we like the love!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway Now for the rules and fine print... because nothing is fun without a little rule here and there!
Contest is open to US residents 18 years of age and older. Winner will be selected at random and announced on Facebook and contacted via email. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim prize or forfeit winnings.

*Disclosure- 2 Moms was given a complimentary product for purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions are 100% mine and have not been edited in any way 

DIY Spotted Puppy Halloween Costume

Part one on '2 Moms and a Blog' special Halloween series! 
*NO SEWING MACHINE REQUIRED*

Post courtesy of Little Man and Me (www.littlemanandme2.blogspot.com)

Halloween of 2010 my son was only 1 and it was difficult finding a cute little Halloween costume for him that wouldn't break the bank. I also didn't want something that would just be worn once and tossed away. So I came up with the Spotted Puppy Costume! In all it cost around $10 bucks. $8 for the hoodie and $2 for the felt. We had the other supplies on hand. It was really super simple. Considering that I have ZERO sewing skills and if possible much less patience. It was quick, inexpensive and super cute. And 2 years later my son still has the costume and wears it around the house! Here is how me and my husband together made this costume...

You will need an over-sized hoodie, felt squares in coordinating colors, needle, thread, scissors and fabric glue.

Step 1) Cut off the arms of the hoodie at shoulder seams (save them, you'll need them!).

 

Step 2) Cut different sized circles out of the felt squares (save the scrap felt, you'll need it!).

Step 3) Using the left over pieces from one of the arms of the hoodie, trace and cut out 4 puppy dog ears.

Step 4) Take two of the pieces of ears you just cut out and sew them together leaving the bottom open. Then stuff them using some of the left over felt scraps and sew to the hood of the jacket.

Step 5) Glue the felt circles onto the jacket to make spots. 

Step 6) Roll up the other arm sleeve and attach to the jacket as the tail of the puppy.

The results:

Absolutely adorable! When I took him to a Halloween festival that weekend we got so many compliments on the costume. It was simple, not over the top for a child his age and he was comfortable. The possibilities are endless with the over-sized hoodie idea. So keep an eye on the blog for more ideas to come soon! And be sure to check back for more in our special series of posts leading up to Halloween! 

~ Miranda