| With 36.1 million trick-or-treaters visiting homes in | | | | straw hat, you can make your home come alive with |
| 2006, it comes as no surprise that we all want our | | | | a friendly scarecrow welcoming your trick-or-treaters. |
| homes to look as "Halloweenish" as possible for the | | | | The other supplies you'll need are twine, permanent |
| big night. | | | | marker, an old pillowcase and an outdoor chair. |
| Here are some simple Halloween decorating ideas | | | | Stuff the pants and shirt firmly with hay, leaving |
| that will make your home look festive but won't | | | | some of the hay sticking out from the bottom of |
| break the bank. | | | | the legs and bottom of the sleeves. Position the |
| Orange Lights | | | | scarecrow's pants in the chair and shift the hay so he |
| Change the light bulbs in your outdoor lanterns or | | | | "sits" comfortably in the chair. |
| house lights to orange lights. If you can't find orange | | | | Tie the arms and legs off with twine. Stuff the old |
| light bulbs, you can purchase inexpensive Halloween | | | | pillowcase with hay. Tie off with twine and position |
| themed string lights (like Christmas lights) and hang | | | | the pillowcase inside the shirt collar to appear as the |
| them around your front door. | | | | "head" of the scarecrow. Secure the pillowcase to |
| Make Your Own Luminaries | | | | the shirt by tying off with twine. With the permanent |
| Place homemade Halloween luminaries alongside the | | | | marker, draw a scarecrow face and place the hat on |
| sidewalk or walkway up to your front door. You can | | | | top. |
| make easy and inexpensive luminaries with paper | | | | Make Your Own Pumpkin Family |
| lunch sacks. You can either leave them the original | | | | By painting silly and whimsical faces on pumpkins, you |
| brown or spray paint them orange. | | | | can create an entire pumpkin family that can be |
| On each bag, lightly draw in pencil a rough outline of a | | | | proudly displayed on bales of hay on and around your |
| pumpkin, ghost or spider. With a sharpened pencil or | | | | front door. |
| nail, poke holes about every inch along the outline of | | | | On paper, sketch your ideas of what kind of face |
| the design. | | | | you'd like to put on your pumpkin. Transfer that |
| Fill each bag with approximately 1 ½-2 cups of | | | | design to a cleaned and dried pumpkin using a |
| sand. Place a votive candle in a glass votive holder | | | | non-permanent marker. Paint the design using craft |
| and securely place the votive in the sand (or use | | | | paints. Seal with a spray glaze or sealer. |
| glow sticks if you're leaving your home unattended). | | | | If each member of your family (even the little ones) |
| Light the votives at dusk on Halloween night and | | | | paints their own pumpkin design, you'll have a |
| your home will have a beautiful Halloween glow. | | | | memorable collection of painted pumpkin decorations |
| Make Your Own Scarecrow | | | | for your home. |
| Using old slacks, an old flannel shirt, some hay and a | | | | |