For the most unique and spectacular Halloween goodies you really can’t do better than handmade. The diversity, quality and imagination beats the pants off any of the mass produced Halloween items. Etsy – the epicenter of handmade items sold online – has put together a spooktacular Halloween gift guide that features quite an array of treats; costumes, decorations, jewelry and accessories, toys, cards, spooky art, and even food. Now you can support independent artisans while decking out your haunted mansion in style.
We’ve talked about October being Fair Trade month before, and this year we’ve unearthed a clever new way to integrate that into your Halloween celebrations: Reverse Trick-or-Treating! Showing that kids are capable of making immense change in our world, they will be handing adults a sample of Fair Trade chocolate. The tasty treats will be accompanied by a card that talks a bit about the child labor and poverty problems in the cocoa industry. The solution is deliciously simple: don’t cut cocoa out of your life, just swap the commercial stuff for Fair Trade chocolate. Thanks to some awesome Fair Trade companies, the chocolate and cards are FREE (you just pay for shipping). If you want to participate, just register by October 13, 2008. If your wee monsters will be out candy collecting anyway, why not add Reverse Trick or Treating to the night and create a wonderful new family tradition?
Want more Fair Trade chocolate options? Check out the extensive lists of manufacturers at Trans Fair USA, and New American Dream. As featured above, there are Fair Trade Halloween kits that make treat-giving on The Big Night super easy. In addition to the 42 delicious chocolates, you get 42 Halloween postcards to hand out that explain how cool and easy Fair Trade is.
Not feeling very colorful this season? Like the sleek contrast of black on white? We’ve put together a list of some unique and vintage inspired costume ideas to make this Halloween a blast from the past.
Check out all the photos and desaturated fun on the Black and White Costumes page…
And a big thanks to everyone who entered our contest to win a free costume. Congrats again to Alyssa, Brandy, and Melissa Z. who won their choice of costume from Halloween Party Store.
We’ve got lots of contests lined up for you so be sure to bookmark 365 Halloween and subscribe to the RSS feed.
This conceptual “bloody table” design by French designer John Nouanesing would make a killer Halloween decoration. It’s not available for purchase, but you could probably make your own version.
Either start with an old table you already have and remove the legs or get a piece of plywood. Attach some skinny wooden dowels as table legs. For the blood effect try liquid latex or spray foam (expanded polystyrene). Around the edges of the table it looks like craft foam might be the best option for easy shaping.
But as with all DIY Halloween projects, there are probably many methods of making it look amazing. Just experiment and see what you come up with. If you make your own Bloody Table, leave a comment and let us know how it turned out!
Alexa at SwellDesigner let us know about a weekly Halloween Craft and Idea project that she’s working on this year. She has been posting a tutorial each Tuesday for a variety of Halloweeny decorations and goodies. Here are some great ones;
In addition to her own projects, she is now adding a Halloween Crafts and Ideas Roundup that will include other spooky projects from around the Internet. If you’re the DIY type, be sure to check back weekly for more creative inspiration.
The contest is now over. A big thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to Alyssa, Brandy, and Melissa Z.!
The fiendish folks at Halloween Party Store want you to have an awesome Halloween this year. That’s why they’re giving away 3 Halloween Costumes to 3 lucky readers! Here’s all you have to do to enter;
- 1) Visit Halloween Party Store and pick your favorite costume
(up to $60)
- 2) Come back here and leave a comment with the name of the costume you chose and let us know why you like that costume so much. Is it the funniest, scariest or sexiest? Does it fit with your Halloween party theme this year or will you wear it to work?
The contest runs from September 29th – October 3rd, 2008 at midnight PST. 3 winners will each get their choice of costume. Everybody who enters and doesn’t win will receive a 10% off coupon!
Spread the Halloween love and let others know about the contest. Save this banner to your host (or a free image host like ImageShack or PhotoBucket), and put a link to this page on your website, blog, or MySpace.
Details: Yes, you can change your choice of costume later if you win! Open to US residents 18 and older. Costume choice can be up to $60 in value. In stock items only. One entry per person (IPs are logged). Winners will be chosen at random. Be sure to use a valid e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. Your privacy is important and no one but 365Halloween.com will have access to your e-mail address.
