Buzz Blog

If I had a dollar for every time someone lied to me on Pinterest, I’d be able to hire someone to do my crafting for me. “It’s so simple,” “Just follow these easy steps,” “The finished product is super cute.” All lies.

The majority of the crafts I make are never as easy as they sound, cost more to make than to buy and never look as good as the pictures, so I have learned to approach all crafts with suspicion.

Those of you who have shared a similar experience need not be suspicious of this article. These are crafts that I made on a budget that actually turned out the way I wanted (mostly) and are so easy you could do them with your kids (or a bottle of wine).

STRING SKULL
What you will need:
Foam board
Carpet tacks
Thin white yarn
Tissue paper

Use the tissue paper to draw a stencil for the skull. Place the tissue paper on top of the foam board and put the carpet tacks around the outline of the stencil. Remove surrounding tissue paper. Tie the end of the string to one of the tacks and move around the entire stencil while wrapping the string around the tacks.

CANDLE BAGS
What you will need:
Brown lunch bags
A printer
Scissors
Spray adhesive
Tea lights

Print silhouettes of mice, rats, bats or any other Halloween animal. Cut them out and then use spray adhesive to adhere them to the paper bags—do this outside on a drop cloth or other surface that can get dirty, because it will get everywhere. Also, be sure to adhere the cutouts to the seamless side of the paper bag, because the seam will obstruct the silhouettes of the cutouts when illuminated. Fill the bags with some dirt or rocks (to keep them from blowing over). Put the candles inside the bags.

SPOOKY NO-SKILL WREATH
What you will need:
A Styrofoam wreath
Two strands of tinsel
Any Halloween ornaments to adorn wreath

Turns out making wreaths is significantly harder (and more expensive) than one might assume. I first attempted to make a ribbon wreath that I found on Pinterest. It took me hours to cut the ribbon and piece it together, and it looked like a kindergarten art project. So, this wreath is considerably easier, cheaper, and the end result is less offensive to the eye. Just wrap the tinsel strands around the wreath and tie the ornaments on the bottom. It takes about 90 seconds and requires no skill.

EVIL EYES
What you will need:
Empty toilet paper rolls
Scissors
Glow sticks
Draw eyes on the toilet paper rolls, cut them out and put a glow stick in them. Done.

SKELETON TWINS
What you will need:
White foam sheets (two per skeleton)
Black foam sheet (optional)
Curling ribbon
Scissors
Hole punch

Trace and cut six bones, two hands, two feet, one torso and one skull. Cut 11 6-inch-long pieces of curling ribbon. Punch holes in foam pieces and attach to one another using strips of curling ribbon. If you’re going to make more than a few skeletons, and you’ve got a budget to stay on, use paper plates instead of foam sheets.

YARN BALLS OF PAIN
What you will need:
Water
Glue
Cornstarch
Yarn
Balloons
Hangers

You know these yarn balls that are all over Pinterest? Don’t try them. Ever. They are messy, time-consuming and aren’t nearly as impressive in person as they are online. However, if you insist on making your own, mix half a bottle of glue with half a cup of cornstarch and a quarter-cup of water. Blow up your balloons and hang them from the hangers (so they can dry while suspended in air). Soak the yarn in the glue mixture and wrap around balloons while removing excess paste. Wait 100 years for balls to dry, and be sure to use a drop cloth because this is the messiest craft you will ever make.