Jack-o-Lantern Sandwich Bits

These golden ham and cheese nibbles are way easier than carving a gourd. Just use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter for store-bought pie crust, ham and cheese slices, layer and bake!

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• Active Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 box (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts
• 8 oz thinly sliced Black Forest or Virginia ham
• 8 oz thinly sliced Cheddar or Swiss cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil. 
2. Unroll pie crusts. Cut each crust into 24 pumpkin shapes with a 3-in. pumpkin cookie cutter. Using a 1⁄2-in. triangular cookie (aspic) cutter or a sharp knife, cut out eyes and a nose from 12 of the cutouts. 
3. Using a 2-in. round cutter, cut 24 rounds from the sliced ham and 24 rounds from the sliced Cheddar. 
4. Place 2 slices Cheddar in the center of each of the 12 solid pumpkins; top each with 2 slices of ham. With a small brush, brush beaten egg around edges. Top with remaining pumpkins with cut-out faces, carefully pressing on edges to seal. 
5.Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until light golden. Let cool on rack 5 minutes before serving.

Spiderwebs

Decorate your ceiling corners with spiderwebs made of black puff paint sprayed onto nonstick baking sheets and allowed to dry.

Materials: Black puff paint for fabric; nonstickbaking sheet.
Directions:

1. Using paint, draw an L shape, with both sides the same length, on baking sheet.
2. Starting at corner, draw a series of lines, same length as first lines, radiating outward.
3. Draw scalloped lines across these lines to make spiderweb. Make sure all rows are touching.
4. Let dry for 24 hours before carefully peeling webs off sheet.

Broom Candy Bags (Courtesy WomanDay)

Recycled paper bags already have a distressed look which is perfect for mimicking the disheveled head of a witch’s broom. Stuff them with candy for a sweet surprise!

Materials:
Brown paper lunch bags (2 for each favor)
Scissors
Wrapped candies
Small branches
Twine

Directions:

1. Starting at upper edge of one bag and stopping just above base, cut bag into narrow strips.

2. Starting at upper edge of second bag, cut 1- to 2-inch long narrow strips.

3. Place second bag into first bag; fill inner bag with candy.

4. Gather upper edges of bags; insert branches into bags, then wrap with twine about 1 to 2 inches from top. Knot twine.

Spiders Web Cake (Courtesy Dot Com Women)

Ingredients:

cake mix
orange frosting
white frosting
plastic spider
Method:

-Prepare Cake according to the directions on the packet of the cake mix in a round pan.

-Cover cake with orange frosting. Use white or chocolate frosting to make the spider's web. -The cake shown in the picture has a white frosting web.

-Choose a center point for the web. It may not necessarily be the center of the cake.

Starting from this center point, draw lines to the edge of the cake all the way to the sides. Join these lines with scalloped lines and complete concentric circles all over the surface of the cake as shown in the picture.

-Decorate the cake with a plastic spider. You can even add plastic bugs to the web.

Ghost Sugar Cookies

Whenever you make these cookies for someone, be sure to bring along several copies of the recipe. I promise you’ll be asked for it. 

Makes 60 cookies
Preparation time: 20 minutes 
Cooking time: 8 minutes

What you'll Need:

11⁄2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). 

2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll out dough on floured surface 1 to 2 cm thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 2.5 cm apart on ungreased cookie sheets. 

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely. 

DIY Halloween Arrangement

Create an eye-catching Halloween arrangement from fallen branches or manzanita branches; insert them into a foam base in an old urn draped with Spanish moss. Spray-paint old Christmas ornaments and beaded trims; hang them up when dry.


Materials:
- Urn in desired size
-bag of marbles 
-floral foam 
-serrated knife 
-natural manzanita branches 
-garden snips 
-old Christmas ornaments and beaded garland
-Krylon spray paints: orange, green, black 
-scissors
- seasonal ornaments as desired 
- Spanish moss.

Directions:

1. Place a layer of marbles several inches thick in urn to weight down the base.

2. Cut foam to fit tightly inside urn, stopping about 2 inches from top.

3. Insert one or more branches into foam to create desired effect, trimming branches as needed to create desired shape.

4. Spray ornaments and garland with orange and green paints as desired; let dry. Lightly spray black paint on some ornaments for spooky look.

5. Hang ornaments as desired. Cut garland into assorted lengths and drape as desired. Hang acorns randomly on tree.

6. Cover any visible foam with Spanish moss; hang other bits of moss on branches

Sexy Pumpkins

Who says pumpkins always have to be ghoulish monsters, and ghosts? Here's a little dark sexy pumpkin, that will vamp up your Halloween. 

Here's how to make these sexy little decorations: 
1. Snip off the foot of a stocking and slip your pumpkin into something a little more sultry. 2. Gather the opening at the stem and tie off the top with a rubber band or ribbon. Group several of these sexy pumpkins in a bowl or on a table, light the candles and voila! Maybe they'll inspire a sexy costume of your own.