It’s Easy to DIY Halloween

I love everything about fall—from the changing leaves to the crisp temperatures to the holidays. And I especially love October because I can’t wait for Halloween. It is the one time of year when it’s OK for you to be just a little bit crazy and over the top.

I like to make Halloween my own, which means I like to do my own decorating and my own costumes. And now that my son is old enough, we make it a real family event. You can go as simple as stringing some lights and cobwebs outside, or as intense as a haunted house in your front yard. It can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it.

FamilyFun magazine is a great resource for busy families looking for easy and fun ways to connect with each other. Its Tricks and Treats for Halloween includes super-easy costumes, recycled material decorating tips and even recipes for homemade treats.

All You Frightfully Fun Halloween Handbook includes easy, step-by-step instructions for decorations, food, crafts and costumes made from supplies that can be found at most stores.

No Halloween display would be complete without pumpkins, and Extreme Halloween has that and more! This one is not for the faint of heart or skill—the subtitle says it all: The Ultimate Guide to Making Halloween Scary Again. It includes a handy guide to price, time commitment and difficulty for each project.

My biggest DIY project for Halloween is always the costume, both mine and my son's, and Halloween Costumes has come in handy many times over the years. Even if you don't sew, there are several patterns that can be modified as no-sew costumes you glue together.