Printable Halloween Tic Tac Toe {candy free treat}

Candy is an inevitable part of Halloween, but it is always nice to have some candy free options for kids to share with their friends.  This year, I designed an adorable free printable Halloween Tic Tac Toe board.

Isn't it adorable?  You can print the boards for free and use buttons or coins to play the game.

This printable is set up to print like an 8X10 photo (with two game boards per sheet).  To print your own copies, right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print like a regular photo.

I sent a bunch of these cards to Staples (our local office supply store) for printing.  I printed them on cardstock, and they look really great.

These are a fantastic candy free option for class treats or Halloween parties, don't you think? No need to worry about allergies with these fun Halloween Tic Tac Toe boards!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

DIY Ninja Costume

This year, for Halloween, my 7 year old son decided that he wanted to be the white ninja from LEGO Ninjago.  So... I researched what "Zane" looked like, and this is the DIY Costume I came up with.

Isn't it cute?  It cost me less than $10 to make, and I love how it turned out.  It was pretty simple to make too.  I did a tiny bit of sewing, but you could easily use fabric glue for a completely "no sew" version.

To make the shirt:

1) Start with a plain long sleeve t-shirt.  I found this one at Walmart (on clearance) for $1.  I bought a few sizes too big so that my son can wear warm clothes under it when he goes trick-or-treating.

2) Cut a "V" shape from felt and secure it to the top of the shirt with fabric glue or stitching.

3) Braid dollar store shoe laces together to create a rope, and use safety pins to secure it to the shirt.

4) Cut a belt from grey felt.

5) Draw a lion face on a piece of yellow craft foam, cut it out, and use hot glue to secure it to the rope.

6) Use a black Sharpie to draw the remaining details on the shirt.

To make the hood (which was inspired by a tutorial I found at Creative Mama on a Dime):

1)  Start with a plain white turtleneck.  I found this one (on clearance) at Walmart for $1.

2)  Pull the turtleneck over the child's head until it is covering his/her ears and nose.

3)  Pull the back of the shirt up over the child's forehead.

4)  Tie the arms around the back of the head.

5)  Adjust the hood until it has the desired look.

Simple, right?  I added a pair of women's leggings (that I found on clearance for $5) and a pair of black gloves from the dollar store.

I am so pleased with this easy and inexpensive DIY Ninja Costume, and my 7 year old loves it too.  Do you have a LEGO Ninjago fan in your house?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS - You can find more easy and inexpensive Halloween ideas here.

Halloween Mason Jar Candles

When it comes to Halloween, my boys are easily spooked.  So, when it comes to Halloween decor, we prefer cute rather than scary.  This year, we made three adorable Halloween mason jar candles.

Today I am sharing the full tutorial for these adorable mason jar candles over at CBC Parents.  Click {here} for all the fun DIY details.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Mummy Door

We love decorating the door in our entryway.  It's a small project that has a big impact.  For Christmas, we turned our door into a snowman,  and for Easter, we transformed it into a bunny.  So... for Halloween we decided to create a Mummy Door!

It's such a simple idea, but I just love how it turned out... and my boys think it is hilarious.

To make a Mummy Door, you'll need white and black card stock, four rolls of white streamers, lots of double sided tape, and painter's tape.  

Cover the door by taking the streamers from one side to the other and securing every time with double sided tape.  Then, when the door is completely covered, reinforce the edges by running painter's tape along all the outside edges of the door.

Finish the door by adding eyes made from white and black card stock.  Make sure to put a little of the eyes under the streamers to add depth.

Isn't it cute?  We love our Mummy Door, and we can't wait for our trick-or-treaters to see it.  Happy Halloween!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Boo Your Neighbours {free printable}

Every year, we "boo" our neighbours, and every year I try to come up with new {adorable} printables to go with our treats.  If you aren't familiar with "booing", here's how it works... you wait until after dark, sneak up to your neighbours' houses, and try and leave treats without getting caught.  "Booing" is a favorite Halloween tradition in our house.

To print a copy of the "booing" printables I designed, right click on the pictures below, save them to your computer, and print them like normal 8X10 photos.  I sent mine to Staples (our local copy store), and printed them for $.39 each.

Aren't they cute?  Our treat packages are ready to go, and my boys can't wait to sneak around and "boo" the neighbours.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Science Inspired by "Wreck it Ralph"

My boys love the movie "Wreck It Ralph".  In the movie (in case you haven't seen it) there is a scene where Mentos "mints" fall from the sky into a "soda" pond.  There is a fun reaction that occurs, and I told my boys we would recreate the experiment in our yard.  So, today I am sharing how we made a Mentos geyser.

All you need is a 2L bottle of diet soda and a package of Mentos. (Make sure it is diet because the reaction is a lot better.)

Then, open the soda, drop the Mentos in as quickly as possible, and stand back.  (If you have a tube that allows you to slide them all in at once, it would be ideal.  However, I just gave two to each of my boys and told them to drop them in as fast as they could!)

Please note... if you have a 5 year old that steps back from the geyser too slowly, he will likely get soda on his clothes... and there is a good chance he will cry.  :-)

Aside from a little soda on my 5 year olds clothes, the experiment was a success, and a lot of fun.  Have you ever made a Mentos geyser with your little ones?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Halloween Countdown {free printable}

I love building anticipation by "counting down" to holidays and special events, so this year I designed a fun Halloween countdown printable that my boys can update using a dry erase marker.

I printed the 8X10 photo at Staples (my local office supply store) for $.39.  Then, I put it in a white frame from the dollar store.  Now my boys can change the number every day with their dry erase marker.  Cute, right?

To print your own Halloween countdown (for free), just right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8X10 photo.  {As with all of my printables, I'd love for you to use and share this Halloween Countdown Printable.  However, copyright belongs to me, so please don't use this photo/printable on your own site, and don't sell it in any form.  Thank you!}

I love black and purple decorations for Halloween, don't you?  Are your little ones already counting down to October 31?  My boys definitely are.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)