DIY HOCUS POCUS Tiered Tray

I love decorating a tiered tray for each holiday, and Halloween is no exception. It's the perfect time for a few easy and inexpensive DIY projects.  This year, I decided to spend an afternoon decorating my tiered tray with a "Hocus Pocus" theme. Check out the simple Hocus Pocus DIYs below.

1) Hocus Pocus Mug - I found a tiny black expresso mug at the dollar store and used my cricut to write "Hocus Pocus" on the outside. If you don't have a cricut, you could use a dollar store glass marker or alphabet stickers.

2) "I Smell Children" Rolling Pin - I found a toy rolling pin, and I painted the ends black and the main part white (using dollar store craft paint). Then, I added the words "I smell children" with my cricut. You could also use alphabet stickers or a sharpie.

3) The 3 Sisters' Brooms - I am absolutely in love with these little brooms, and they are really EASY to make. For each broom, I started with a foam paint brush from the dollar, and I ripped off the foam. Then, I wrapped yarn around my hand 20 times, tied a piece of yarn 3/4 of the way down, wrapped the yarn around a few times, tied it again, and cut the loops at the bottom to make a tassel. I finished by using hot glue to attach the tassel to the paint brush handle. (If you have never made a tassel before, you should watch the video I made here.)

I made three different brooms, and I added the names of the sisters from Hocus Pocus to the brooms with my cricut, but you could also use a sharpie or alphabet stickers.

4) "The Black Flame" candle - This was the easiest DIY ever. I took a glittery dollar store (battery operated) candle, and used black craft paint to paint the flame. Easy peasy! 

5) Scrap Wood Bookstack - I love book stacks on tiered trays, and I made this "Hocus Pocus" version using three equal sized blocks cut from a scrap piece of wood. I painted one piece white, one black, and one orange. Then, I added the words "Amuck Amuck Amuck" using my cricut (but you could use stickers, a sharpie, or a paint pen). 

Then, I stacked the wood pieces, wrapped a piece of twine around the books, and secured the twine with hot glue. I think they are my favourite item on my tray. They are tiny and adorable!

Aside from the items I crafted for my tray, I filled in the blank spaces with a few dollar store trinkets. What do you think about my DIY Hocus Pocus tiered tray? 

I also made a little video detailing how to craft all the items on my tiered tray. You can watch the "how to" video here.

It looks adorable on my hall table, and I think it would be great decoration for a Halloween movie night. Don't you?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the 50+ Halloween Crafts, Recipes, Decorations, and DIYs here.

EASY Jack-O-Lantern Lava Lamp

Sometimes simple ideas are the best ones, and this DIY Jack-o-Lantern lava lamp is a fantastic (and easy) Halloween activity. It's a lot of fun, and you likely already have everything you need in your cupboard.

To make your own Jack-O-Lantern lava lamp:

1) Make a face on a stemless wine glass with black electrical tape.

2) Add water and food colouring.

3) Add a layer of oil to the glass.

4) Add an alka-seltzer tablet to the glass, and watch the reaction. 

5) The tablet reacts with the water, and the water and oil don't mix. So, you end up with the orange water bubbles create a cool "lava lamp" effect in the oil.

Check out this this 56 second video. You can see the full reaction at the end. Cool, right?!?

My boys and I have been making DIY lava lamps for years, but I absolutely love this Halloween version. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the 50+ Halloween DIYs, crafts, activities, and treat ideas here.

FREE (printable and frameable) Halloween Lyric Print

Don't you love an easy and inexpensive way to add some fun decor to your home? I have the cutest FREE Halloween print for you today. I designed this simple piece of artwork using the lyrics to one of my favourite Halloween songs, and I think it turned out fantastic. What do you think?

Recognize the song? Yes. You guessed it... it's Thriller.

To download and print a copy: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 picture.

I put my Halloween print in a black wooden frame from the dollar store. It looks really high end beside this dollar store lantern picked up yesterday. You'd never guessed this little vignette only cost a few dollars.

What do you think of the Halloween "Thriller" print I designed? Let me know (in the comments) how you plan to display it in your home.

Happy Halloween!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the 50+ Halloween Crafts, Recipes, Decorations, and DIYs here.

Simple SOFT & CHEWY Thanksgiving Cookie Tart

I first posted my soft and chewy cookie tart in 2015, and since then, I've modified it several times. You can find my first day of school version here, and my Easter version here. Now... I'm sharing a Thanksgiving themed cookie tart, and it's the best one yet!

To make this easy and impressive cookie tart... start with my favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe (which you can find here). 

Then, scoop out a dozen cookies, and press the rest of the cookie dough into a well-greased tart pan. Press some Fall coloured candy into the top, and bake at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes. (I used Reese's Pieces.)

Take it out of the oven when the centre is still a bit soft, but the edges are golden brown.

It's delicious at room temperature, but it's even better when you serve it warm.

I love the idea of setting up a self-serve hot chocolate bar too. I made this one using dollar store supplies (including a dollar store frame tray). Check out the details here.

Fun, right?!?

What do you serve for Thanksgiving dessert? Pies are great, but who wouldn't love this simple soft and chewie Thanksgiving cookie tart?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also enjoy the Thanksgiving party favours (and free printable tags) here.

FREE Thanksgiving Frameable Print & Party Favour Tags

I love all things "easy and inexpensive"... especially when it comes to the holidays. So, I'm super-excited to share the fun FREEBIES I designed for Thanksgiving. I can't wait for you to check out my free Thanksgiving frameable print AND my free Thanksgiving party favour tags.

First, check out this cute (and funny) Thanksgiving print. I love a bit of "cheeky" decor, don't you?

To download the FREE Thanksgiving frameable print I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 photo.

This print looks great in a dollar store frame... on its own or beside a decorated tiered tray.

The other FREEBIE I designed for you is this simple party favour tag.

To download the tag I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Then, trim the top of the picture to make it look like a tag.

Bake some cookies, place them in clear cellophane bags, tie the bags with jute twine, and add the tags.

You can use any cookies you like, but my I recommend my soft and chewy ginger cookies. You can check out the recipe for this seasonal favourite here.

And if you want to make something extra special for the kids, you can use the same recipe to make these adorable turkey cookies.

Put the cookies in clear bags, tape faux leaves to the backs, and glue on googly eyes, paper beaks, and paper wattles.

Don't you love these easy and inexpensive Thanksgiving party favour ideas?

Are you going download and print the free Thanksgiving printables I designed? Which one is your favourite?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the Thanksgiving ideas here.

Budget Friendly Fall Decorating Ideas

I love switching up my decor with the change in seasons... but I don't like to spend a lot of money. I love mixing dollar store finds with inexpensive DIYs. Check out some of my favourite budget-friendly fall decorating ideas below. 

1) Tiered tray - Decorating tiered trays with dollar store finds and crafted items is a fantastic way to create a classy vignette in your home. I stained a mini rolling pin, added the word "harvest", and wrapped a scrap of fabric around it. I also added pumpkins and pine cones, and filled a dollar store bottle with orange and yellow buttons. I also crafted a book stack from scraps of wood, and strung some wooden beads onto a piece of yarn. Cute, right?

2) S'more bucket - Add a bit of whimsy to your Fall decor by filling a dollar store galvanized with S'more supplies. I added the words "Making S'more Memories" to the front of my bucket with my Cricut. It's cute and functional!

3) Artwork in dollar store frames - Framing Fall pictures and free downloads is an easy and inexpensive way to add Fall flair to your home. You can download the Fall Menu I designed (below) for free here.

4) Fall hot chocolate tray - A dollar store frame and few dollar store jars can be easily turned into an adorable Fall hot chocolate tray. Start by inserting a piece of fall-themed scrap book paper into a dollar store frame. Then, use strong glue to attach wooden beads to the bottom of the tray. Finish by adding jars filled with hot chocolate, marshmallows and fall coloured candies. It looks great, and kids will love it! 

Check out the little display I made on the table in my hallway (with the first four ideas).

5) Boho DIY yarn wreath - Even if you aren't very crafty, you can easily make this simple and chic fall wreath. Don't you just love the boho vibe? Find the full step by step tutorial (with photos) here.

6) DIY argyle fall wreath - If you can wrap yarn around a styrofoam wreath foam and cut out felt leaves, you can make this adorable and cozy fall wreath. Find more information, step by step instructions and photos here.

7) Dollar store frame monogram - It doesn't get easier than this piece of DIY fall artwork. But a dollar store frame, insert fall-themed scrapbook paper, add a wooden monogram to the front with glue, and glue a ribbon hanger to the back. That's it. Easy peasy!

You can find more detailed instructions here.

8) Grapevine fall wreath - I made this simple fall wreath many years ago, but it's still one of my favourite DIYs. It's an inexpensive grapevine wreath with handmade felt flowers glued to it. You can find out how easy it is to make the flowers, and find all the step by step instructions here.

9) No Sew Fall Pillows - Transform Summer pillows to Fall pillows in a couple of minutes with a dollar store tablecloth. This is genius!

 

10) FREE Fall watercolour print - This print is free to download here, and it's perfect for Fall. Pop it in a dollar store frame, and no one will ever know how little you paid.

Which of these fun fall decorating ideas is your favourite? They are all easy to make, and the supplies are really budget friendly. Give a few of them a try, and let me know how it goes.

Happy Fall!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also be interested in the Thanksgiving Decor ideas here.