We think these are great!

Underwater pumpkin carving contest

Trick-or-treat video fable

How to make a wicked witch costume (by Threadbanger)

Have videos of your kids in handmade costumes, of trick-or-treaters digging your green treats or of your school picking pumpkins at your local farm? We’d love to see ‘em!

Whether the handmade costumes are already complete or you’re expecting to stay up until 2 am on the morning of Halloween completing that very last stitch (perhaps THIS has become a tradition in and of itself) – the site Crafting in a Green World (blog) may be of interest to you.

Check out their Halloween suggestions here.

Still have no idea what to make? Try these resources for a bit of inspiration (just swap their suggested materials for “green” ones, whenever possible).

Robin’s FYI

Make Magazine‘s Halloween edition

Pack-o-Fun magazine’s Halloween edition

No sew Halloween costumes (this one’s for me!)

If you’re looking for used and low-cost components (or complete costumes) for this year, check out Yelp.com to find thrift and consignment stores near you.

(A recent survey by Savers, Inc found that wearing eco-friendly costumes is important to about half of all consumers. Are you one of them? Find out more here.)

Roasted Carrot soup with Turmeric

1/2 lg onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

med. potato peeled and sliced

1 lb. carrots, chopped

2 1/2 cup water

2 sm. bouillon cubes (chicken or veggie flavor)

1/2 tsp. celery salt

a few shakes of “Spike ” seasoning

1 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp kosher salt/ ground black pepper

Creamy Yogurt Garnish

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tbs heavy cream

Heat a skillet with a a little oil. Sautee onion with a little salt as this helps release the water and lets it caramelize quicker. When it is just beginning to get soft add garlic and potato sautee the hell out of it, until it starts to brown.  Transfer veggies to a pot. Add water (2 cups) to pan and deglaze (get the bits off). Dump the water in the pot. Throw in the celery salt and bouillon cubes, Spike seasoning and some black pepper, set over low heat on another burner.  Add a bit more oil to the pan and toss in the Turmeric. Let the spice bubble in the oil, it sounds really cool. Add the carrots and sautee over med heat till slightly golden and glazed looking. Add carrots to the pot.  Add 1/4 cup water to pan to deglaze again.  Cook the soup about 20 minutes more.  When the carrots and potato are really soft (falls off a paring knife when stabbed) take pot off burner and let soup cool 5-10 minutes. Puree soup with a blender or a hand held immersion blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk the yogurt and cream in a bowl. Put a few tablespoons in a baggie and squeeze to the corner. Snip a very tiny bit off the corner and use bag to make design of your choice on the bowl of soup. Alternately you could just put a blob of cream on the soup.

* Recipe contributed by Wenonah Michallet-Ferrier, mom of two and my dear friend. You can find more of her recipes in our new book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family.

I recently came across a few Halloween items I thought you’d want to know about.

All are healthy and or/”green” and – unlike most off the rack costumes – will inspire creativity and endless use long past October 31st.

Organic cotton animal/bug -print tights. These adorable tights come in four themes: bumble-bee, ladybug, giraffe and zebra but best of all, they’re made of organic cotton! Up to 18 months. Found at ThreeDaisies.com

Animal tails and snouts – for simple, quick costume and months of dress up play. Why I love these even more? Their made Fair Trade (of Alpaca wool) by women in Bolivia.

Halloween costume templates from BoxWorks.biz. BoxWorks is an innovative new company inspiring kids to see more than just trash when they look at used cardboard boxes. Although more templates will be added to the site soon, for this Halloween, check out their Robot Costume ($4) (as well as the Halloween Candy Bag and Luminary – FREE when you use the code GREEN at check out).

Have hot tips, great finds or to DIY for crafts? We’d love to hear about ‘em.

last week I was a guest on Martha Stewart Radio.

I didn’t actually speak with Martha – she has her own “hosts” – but I’ve never come so close (and yet so far) from the Queen of Crafting herself!

In honor of my 20 minutes of Martha Stewart fame (the show airs on XM – did anyone hear it? Hello? Anyone?) I’d like to invite you to enter a new contest…

The Green Halloween Craft Contest

Send us your inspired ideas (with photo/s) – and we’ll select one winner to receive some as of yet unnamed but nonetheless eco-fabulous prize. Craft items may be for doors, windows, or powder rooms, for all we care – whatever you choose it should somehow incorporate the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) or 3Gs (Good for people, Good for planet, Good for community).

We can’t wait to see what you come up with and hope you have fun in the process. (No, we’re not going to say the ‘fun’ is the prize.)

Submissions due November 1 to corey@greenhalloween.org

Happy crafting!