Happy Saturday!

Hopefully you and your little rascals have room for some playtime today (and you have time to do some errands). Here’s a great weekend afternoon activity – a milk carton haunted house!  The great thing about this project is that your structure can be any style you desire. Architecture nerds, go crazy! I am hoping to make a Hogwarts inspired castle. You can also incorporate toy cars, LEGOs, or other figurines.

You’ll need:

- Empty cardboard milk cartons
- Newspaper, origami paper, or pages from a novel
- Card stock or watercolor paper
- Pens and paint of your choice
- Glue stick
- Craft glue
- Candy

Directions:

- Thoroughly rinse and dry milk cartons.
- Completely cover cartons in paper.
- Draw windows and doors onto card stock and paint. Cut them out and attach to the front of the milk cartons.
- Fill cartons with candy.
- Use craft glue to seal containers closed.

Send us pictures of your haunted mansion! We would love to see these rad pads. Get in touch at greenhalloween@veritey.com

For more craft ideas follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

This activity comes from the blog Little Lovely. Thanks for the idea!

We caught up with Creative Kismet blogger Regina M. Lord recently, out of Tuscon, Arizona (Corey’s hometown!)  and discovered that she has some very crafty Valentine’s to share with the people she loves.  Regina is a talented artist and blogger that will be featured from time to time on Green Halloween and we look forward to sharing her talents with you!  As the busy mother of two boys, she still manages to do an exchange with her fabric be my Valentine bookmark. Check it out and make your own!

Find out what Creative Kismet is all about!

Be My Valentine's Bookmark's

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

You can also follow Green Halloween on twitter!

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

There are many sites out there that have crafts and DIY projects for halloween decorations. In anticipation (we know we know Halloween is still a few good months away, but we’re starting to rev up our engines in preparation!) of Halloween, every week here at GH will have a roundup post of crafts to share with our viewers! Below is the first batch that caught our eye thanks to their creativity and promotion of more family time with your kids!

If you have an idea to submit, feel free to email so we can include it in the upcoming roundup posts! We look forward in hearing from you!

Spooky Thumbprints

Create Halloween art with your thumbprints! It’s simple and fun. Your kids will sure to be pleased by their artworks! Click here for step-by-step directions.

Tootsie-Pop Spider

A decoration that has a treat inside it! How sweet is that? This Spider’s body is made out of a Tootsie-roll lollipop. Head on over to FabulousLiving.com for directions on how to make your very own candy spider!

Hanger turned Pumpkin

Next up, we have a pumpkin made out of old wire hangers courtesy of the San Diego Zoo. Instead of tossing them out, turn them into a creative Halloween decoration! Not only is the pumpkin super eye-catching, it’s simple to make and it’s eco-friendly to reuse materials.  All you need are old hangers and Halloween colored pipe cleaners!

Glue Ghost Necklace

From MarthaStewart.com comes a spooky and delicate necklace that your kids will scream for! This is the perfect accessory to make to go along with their costumes this year. Who wouldn’t want a string of cure transparent ghosts following them around while they treat-or-treat around the neighborhood?

Looking for a fun way to decorate your fridge this Halloween? Check out these cool eye magnets by Jojo from A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That.

We love the concept and think these simple, do it yourself magnets are perfect as Halloween decoration! Supplies you will need are as follows:

• glass pebbles
• strong magnets
• old magazines
• scissors
• suitable glue
• and of course, pictures of eyes!

Cut out the picture of the eye you want to use and glue it to the back of the pebble. Jojo recommends finding a picture that is large enough to fit the entire glass pebble! After the glue is dry, stick a magnet on the back of the pebble and voila! You have instant Halloween decorations that will sure put a scare to anyone who’s reaching for the contents of the fridge in the middle of the night!

For more unique and interesting crafts, check out Jojo’s online shop as well as her official website Jojoebi Designs!

What child doesn’t love a simple yet fun game of marbles? I certainly remember playing with them myself when I was a wee tyke. So this marble run made 100% from an old cereal box from Made by Joel is a great way to provide your little ones with hours of entertainment. This a fun way to spend time with your kids as you make the toy together as a family activity, not to mention it’s environmental friendly since you’re recycling a used cereal box and creating a toy out of it! For directions on how to make one for yourself, click here.