Did you have a spooky Summerween?
I did! My August was chock-full of ghost popsicles, Jack-o-Lantern hamburgers, and all things spooky and summery. And now that the calendar page has turned, I’ve dropped my daughter back off at college (sob!), and I’m about to start decorating for autumn (and then Halloween again–yay!), here are some of my favorite Summerween crafts:
Candy Corn Yogurt Pops
Natural food coloring and a popsicle mold has convinced my kids to eat endless amounts of good-for-them yogurt over the years… and just between us, it still does! These yogurt pops are extra Halloweeny with their candy corn colors. You can also make white ghost pops and orange pumpkin pops using the same dyes.
Carved Plastic Pineapple
We’re not out in the world buying brand-new plastic junk, so I admit that this project might require some searching. But out of all the thrift stores and yard sales and freecycle listservs and dumpsters in the world, I’m sure there are a couple of plastic pineapples out there for the looking. A thrift score and a hot knife are all you need!
Ghost Painting with Pressed Flowers
The original tutorial calls for a lot of junky materials, but they’re easily substituted with eco-friendly supplies. Instead of foam board, use black mat board, black cardstock, or even a paper bag painted black. And instead of buying brand-new fake pressed flowers, simply pick and press your own flowers!
Halloween Tie-Dye
Nothing feels more summery to me than tie-dye, though it’s a toss-up whether that’s the tie-dye itself or the fact that tie-dye is such a messy project that I only ever do it in the summer. Either way, summer IS the perfect time for a messy outdoor project, AND the tutorials here for a ghost, pumpkin, bat, and candy corn tie-dye are delightfully Summerweeny!
Jack-o-Melon
You can’t have Summerween without a Jack-o-melon! Carving a watermelon into a Jack-o-lantern is easier than it looks, but you’ll probably want to buy a second watermelon just for eating… or to make your Jack-o-melon even spookier!
Jack-o-melon Trick-or-Treat bucket
Here’s a way to keep the Summerween fun rolling all the way to Halloween! Serve candy out of this cute painted bucket (thrift or upcycle an old plastic bucket) during your Summerween parties, then trick-or-treat with it a couple of months later!
Lawn Flamingo Skeleton
Lawn flamingos are summery, but skeletons are Halloweeny! For a sneaky skeleton that you won’t notice until a late summer evening party, paint over an existing lawn flamingo with glow-in-the-dark paint. Here’s how to do a major overhaul of an existing lawn flamingo to create a full-time skeleton.
Pretty Pumpkin Cake
Summer vibes make for a good Summerween celebration, but so do summer colors. The pretty pastels and delicate face on this pumpkin cake lets you know that you are NOT in the season of oranges and blacks and purples!
Printable Summerween coloring bookmarks
Spending a rainy day cozy inside watching slasher films? Do some cozy coloring, as well! These printable bookmarks make a cute activity and cute party favor for a summer party.
Printable Summerween party games
Use eco-friendly printing methods and recycled (or upcycled) paper to create the easiest party games. And while everyone is busy playing, serve these sheet pan slasher s’mores.
Summerween card
This would make a super cute party invitation to a last-of-summer blowout with an almost-autumn theme. My favorite part of the card is the floral papers used to make the ghosts–it’s giving thrifted bedsheets! For some variety, this ghostly boba tea card is just as cute.
Sweet Summerween sign
The creator of this tutorial used a laser cutter, but did you know that you can carve balsa wood by hand? All you need is a craft knife! If you want to skip the carving altogether, use a circular piece of wood and add all the embellishments with paint.
P.S. Looking for full-on Halloween projects already? I’ve got plenty of those, too!
