Spooktacular DIY Using Discover Goodwill Thrifty Finds (And a Few Fun Recipes)

Can’t believe Halloween is already upon us! And what a year 2020 has been. With restrictions based on Covid-19, your family may be celebrating a bit differently this year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a spooky good time and stay on a budget.

Using items from Discover Goodwill and some paint, glue, and other items I found around the house, I whipped up these fun decorations in a day. Everything was super easy and didn’t take much time. And the kids can help with most of these ideas.

EASY HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS

Two wine glasses turned upside down with a bit of paint and you have some fun candle holders. The skeleton hand wine bottle holder was originally painted beige and yellow but look how great it looks with a bit of white and black paint! (I used acrylic paint). I love using plate chargers for so many different things and this is a fun way to serve up a dip and veggies. The charger and saucer were less than $1.50.

I painted this $1.99 wicker basket orange and filled it with various flowers from an old arrangement I bought last year from Discover Goodwill. The face is simple black construction paper shapes. And an easy wreath made from a wicker paper plate holder, a bit of twine and leaves from the yard. 

And a simple mason jar painted black with some googly eyes makes a perfect container for utensils. I picked up this cutting board for a couple of bucks and just wrote on it with a black Sharpie. You could use it for a serving platter or prop it up against a wall or shelf.

We picked up a big bag of doll parts at Discover Goodwill last year so I pulled out a few hands and painted them white. You could use any size/shape glass vase, which you can always find at Goodwill, as your “terrarium” and fill it up with dirt, leaves, branches or whatever else you have in your yard. Super easy and the kids would have lots of fun making these.

FAMILY FUN NIGHT

I know quite a few parents who are opting to keep the kids home this year instead of going out trick-or-treating. But that doesn’t mean you can’t put on costumes and create new family Halloween traditions. Pick up some scary movies (age-appropriate of course) for a spooky movie night or pull out the board games. Take turns reading a spooky book or telling ghost stories. Do a scavenger hunt or hide candy in the house and let the kids loose as they hunt for goodies.

Memory Game – Using the doll parts we already had, I created these two mason jar crafts with paint and a glue gun. In the “clown” jar I placed small items like a pencil, doll boot, plastic toys, etc. Let everyone look at what’s in the jar, cover it back up and see who can remember the most items in the jar. 

Guess The Number – Any empty jar works for this game but why not make it a bit more fun by decorating it? I added candy but anything that fits in the jar would work.

And while you’re shopping at Discover Goodwill, you could always pick up a few “prizes” for the winners.

EASY TREATS

If you’re staying in for a fun evening, make everything super simple so you can enjoy rather than be stuck in the kitchen cooking. 

I followed the directions on the back of a Kraft Caramels bag for the apples, rolled them in a bit of nuts and used twigs for the sticks. The bats are an extra-fun touch. For the “bloodshot eye” eggs, I boiled the eggs, lightly tapped to crack, and placed them in a glass of warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar and a few drops of red food coloring. Place in fridge for about 4 hours, drain, and peel.

And I love this Spiderweb 7-Layer Dip!

www.chelseasmessyapron.com/halloween-appetizers/

On a personal note, it was so much fun filming again at Discover Goodwill and with my good friend Lauren McDonald, FOX21 News morning reporter. I didn’t know if I’d make it this year since I’ve been hunkered down for most of the year but I felt safe knowing everyone would be masked up and the stores are continuously being cleaned and sanitized.