Halloween Recipes and DIY Projects Archives

DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Super Mario Costumes: Halloween 2023

October 27, 2023

Another Halloween is upon us! When brainstorming for our Halloween costumes this year, Fatima and I looked to our kids. What did they do this year, what did they watch, what were they obsessed with? We had short list: Cars, Paw Patrol, Super Mario. Spoiler alert, we went with Super Mario costumes. Cars was easy to remove from the list. Too involved. We seriously considered Paw Patrol. We looked at…

October 27, 2023 By Brian

Celebrations/ DIY/ Halloween

Frankenstein Handprints Halloween Cards

October 25, 2023

Last year, we did a lot of pumpkin crafts for Halloween. This year, I am trying to diversify with monsters, bats, and other creepy things. The ghost handprints were a huge hit with the kids, so we made these Frankenstein handprints in more Halloween cards. We had another rainy weekend, so we spent the day building LEGOs, reading, and crafting. Liam and I were doing some Halloween crafts while Blair…

October 25, 2023 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

DIY Puffy Ghosts and Puffy Bats

October 24, 2023

We’ve done a lot of crafting this season, and here’s another one for you to do with the kids in your life. Liam and I had a ton of fun making these puffy ghosts and puffy bats. We used a lot of craft supplies we already had in stock. There were a ton of cotton balls and black pompoms left over from our summer of crafts. Making the Puffy Ghosts…

October 24, 2023 By Brian

Celebrations/ DIY/ Halloween/ Side Dishes

Paper Bats: Halloween DIY

October 1, 2023

A previous version of this post for Paper Bats: DIY Halloween was published in October 2013. We took new photos and updated some of the written content. Bats are everywhere! Need a quick idea to set up your Halloween entertainment space? Make some paper bats to adorn your walls and ceilings. I can’t take the credit on this one. Our friend, and Lilies and Loafers blogger, Ashley, did this last…

October 1, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Celebrations/ Dessert/ Halloween

New England Apple Cider Donuts

August 23, 2023

Every fall, I am on the lookout for an apple cider donut. One of my favorite things to do when we pick pumpkins is to grab a dozen apple cider donuts, sit in the pumpkin patch, and share them with the kids. It’s a whole vibe. Between the whole family, you must empty the box. I’ve tried baked apple cider donuts, Bon Appetit’s apple cider donuts, a loaf cake, and…

August 23, 2023 By Brian

Celebrations/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Halloween Decorations and Costumes 2022

October 31, 2022

I cannot believe this is our fifth year celebrating Halloween as a family…and it’s Blair’s first Halloween! We (I) got so many new Halloween decorations to display around the house. This year, Liam was adamant about being Spider-Man. I did not put up a fight because that meant we could reuse his birthday costume. Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of revenue from…

October 31, 2022 By Brian

Celebrations/ DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Boo Baskets

October 29, 2022

What are Boo Baskets, you ask? They’re like Easter Baskets. Instead of a ‘bunny’ delivering them, a ‘ghost’ delivers these baskets. Boo Baskets are just another excuse to fill something up with candy and goodies to give to kids. This year, I was feeling extra festive and wanted to send my nephews and niece some goodies for Halloween. Target’s Halloween pails were only $1 and we found a lot of…

October 29, 2022 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Fall Crafts for Kids

October 21, 2022

After the success of our summer crafts for kids, I needed to continue arts and crafts for Liam, but themed for the fall and Halloween. Our son has been loving the arts and crafts sessions we do on weekends, school holidays, and rainy days. We get to practice cutting, gluing, taping, and working our imaginations. But my main goal is for these projects to be fun. Here are some of…

October 21, 2022 By Brian

Halloween/ Side Dishes

Unboxing Halloween

October 14, 2022

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the lead up to Halloween even more. I think it’s just the whole autumn vibe I love about this time of year: the cozy lattes, crisp and cool air, carving pumpkins, leaf colors etc. Oh, and the decorations. On our YouTube channel, we started a new series called Unboxing Halloween! Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a…

October 14, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dessert/ Halloween

Ultimate Guide to Cookie Decorating

October 12, 2022

It’s been a few years since I started decorating sugar cookies for fun. From finding the best sugar cookie recipe to the best royal icing coloring gels, all my tips are scattered over a bunch of posts spanning different holidays. I’m always coming back to my own posts for recipes and tips, so I thought, “Why not put this all in one place?” So here’s my ultimate guide to cookie…

October 12, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Dessert/ Halloween

Halloween Dirt Cups

October 10, 2022

Did you watch Hocus Pocus 2? That weekend it came out was fall perfection, minus the rain. To celebrate the sequel, we went over to our friend’s house for a viewing party. For dessert, we brought cute and spooky Halloween dirt cups. I can’t remember the last time I made Oreo dirt cups. Literal decades. Yes, plural. This was one of my favorite Halloween desserts growing up. You typically layer crushed…

October 10, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Halloween 2021

October 31, 2021

I blinked and now it’s Halloween. This year’s Halloween costume goes underwater and focused on something that’s both mystical and haunting. The leaves are a little underwhelming this year, but there have been some great pockets of color in and around the city and the Hudson Valley. Last weekend, we hiked upstate to a farm we visted last year, DuBois Farms. They have THE BEST apple cider donuts. Yes, more…

October 31, 2021 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ Halloween/ Thanksgiving

Homemade Pumpkin Purée for Pumpkin Pie

November 4, 2020

Last year, I attempted to make my own pumpkin purée for pumpkin pie with a regular carving pumpkin. Big mistake, huge. It was stringy, and not at all what I was expecting. I didn’t realize you’re supposed to use certain types of pumpkins, like sugar pumpkins, to make purée. This year, however, was a success. Trying to find a sugar pumpkin was a little bit harder than I anticipated however,…

November 4, 2020 By Brian

DIY/ Halloween/ Side Dishes

Corduroy: Halloween Costumes 2020

October 28, 2020

While Halloween this year will look a little different, we were not going to let it getaway. This year, we transformed our son into Corduroy and took some photos. Corduroy is a bear who once lived in the toy department of a big store. Day after day he waited with all the other animals and dolls for someone to come along and take him home. Corduroy, 1968 Fatima’s favorite book…

October 28, 2020 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ Halloween

Halloween Cookies 2020

October 21, 2020

Last year, I showed off some great Halloween sugar cookies. This year, I wanted to get a little fancy and use some of the letter cookie cutters I purchased over the summer. I had much loftier goals in mind, but I’m really happy with how these Halloween cookies came out this year. The secret to a really good sugar cookie comes down two things. The first, the recipe. I’ve been…

October 21, 2020 By Brian

Celebrations/ DIY/ Halloween/ Side Dishes

Family-Friendly Halloween activities to do this weekend

October 16, 2020

We’re halfway through October and Halloween is right around the corner! We’ve been getting into the spooky szn through some baking, crafting, and spontaneous Monster Mash dance parties. This weekend, we’re heading out for some leaf peeping and pumpkin picking. If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, here are some activities you can do right now! Pumpkin Picking for the ‘gram…or to carve Get in some fresh air,…

October 16, 2020 By Brian

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