Trick-or-Treat! 15 Bag & Bucket Ideas

Ghostly Trick-or-Treat Bag

When sporting this haunting goody bag, your little trick-or-treater can drop candy straight into the ghost's mouth!

From the Blog: A Bit of This and a Bit of That

Materials:
-2 pieces of white felt (13x9 inches)
-1 piece of black felt (13x9 inches)
-Scraps of black felt for eyes
-Ribbon for the strap.
Note: You can make up the measurements to fit the scraps you have on hand.

Instructions:
1. Draw a ghost shape onto one of the white pieces of felt; draw a big mouth.
2. Cut out the ghost shape and the mouth to create a hole.
3. Sew on the eyes.
4. Use the front piece as a template and cut out ghost shapes from the other two pieces of felt.
5. Sandwich the three pieces together, with the black in the middle. Add a few pins to hold it in place. Before you sew the edges, tuck each end of the ribbon into the head and pin.
6. Sew around the entire edge.

• Visit A Bit of This and a Bit of That for more details on the Ghostly Trick-or-Treat Bag.

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Personalized Treat Buckets

These monogrammed baskets make smart use out of recycled ice cream containers.

From the Blog: Brown Paper Packages

Materials:
-Empty ice cream bucket with a handle
-Felt
-Hot-glue gun
-Ribbon, about 5-6 yards per bucket
-Scissors
-Foam stamps
-Craft paint

Instructions:
1. Using the hot-glue gun, apply the felt to the bucket, covering the entire outer surface. Trim where necessary.
2. Glue ribbon to the top and bottom of the bucket, covering up the felt edges and the top rim.
3. Tie ribbons along the handle.
4. Use paint to stamp desired name on the front.

• Visit Brown Paper Packages for more details on Personalized Treat Buckets.

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Monster Treat Bags

Help your little one transform a paper lunch bag into a creepy Halloween monster.

From the Blog: Crafts by Amanda

Materials:
-Brown paper lunch bag
-Acrylic craft paint
-Paintbrush
-Construction paper
-Scissors
-Glue stick
-Black marker
-Spray glaze or acrylic sealer (optional)

Instructions:
1. Paint bags whatever color you like. Stand them up and let dry. (Place soup cans inside so they don't tip over.) Add another coat and let dry again.
2. While bags are drying, cut facial features out of construction paper. You can use your imagination to make some fun eyes, mouths, and hair.
3. Cut polka dots, squares, stripes, or any other type of decoration you would like to use for your monster.
4. Fold down the top of the bag so that you don't accidentally glue your facial features too high.
5. Using your glue stick, decorate the bag with the stripes, squares, or polka dots. Be sure to cover the entire back of paper shapes with glue so none of the corners stick up.
6. Let everything dry, then apply a coat of sealer spray (optional). Let dry and fill with treats.

• Visit Crafts by Amanda for more details on Monster Treat Bags.

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Milk Jug Pumpkin Pots

These smiley jack-o'-lanterns can store almost a gallon's worth of treats each!

From the Blog: Filth Wizardry

Materials:
-Plastic gallon milk jugs
-Orange acrylic paint
-Paintbrush
-Scissors
-Black paper
-White glue
-Green chenille stems
-Paper leaf cutouts
-Green tissue paper

Instructions:
1. Paint milk jugs using orange acrylic paint.
2. Once the jugs are dry, cut a hole in the back by the handle for the treats to go in.
3. Cut jack-o'-lantern facial features from black paper.
4. Let the kids glue curled chenille stems and paper cutouts to the jugs.
5. Wrap green tissue paper over the lids and seal with glue.

• Visit Filth Wizardry for more details on Milk Jug Pumpkin Pots.

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Pumpkin Goodie Bag

Make a perfectly pumpkin-shape container by gluing together two paper bowls.

From the Blog: First Palette

Materials:
-2 small paper bowls
-Hot-glue gun
-Orange and black poster paint
-Paintbrushes
-Hole punch
-Chenille stem or string
-Scissors
Note: Young kids (3-8 years) should use child-safe scissors. Keep the hot-glue gun out of children's reach.

Instructions:
1. Cut the round base off one of the bowls.
2. Join the two bowls together along their rims with a hot-glue gun (use parental assistance).
3. Punch a pair of holes on both sides of the round opening.
4. Paint the pumpkin orange. Let dry. 5. Paint on a jack-o'-lantern features with black paint. Let dry.
6. Create a handle by attaching a chenille stem or string through the pair of holes.

• Visit First Palette for more details on Pumpkin Goodie Bag.

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Pumpkin Printed Treat Bag

Your little one will love decorating this drawstring bag using potato stamps (and their own fingerprints).

From the Blog: Frugal Family Fun

Materials:
-Drawstring bag
-Potatoes
-Knife
-Orange and green paint

Instructions:
1. Sew, purchase, or reuse a light-color drawstring bag.
2. Help your child carve stamps out of potatoes (one pumpkin and one pumpkin stem).
3. Dip stamps in paint and apply to bag.
4. Kids can also make mini pumpkins using their tiny thumbprints.

• Visit Frugal Family Fun Blog for more details on Pumpkin Printed Treat Bag.

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Trick-or-Treat Pails

Used paint buckets get a spooky makeover with this no-fuss craft idea.

From the Blog: Fun in the Making

Materials:
-Black plastic paint buckets
-Craft paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Decoupage or white glue

Instructions:
1. Cut out the spooky faces from craft paper.
2. Glue the pieces onto buckets with white glue or decoupage.
3. Paint on a layer of decoupage or equivalent product to help protect your creation so it can be used year after year.

• Visit Fun in the Making for more details on Trick-or-Treat Pails.

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Spooktacular Totes

Add Halloween embellishments to any basic tote with brightly colored felt cutouts and pom poms.

From the Blog: Joli Paquet

Materials:
-Basic tote bag
-Various pieces of felt
-Scissors
-Cardstock
-Pen
-Fabric glue
-Googly eyes in various sizes
-Pom poms

Instructions:
1. Have your child draw a basic monster shape directly onto a piece of felt. Younger children might find it easier to draw on cardstock first, then use that as a pattern to cut their felt (or for really young children, you can use their drawing and cut the monster from felt for them). They will also want to draw some basic shapes for eyes, teeth, ears, arms, etc.
2. Once you have your felt pieces cut out, begin gluing them in place on your tote bag. (The glue dries clear.)
3. Decorate with pom poms and googly eyes.

• Visit Joli Paquet for more details on Spooktacular Totes.

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Ribbon Pumpkin Bags

You won't believe how easy it is to create this adorable pumpkin bag from scratch.

From the Blog: La Casa Nella Prateria

Materials:
-Orange cotton fabric
-Scissors
-Orange thread
-Green ribbon (39 inches)
-Black fabric marker

Instructions:
1. Draw a circle (about 4 inches across) on your fabric for the base. Cut around the circle leaving a little sewing allowance. Then, cut a 6x15-inch piece of fabric.
2. On the long side of the fabric, fold a 1/2-inch hem. Press and fold again. Press and pin in place. If you wish, you can baste. Sew the hem.
3. Fit the rectangular piece of fabric on the circular one (long side along the circle's circumference). Baste around and baste the two short sides of the rectangle together. Sew along the basting.
4. Trim the inner borders.
5. Draw the eyes, nose, and mouth. You might do that in pencil before using a fabric marker. You can also embroider the face if you wish.
6. Use a safety pin to thread the ribbon through the top hem in the gap you left.
7. Pull it out from the other side, leaving two equal pieces of ribbon outside. Make a knot to tie the two ends of the ribbon together.

• Visit La Casa Nella Prateria for more details on Ribbon Pumpkin Bags.

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Haunted House Bag

Create an eerie haunted house scene using Halloween die cuts.

From the Blog: Phyllis Dobbs

Materials:
-Gray gift bag
-Scissors
-Black, white, and yellow cardstock
-Halloween die cuts or stickers
-Glue stick
-Black marker

Instructions:
1. Draw ghosts and cut out. Draw and cut out black top hat and cat from black cardstock and a moon and window light from yellow cardstock.
2. Arrange die cuts, stickers, and hand-cut shapes on bag and adhere with glue.
3. Draw the word Boo and small bats with the felt tip pens.

• Visit Phyllis Dobbs for more details on Haunted House Bag.

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Spider Candy Holder

Kids will love having this paper-plate candy holder hanging around.

From the Blog: The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman

Materials:
-Paper plates
-Black paint
-Paintbrush
-Black and white construction paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Chenille stem

Instructions:
1. Paint the bottom of the paper plate black. Cut plate in half.
2. Cut out eight legs from black construction paper and glue them on the rim of the front side of the plate.
3. Glue the plate edges together to form a pocket.
4. Cut out eyes from black and white paper and glue on. Glue chenille stem to the back, forming a hanger.

• Visit The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman for more details on Spider Candy Holder.

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Trick-or-Treat Tote

Choose fabric (or use scraps you already have on hand) along with customized pattern transfers to create this spirited tote.

From the Blog: Soto Softies

Materials:
-Durable fabric of your choice
-Quick Fuse Inkjet Fabric Sheets
-EQ Printables Inkjet Fabric Sheets or Sew-In Inkjet Fabric Sheets
-Inkjet T-Shirt Transfer Sheets

Instructions:
1. Go to Soto Softies (link below) to download the transfer image and the complete image transfer instructions.
2. Once you have transferred the image to your fabric using your preferred method and cut the fabric to size, cut another piece of fabric to the same size so that you now have two pieces. Cut another piece of fabric for the handle.
3. Take the piece of fabric with the image on it and place the matching piece of fabric over it, right sides together. Pin to hold in place. Starting at the upper right-hand corner, sew around three sides (with a 1/4-inch allowance), leaving the top open. Once you are done sewing, trim your corners on an angle.
4. Next shape the bag according to the instructions provided on Soto Softies (link below).
5. Sew the handles, folding the piece of fabric for the handle in once from one side, then in from the other side. Press the handle with the iron for crisp, smooth edges. 6. Sew the top edge of your bag and attach the handles.

• Visit Soto Softies for more details on Trick-or-Treat Tote.

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Embroidered Pumpkin Tote

This pretty lined tote bag features an adorable pumpkin applique.

From the Blog: The Sometimes Crafter

Materials:
-14x19-inch piece of linen
-7x10-inch piece of polka-dot fabric
-Scraps of orange and brown fabric for pumpkin applique
-Embroidery floss (orange, green, brown, and colors for the leaves)

Instructions:
1. Download the tote pattern and detailed sewing instructions from The Sometimes Crafter (link below).
2. Cut out your fabric pieces according to the pattern.
3. Assemble the tote handle.
4. Prepare the front panel, embroidering the design from the pattern onto the linen.
5. Create the pumpkin applique for the back panel, embroidering the pumpkin and pumpkin vines from the pattern.
6. Assemble the bag according to the pattern.

• Visit The Sometimes Crafter for more details on Embroidered Pumpkin Tote.

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Printable Drawstring Bags

Free printables by Oscar+Emma turn a plain drawstring bag into a cool candy satchel.

From the Blog: Love. Obsess. Inspire.

Materials:
-Drawstring Bag
-Oscar+Emma printables

Instructions:
1. Go to Love. Obsess. Inspire. (link below) to download the printable images.
2. Transfer the images onto the drawstring bags of your choice.

Copyright © 2010 Meredith Corporation.

• Visit Love. Obsess. Inspire for more details on the Printable Drawstring Bags.
• For more crafty ideas from Cassi Griffin, visit The Crafty Crow.

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