Book Description

Customer Reviews (13)

The best party in 30 years!
I suddenly found myself being the "room mother" two weeks before the Halloween Party.Desparately, I searched for a source to plan an excellent, low cost, fun party for 28 5th graders on short notice!This book was perfect.Although the crafts seemed a bit involved, the game ideas were perfect.The book was divided into themes such as witch, bat, pumpkin etc. and each theme had associated foods, games, crafts and decorations.The game ideas were easy to put together and I improvised a bit.The teacher said it was the most organized and fun party she had seen in 30 years of teaching!

Great Helper!
I've used this book to help in the classroom and for a neighborhood party. It is practical and helpful. A good way to start the planning session.

Great helper for the clueless!
I am a first year teacher and this book helped me by leaps and bounds. Almost all of the activities are listed to be for grades K-6, but I was able to modify (if at all) many of them for my pre-K classroom. Every section - games, crafts, food, etc - is broken up into subcategories such as cats, frankenstein, bats, etc so the Halloween Party can have its own theme as well, if you'd like. I can't even begin to explain how useful the entire book has been to me! It took all the stress out of putting on a huge party with students, siblings, and parents galore.

What Do I Do?Buy This Book!!!
This Book it exactly what I have been looking for.A complete party how to book, from Bat Volleyball to Witch's Bubbling Brew.
I run a Day Care and to find activities for each age group is "pricless".

Halloween School Parties:What Do I Do?
A wonderful book and many ideas to use for Halloween Paries, not just at school. The craft ideas are so cute and adaptable for any age.We have used these ideas at church parties.The What, Why, and How of Room Parenting chapert is useful for any entertaining event.Suggestion:Purchase a complete set. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Great book for any Halloween fan
I purchased this book because I was planning a Halloween party. It had alot of greatideas for costomes, props and foods to serve. I also enoyed the chapters on the history of Halloween as well as differentcelebrations across the US.After reading this book I really want to go to Key West for their celebration/parade next year.I had purchased 4 Halloween books and this was the best of the lot

Wonderful Halloween Book
If there were pictures in this book, it would be the best book I own on the subject.I love the chapter written about the background on the holiday and there were some really good decorating ideas.I wish the author would do a new edition on this book with color photographs of the projects.

A Halloween How-To:Costumes, Parties, Decorations, and Destinations
I own several Halloween books and this is my favorite.Many have the same ideas over and over.This has some very different ideas and tricks of the trade for creating awesome Halloween displays and parties.

THE Halloween book to buy!
It doesn't matter if you are a home haunter like me, someone who loves Halloween, orjust like to have THE best Halloween party in town, this is the book! It has so much fun info in it, recipes, costume ideas, decor and invite ideas... EVERYTHING! Buy one for yourself and one for your crazy friend!

MAYBE THE BEST BOOK ON HALLOWEEN!
There's only one thing that keeps "A Halloween How-To" from being the perfect Halloween book and that is that there are no color photographs.That one little drawback aside, this is maybe the best book on Halloween I've ever seen and I've reviewed a LOT of them.Unlike some of the more cutesy-crafty books on the market, this book is more designed for the real Halloween aficionado.This is the person whose more interested in scaring the pants off trick or treaters rather than winning an award from the neighborhood garden committee.

The first chapter covers tips on decorating your hose and yard and range from the simple to the very elaborate.Fake Tombstones can be pretty expensive if you buy them in the stores but this book shows how you can make them inexpensively from builder's foam and some paint.Another quick project is the quarter (or more) of dancing lawn ghosts made with old bed sheets stuffed with plastic bags on wooden dowel rods and then arranged in a circle.More elaborate projects can be made by a concoction called Monster Mud, which can be used to mold creatures from.Tips on proper lighting for your outdoor display are included as well.The second chapter covers everything you need to know about choosing, carving, and preserving your pumpkin.A great trip is rubbing it with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil after you carve it to keep it from drying out too fast.

Chapter three deals with costumes and make-up, and features designs for fifty different homemade costumes, and patterns for making things like capes and hooded robes.Beyond that it provides techniques for spattering blood on clothing or giving your clothing an aged, rotted look.There are also recipes for making your own costume blood from corn syrup and red food coloring.

Parties are covered in chapter four and these are squarely aimed at adults with various themed parties such as gothic or Victorian theme.Ideas for décor, invitations, recipes and games are included along suggested Halloween readings from such classic writers as Poe and Ambrose Bierce.They even tell you how to hold your own séance!Chapter five is a nice accompaniment with its suggestions for music, sound effects and the best scary films to watch on Halloween.One of my favorites is "The Lady in Whites". Chapter six follows up with dozens of recipes.

The longest chapter in the book and my personal favorite is the one on Haunted Destinations.The author takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of some of the best and creepiest destinations to visit during the Halloween season.The witch-haunted town of Salem, MA, has their three week long Haunted Happenings that begins the second week of October with various parades, parties, candlelight tours of haunted sites throughout the region.Take a trip to Sleepy Hollow in New York for their annual Halloween festivities or down to New Orleans to visit the Voodoo museum or the famous cemetery crypts.Other destinations include tours of the Edgar Allan Poe gravesite in Baltimore, the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River, Bachelor's Grove Cemetery outside of Chicago, and many other ghostly sites.The book also lists some of the more famous seasonal Halloween attractions like haunted houses and hayride out on by various cities throughout the country.

The book concludes by taking a look at some of the more infamous Halloween myths and current trends of the Halloween holiday.This book just has a wealth of information and is the most comprehensive I've ever read.It's a true celebration of the Halloween season.

Reviewed by Tim Janson
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have!
I've made the lollipop holder and it's adorable! I bought it for the patterns, but her general instructions are wonderful. I find myself referring to it over and over for tips on binding and invisible borders. ... Read more

Book Description
All aspects of the successful haunted house are covered here. There is good information on site selection, design, security, budgeting, and volunteer management. This is followed by detailed, illustrated descriptions of inexpensive illusions for your haunted house. Floor plans, advertising flyers and design worksheets are some of the sample materials included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Got me started, hard to stop.
I've been building a haunted house with a church group for maybe 5 years running.The youth won't let me stop!Every year I get a call asking if I'll help with the haunted house, both from the participants and the patrons.Everybody loves it!

OK, so the book doesn't provide dimensioned engineering drawings, and it maybe a bit vague.Working with a youth group, it's perfect.They often only need some general thoughts, and they can run with the details.

There are a lot of ideas for content posted to the internet.Chavez does a reasonable job of educating about what to look for in those ideas, so you look for ideas that are safe, provide a reasonable effect, and for a reasonable price.

Spootacular!!!!!!!
A great book for the motivated home haunter, great ideas and scenes that can be built on a budget.Your not going to put any haunted house out of business, but you will be the hit of the neighborhood.You need to have a creative mind to go along with the concepts presented, this a guide not a by the numbers book.If you are like me and work on Halloween projects all year round, you will enjoy this book.If you want so some cute wood cutouts to put in the yard, this book is not for you.

If this book doesn't spark your imagination...
The 'HHHH' was designed for haunted house enthusiasts who are brimming with imagination. It's written like a sugar cookie recipe to be dressed up with any kind of toppings or mix-ins that the reader can concoct. If the book is followed step by step it would produce a simple and effective charity haunt, but mix in a healthy dose of creativity and the sky (or grave yard) is the limit. Anyone who can't pull a beautiful haunt from this book is severely lacking in haunt talent and needs to leave haunting to the professionals.

Basic instructional book at best.
Very basic book that MAY be helpful to a home haunter, but if you serious about producing a haunted attraction, this book will be of little help to you.The book's drawings are simplistic and the description of props is somewhat vague, however, there are some basic technics that can utilized to create certain effects.The book's discussion of the finances of a haunted attraction is very limited and unimaginative.The use of actors to replace mechanical activation of effects is prominent in this book which leads me to believe that the authors financial skills are lacking( Labor cost & insurance are monumental hurdles in any haunted attraction).In general I would reccommend that you save your money on this one, the internet provides most of information in the book "free for the asking".

You've got to be kidding me
I just wasted abou 30 bucks on this book.i hope I can getit back too.If you are serious about wanting to make a haunted house that is scary, don' buy this.I think this book is for people that ar trying to make their house look cool on halloween or whatever.It talks about running an actual haunted house event, but like I say, if you are serious, this is just not even helpful.The most important aspects of operating a haunted house are just outlined briefly in the book.Most of the book concentrates on building props and masks. It dosen't even make sense on most of it.Why wouldn't someone just buy masks and create the haunted house like they wanted too? i found ONE idea out of the whole book i liked. As far as knowing how to get one started I'm right where I began. In my opinion, you just have to try to get a haunted house in order by your own insticts, because I learnt the hard way, books can't do it! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Master everything from festive decorations and costumes to yummy recipes for little goblins with 101 ideas to get in the spirit with Halloween Fun, published by Better Homes and Gardens (R). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Some Cute and Clever Ideas...If you have children
Over-all I'd have to say this was a pretty good book if you are looking for some cute and clever ideas for decorating, costumes, and crafts for children. The book is beautifully photographed and illustrated, and the step-by-step instructions are clear and concise. However, if you are looking for good Halloween decorating and party ideas that are a lot more elegant and adult-oriented, then I strongly recommend the Kasey Rogers (Louise Tate, from Bewitched) book: "Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor." It is well worth the money, or else try Martha Stewart's Halloween book. It is basically a compilation of several years' worth of her Halloween recipes, decorating, and costume ideas from the October issues of her magazine: "Martha Stewart Living."Both of these books have decorating and party ideas that are a lot more oriented for those of us adults who still enjoy having fun on Halloween, while not being "cutesy" nor overly gorey, either.

Some Cute and Clever Ideas...If you have children
Over-all I'd have to say this was a pretty good book if you are looking for some cute and clever ideas for decorating, costumes, and crafts for children. The book is beautifully photographed and illustrated, and the step-by-step instructions are clear and concise. However, if you are looking for good Halloween decorating and party ideas that are a lot more elegant and adult-oriented, then I strongly recommend the Kasey Rogers (Louise Tate, from Bewitched) book: "Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor." It is well worth the money, or else try Martha Stewart's Halloween book. It is basically a compilation of several years' worth of her Halloween recipes, decorating, and costume ideas from the October issues of her magazine: "Martha Stewart Living."Both of these books have decorating and party ideas that are a lot more oriented for those of us adults who still enjoy having fun on Halloween, while not being "cutesy" nor overly gorey, either.

OK if you have kids, which I don't
This book was kindof fun, but a lot of the projects were just a little too cutesy for me.I suppose it would be more fun if you had kids, who like cutesy things.I guess I like the more classic-type decorations.

You may already own this book...
If you purchased Halloween: 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas (BH&G), you have already seen most of the ideas in this new book. The clever crafts that made the first book so appealing to me are re-worked in this latest edition. What a disappointment! The photography is still stunning and the pictures do inspire, but the crafts that are new in this edition have been done better in other books. If you don't own 101 FFI, than this book will really be a treat. The costumes are a small step above the other book, but still nothing to get excited about. I hope that plans for a third book in the series will show a break from what's been done before.

New ideas for the "ghosts"
I really found this book to be helpful in arranging for a very "scary" Halloween party. I throw a big kiids party every year and some of the ideas seem tired. but this book gave me some very helpful and new tips. A must have for every crafter and party planner. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (10)

very stylish book
Although I agree with some other reviewers that I wouldn't want to wear all of the costumes pictured in this book, I found it very inspiring, partly because of the stylish photography/graphic design and humorous text, and partly because it shows how everyday items can be easily transformed. The book is a sampler of Halloween ideas--a bit on costumes, a bit on decor, and a bit on culture. (It's true that the cultural section could have been improved in terms of accuracy.) I thought the decor section of the book was loaded with good ideas--I have tons of Victorian clip art, yet I never thought to blow up the images to make a mantelpiece graveyard or a party invitation, and I had never seen turnip jack-o-lanterns. Maybe other reviewers have more knowledge of these things--if you can recommend other decor books, let us know! It sounds like some people are looking for the definitive Halloween book, and I'm not sure it exists. (Publishers? Are you listening?) Also, I thought it was odd that people complained that the costume ideas shown here weren't perfect. I have yet to find any idea in a costume book that I have followed exactly, and I think the authors' intention was to create items the average person could easily make, not to show something high-end. (One reviewer's advice to look at a costume book before you buy it applies, though.) As far as getting a springboard for your own ideas, this book is useful. It includes some valuable instructions for making objects such as horns and masks, which you can incorporate into other designs. I'm currently making a pair of horns for a stage production using the instructions given here, and so far they're turning out really well, so I will forever be grateful to this book's authors.

Look before you decide for yourself
After reading some of the less-than-great reviews, I was a bit leery about reading this book, but I'm that I glad I did.The costumes and accessories were quite clever, andon the whole, everything seemed to have an almost elegant tone.If you like the Martha Stewart style of decorating, you'll probably like this.I really liked the garden tool and vine scarecrow - spare and eerie.

LOW ON THE FRIGHT SCALE BUT FUN
Every knows Halloween has become big business over the past 20 years or so and second only to Christmas in terms of dollars spent decorating.Much like Christmas Halloween has become an entire season with stores dedicated to selling Halloween items popping up every year around the beginning of September and people decorating their homes at the beginning of October.If anything, Halloween may be even more elaborate and more expensive with complex animated items and realistic tombstones and other such displays.And the costumes...one can spend upwards of a hundred dollars or more on a good costume. That's where this wonderful book by Joanne O'Sullivan comes in handy.The book concentrates mainly on costumes and accessories, showing you step-by-step how you can make some fantastic costumes at home, often with materials you may already have or that can be purchased inexpensively at fabric or hardware stores.

Each costume comes with a full color photograph and each has a well done materials list and directions which clearly illustrate how to make the costume.Now if you're slant is to the ghoulish and gory, this won't be the book for you.The costumes here slant towards the traditional such as a gladiator, Knight, and Witch, to the rather sublime such as dressing as a Jackson Pollock abstract painting.The designs all show marvelous creativity and shows what you can do with a little imagination.How about making an English Judge's wig out of rolls of bathroom tissue, or a Geisha Girl costume made with old bed sheets.The costumes are all aimed at adults and the materials list reflects making these for an adult wearer, as opposed to children.

There's a nice section on creating medieval weaponry on stuff cheaply found at a hardware or home improvement store.One of my favorite items in the book was a Medusa's wig that looks just spectacular.Get yourself some cheap rubber snakes from the local dollar store, a swim cap, and a few other ingredients and you've got a very unique and terrifying accessory to a costume or outdoor display.There are also a variety of other wigs, capes, hands, and feet that can be made.The decorating section is a bit sparse but contains some nice information on pumpkin carving, decorating alternatives, and making such items as voodoo and hex dolls.

Finally, there is some great tips on throwing themed Halloween parties such as a New Orleans Voodoo Cocktail party or a Day of the Dead dinner party, both with invitations, décor, libations and food, all matching the theme. While it may be a tame for some peoples tastes, "Halloween: A Grown-Up's Guide to Creative Costumes, Devilish Decor & Fabulous Festivities" is still a great book with many interesting and imaginative ideas.The wonderful color photography is among the best I have ever seen in a book of this type.

Love the original costumes! Dislike the innaccurate Japanese costumes.
My opinions are divided about this book. I give it five stars for the assortment highly original, great-looking, easy costumes. The styrofoam hooves and horns were great ideas, the bug costumes actually looked pretty good, and so on. I especially loved the Monet costume, which was of watery blue cloth and bedecked in water-lilies, with a garden bridge on the hat. Many of the costumes and decorations are very artistic. Even some of the no-sew costumes made me say "Oooh, cool!"

I give it one star for the several infuriatingly innaccurate Asian-inspired costumes and decor. The "samurai" armor was just a joke and perhaps could be said to have its own peculiar charm, and the Yuki Ona costume (which is supposed to be spelled Yuki Onna, it's pronounced differently) was quirky and didn't look even remotely Japanese or even Asian (actually, it looked like the Snow Queen) and the bedsheet kimono was actually pretty good and began to look authentic in comparison to the other things, but when it had flat paper masks from the "Kabuki, or CHINESE opera"...! Ooh, that makes me SO MAD! Aargh! If they'd just stopped at one horribly innaccurate Japanese costume, I would have shrugged and skipped over it, but when they kept doing it, one after another... grr. It's not racist, just not researched enough.

Something similar happens when it talks about using a voodoo-doll motif for a Halloween party. It then tells you a bit about the religions of Vodoun and Santeria, from which the "voodoo dolls" come. This raises the question of why it's using very serious religious symbols as fun party decor.

The book has historical information about Halloween, monsters, and other cultural things. For example, after the instructions for the Green Man costume, it has two pages telling what is known (and not known) about the Green Man's history. With the fairy costume, it tells about different kinds of fairies, and how some kinds of fairies are more dangerous than cute.

However, after having seen how innaccurate this book was when it came to Japan, I'm highly suspicious of its educational value and authenticity in other areas of history and culture. It's clear the book *tried,* since it does at least include historical information for everything it can, but I'm not going to use it as history reference. Enjoy, but take with a grain of salt.

The section about the Mexican Day of the Dead seems considerably more accurate than the others, and fairly true to the spirit of that holiday and culture, but I still feel a bit suspicious about its authenticity.

Sorry if I seem grouchy about the book- I really did enjoy its originality of design. It's a relieving change of pace from the "country charm" Halloween craft books where you've seen everything before. None of those hokey books had scarecrows like the one in this book, which is a terrifying art statue with broken garden implements for claws, a faceless pumpkin head,and a metal wire body wrapped in dead vines! That's probably the scariest thing in the whole book, and genuinely scary at that. Not all of the things in it try to be adult or scary, mind you; there's plenty of light-hearted Halloween silliness too. I am going to have to try some of the things in here!

Cheapy Costumes You Can Make At Home
The book title caught my attention as the word "Grown Up" jumped out at me. I am big fan of everything Halloween so I had to have this book. I should have borrowed it at the library first! I read other reviews on Amazon.com about how wonderful this book was so I purchased it solely based on the reviews.

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER:

The cover threw me off. It had pictures of a paper mache skull with horns, a pumpkin with star holes, floating candles in a bucket filled with flowers and mini pumpkins and a picture of hand-made crepe paper witch hats on the front door. I was thinking: all right! A cool book on how to decorate and cool crafts to make!

What they should have put on the front page was a picture of a man in spider costume, a picture of a woman in a poodle outfit, a picture of a man wearing a bird beak..you get the picture.

COSTUME 101

The first 107 pages out of 173 pages were all about costumes only. Here's a sampling: black spider, poodle, bees, really ugly paint spattered thing...

The good thing about this book - you can make most of the costumes listed here because they are items that are readily available.

The bad thing about this book - it really shows.

Many of the costumes just require you to take your old dress/shirt/gown and throw paint all over it or sew a few things on it here and there. There was even an outfit called "Dancing Queen" and can you guess what you are supposed to do? Slap used CD's all over yourself. You are supposed to look like a dancing queen...isn't that what being covered in CD's is all about?

The Queen bee outfit looks...anemic. I thought bees were supposed to be fat. In this case the Queen bee stands in skin tight clothing with what looks like black chicken wire around her waist (I think its supposed to be black netting).

The "Mother Nature and Green Man" costume I find hilarious. Just looking at the picture you'd think they were hippies covered in vegetation and/or mossy stuff. On the next page there is an entire page on "Who is The Green Man?" I figure if you have to go around explaining who the heck you are it takes the fun out of it after the 500th time. "No...I'm NOT the moss man or the hippy man covered in vegetation...I am the Green Man (insert expletives and other cuss words here)...!"

I must admit there are a few neat outfits: the shimmery mermaid outfit, the gladiator and the bedsheet geisha, but not much else going for it. For every one male costume there are about 3 or 4 women's costumes (mainly old dresses with things sewn onto them).

The second part of the costumes section take you step-by-step on how to make things like birds beaks, hairy legs (I am not making this up), thundering hooves, walrus tusks (WALRUS? where's the matching costume for this tusk?). There's one page on how to make an outfit for your dog.

The third part of the costume section teaches you how to paint your face (3 pages of really boring stuff), how to make a hat, how to make paper bags LOOK like a face. Are you sleeping yet? The only thing remotely fresh that I saw in this section was the medusa wig. You get a bunch of plastic snakes and pin it to your swim cap covered in black tulle.

FINALLY...THE DECOR SECTION:

The first ten pages in this section covers pumpking carving basics, how to add a "nose" to a pumpkin simply by turning it over so the stem acts like a nose, how to make a pumpkin look like a "bushy head" by sticking twigs and leaves out of its head, how to carve squares into a pumpkin to make it look geometric, how to....urgh.

The next five pages are all about making dolls. Voodoo dolls, corn "dollys" and hex dolls which are nothing more than twigs hanging eerily off some dead branches. Phhhhfft.

Then..get this...another craft article on how to make a GIANT 6 FOOT SPIDER! That's right...in your very own back yard! How did the craft section go from tying together twigs and corn to make faceless dolls to a gigantic, humongous, insanely huge spider? I take that back, the spider is 6 feet in diameter, which means its actually bigger.

FOOD SECTION:

There are differently themed parties throught this book: the New Orleans voodoo cocktail party, the Day of the Dead dinner party and the Masked Ball party. Not many recipes. Just a lot of nice pretty pictures, I do give this book some credit!

MY RATING:

I give it a ho-hum bummed out "2" on my scale of 1 (don't bother)to 6(excellent).

Try Martha Stewart's Halloween for better decorating ideas. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Make your home come alive with ghoulish spirit by plucking clever Halloween ideas from Laura Dover Doran's The Big Book of Halloween. From indoor décor to yard trimming, eerie edibles to easy costumes, Doran supplies a pleasantly spooky assortment of decorating and party-making ideas. Greet trick-or-treaters with authentic-looking gravestones and a procession of paper-bag luminaries, set the table with a bat runner and a pumpkin-spoon centerpiece, then serve up haunted-house cake or graveyard pudding washed down with spicy witch's brew (cider punch). Lots of color photos supplement good directions, and as an added bonus Doran throws in eight ghost stories to tell at your next Halloween party--illuminated by ghostly gourd lights, of course. --Amy Handy Book Description

Customer Reviews (10)

Great book
This book has wonderful ideas, someyou will see elsewhere but plenty of fresh new ideas. Recipes, crafts, ideas all in one book. I loved getting this book!

More fun to flip through than actually use as a "How to"
I'm always a little disappointed by any book that says it has it all, and the craft and recipe offerings in this book are either overly complicated or very well-worn. We've all seen painted pumpkins, graveyard pudding, and knitted pumpkin skullcaps many times before.

What I do like about the book is the holiday stories and lore sprinkled in throughout the book,the list of "last minute costume ideas", and photos of vintage Halloween collectibles. The book is fun to flip through, but there's nothing much new I'd use here for decorating or party throwing.

A FUN book that gets you in the mood for Hallowe'en!
I love this book!The craft projects are beautiful, functional, and diverse, presented beautifully with great photography and art production value.Notes and articles about various aspects of Hallowe'en are interspersed throughout, making this resource much more than just a how-to book.It's a joy to look at, whether you're in the mood to read, create, or just look at great seasonal photos and illustrations.

A FUN book that gets you in the mood for Hallowe'en!
I love this book!The craft projects are beautiful, functional, and diverse, presented beautifully with great photography and art production value.Notes and articles about various aspects of Hallowe'en are interspersed throughout, making this resource much more than just a how-to book.It's a joy to look at, whether you're in the mood to read, create, or just look at great seasonal photos and illustrations.

Nice easy projects for fall decorating.
Nicely written and illustrated with color photos of virually all projects.Projects are not too complicated, but more decorative than scary.More fall oriented than strictly Halloween.I prefer Martha Stewarts book; it was smilar but more original. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Filled with the requisite bats, skeletons, pumpkins, and lots of ghosts, Ghostly Frights for Halloween Nights offers dozens of projects to bedeck house and garden for a month of spooking. Wooden-spoon-face ghouls dressed in glittery fabric scraps cluster among dead leaves in the front yard. Papier-mâché spheres shaped over balloons become a bat piñata, an owl lantern, or skull-headed maracas. Kids can help with some of the easiest projects, or they can enjoy the fruits of grownups' labor by counting down to the big day with an October version of the advent calendar, or play Dr. Frankenstein by reassembling a brightly colored monster body. The sometimes-murky directions and occasionally confusing (though graphically appealing) illustration diagrams are generally clarified by the color photos of the finished products, and most of the projects are fairly simple anyway. With the exception of the more-complex stitching projects (stuffed chameleon, peek-a-boo quilt, witch doll), novices should be able to handle most of these items. --Amy Handy Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Nothing new here
The book is cleverly laid out, with good illustraions and cute cartoons, but the craft ideas are really lame. If you're looking for interesting or unusual ideas, try Hocus Pocus: Halloween Crafts for a Spooktacular Holiday by Martingale and Company. Everything from invitations to decorations and food.

Wonderful photos....but the crafts...???
I bought this book at a deep discount thinking I would be able to whip up all kinds of wonderful Halloween spooky things to decorate my house with. The pictures on the front cover looked promising.
However, when I opened it up and looked inside, I realized that a lot of the crafts were very cheap. And I don't mean cheap as in money wise. I mean as in cheaply made, that they were not likely to last more than one season. It's my thought that if you put time and effort in to a display, you should be able to reuse it!
Another thing was the inclusion of wierd things like a pattern for a chameleon. Lizards in general are scary, but isn't Halloween usually reserved for snakes and toads? I don't find chameleons too intimidating, personally.
And a third thing was the bits of information in the book about the holiday...a few were incorrect, or were based on popular assumptions and not on actual research. Being that I'm a Halloween buff, I've researched this stuff so I know it's wrong, but maybe other people don't care that much. If not, the blurbs of info are entertaining.
I'm keeping the book because it has3 or 4 really cute projects that would come out nicely, and the pictures are great for other ideas (One gave me the idea to create a spooky birdcage with a raven in it.)
All in all...it's a good one to supplement if you have several other books on Halloween decorating, but I wouldn't suggest this be your only book.

Original Country Ideas
Well written, cute illustrations. Lots of beautiful photographs. This book is aimed towards the halloween Crafter. Many cute ideas that could be modified or expanded upon for details in the corners of your home haunt. Not a book for the serious hard-core haunter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Samhain means Summer's End
okay, here is another guy who is getting his information from incorrect places.Samhain(pronounced Sow-en) is Celtic for Summers end, which Halloween is.It is the Celtic new Year.There is no Celtic God of the dead!Feralia was celebrated in February, if your going to write a book or spread around information it might do you well to actually research a bit on your chosen topic.Also going to the Catholic Herald to check on the dates of a PAGAN festival probably isn't the smartest idea in the world.They may have appropriated all of our holidays and twisted them into something Christian, but that doesn't mean theyknow anything about them.

Gregory III
Historians credit Pope Gregory III with setting All Saints Day on Nov. 1.In the early 700's, he dedicated a chapel to all saints in St. Peter's on that date, associating Nov. 1st with All Saints Day.By the 800s, the date was fixed throughout Western Europe.Church records aren't as complete as one might think but there's good reason to give the credit to Greg 3 for making Nov. 1st All Saints Day.All Souls Day, to pray for the more ordinary dead, was commonly linked to All Saints Day, so by establishing the date for the former, Gregory can be credited with positioning the later even though it took centuries to make it official.

As for Feralia, CatholicHerald.com also places it in late October.So, if this is an error, it's a common one.

The rest of Morrow's book is full of interesting stuff about magic, bats, pumpkins, etc.I enjoyed it.The only criticism I can make is that the illustrations, while interesting, are rather small.

I liked it
I liked this book.It's a popular history not an anthropological tract.The errors cited below were trivial--the Pope Gregory given has the wrong number, for example.As for the Celtic Lord of the Dead, there are two schools of thought.The older one, citing folktales, says yes while the newer one favored by neo-pagans says no.Since the Celts left no written records of their beliefs, an argument can be made for both sides.I prefer the folklore.As for the rest of the book, I enjoyed the section on ghosts and staging a haunted house.

Entertaining - but as fiction, not fact
This book is well written and entertaining, but so erroneous it's almost fiction. It would be impossible to note all the historical errors here, but just a few examples: The author tells us the Roman festival of Feralia was celebrated in October (it was celebrated in February); that Pope Gregory added All Souls' Day to the calendar (he died more than 200 years before the first celebration of All Souls' Day); and of course that Samhain was dedicated to the "Celtic Lord of the Dead" (the Celts had no such god). The mistakes just go on and on. If you're buying this for decorating tips or sheer fun, it's fine - but if you want real history this isn't the book.

Everything you could possibly want!
Love this book-it is the ultimate book in giving the reader a vast knowledge of the history, traditions and fun of Halloween.There are a few black and white illustrations but even the lack of pictures cannot take away from the brilliance of this book. It's my favorite Halloween resource! ... Read more

Book Description
Here in one extra-large, idea-packed, fun-filled book is everything anybody will ever want to know about autumn's favorite holiday. Mixing a delightful text with highly atmospheric color illustrations, The Big Book of Halloween Fun presents ideas for games to play at Halloween parties, recounts tidbits of Halloween history and spooky Halloween jokes, gives directions for making original costumes, offers recipes for party foods and treats, features songs and poems with Halloween themes, tells scary ghost stories, and suggests party ideas. A fascinating collection of Halloween-related folklore includes legends, love spells, and traditional ways to find out whether one's love will be true and lasting or chaotic and strife-torn. Here too are directions for making great Halloween party invitation cards withpop-up ghosts, as well as pumpkin-and-chocolate truffles to serve at that party. Kids, grownups, and everybody who enjoys celebrating Halloween will find great ideas for hours of supernatural fun and eerie entertainment. Full-color illustrations throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Disappoinment
I expected much more.Most of the content is common and trite geared more toward children rather than adult entertaining.Costume suggestions are ridiculously dull (a witch, bad fairy, zombie, etc.).The only part somewhat interesting is the recipe segment with colorful photos.However, I have seen most of these recipes published on the net. I would not buy this book again and I certainly would not recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description
As more families celebrate Halloween at home, they’ll need these original ideas for parties, crafts, decorating, games, and recipes. Dozens of easy-to-decorate pumpkin ideas, costumes for the whole family, delicious treats to concoct, and decorating ideas to scare them silly in this bright collection of Halloween fun.

60 craft and decorating ideas for families.

30 delicious, fun-to-prepare recipes.

Step-by-step photos and instructions.

A variety of easy techniques, including decoupage, pumpkin carving, pumpkin painting, paper folding, and costume-making (few sewing skills required!). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

embarrassingly tacky
I found not a single usable idea in this book.The ideas are decidedly unimaginative and the results quite ugly.A friend bought this for me at a bargain shop without looking inside--thank goodness she spent only $2 for it.Even that was a waste.

101 ideas, 10 good ones.
This book contains a few good ideas, but none that I would use. Best used for decorating your house for a pre-schooler's Halloween party.More CUTE than scary.Contains nice color photos and easy directions.

simplisticand uninspiring
This book was a total disappointment . I expectedcreative adult halloween ideas--things I would want to keep year after year.There were only2 projects I foundinteresting-the halloween tree trims & the silver swirl pumpkin(the cover pumpkin) However,If you are looking for very simple ideas geared towards little children---this book may be what your looking for.
The best thing I can say about this book is it only cost me 1.49.

This really is a great Halloween Book!
Don't believe the reader from Palmyra. This book is great. I made the pumpkin on the cover (my kids helped bend the solder) and several others in the book. They all got rave reviews at our halloween party. The crafts are unusual, but not difficult, the recipes are good and the book's presentation of all the crafts is top-notch. I own over 25 Halloween craft books and this is one of the first I'll reach for each year. I can't wait to ready the new book in this series "Halloween Fun".

Fantastic Book!
I dont actually own this book, but I rent it from the library every time I go! (I'm gonna just buy my own.) It has tons of wonderful Ideas and crafts to make. Step by step intructions and full color illistrations really make this book great. The ideas are very creative and exciting. I cant wait to try out these ideas next Halloween! ... Read more

Book Description
This book is jammed full of photographs, patterns, drawings, hints, details, notes and ideas concerning the Bolinger's playful and entertaining Halloween carving creations. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are provided for carving and painting two ghostly projects-- "The Ghost with the Most" and "Lon Gone." Accompanying the concise instructions are over 190 color photographs.

Aside frominstructing readers in their carving and painting techniques, Paul and Camille also provide patterns for five Halloween figures and close to 100 drawings of design details. This book is sure to be a terrific reference and source of inspiration for all carvers from the bare-bones beginner to the monstrously advanced. , 195+ color photos, 8 1/2" x 11" ... Read more

Book Description
Did you know that Halloween is America's second favorite holiday for creating crafts? With these delightful projects, anyone can make their next Halloween event "scream" with style! Decorate for indoor or outdoor Halloween parties, special family get-togethers, or the neighborhood trick-or-treaters with a variety of fast, fun projects for crafters at any skill level.

· Twenty projects include a table runner with matching napkins, fanciful fabric pumpkins, a wall quilt, painted glassware, party invitations and favors, luminaries, and a floor cloth

· Find a range of craft techniques, from sewing and stamping to patchwork and painting--there's even a lesson on perfect pumpkin carving

· Inspiring photos are filled with Halloween decorating and entertaining ideas for kids and adults alike

· Projects come from popular designers including Sandy Bonsib, Jaynette Huff, Linda Johnson, Little Quilts, Livia McRee, Jenni Page, and Sheila Haynes Rauen ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Terrific, original ideas that won't break the bank!
Although the cover of my book is different from the one shown (I have the softcover edition), the crafts in this book are clever, easy to make and the directions are top-notch. Some of the crafts require kit purchases (haunted bird house & candy corn candles), but everything else can be crafted from scratch. I especially liked the witch's hat invitations, the cat banner and the cardstock lanterns, lit with glow sticks. I own every Halloween craft book (with the exception of Martha Stewart's) that Amazon offers and this is right at the top of the pile when it's time to think about Halloween. Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description
Take a peek, if you dare, into a small, dark corner of a 30-year-old collection and an archive of Halloween collectibles, artifacts, and associated items. The author has been studying, archiving, researching, and writing about the subject for most of those years and is the accepted authority in the field. Halloween, the ultimate fantasy holiday is much like the autumn foliage: full of riotous colors, memories of seasons past, and the enjoyment of the beauty of the moment. Behind every falling yellow and red leaf is not a gust of wind but a mischievous woodland sprite. A sprite you might see on a Halloween night or in the pages of this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wasted Opportunity
This book, written by someone who positions herself as an authority on old Halloween items, is disappointing. There is very little information. It is disorganized with low-end photography. I expected more of a well-rounded reference, especially considering the high cover price!

Collectible Halloween
The color photo's of the objects are clear and the sizes are large enough to see details. I would say buy this book if you want to view a variety.This is the only Halloween book that Ive seen that has items fromthe 1920's to the 1990's. I would also purchase Halloween Collectables,byDan,Pauline Campanelli. In this book you'll see items that were made up tothe 1950's, the color and size of the pictures are a bit better. I own bothof these books, and wouldn't give up eithier one. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description