I'm not a fan of Halloween, but Isaac was dreaming about having one of those Halloween theme parties he heard about at school. Here are my tips for an (obviously!) amazing party with no waste and a very limited budget!
Decoration
We decided to go with an autumnal centerpiece (not too scary, nor too childish) so that it may last the whole holiday. The kids choosed the locally produced squash and mini pumpkins and we picked the horse chestnuts and hazelnuts during a walk. The final touch is brought by a sprouting sweet potato (you can replace it by ivy). At the end of the holidays, the vegetable will end up in a soup, the chestnuts we'll become washing liquid and we will definitely plant the potato.
For those looking for a spookier look, you can cut out the pumpkins to give them the frightening jack-o'-lantern look, mix up candles of various sizes, replace the ivy and chestnuts by dead wood and why not, add some black flowers... (you can find them at a flower shop)
For those looking for a spookier look, you can cut out the pumpkins to give them the frightening jack-o'-lantern look, mix up candles of various sizes, replace the ivy and chestnuts by dead wood and why not, add some black flowers... (you can find them at a flower shop)
Sweets
Sweets are the easiest thing to find in bulk : (in France) we can find them at the bakery, in a sweet shop or even at the entrance of the cinema. Needless to say that here, it was a frenzy...
For the grown-ups, we made a little selection of organic sweets (careful, they can be quite expensive! But they are sooooooo good. So so good). On the picture above, you can see some cinnamon caramelized almonds, some caramelized peanuts and chocolate coated hazelnuts (which taste exactly like Nutella, without the crapy part of it and without being responsible of the massive deforestation induced by the production of palm oil).
For the grown-ups, we made a little selection of organic sweets (careful, they can be quite expensive! But they are sooooooo good. So so good). On the picture above, you can see some cinnamon caramelized almonds, some caramelized peanuts and chocolate coated hazelnuts (which taste exactly like Nutella, without the crapy part of it and without being responsible of the massive deforestation induced by the production of palm oil).
Cakes
Apart from traditional buffet cakes (macaroons, cookies, cake pops, madeleines...), we tried new recipes : pecan nut pie (yes, I'm french and it was a first for me!) and a fully raw chocolate cake. Both were amazingly good. Recipes to come very soon ;)
Costumes
No need to invest a fortune in costumes : you certainly already have at least one in your closet ! Here are four examples I created with what we have :
- Prince George. Isaac looooves to were his socks like the prince. You can add a crown if you think people we'll have trouble recognizing his majesty ;)
- Little pink riding hood : a cape + a small basket = little *colour of your choice* riding hood
- Polka dot princess : a fancy dress (this one have been worn to many weddings last summer), a crown and here comes the princess.
- The fisherman : a reefer jacket, yellow pants, rain boots make the basis of the costume. Add a net, a blue beanie or a captain cap.
With make-up, you widen your possibilities, without having to invest in those poor polyester costumes made in we-don't-care-about-quality-or-work-conditions-only-about-making-money that doesn't last.
So, these are our tips for a fully zero waste halloween that costed us only the price of the food (squash, candy and ingredients for the cakes).
What about your Halloween? What are you going to dress up like this year?
- Prince George. Isaac looooves to were his socks like the prince. You can add a crown if you think people we'll have trouble recognizing his majesty ;)
- Little pink riding hood : a cape + a small basket = little *colour of your choice* riding hood
- Polka dot princess : a fancy dress (this one have been worn to many weddings last summer), a crown and here comes the princess.
- The fisherman : a reefer jacket, yellow pants, rain boots make the basis of the costume. Add a net, a blue beanie or a captain cap.
With make-up, you widen your possibilities, without having to invest in those poor polyester costumes made in we-don't-care-about-quality-or-work-conditions-only-about-making-money that doesn't last.
So, these are our tips for a fully zero waste halloween that costed us only the price of the food (squash, candy and ingredients for the cakes).
What about your Halloween? What are you going to dress up like this year?