Tag Archives: Halloween


Moncton Halloweeeeeeen… Twenty Fourteeeeeen!

by: Natalie

Let me preface this post by declaring that I LOVE holidays. LOVE! I love decorating, dressing up, building traditions and having a blast!   So, it should come as no surprise that my family has a jam-packed schedule for the week leading up to Halloween.  As I was planning out our activities, I noticed that there was no list anywhere online with this year’s “MUST-DOs” for Halloween in Moncton.  So, here are mine 🙂

2011-10-28 19.51.59

Yours truly… Halloween 2011.

1. Spirit Halloween Superstore Plaza (Main Street).

Granted, I have not yet tried out the other Halloween stores around town but this place was the bomb! It took 20 minutes for us to even get into the store as my kids toured the very exciting decor display.  We’re talking electrocutions, mad scientists, attack dogs and even a little zombie girl on a swing.  **WARNING** My kids are 6 and loved it but they would have had nightmares if we brought them when they were younger.

2. 131 Broadview (Old West End).

I absolutely the holiday people who go all out (a la Clark Griswold)… whether their thing is Halloween, Christmas, Easter, whatever….  That’s why the people at 131 Broadview probably think that I’m some sort of stalker.  From Oct 1-31,  I try to pass by this fantastic display as often as possible.  On Saturday, they’re hosting a Halloween block party from 3-6pm and will be accepting donations for the local food bank.  I spoke with the resident of this home and he told me that they see 400-500 trick or treaters every year!   We are so sad that this is their last year doing their display.

photo (3)

Photo by me… driving by during daylight to see everything better.

 

3.  Boo At The Zoo

This will be our first year at Boo At The Zoo and I’m so excited!  Open Sat & Sun from 11am-5pm, they promise inflatable fun as well as a scarier area for the parents.  With admission, you also get to do your rounds of the animal displays.  Be sure to wear a costume… Parents too!  This one’s likely to be my kids’ favourite event.

4. Keillor House Halloween Tour

By far, my favourite event of the season is the Keillor House Tour!   Open Friday and Saturday night from 7-9pm.  Honestly, if you haven’t been, it is a MUST see.  My kids begged to join us this year but there would be way too many nightmares and tears at their age.  As you tour this historic mansion, live actors engage with you and make sure that every person leaves terrified.  Get ready to scream!!

Imagine this place at night, filled with live ghouls and ghosts…

That’s what we’re up to this weekend.  So, Moncton, did I miss any Halloween “MUSTS”?  Tell me… how are you celebrating the spookiest season?

Affordable DIY Costumes


It’s that time of year again! Time to try and figure out how your child is going to wade their way through the masses of superheroes and fairies to the magical land of sugar-high happiness. However, while your child is dreaming of lollipops and mars bars, you don’t have to stay up all night worrying about what they’re going to wear! Here are a few tips and ideas to inspire you this Halloween!

My mother wasn’t overly into Halloween costume shopping, so we tended to simply find supplies around the house and get creative! We swapped thick goopy costume makeup for Mom’s cosmetic bag and pre-made suits for some of Dad’s construction supplies! One year my parents managed to transform Christmas supplies and a big piece of plastic vapor barrier into a “dancing bug” (I LOVED it).

All of the costumes above can be created for about $10 (that’s cheaper and cuter than VV Boutique (a.k.a. Value Village) !!!! If your child is willing to sport some FREE 3D glasses, Helium balloons, and a walker made of plumbing supplies, Carl from UP is sure to win first place in any costume contest!

Another really adorable trend is dressing your kids up like household items! There is something oddly funny about an 8 year old dressed up as a box of KD or a flower pot. A lot of great costumes can be made from taking a look around the house and making a trip to the Dollarama!

Here are a few step-by-step instructions for adorable and affordable Halloween outfits!

Earthy Princess

Supplies:
-Natural feathers ($1/ bag Dollarama)
-Brown headband ($1 Dollarama)
-Turquoise beads ($1 Dollarama) -optional
-Brown Tulle (2$/ yard Fabricville)
-Suede ($4 Fabricville)
-Eyeliner (you likely have this already)

Instructions:
1.Get your daughter to wear a white long sleeve shirt and neutral leggings.
2.Wrap the tulle around her hips and secure with a strip of frayed suede/ safety pins
3.Use leftover suede as armbands (or turquoise beads)
Braid your daughters hair.
Place headband around forehead to secure the feathers.
Make a few marks on her cheeks with your eyeliner
if you’re willing to spend a few extra dollars, you can purchase a brown tutu at Walmart or VV Boutique

Carl Fredricksen from UP

This is probably the cutest costume I have ever seen.

Supplies:
-3 lengths of Plastic Pipe ($3 hardware store)
-2 elbow joints ($2 hardware store)
-2 Tennis balls ($1 Dollarama)
-Helium Balloons ($3 Great Canadian Dollar store)
-String ($1 anywhere)
-Kids 3D movie glasses (FREE)
-Dress Clothes
-Bow tie
(DIY Bow Tie)

Instructions:
1.Dress your son in formal clothes (don’t forget the iconic bow tie)
2.Assemble the pipes and elbow joints in the shape of a horse shoe (ie. 2 vertical and 1 horizontal connected by elbow joints)
3.Cut an “x” shaped slit in the tennis balls large enough to slide the pipes into.
4.Stick the tennis balls onto the open ends of the plastic pipes to finish off the walker!
5.Tie your helium balloons to the walker and have a wonderful time taking pictures of your adorable little man!

Flower Pot!

Supplies:
-1 large flower pot that your kid can fit inside (~$5 Walmart, scope out thrift stores for a better bargain!)
-Lots of Fake Flowers ($4 Dollarama)
-Cord ($1)
-Headband

Instructions:
1.Cut the bottom out of the flower pot
2.Drill/ Cut holes in the sides of the pot (2 front and 2 back)
3.Cut 2 pieces of cord long enough to go over your child’s shoulders
4.Feed the cord through the holes, tying knots on each end.
5.Glue/ Tie a few fake flowers to a headband for your child to wear.
6. Fill the pot with fake flowers!

Have a blast making lots of “sweet” memories with your families this Halloween 🙂

*For more costume inspiration check out Dollar Store Costume Ideas
**KandeeJ has some sweet video tutorials for mom friendly costumes!

15 Halloween Costume Ideas for 2011

Halloween house decorations in Port Norfolk By formatted_dad on Flickr

Photograph by  formatted_dad on Flickr

Halloween is just around the corner. If you don’t already have your costume put together here are 15 ideas to inspire you (and a bonus 5 ideas for your home). If you want to be really creative, be sure to refer back to last years post on homemade Halloween costumes.

Women

  • Alice in Wonderland: Tim Burton’s reinterpretation of this childhood classic provides several costume choice for adults. If the title character isn’t ‘your cup of tea,’ consider the Queen of Hearts.
  • Katy Perry: A great alternative to the Lady Gaga overload
  • Pan Am Flight Attendant: A fun spin on the vintage trend inspired by the hit new TV series.  Would make a great group costume.
  • Princess Beatrice or Eugeni: Creating your own wacky wedding hats is a great DIY costume option
  • Black Swan: Bring out your inner ballerina

Men

  • Disgraced Celebrities: Lots to chose from this year, including Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenegger , Tiger Woods and Anthony Weiner
  • Lord Voldemort: A great way for adults to show their love for the Harry Potter series and scare a few people while you are at it!
  • Don Draper: The Mad Men Show fan-site has a guide to creating the perfect Don Draper—or any of your favourite characters—costume.
  • Green Man: though made popular by the Canuck’ the spandex unseat has created it’s own meme… If you want to stand out from the pack, consider a Red Man or Gold Man ensemble.
  • Superheros: Lots to chose from this yer: Captain America, Thor, Green Lantern, Iron Man
  • Steve Jobs: A easy, DIY way to pay tribute to an icon.

Kids

  • Princess Kate: What better costume than a a real life princess!
  • Angry Birds: These costumes are literally flying off the shelves. Would make a fun family or group costume idea… Here’s some handy DIY instructions to make your own.
  • Harry Potter: The movies may be over, but the magic lives on
  • Zombies: A perennial classic and great way to get one last wear out of old or ripped clothing.
  • Smurfs: There ill be a lot of little blue people out this Halloween

Bonus: Haunted Home Ideas

Being a home-builder site, we’d be remiss if we didn’t offer some ideas for dressing up your home:

  • Creepy Centrepiece: Adding some spray paint or glitter to a small pumpkin or gourd makes a great focus point for your table or entryway. Attach some plastic spiders to complete the creepy effect.
  • Black is Back: If you are bored with the traditional carved jack-o-lantern, grab some black and white paint and create a ghost-o’-lanterns.
  • Spooky Silhouettes: Cut black construction paper into bat, witch or black cat silhouettes to hide in corners or place on doors and windows.
  • Terror Tunes: Prepare a spooky soundtrack of your favourite scary sounds and songs to greet your party guests or trick-o-treaters.
  • Fearsome Fog: Dry ice available at most grocery stores and  is a cheap yet effective way to creature a ghostly atmosphere.

Get Spooked: Halloween Activities around Moncton

Photograph by Pedro J. Ferreira on Flickr

Now that you have your Halloween costume chosen, and your house decorated, it’s time to decide how you are going to celebrate the holiday (besides trick-or-treating of  course!).  Here are a few haunted Halloween events and activities for people of all ages.

Halloween Stories

Saturday October 29 at 11am

Little ghosts and goblins ages 2 and up are invited to come to the Moncton Public Library in their Halloween costumes for some spooky (but not too spooky) stories, a craft and a costume parade around the library. Families are welcome.

Registration begins October 22

Boo at the Zoo presents Scaredy Cats

Oct 22, 23, 29 & 30, 2011,  11am-5pm (the zoo is open from 9am-6pm)

The Magnetic Hill Zoo has decided to discontinue their night time Boo at the Zoo events, and instead focus on a daytime Scaredy Cats event.  There will be lots of fun activities and games for the little ones while visiting the zoo animals. For older children there will be some “moderately scary” Halloween venues. Be sure to come dressed up!

Tickets are only on sale at the door.

Halloween at the Terror Williams House

October 29, 2011,  1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Moncton Museum is organizing a Halloween event for families at the Thomas Williams House (103 Park Street, Moncton). Come enjoy an afternoon of Halloween inspired events, including games, crafts, a costume contest and much more! Admission is free!

For more information contact Barb Muir at the Moncton Museum, 506-856-4325.

Halloween Spooktacular

Saturday, October 29 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

For the adults, Casino New Brunswick is hosting a Halloween Spooktacular. This event is billed as “the biggest Halloween event ever in Moncton.” The party features performances by DJ Adam Analog and The Awesome Imposters. There will be a Midnight Costume Contest with over $2,000 in cash prizes. Due to security precautions faces must be free of makeup or masks to enter Casino New Brunswick.

Tickets are $20.

Top 7 Homemade Halloween Decorations You Can Make for Cheap!

Jack-o-Clock

(Source and instructions)

Last year, we gave you an article about cheap homemade Halloween costumes that were creative, unique and easy to make. This year, let’s take a look at some of the best homemade Halloween decorations you can make that are also super-creative and easy on the wallet.

Owl A Glow - Homemade Halloween Decorations

This owl might be more cute than scary, but it’s still an awesome-looking decoration worthy of making our list. For this project, all you need is a paper lantern (found at most party supply or craft stores for cheap), some paper, twine and glue dots. Visit Disney Family Fun for full instructions.

Tombstone Halloween Decorations for Your Lawn

Made from paper bags and cardboard, these tombstone lawn decorations will make a great addition to your Halloween décor – just as long as the forecast doesn’t call for rain! For a full list of what you need, complete instructions and tombstone/epitaph templates, visit the Martha Stewart website.

Vampire Lollies - Homemade Halloween Decorations

These little lollipop vampires are working double-duty; they’re fantastic Halloween decorations, and also the treats to hand out to either trick-or-treaters or your party guests. In addition to the lollies, all you need is some cellophane and a few other super-cheap supplies that you probably already have lying around the house. Full instructions can be found at the Kaboose website.

Glow-in-the-Dark Bat Mobile CenterpieceGlow-in-the-Dark Bat Halloween Decoration

These glow-in-the-dark bats look great in both the daylight and in the dark. Some of the supplies needed to make this DIY decoration can probably be found in your own backyard; the rest of the materials can be purchased at your local craft store. Full instructions can be found at the HGTV website.

Paranormal Portraits - DIY Halloween Decorations

This can be a real creepy display, especially when the photos are of your friends and family. In addition to needing photo frames (which you probably already have), the supplies needed include black craft paint, a sponge, cardstock, glue and red LED Christmas lights. You’ll also need a printer and the ability to convert digital images to black and white (there are several free photo editing programs that can do this for you). Visit the Country Living website for full instructions.

Pumpkin Porcupines - Halloween Decoration Ideas

A list of homemade Halloween decorations wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some cool pumpkin carving ideas! If you want to step away from the boring jack-o’-lanterns that everyone’s carving, consider making this porcupine pumpkin – it’s super creative and looks incredible when lit up. The Martha Stewart website will show you how to make this project, as well as other unique pumpkin critters.

Peekaboo Pumpkins

Rather than carving a pumpkin, you could consider decorating miniature gourds this Halloween. The project calls for three to five small bowls and lidded dishes and, if they aren’t already black and white, it’s suggested that you use spray primer to paint them. If you aren’t keen on the idea of painting your own dishes, sneak into your neighbour’s house at night to see what they’ve got. No, I’m kidding. What you can do, however, is visit your local thrift shop to see what’s available there. You can pick up used dishes for pennies, and remember, you’ll be painting them, so it doesn’t matter if they have tacky grandma-ish designs on them. The HGTV website has a complete list of supplies and instructions.

More? You Want More?!

These cheap homemade Halloween decorations not enough for you? If you check out any of the websites linked to above, each has a plethora of other ideas in addition to what’s mentioned here. So go ahead, check ‘em out, and when you find something really cool, make sure to leave a comment to let us know what you’ve found!

Oh, and happy Halloween!

[Image credits: screenshots have been captured from the respective websites]

New Brunswick’s Ghosts, Ghouls & Haunted Houses

Happy Halloween

It’s nearly Halloween. If you’re looking for some great local ghost stories to creep out your friends, or some scary Halloween haunted houses to visit, check these out.

Boo at the Zoo & Boo Light

Boo at the Zoo & Boo Light is located at Moncton’s Magnetic Hill Zoo. There are several spooky Halloween activities going on throughout the month suitable for all ages (they have family nights and adult nights) and according to the official website: “ … all funds gained through Boo at the Zoo will be put towards the construction of a new Amur tiger and Amur leopard exhibits.” For more information on the events, to purchase tickets, get directions, and everything else you need, visit their website.

Halloween Haunted Houses

New Brunswick Ghost Stories & Haunted Houses

Ghost stories are always creepier when they’re about places you’ve been to or know of. This website offers up some New Brunswick ghost stories told by the locals.

EverythingCreepy.com has a few true New Brunswick ghost stories about the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews, the Genii in St. Andrews, and the Charlotte County Court House located in Charlotte.  You can also search by province for other Canadian ghost stories and find information on various Canadian ghost walks.

Taking you back to Moncton, Rebecca’s Grave is a popular ghost story about Rebecca Lutes, a 16 year old girl accused of being a witch. There are several websites that are about Rebecca’s Grave, including Facebook pages, Flickr pages that show images of the real grave as it can be seen today, YouTube videos and there’s even a short film about this local legend. Here are a few websites to check out:

Rebecca’s Grave on Flickr –  This Flickr page tells the story and has some images.

Rebecca’s Grave short film – This website is dedicated to the short film created about the story. Here you can read the legend of Rebecca’s Grave, learn about the known facts and truths behind the legend (supposedly), and find out about the actual film made about the legend.

Rebecca’s Grave on Facebook – Created by the producers of the short film mentioned above, the Facebook group has a ton of information.

New Brunswick Ghost Stories

Creepy Halloween Haunted Houses & Local Ghost Stories

Have you heard any local ghost stories that are sure to spook? Do you know of any great Halloween activities and events happening in and around Moncton (or New Brunswick)? Leave a comment and let us know!