Trick your trick-or treaters with a ghostly kid to decorate your doorway. He looks so real you may even put candy in his bucket!

What you need:

1. 2 styrofoam balls, 1" for nose and 6" for head
2. 2 – 3/8" wooden dowels, 36" long
3. one pair of children’s shoes size 7-9 ½
4. Two plastic bags to fit inside shoes
5. Plaster of paris and disposable container to mix
6. One pair of used children’s jeans size 3-5
7. Newspaper
8. Hot glue gun
9. 1 ¾ yards white felt 72" wide
10. Pencil, scissors
11. Black scrap fabric for eyes
12. Trick or treat basket
13. Child’s cap
14. 18 gauge wire, wire cutter

What to do:

1. Cut 6" of wire and fold into a "U" shape. Poke ends through small styrofoam ball and into large ball for head
2. Line shoes with plastic bags. Prepare plaster of paris following directions. Pour into shoes. Set aside to harden. Insert dowels into shoes and prop up right just before plaster is fully set. Allow to dry thoroughly.
3. Tuck plastic bags into shoes. Slip jeans over dowels. Stuff jeans with newspaper for body shape. Push both dowels into head so nose is in position. Secure with hot glue gun. Push wire through head from side to side. Secure one end to jeans belt loop (other end will be used to hold bucket)
4. Fold felt in half lengthwise then crosswise. Using straight edge and pencil, make an arc on felt 30" from folded center. Cut on marked line through all layers. Drape unfolded felt over head so that lower edge is even.
5. Draw 2 ovals for eyes of black material. Cut out and hot glue to felt.
6. Cut a horizontal slit in felt on side where wire is unsecured. Bring wire through slit and wrap around trick-or-treat bucket.
7. Add cap on your new friend and place him by the door!

Hor d’Oevure Picks and/or Sweater Pins

 What you need:

1. 18 or 20 gauge wire (to wrap with)
2. 14 or 16 gauge wire (aluminum or sterling silver for your picks)
3. variety of large to small beads with holes that will fit the wire
4. pair of needle nose or jewelry pliers
5. hammer (ball peen)
6. metal file
7. metal cutters
8. small or anvil steel

 What to do:

1. Cut wire approximately 7" long (depending on how much you shape one end).
2. File one end on metal file for a sharp point.
3. With pliers, shape other end in a spiral or other shape.
4. When you like your shape, fit the beads on to see if you have enough stem. If you are satisfied, hammer the shape on a hard surface such as an anvil or piece of steel. Hammer both sides flattening with the hammer adding texture with the ball end.
5. Add beads; wrap the 18 or 20 gauge wire on the bottom of the wire under your last bead. Extend over your group of beads to the top of your wire under hammered shape. Continue to wrap 2 or 3 times, then cut off.
6. If you are using these as sweater pins, you can purchase the end pin coverings at bead shops.

Bead Earrings

What you need:

1. 20 gauge silver wire
2. hammer
3. pliers
4. beads
5. file

What to do:

1. Play with your designs first with 20 gauge inexpensive craft wire. When you have some designs you like, cut your silver wire to the same size and continue.
2. A simple no solder way to make bead earrings is to hammer one end of the wire so that you have expanded the metal, therefore, the bead will not fall off. Continue adding your beads.
3. Bead your wire into a shape and hammer as in the first directions for sweater pins, or round the earring like a French hoop to hang.
4. File the end smooth so that it does not irritate your ears.

Check your area yellow pages for bead shops. They usually have all the supplies you’ll need. If no shapes are in your area, call Rio Grande at 1-800-545-6566 and ask for their jewelry and tools catalog.