Halloween is a popular time for parties. I have seen so many wonderfully scary parties, but I wanted to set out to design some festivities that wouldn’t be too spooky for the kids! And of course, I turned to my trusty Fiskars tools to make the job quick and easy.

Halloween is a popular time for parties. I have seen so many wonderfully scary parties, but I wanted to set out to design some festivities that wouldn’t be too spooky for the kids! And of course, I turned to my trusty Fiskars tools to make the job quick and easy.

If your guests will be sitting down at the table to eat, consider turning it into a dramatic scene instead of opting for a standard centerpiece. Here I turned utilitarian paper plates into spiders crawling on a gigantic web.

The web is simply masking tape. I used a fabric tablecloth and knew masking tape would remove easily post party. You could also use a disposable party tablecloth though the tape likely wouldn’t remove easily for future use depending on the material. To create the web, I started with a long strip of tape from one corner of the table diagonally to the opposing corner. I then added a few radiating strips from the same beginning corner. I went back and cut small pieces to fill in between each of these strips. You could also begin in the middle with criss-crossing strips to center a web.

Whenever cutting anything with adhesive, such as tape, I am sure to reach for my non-stick scissors.

I wanted the spider plates to be goofy with a little personality, so they were given long, crimped legs and mismatched eyes. For the legs, cut eight 8.5 inch long half-inch strips of black cardstock with your paper trimmer, and run each leg through the paper crimper. Fold each strip in half and fold back a small tab at each end. Hot glue one tab under the rim of a black paper plate. Continue with four total legs on each side. Punch circles for eyes and hot glue to the edge of the plate facing each guest.

To keep the menu easy, I decided on assorted sandwiches. To keep the menu fun, I decided on assorted sand-witches!

I came up with a super simple way to make witch boots using a very unexpected tool, the Boundary Waters border punch. Run a 3/4 inch wide strip of black cardstock through the border punch and cut into sections as shown, at the bottom of each large curl. Trim off the small curl with scissors and cut a small triangle into the heel.

Add a striped leg to each boot and adhere to toothpicks. Insert in pairs into sandwiches for a non-spooky take on witches. Mix it up by adding stars and witch hats. The limited edition ‘Hats Off’ lever punch is a great witch hat. Add a small trim of color and a 1/4 inch star for easy embellishment.

These witch legs would also make adorable cupcake toppers.

Another limited edition lever punch that I consider a must-have is ‘Laughin Jack’. This jack-o-lantern face could add instant personality to all kinds of party items. Punch it from yellow cardstock to layer onto any black party items or goodie bags, or punch from black to add to orange items, such as these paper cups.

Send your guests home with a goodie bag featuring one last way to turn something spooky into kid-friendly. I found this awesome, hairy spider on the ‘Creepy Crawly’ stamp set and knew it would work well for a “thanks for dropping by” sentiment. I stamped him directly onto small treat bags and cut a small slit using a craft knife to insert white string, which I taped inside to secure. Staple the string at the top of the folded bag once stuffed for an interactive web. To give the spider a sillier look for the kids, add small googly eyes! Googly eyes just make anything adorable.

Whether you are planning a spooky or not-so-spooky Halloween party, be sure to put your Fiskars tools to work to make the job both easy and fun!