Better Homes and Gardens BH&G Halloween Tricks & Treats 2021

TREAT YOURSELF! We’re ready to embrace the spooky time of year more than ever! Whether you want to deck out your kids in cleverly crafted costumes, page 46, or carve (or paint!) the best pumpkins on the block, we have the latest ideas for you. Take notes from homeowners who go all out to capture the frightfully fun season for their families. Check out thrifty outdoor decor ideas, page 38, that will please your neighbors—and fit your budget. Indulge your artistic senses by building your own Halloween gingerbread house, page 22, complete with twisted trees and flying cookie bats. These pages are packed with ideas for decorating, food, parties, and more. So mix up one of our sinister cocktails, page 56, then sit back and enjoy the tricks and treats of the season! EDITOR…

APQShop.com…

WHIMSICAL CHARM Capture a tidbit of Henri Matisse’s brilliant palette. Tissue paper cutouts in a mix of bright colors and abstract shapes, opposite, create an energetic stained-glass effect. To get the look, start with a white pumpkin (natural or painted). Cut a variety of large geometric shapes—don’t worry about perfection. Paint the pumpkin with a 2 to 1 blend of Mod Podge decoupage medium and water; apply tissue paper shapes so they are close but don’t overlap. STRIPE CONTRAST The juxtaposition of curves and straight lines is a modern art staple. Tidy ribbons of color, above left, contrast the pumpkin’s irregular contours. Trace around a bowl for the circle and use electrical tape to block out stripes to paint. MARBLED BUBBLES Give a bubble-painted gourd a marbled effect, left. Delicate bubbles stick to a white-painted…

On summer weekends, Liz Roth and her family eagerly pack up the car for the two-hour drive north to their cool cabin in the woods and a reprieve from Phoenix’s 115-degree temperatures. But in the fall, as the weather cools and Halloween nears, they’re happy homebodies—and overall just happy. “Something about Halloween sets the tone for fall and all the holidays to come,” Liz says. “It gets us excited about a new season.” And so begins the chili cookouts, baking with kids, and for Liz, the decorating. Toward the end of September, she dresses rooms in an autumn layer. Neutrals, like feathery pampas stems, keep the look low-key and complement the home’s subdued palette. A few weeks later, she’s in Halloween mode, hanging witch hats and accenting fall displays with spiders.…

Gingerbread Cutouts PREP 50 minutes CHILL 1 hour BAKE 6 minutes per batch at 375°F ½ cup shortening¼ cup butter, softened½ cup sugar1 tsp. baking powder1 tsp. ground ginger½ tsp. baking soda½ tsp. ground cinnamon½ tsp. ground cloves¼ tsp. salt1 egg½ cup molasses1 Tbsp. cider vinegar3 cups all-purpose flour 1. In a large bowl beat shortening and butter with a mixer on medium to high 30 seconds. Add the next seven ingredients (through salt). Beat until combined, scraping bowl as needed. Beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle. 2. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one…

1 HOOTS AND TOTES FOR TREATS Take a nighttime hunting partner on your trick-or-treating trek. This huge owl tote is a wise solution for collecting candy or other treats. Decorate a black tote bag with felt owl features—no sewing required. Simply use fabric glue to bring the owl to life. Download the printable patterns and instructions at BHG.com/25FunWays. 2 THIRST MONSTERS Quench kids’ thirst for fun. Wrap juice boxes with printable designs that feature big-time monster grins. Googly eyes and cute glued-on printable paper toes finish the kid-friendly monsters. 3 LET’S PLAY BALL! This game will have kids purring with delight. Hang the Pin the Yarn Ball on the Kitten poster. Hand out paper yarn-ball cutouts (with double-stick tape on the back) to blindfolded guests. Spin the kids and point them to the poster. The…