I have no time. Life is pulling us in a hundred directions and whilst we LOVE it, it means I have to find some shortcuts.

So here are 2 super easy ideas for your Halloween party that (if I do say so myself) look ace.

Mini meringue ghosts. 

You need 2 ingredients. 

1. a black icing pen
2. mini meringue sprinkles from Tesco

Dot 2 eyes on your tiny ghosts and voila! Arrange as a mini army for a super effect. 

Tomato Pumpkins. 

I love the idea of getting the boys to try new things, especially when you can make them fun.

You need 2 ingredients: 

1. cherry tomatoes
2. orange candy melts

Melt your packet of candy melts according to the instructions. Dip your tomatoes in the melted mix and leave to dry on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Display on moss to look as though the pumpkins are straight from the patch! 

You can check out my other cheats idea here - Zombie Macarons, or have a peek at the efforts we went to last year!  

Last year we went a little Halloween crazy. We had a wonderful party and a few weeks of activities and crafts. 

This year we will be away at my in laws for Halloween and we will have a spooky garden trail for the boys to enjoy and maybe a swim in the dark. (We are super lucky that they have a pool.) 

So instead of lots of new party ideas here are some of the highlights from last year which you may find handy if you are planning a party! Some were using new bits and bobs and others were recycling old things I had lying around or I picked up at the charity shop.

Play a game of Spider Name Hunt - use foam spider shapes and spell each guest's name on the back in individual letters. Turn them all over at the start and see who can spell their name first!  You can see more photos here.

Make a family portrait of ghost feet! Ours will be coming out again this year!

Make a simple handprint spider jigsaw. 

Book pumpkins are a great way to decorate although steer clear if you couldn't bear to cut up an old book! 

Easy peasy bunting, which I made at the same time as the feet portrait. Use coloured scrap book paper in between you ghosts. 

A party lolly tree is a simple way of creating an eye catching centrepiece for your party table. Plus you can use it as candy for trick or treaters! 

We have this door mat ready for next week. Hand stencilled ready for the Heath Bros at Halloween. 

Mummy juice cartons are so effective! Easy too just remember to leave a space for the straws! 

I hung these muslin ghosts everywhere last year as it was a way of recycling all of Ollie's old muslin cloths!  I am sure every parent has a bag of these in the loft somewhere so get them out and make some good use from them!

There is nothing cuter than these mini broomsticks! I dotted them all over the house and they take only minutes to make. 

I loved making our little party guests name paper skeletons which I framed above their trick or treating bags. I used potatoes to stamp pumpkin and skull faces on them!

I went a little mad on all the party food ideas last year - you can see the full party post here but they all were worth the effort! My old painted dresser was absolutely perfect for the Halloween Party buffet and I use our upcycled mini bar dresser to hold the drinks!

We played loads of games including: 

• ghost toilet roll bowling
• sensory slime
• apple bobbing
• face painting

A big party will have to wait until next year! I'm still collecting lots of inspiration on my Pinterest board so do follow and share ideas. 

What have you got planned for Halloween?

I was so happy when I got the chance to work with Homebase and their line of paints, as it meant I could road test an idea I've had in the back of my mind for months!

Painting with ice cream! 

What could be more fun than sensory play for a 2 year old, that means when your hands get messy, you can just lick them! The texture and temperature of ice cream makes for a great play idea.

Do you find that there is always a little bit of ice cream left in the tub that has been frozen and refrozen to the point that you think, "Do I really want to eat that?" and then you remember it is ice cream, sludgy or not! 

That funny bit at the bottom of the tub would make a great sensory, messy play idea. 

I let Ollie loose with a few paintbrushes and a few balls of ice cream. Don't worry he didn't lick the paint!

I wanted to show off just how similar the paint range is to delicious flavours! Meadow is spot on to mint choc chip and the Jazberry instantly reminded me of blackcurrant sorbet.

Like walls you would want to lick! 

I am very tempted to paint one wall of my office in raspberry coulis.

And I think he looked totally adorable in my floral pinny! 

I couldn't believe the concentration he put into his great gelato masterpiece. Every brush stroke was greeted with a smile for approval! 

Which flavour is your favourite?! I have always and will always be, a mint choc chip girl.