Green Halloween: Bag the Habit
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 10.16.07
Before you send your little monsters scampering off into the night trolling for candy, be sure to deep-six disposable paper and plastic loot sacks in favor of hardier totes and buckets they can reanimate year after year. Here are some devilish ideas we've scared up.
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1) We unearthed a frightful dearth of truly sustainable treat bags, but crafty types can buck the trend by whipping up their own brand of mischief. MagKnits has a free knitting pattern for a felted pumpkin basket (as pictured). For just under 8 bucks, crocheters can purchase a set of spooktacular patterns in such classic motifs as flying bats, Frankenstein's Monster, a jack-o-lantern, and a haunted house. |
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2) Not of the DIY persuasion? You can still support your local crafters and artisans by spending your coin at indie haunts such as Etsy.com. Simply type "halloween bag" into the search box. Another indie purveyor, Gifts Define, has tricked out its jack-o-lantern totes with mini (and adorably cross-looking) "Halloweetches". The entire kit and kaboodle will cost you $20. |
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3) They may not be made from the most eco-friendly of materials (to say the least), but the Halloween bag craft kits from Oriental Trading are howling-good, clean hands-on fun for little ghouls and boys.
Starting at $7.99 for enough materials to make 12 carriers, they're one expense that won't drain the blood from your face. |
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4) Made from felt fabric and stuffed with polyester batting, these treat bags are built to last and can even be embroidered with your wee ghostie's name to fend off candy hijackings by older siblings and other sweet-toothed spirits.
Each $14.40 tote comes with reinforced handles, so you can cram in bountiful hauls without trepidation. |
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5) Plum Party's decorative metal pails come in three sizes and can pull double duty as candy collectors and snack servers.
Starting at $12 for the 6.5x8-inch tall pail, options include a vintage-inspired decoupage design and a silhouette of a cruising witch on a moonlit night. |
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6) Like the rest of ChicoBag's line of reusable grocery bags, its limited-edition Halloween sack folds compactly into your pocket or purse, while remaining strong enough to hold up to 20 pounds of sugar-filled treats. A tenner gets you three bags, but you'll need to hotfoot it because we're told the company has extremely limited stocks. |
I always like the pillowcase idea. That's how my sisters and I did it when we were kids.
Pillowcases always reap the most reward. No need for elaborate bags kids.
Thank you Green SAHM! I was going to say the same thing. Pillowcases is the tradition, and one of the few I see standing behind.
In 3rd or 4th grade (same teacher) we made Halloween treat containers out of paper mâché and a balloon. Blow up a nice big balloon then cover it in paper mâché. Once it dries, paint it (possible to look like a jack o' lantern( , cut off an end piece, take out the remnants of the balloon, and add a handle.