©2006 review by Fiona Broome and the Hollow Hill Staff
Halloween - 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas
may be my least favorite
in the holiday series from Better Homes & Gardens. The cover is one of their best, but the projects
don't live up to its promise.
Instead, I'd recommend
Halloween Fun - 101 ideas to get in the spirit, which
has far better projects.
Halloween - 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas is a good book, but with projects such as
a needlepoint wind sock, it looks as if they didn't have enough good projects to feature.... unless you're
rabidly enthusiastic about needlepoint, of course.
And, to be fair,
101 projects are a lot to come up with for each book in this series.
That said, there are some impressive project ideas in this book. I especially like the Mosaic Pumpkin Tray, which
looks easy and makes an attractive, useful Halloween serving tray.
The Spooky Surprise Pumpkin is clever and fun. The decorated pumpkin "lid" is raised, revealing a
cute little ghost figure inside. I'll definitely make one, but
I'll probably use an artificial pumpkin so that it'll be ready to display, year after year.
The Jester Jack o' Lantern is also innovative, topping a wildly decorated garden post with a carved pumpkin.
That's a lawn decoration that you'll use year after year, but I'd probably modify it to make it more stable.
(I'd display it outside, and use a combination of eye hooks and tent stakes to prevent the post from tipping over.)
The section featuring a series of Halloween tree ornaments--made with round glass Christmas ornaments--might
inspire you. I prefer the quirky trees in
Haunt Your House for Halloween. However,
you could probably combine the decor from both books for an over-the-top Halloween tree.
This book is worth borrowing from your public library. It has many good ideas in it. But, it's not as
much fun as Better Homes & Gardens' other holiday books.
