Our last “5 Pins We Tried” list was a big hit, so this month we are doing it again… Halloween style!
I spent an hour or so on Pinterest, looking at my own Halloween board and then also perusing the most popular Halloween pins overall. These 5 seemed like they might be deceptively simple, so I gave them a go. What do you think?
#1: Popsicle Stick Haunted House
Original Creator: Happily Ever After
How doable was this? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most doable, this project was a 6.
Popsicle stick projects make me think of indoor recess and summer camp. They should be fairly simple—easy enough for a child in elementary school to do. This haunted house in particular, with its caricature decals, looked like a good project to test to do with my nephews.
Either I didn’t recall how hard it is to work with popsicle sticks, or this is much more complex than it looks! Between counting the sticks out, glueing them together, waiting for them to set, painting them, positioning the decals, and pulling the house all together, it took several hours and a lot more focus than I would have thought. I also had to add some black Oly-Fun to the inside of the house to make it appear dark inside (not in the instructions), which was harder than I anticipated.
I do like the final result, though!
#2: Spider Web Trick-or-Treat Bag
Original Creator: Merriment Design
How doable was this? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most doable, this project was an 8.
I was able to make this bag in less than an hour using a ready-to-decorate tote bag, some black Oly-Fun fabric, and the AdTech LoTemp Mini.
While the original creator made this project using sewing tools, I thought, for how quickly Halloween crept up on me this year, a faster version might be appealing. I cut long strips of Oly-Fun for the vertical portions of the web, and short strips for the horizontal portions, and fastened them down using AdTech Glitter Glue for some added zazzle.
The LoTemp was a good choice because if I’d used the HiTemp Mini, I think the glue might have melted the fabric and/or caused the front of the bag to stick to the back. I was really pleased with the result of this project for how little time it took.
#3: Spider Web Door Decoration
Original Creator: Twitchetts
How doable was this? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most doable, this project was a 9.
The biggest obstacle with this project was patience! Super cheap to make, since I gathered sticks from the woods and reused twine from an old project and a spider from the tote bag (above), the only real struggle was waiting for the hot glue to dry. I used the AdTech HiTemp Mini to fasten the sticks together, and then to adhere the twine to the branches in a way that wouldn’t allow them to come loose.
I think if I did this project again, I would use a thicker twine, and maybe use the LoTemp Mini so the glue would set a little faster.
#4: Blood-Stained Candle
Original Creator: Vicki O’Dell
How doable was this? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most doable, this project was a 10.
I’ll admit, the idea of waiting for a red candle to melt enough to drip on a white candle, all while I’d be holding the two candles and probably getting pretty hot myself, did not appeal to me.
So I took a shortcut on this project and used red AdTech Glitter Glue Sticks, melting them in my AdTech Precision Pro, and then applying the glue to the top and sides of the candle. Since the glue would melt again as soon as the candle was lit, I thought this was a perfect time-saver that also gave me control of where the “blood” drips would go.
And it worked! I love the way this came out. Pro tip: If you try the same glitter glue trick, try not to press the nose of the glue gun into the wax, as it will melt and dilute the red of the “blood.”
#5: Tin Can Jack-O’ Lantern
Original Creator: Emily Peckenham
How doable was this? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most doable, this project was a 9.5.
I learned in Emily’s original post that the trick to punching crisp holes in a tin can is to freeze the can first. That worked really well. I thought that painting the can a nice bright cream color might also make it decorative during the day… and while it does look great in daylight, the brightness of the white takes away from the glow when the sun goes down. If I were to do this one again, I would paint the can black, and hot glue some fall fabric around the top and bottom.
What do you think? We’d love to hear! Tag your own Pinterest tests over on Instagram, @adtech, and email alexis@adhesivetech.com if there’s a pin you’d like to see tested!