My coworker Sam’s last day of work was yesterday and he requested a Halloween themed goodbye party complete with Halloween crafts. I must have rubbed off on him over the past almost five years for him to request a craft party. I’m on it!

We ordered pizza (per celebrant’s request) and cake, and people brought extra snacks to share. I helped decorate mandarin oranges to look like jack-o-lanterns and created a platter with marshmallows, chocolates, and fruits.

For decor I brought out all the fun Halloween crafts I had been working on, including my Make & Play DIY samples, bat mobile, and decor from Halloweens past. We drew tombstones on the white board, too, with “It Was Nice Knowing You,” ” Creep it Real,” “See You Never,” and “Boy, bye.” We’re not bitter. 😉

We also brought back the famous Sam face masks (we used them at his wedding shower a few years ago). They were everyone’s pre-Halloween costume!

And for crafts: pumpkin decorating, Halloween embroidery, and sticker coloring.

Here are the how-tos!

Boy Bye Pumpkins

For the pumpkin decorating I wanted to keep it simple and not messy, so I brought markers and things to stick onto the pumpkin like washi tape, gems, and stickers. We used glue dots to stick items onto the pumpkins.

Many decorated with googly eyes. One coworker made Sam in pumpkin form. Anything goes with this craft!

Boo Hoo Embroidered Handkerchiefs

Materials:

• Embroidery hoops
• Fabric scraps
• Fabric markers
• Embroidery floss
• Sewing needles
• Scissors

My Mom found these finished fabric squares (I think they were meant to be handkerchiefs) at a yard sale. I snagged them from her and ended up indigo dyeing them. They were perfect for this craft! You can also embroider other finished items (clothing, tea towel, …) or use fabric scraps and keep them in the embroidery hoops as wall art.

Draw your design with fabric markers onto your fabric. Embroider! We used running stitch, backstitch, and satin stitch. Coworkers decided on ghosts, bats, pumpkins, and skulls. My coworker who embroidered the skull did it freehand! Skillz, much?

Happy Halloween! Hope you have a sweet, crafty, and spoopy celebration! Oh ya, and bye, Sam! It’s gonna be a real ghost town without you in the office. (See what I did there?)