It’s almost Halloween, and I’m sharing the cutest little ghost that I packed in Zoë’s lunchbox last week. Because you gotta look boo-tiful, even if it’s spooky season, right?

Come take a bite of this Cute Ghost Bento!

Face-to-face school is finally back on, so that means I’m also back to packing lunches for Zoë. I missed making character bentos the past two years (hello, pandemic and online classes!), so I’ve been making more bentos for her lately. To get her into the spooky spirit, I made this hauntingly cute surprise in her Yumbox.

How I Made the Cute Ghost Rice:

Step 1: Shape the Rice

To start off, I scooped some cooked white rice and shaped it into a little ghost. I used cling wrap to prevent the rice from sticking to my fingers. Once the rice is inside the cling wrap, it’s pretty easy to mold and shape. Kind of like molding play dough, really.

Step 2: Add the Nori Details

I used nori (roasted seaweed) for the face details. Using my handy tiny scissors, I cut out the shapes one by one. This usually takes the longest, so a little patience is always needed. I then assembled everything on the rice, using bento tweezers or a craft knife.

Step 3: Add Blush and Hair Bow

To give the ghost rice a flushed and finished look, I added some blush by dabbing on some beetroot juice on the cheeks, then inserted a bow food pick on top of its head. The cutest!

Done and ready to assemble!

To complete the look, I gave the ghost some arms and a little Halloween banner food pick.

I packed the cute ghost rice on a bed of lettuce and a serving of Zoë’s favorite beef sukiyaki. For the sides I added steamed broccoli, “pumpkin” carrots (which I carved by hand), some grapes, and a couple of sour gummy worms.

Yum! What a spooktacular treat!

I made a quick Instagram Reel making this bento. Check it out here.

For more of my food art and bento creations, check out  #foodartbyannings on Instagram.

Flock this way and check out Zoë’s DIY Flamingo Costume.

After over two years of being stuck at home during the pandemic, this Halloween sure feels extra special for Zoë. Physical school is finally back on, which also means actual Halloween parties in person, yay! This time Zoë wanted something girly, cute, and fun. When she said she wanted pink, I knew it had to be a flamingo. It definitely fit the bill!

Quick and easy, this costume took me less than hour to make. Yup, easy peasy! There was no sewing involved, too!

Materials Used:

• Pink feather boas
• Elastic
• Black felt sheet
• Pink felt sheet
• White felt sheet
• Pink & white striped socks
• White T-shirt
• White shorts
• Scissors
• Fabric glue

To Make the Flamingo Costume:

Step 1: Make the Feather Tutu Skirt

Make the waistband by tying the ends of an elastic together. This is pretty straightforward, just make sure it fits snugly around the waist, and double the knot so it stays in place.

Cut a strip of feather boa twice the length of how long you want the tutu skirt to be. So if you want the skirt to be 14 inches from the waist, cut it around 28 inches. Fold the feather boa in half and loop it around the elastic. Repeat with as many half feather boa strips around the elastic until you are satisfied with the fluffiness. I used a total of 6 feather boas for ours since the boas I had were quite thin, but you can adjust depending on how fluffy you want yours.

Step 2: Make the Flamingo Head and Neck

Cut out the beak shape on black felt, then glue on the detail using pink felt. I used fabric glue, but you may also use hot glue. Make the eyes by cutting out a big circle using white felt, and a smaller one using black felt, then glue together. If you have big googly eyes on hand, you may use that instead.

To complete the head and neck, take another long strip of feather boa and glue one end to the beak. Finish it off by gluing the eye, and you’re done!

Step 3: Assemble

With everything done and ready, it’s time to assemble! Put on your white shirt and shorts underneath. Slip on the feather tutu skirt, then drape the flamingo head around your neck while tucking the other end under the skirt. You may leave it as is, or secure the head to shirt with a safety pin, double sided tape, or by adding velcro like what I did.

Finish off the look with pink & white striped socks, cute & comfy shoes, and voilà, you’re all ready to flamingle!

Zoë’s one happy flamingo, all ready to go trick or treating with her flock!

** Warning: This costume is the cutest, but be warned, the feathers shed like crazy!

Check out our other DIY costumes:

• Paper Doll
• Monstera Deliciosia
• Claw Machine
• Gumball Machine
• Cutie Cupcake

This year, we’re making it fashionable! Zoë wanted to look colorful, pretty, and fab, so we made sure to get her all dolled up in a DIY Paper Doll Costume.

Check it out!

This paper doll costume is inspired by Zoë’s very own paper doll creations.

Zoë loves making paper dolls. She draws, colors, and styles them up, then narrates stories of adventure with them. The ones pictured above are just a few that she’s made over the years. I figured it was time to finally turn her into one of her creations, so this year’s paper doll costume was definitely the right fit!

Honestly, I was convinced that Zoë was done with our yearly DIY costume tradition, so I had no plans of making anything. She was already set on just wearing a Disney Princess costume, but when her friends started talking about Halloween a few weeks ago, she finally put her DIY thinking cap on. You can bet I was happy that she changed her mind—I don’t think I’m ready to let go of our Halloween tradition just yet. Plus, I was really itching to get my hands crafting. 😀

Constructed using minimal materials (an old Ikea cardboard box, an old headband, ribbon, and paint), this paper doll costume is probably the easiest DIY I’ve made. I completed everything in less than two days. This four-piece ensemble was a pretty simple craft of drawing, cutting, and painting. All Zoë asked for was to use her favorite colors, add a heart on the shirt, and give her bright pink hair. Cute, colorful, and girly, just the way she wanted it!

We completed the look with white tights and black shoes. Très chic! All ready and dressed to kill!

Zoë definitely approves her DIY Paper Doll Costume. She loves it from head to toe! We adore it, too. We reckon she looks like an absolute doll!

Check out our other DIY costumes:

• Monstera Deliciosia
• Claw Machine
• Gumball Machine
• Cutie Cupcake

Fresh stickers added to my Written Wishes Sticker Pack for iMessage! Update to Version 1.1 to enjoy an additional 15 brush-lettered and hand-drawn phrases.

The latest Written Wishes update includes new greetings like cheer up, eat well, thank you, safe travels, and happy weekend. More fun ways to send wishes to your friends and loved ones! Available on the App Store for all iOS 10 users and above.

If you haven’t downloaded Written Wishes on your iPhone, simply click the button bellow, and start sending some fun expressions to your family and friends!

How to Use Written Wishes Stickers on iMessage:

• Once downloaded, tap the App Store icon in Messages.
• Tap the sticker that you want and send it straight into the message, or you can also drag and drop them on top of speech bubbles, photos or other stickers.

It’s that easy! Start having fun in your conversations, now!

You may also check out my other sticker packs for iMessage: Everyday Letters, Daily Doodles, Gulps & Noms and Easter Garden.

**Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Add some fun and color to your messages with Daily Doodles, my latest sticker pack for iMessage.

Express yourself with over 40 colorful doodle stickers! Featuring daily essentials like coffee, tea, plants, ice cream, and wine, as well as colorful gadgets like a camera, laptop, turntable, game controller, and so much more!

Daily Doodles is now available on the App Store for all iOS 10 users and above.

To download, simply click on the button bellow.

How to Use Daily Doodles Stickers on iMessage:

• Once downloaded, tap the App Store icon in Messages.
• Tap the sticker that you want and send it straight into the message, or you can also drag and drop them on top of speech bubbles, photos or other stickers.
• You can also scale and rotate stickers by using your second finger before dropping them into your messages.

It’s that easy! Start sending some fun to all your family and friends!

You may also check out my other sticker packs for iMessage: Everyday Letters, Easter Garden, Gulps & Noms, and Written Wishes.

**Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

I have my Free Printable Letter to Santa from four years ago still available for download, but this year, I decided to edit it a little.

Check out the new Free Printable Letter to Santa version 2! 

For this new version, aside from the usual listing of Christmas wishlists, I wanted to focus a little more on gratitude and appreciating what we already have. This year has been a little crazy, and I wanted Zoë to spend some time reflecting on the things in her life that she is thankful for. 

The letter is fairly simple to fill up. It asks for your child’s name and age, what they are grateful for, and has space for them to list down what they would like to receive under the tree. There’s also a portion for them to get creative, where they can draw their self portraits. And just like the first version, the new template is also printable on A4 or Letter size paper. 

Would you like your kids to get in on the Christmas spirit, too? Download the printable PDF version by clicking on the Download Now button below.

I would love to see what your little ones come up with. Drop me a line in the comments section, link back, or tag me on Instagram!

Enjoy!

TERMS OF USE: 

• This free Letter to Santa printable is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. Feel free to print it for your little ones or for your family. It may not be altered, sold or used commercially in any way.
• Please do not claim it as your work. Play nice! Link back to this page.

** Don’t forget to also check out my free printable Letter from Santa!

Check out Zoë’s DIY Monstera Deliciosa Costume!

Funny how it took a pandemic for me to finally get into the plant craze. Having no choice but to stay home has led me to this new hobby. Buying plants, learning about light and humidity levels, formulating the perfect soil mix, and getting to know each plant’s needs, has given me time away from all the worries of the world. I’ve been so into plants that it has rubbed onto Zoë, too. So much that she was all in when I pitched her the crazy idea of turning her into a plant for Halloween!

Materials for our DIY Monstera Deliciosa Costume was pretty simple: an old cardboard box, green felt, soft wire ties, and some green ribbon.

This costume was actually inspired by A Beautiful Mess’ DIY Houseplant Boxtume from two years ago, and I followed their step-by-step instruction to make the plant pot for our costume. They made a pretty detailed tutorial on how to construct the base from old cardboard, so I followed it and just made sure to measure it to fit Zoë’s body. I finished it off by painting the cardboard pot a terracotta orange.

For the leaves, I used cardstock to make the template. I drew the leaf pattern with slits by hand, cut it out, then traced the outline on green felt. The goal was to make a lush pot of monstera, so I traced and cut about two dozen felt leaves. Using an X-Acto knife, I also added tiny holes to several leaves to give them those famous monstera fenestrations. To complete their look, I glued soft wire ties to the back of each leaf using strips of felt and hot glue.

Once all the leaves were attached to their wire stems, I taped them one by one to the inner wall of the pot. The stems were flexible enough to be folded and bent, so I adjusted each leaf at different heights and pointed them to different directions. The result? A very lush-looking pot of monstera, indeed! Imagine how expensive this pot would be if it were a real monstera. Haha!

To make the costume easy to wear over the shoulders, I attached straps to the pot using 2 strips of ribbon. I just made sure to criss-cross the straps at the back, to prevent them from slipping off.

Zoë also requested for a monstera headband, so I made smaller monstera leaves using leftover felt, then attached them to a plain black headband using wire and hot glue.

Our little monstera! Zoë absolutely loved her DIY Monstera Deliciosa Costume! We started the month of October thinking that Halloween would be completely cancelled this year, but in the end, Zoë proudly wore her leaves for three virtual parties! We had a bootiful time, afterall.

Halloween may have been a little different this year, but I’m glad we were able to continue our DIY costume tradition.

Want to see our previous DIY costumes? Last year Zoë was a Claw Machine, three years ago she was a Gumball Machine, then before that she was a Cutie Cupcake.

My Everyday Letters Sticker Pack for iMessage is now packed with more fun phrases! Update to Version 1.2 to enjoy an additional twenty brush-lettered expressions.

With the latest Everyday Letters update, expressions like good vibes, stay safe, so good, awesome, and good night, can now be used to liven up your iMessage conversations. Available on the App Store for all iOS 10 users and above.

If you haven’t downloaded Everyday Letters on your iPhone, simply click the button bellow, and start sending some fun expressions to your family and friends!

How to Use Everyday Letters Stickers on iMessage:

• Once downloaded, tap the App Store icon in Messages.
• Tap the sticker that you want and send it straight into the message, or you can also drag and drop them on top of speech bubbles, photos or other stickers.

It’s that easy! Start having fun in your conversations, now!

You may also check out my other sticker packs for iMessage: Gulps & Noms and Easter Garden.

**Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Check out how me made this super easy Oreo Ice Cream with only four ingredients!

No Churn Oreo Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 250mL packs all purpose cream (chilled)
• 1 300mL can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 20-25 pcs Oreos

Instructions:

1. Chop the Oreos, crushing about half into a fine crumb, while leaving the rest into big chunks. Set aside.
2. In a big bowl, whip the chilled All Purpose Cream and vanilla extract using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
3. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and fold in carefully using a spatula. This recipe is on the sweet side, so add less sweetened condensed milk if you prefer.
4. Add in 3/4 of the crushed Oreos and stir to combine.
5. Pour into a freezer-safe container, then top with the rest of the Oreos. Cover with the container lid or plastic wrap.
6. Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
7. Scoop and enjoy!

That’s it! Super easy and no need for an ice cream machine! The actual prep and making of this recipe only took about 10 minutes. The hardest part was waiting for it to freeze, but the anticipation for that sweet and creamy scoop? Definitely worth it when you get giddy smiles from your little one as soon as you get to dig in.

Try this recipe and tag me on my instagram @annings, so I can see what you guys made.

This year, she wanted to be a claw machine. The truth? It was another project this DIY-loving momma took on with excitement.

Check out Zoë’s claw-some costume!

When we were conceptualizing and thinking of how to build the claw machine costume, our first concern was the size and weight of the final product. We didn’t want to make something too bulky or too heavy for Zoë to carry. Instead of using a regular-sized box, we used foam board and built the main box frame from scratch, making sure the size was just right for Zoe’s upper body. We made it small enough for her to be able to sit down comfortably on the floor.

Using foam board made it easier to cut out windows on three sides, as well as the prize compartment. We made sure to measure and cut out all the details before putting all sides together with some super glue and masking tape. With a generous coat of spray paint (red for the exterior, and silver for the interior), the main structure was done.

For the controls, we used random objects we could find at home. We glued on a small red box to the front, then added the button made from a white medicine bottle cap and a green plastic magnet. The joystick was made from a small red Christmas ball, glued to the cap of a gray Crayola marker. We secured it to the box with a square foam board piece, spray painted black. We then constructed the claw using foam board and string, spray-painted silver, then attached it to the roof of the claw machine.

For the finishing touches, we added some printed graphics and color changing mini LED light bulbs. The battery-operated plastic LED lights were an inexpensive find and definitely gave the whole costume more character.

Zo��’s favorite part? Choosing which stuffed toys to add to the costume!

To make lugging the costume around easier for Zoë, we added straps to the back panel and made it so she could wear and carry it like a backpack. She found the costume pretty easy to walk around in, and it wasn’t heavy, too.

Zoë loved her claw machine! She proudly wore it during her school’s costume day, and it was a huge hit with her schoolmates and friends! She even brought it along to two other Trick or Treat parties, and although she only put it on for a few minutes each time (she wanted to run around and play freely), she was so proud to show everyone her cool costume.