DIY Trick-or-Treat Totes

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Overview

Trick-or-treating is a lot of fun, especially with a homemade candy container to light the way! This mummy container can be made quickly and the reflector eyes and a well-lit bottom help kids explore their neighborhood safely.

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Supplies

To make this DIY trick-or-treat tote you'll need an empty gallon paint can, a large white men's T-shirt, rotary blade, self-healing cutting mat, metal ruler, two self-adhesive red reflectors, two over-sized googly eyes, two small tubes of super glue, tap light with batteries and earthquake putty.

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Dissect the T-Shirt

Lay the T-shirt flat on a self-healing mat. Use the metal ruler and rotary cutter to remove the bottom hem of the shirt, cut 1.5 inch strips until you reach the sleeves of the shirt. This will leave you with a stack of t-shirt "tubes."

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Make the Mummy Bandages

Remove the sleeves, but keep them intact. Cut the rest of the shirt material into 1.5 inch strips.

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Bandage the Mummy

Slip one of the sleeves over the base of the metal paint can as the base for the mummy. This will give you a white base to work on. Use a few dabs of super glue to attach the fabric to the metal can. Be careful not to get the glue on your skin.

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Add Eyes

Remove the adhesive strips from the back of the red reflectors, and firmly press them in place on the front of your can, toward the top lip. The adhesive should be strong enough to keep them in place. These spooky red eyes will reflect light.

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Wrap the Mummy\’s Bandages

Use the stack of 1.5 inch bandage strips cut from the T-shirt, and begin gluing them down in horizontal, slightly diagonal directions. Be sure to overlap them to create a tattered look. Cover as much of the exposed metal as you can with the T-shirt bandages, including the outer parts of the red reflector eyes. This will make it look like the eyes are peering out from beneath the bandages, rather than just being stuck to the outside of a can.

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Finish the Eyes

For extra personality, use another couple of drops of super glue to secure large googly eyes to the red reflectors.

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Add a Light to the Base of the Can

Apply the earthquake putty in three generous lumps to the bottom of the battery-operated tap light.

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Head Out to Enjoy Halloween!

Firmly press the light to the bottom of the paint can. The materials used to decorate the can are so lightweight, that even when this trick-or-treat bucket begins to fill up, it will still be safe and comfortable for a child to hold.

Image Credit: megan Andersen