EAT+SLEEP+MAKE: DIY Monster Pudding Jars (Halloween Craft)

Do you ever get random craft ideas that pop into your head at the strangest times? There will be times that I'm about to fall asleep or dropping my daughter off at school, and an idea will just come to me that I have to make. These monster pudding jars were one of those projects.

As I was zoned out running the other day, and all the sudden I got idea to transform baby food jars into monsters. I have no idea how the thought came to me, but I knew that these needed to happen. I texted my SIL, who by now is used to my random crafting sprees, and asked her to save any small baby food jars that she had. The next day, these cute little monster pudding jars were born.

With Halloween coming up, these cute little monster jars make great spooky snacks for kids. How fun would it be to slip one of these into your child's lunchbox for school?

SUPPLIES: small baby food jars, vanilla pudding, glue gun and glue, food coloring or icing coloring, spray paint, large googly eyes, individually wrapped Rollo candy, fabric scraps, scrap vinyl, medical tape, floral wire.

Preparing Your Jars:

ONE: first, take the tops off your baby food jars and clean out any food.
TWO: boil some water, then place the jars in a pan and fill with the hot water. Let sit for 5 minutes.
THREE: dump out the hot water and carefully peel your labels off.
FOUR: you can use nail polish remover or Goo Gone to remove any remaining glue.

Prepare Your Pudding:

ONE: prepare your pudding and let cool if needed. I like to use Wilton gel colors to get a richer color for my pudding, but you can use food coloring too.
TWO: place your pudding in separate bowls if you're making several colors. Use a toothpick to add a small amount of gel coloring to your pudding (it doesn't take much!)
THREE: mix until the coloring is fully incorporated.

Use your glue gun to glue 2 large googly eyes to the front of each of your jars, then take your lids outside and give them a good coat of spray paint. Fill each container with your desired shade of colored pudding.

Now, let's make some cute characters!

Frankenstein

ONE: use a cup to trace a circle out of a piece of black fabric.
TWO: to give Franky's hair a more jagged look, I used pinking shears to cut around the edges.
THREE: cut a long rectangle of vinyl or tape for Franky's eyebrow.
FOUR: before screwing on the lid, cut a small piece of saran wrap and place it on the jar, then put the fabric and lid on top. This will seal everything properly and keep it fresh.

FIVE: finally, hot glue 2 Rollos to either side of the lid for Franky's characteristic bolts.

Mummy

ONE: take a roll of medical tape and tear off a few pieces.
TWO: I cut each piece of tape in half because it was a little too thick. Wrap around your mummy until you're happy with the result.
THREE: add the spray painted lid, and you're done!

Pumpkin

ONE: construction of the pumpkin is similar to Frankenstein in that you'll need to cut a piece of circular fabric. I left mine without the pinked edges this time. Make sure to add a small piece of saran wrap before you put the fabric over the opening!

TWO: hot glue a Rollo candy to the top of the lid, then add a few coils of floral wire around the edges to look like vines.