Keeping any outfit running under conditions like these is difficult. But for crafters like us, it’s been just as challenging. Nobody is immune. 

In this post, therefore, we take a look at some of the ways you can keep your business afloat until the good times return. Hopefully, it won’t be long. 

Rethink Your Product Line-up

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When you run a craft business, it’s all too easy to create the goods that you love to make. But every so often, it is worth casting a critical eye over your lineup and asking yourself whether it is really what your customers want.

Making something that people really want is notoriously hard. But once you hit on the right formula, you’ll find that your sales expand dramatically. There’s a massive market for craft goods, but they have to do the things that customers want them to do. 

Don’t Post Negative Comments About Customers

You might hate certain customers – that’s only natural in business. But posting about how much you dislike them on public forums online is a bad idea. And it can turn off other potential customers looking to buy from you. If you have to vent, do so in private with somebody you trust. And don’t mention any names. Keep it all anonymous. 

Be Kind To Yourself

Being kind to yourself is one of the most critical aspects of business. It’s how you transform your job from something you dread into something genuinely enjoyable. 

If you’ve been injured at work and it was somebody else’s fault, don’t just accept it, speak to a professional. Once you find an excellent personal injury law firm, you may be able to get compensation that could help you financially if you’re going through a challenging time. 

Be Open To Change

Just because something always worked in the past, doesn’t mean that it necessarily will in the future. A product line might succeed for a while. But then times change, and it’s no longer what consumers are looking for. 

If you’re passionate about your crafting career, direct your passion towards the growth of your business and providing what customers want. Don’t stick rigidly to another. Always be prepared to experiment. 

Build A Mailing List

Customers who’ve bought from you before are the most likely to want to buy from you again. However, you’ll sometimes need to remind them that you exist. 

The best way to do this is to capture their emails whenever you make a sale and then send them marketing emails on your latest offers. Try to keep your correspondence interesting so they’ll always want to open your mail. 

Don’t Compete On Price

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Lastly, try to avoid price competition. Instead, look for ways that you can make your products utterly unique, like nothing else on the market, so that you can charge a premium.

While it is difficult to get anything done in such an environment, it is not entirely impossible. In fact, you can use these three creative ways to stay productive when working from home.

Design a Workspace

No matter the size of your home, a carefully designed workplace always fosters a productive working environment. Apart from having a desk and a chair, this space should include other useful features like the ones Scenario Architecture installs in a home.

Incorporate the following for a better workspace design.

Prioritize Location

Considering you’ll spend a large chunk of your time there, the ideal office location should be:

• Clean
• Bright (allow enough light)
• Peaceful

Opt for a location with fewer distractions and one that you can lock yourself in and focus on vital tasks.

Ensure Space

If you aspire to be your own boss one day, having enough space is necessary for better productivity. The location should have a suitable room for your chair, desk, and a few other items that make the perfect office look.

Accessorize

Art, furniture, and other décor should occupy your space to break the room’s visual monotony and make it more appealing. Be careful not to include too many colors that may ruin the entire look.

Have a Routine Schedule

The mind subconsciously aligns with your daily habits. If you stay in your socks and pajamas all day, don’t expect your day to be productive!

Instead, embrace the same routines as you would when on official duty. Wake up early and do your typical mantra (meditation or prayer, walking, or running), brush your teeth, eat at mealtimes, and dress appropriately.

After such activities, your mind adopts a serious perspective of working and remains productive during the day. A suitable routine should always include breaks as essential for overall productivity. 

Set Boundaries

Discipline is vital to your goal of remaining productive while working from home. Setting boundaries is one way of maintaining a strict approach when working.

If you are a parent, it is challenging to get anything done when your kids are around. The constant shouting, nagging, and even jokes are always hard to ignore.

Setting boundaries for your child, neighbor, or any other distractions helps keep you focused and productive. Communicate that working hours are serious periods that require your utmost focus.

Work in Short Bursts

When working from home, it isn’t easy to focus for long hours. Such situations are often not ideal, as they demotivate you.

Divide your working hours into short bursts of energy, and you’ll realize you will get more done this way. For example, instead of working six hours straight, break up the monotony of this workload by dividing it into three-two-hour power shifts.

Though it may feel challenging to work from home, know that it’s possible! You can achieve your life goals and meet work deadlines while in the comfort of your house. All you need is to design a workspace, have routine, set boundaries, and work in short bursts.

Register your business

Even if your handmade business is small, you should still register your business as an official entity. This will protect you in the future. It’s easy to register online. Your business name, logo, and all branding need to be registered as well. Set up a website for your craft business and buy the domain name. You can then start to promote your unique brand and develop more of an online presence. 

Patent your designs

One of the important tips for creative entrepreneursis often to patent your designs. This way no one else can copy your ideas. If you’re selling a particularly unique piece of craft this is especially important. This will protect the appearance, physical shape, configuration, and decoration of the design. Depending on the state you can apply for a patent or simply register your designs online. Either way, you will be the only person with the legal rights to use them.

Protect your photos

Your photos, particularly those of products, also need protection. Otherwise, they could be stolen or misused. One way to do this is by adding your logo or signature. You could even use tools to add a watermark or copyright details to the metadata. If this sounds a little complicated to you, here is a complete guide to protecting your photos online.

Keep trade secrets

Any trade secrets relating to your business need to stay that way. Beware of who you disclose sensitive information to. If you have employees you can ask them to sign a non-disclosure agreement. This means your unique designs, materials, and methods won’t leave your workshop. Trade secrets are essentially a part of your intellectual property and should be actively protected. They usually relate to what gives your handmade business a competitive edge and may be valuable to your rivals. 

Test your ideas

When applying for a patent, for example, or registering your designs, you can test to see if they’re unique. You can also test your logo, branding, and slogan on various websites for originality. This is important, otherwise, you could be accused of infringement on copyright yourself. In this case, a criminal defense attorney will be able to help you. It’s advisable to speak to a lawyer for advice on protecting your business regardless. They will have plenty of experience in dealing with new companies and will help you safeguard all your assets. In a few quick steps, you can protect your handmade craft.

Keep A Schedule or Routine In Place

Firstly, keeping a schedule or routine in place is going to help ensure that you get all the work done that needs to be done. And as a creative person, having dedicated time to sew, paint, write, or practice your specific medium may be helpful. When you’re working from home, remotely or in a shared working space, there’s no one around you to tell you what your working hours should be. Some jobs are going to be more flexible when it comes to work or creative hours than others and so it’s all about finding what works best for you and the work that needs doing. When you work for yourself, setting a schedule or routine for the day is crucial, otherwise, you risk things not getting done and that can be impactful on your reputation with customers and can dictate how much money you’re going to earn throughout the month.

Give Yourself Regular Breaks

It’s really important that you give yourself regular breaks when you’re working on your own. Without regular breaks, it can lead to exhaustion and it can also stop the motivation that you need to get the work done. No one can work with the same drive and pace for several hours per day and so just getting up and making a cup of coffee or going for a walk outside can make all the difference when you’re trying to stay motivated. The same is true for self-employed creative business owners! Take a break from looking at your creative work, get out in nature or shift gears to something else.

When it comes to regular breaks, some productivity specialists say you should try to have them at the same point every day, rather than mixing it up as this might disrupt your workflow and ability to get back into the groove of working.

Set Up A Proper Office Space

A proper office space is critical if you’re working as your own boss and from home. The home environment is a lot more distracting than a typical office environment with other people working too. You want to make sure that you’ve set up properly and that you have everything you need to work or create efficiently. Otherwise, if you’re working from your sofa or bed, it blurs the lines between what is your home space and what your work space is. For some creatives, this may not seem to make much of a difference (you could draw while sitting on the floor or your bed), but try it out and see if it does affect your work and productivity.

Save Your Money

Saving money is definitely important and something you want to be active in doing this when you’re self-employed and working for yourself. If you don’t, then you’re likely to cause yourself a lot of added stress if you have some weeks or months that aren’t big money earners. You want to ensure you have a savings fund for those rainy days when you need it most.

The challenge of working as your own boss is something that not everyone succeeds in but it’s definitely something you can thrive at. Creative business owners, you’ve got this! So, you can use these tips to make sure you get the most out of working as your own boss.

A couple months after sending our little guy off to kindergarten, my husband and I knew that something was wrong.

We’d noticed it off and on for the greater part of 2019, but were never quite sure if our eyes were playing tricks on us. Often when we’d be talking to our son he’d start to respond, and then his eyes would stare off into space for a few seconds. We’d call his name with no response. When he came back around, usually 2 to 5 seconds later, he wondered why we were looking at him so funny.

I Googled this phenomenon, and came up with a concerning possibility. He could have a disorder called Childhood Absence Epilepsy (CAE). Kids with “absence seizures” have frequent, short-term blank-outs where they are unaware of what is happening around them. For our son, it often happened when he was concentrating, like playing a board game. We noticed that tiredness was often a trigger. Some days we didn’t notice any. It didn’t seem to affect his day-to-day life, and some days we didn’t notice any episodes. Other days, it would happen a dozen times a day, only for a few seconds at a time.

But we were terrified to get him tested, because an official diagnosis would feel like a punch to the gut.

Deep down, we didn’t want it to be true. We didn’t want to take away his innocence. We didn’t want to put him through a sleep-deprived brain test with wires glued to his head. After all, that meant we’d have to tell him what was going on. It hurt us to put that burden on our little boy, to make him think anything was wrong. We didn’t want to go through it unless we absolutely had to, so we waited.

Then one day, my husband was sitting on the couch with our son when one of the absence seizures occurred, and it was clear as day.

“Hey daddy, guess what?”

“What?” my husband asked.

Then our son’s eyes rolled back, and he said nothing.

Our task was clear. We scheduled the EEG, and a we were able to get into Riley Pediatric Neurology within weeks.

“Make sure he only sleeps 4 hours the night before the EEG.”

I scoured message boards for advice on how other parents handled this task. While Matt went to bed early, our then 5-year-old and I had a massive “stay up” party in the living room, complete with dance music, movies, a painting station, sticky ninjas, glow-in-the-dark balloons. It was actually a riot! A bit of joy in the midst of something so strange. At 2am, he said, “Mommy, I want to go to bed.” So I tucked him in, and dutifully set my alarm for 6am. When the alarm went off, I climbed in his bed and suggested we finish watching a movie on my laptop while we waited for the 9am appointment.

As we walked into Riley, we were deeply aware of the situations around us. We were going in for a scary test. But many families inside those doors faced situations much scarier and more life-shattering, like the possibility of losing their child to cancer. Waiting for a donor. We ourselves were on edge, but tried to be the solid rock for our son, keeping a positive attitude and breathing deep, so nonchalant about this whole brain test.

During the test, our son had colorful wires glued to his scalp. Then the nurse wrapped the wires in white gauze, and instructed him to answer questions while trying to sleep in the darkened room. She said things like, “Seven…. purple…. cow….” Then she’d write down notes, while the computer screens showed brain patterns. We didn’t know what any of it meant. As we left the room, the nurse pulled my husband aside and said, “I’m not allowed to tell you anything, but make sure you don’t leave him alone in the bathtub.”

The diagnosis came quickly. Within the week, we had a new prescription and a new identity: parents of a child with epilepsy.

As we’d come to learn, Childhood Absence Epilepsy is a little different than other conditions, in that there’s a good chance kids can grow out of it. They can go on medication to control the seizures, then get tested a few years down the road and find that they are able to wean off the meds. 

October 2020 marked one year of managing our son’s absence seizures. We have been very fortunate that the first medicine we tried worked. The seizures disappeared. He doesn’t like taking the medication, and hates that he has to eat something before slurping down the red liquid. Every fourth day or so, there’s a moment of distress where he admits total frustration over having to take it. But if that’s our current battle, we’ll take it.

In my research of absence seizures, I reached out to a quilting friend whose daughter also had this same test and diagnosis. Even the same medication. It was life-changing to have a friend to walk through this with me.

In fact, a few months after his diagnosis, I was teaching preschool when another teacher came to me and explained that her nephew was getting tested for the same condition. She was scared, and I told her everything I knew. I felt like our family had already walked that scary plank, and it was all I wanted to do to console someone else facing that same set of unknowns.

So, about this quilt….

It has 4 dark purple hearts, symbolizing the 1 in 26 people who will live with epilepsy in their lifetime. Epilepsy affects children and adults of all ages, races, and ethnic groups. It is the fourth most common neurological disease. (source: Epilepsy Foundation)

It has 21 light purple hearts, which stand for the 1 in 4 children who will live with some type of neurological condition, including autism, seizures, strokes, and more. (source: Child Neurology Foundation)

It has 74 green hearts. They are assorted colors, because no two lives are the same, and even without the struggle of a brain condition, we all have our individual struggles in this life. Racism. Poverty. Abuse. Privilege. None of us has the perfect life, even if social media makes it appear this way. I wanted to honor the fact that every person has a story, and I am telling my own. It is not the best or the worst. It is just mine.

I used straight-line quilting and variety of thread colors to give it lots of texture. I have never quilted so heavily with straight lines, but it felt important and therapeutic to stitch my way through those individual hearts.

The hearts have rough edges. Each heart is made with raw-edge fusible applique to a white background. I originally planned to make another with turned edge applique, but I have found a beauty in the raw edges and their slight unraveling. It rings true to me in telling this part of our story.

Before making this quilt, I personally knew a handful of other children affected by seizures. As I shared my story with the people in my community, I learned of a few more. (“My grandson… My neighbor’s nephew… Me, when I was younger… My niece…”)

You may also know someone who is living with epilepsy.

Epilepsy can affect anyone with a brain.

Seizures can strike at any time, without warning or reason.

Additionally, one-third of people living with epilepsy have seizures that cannot be controlled with current treatments.

The uncertainty of when and where the next seizure may occur has a dramatic impact on the lives of all people living with epilepsy and on their loved ones.

I’m working on a pattern to share my process for making this quilt, which I look forward to sharing in the next few weeks! Thank you for hearing my story, and I’d love to be a resource, an open book, for anyone who is about to walk this road.

When kids are super young, they have all kinds of hobbies. They see something they like and immediately, impulsively rush to it. It’s at this stage that their brains are developing and they begin to understand the kinds of things they like. They’ll by no means pursue passions, but their minds will learn what makes them happy and what makes them bored. When it comes to creativity and crafts, kids tend to really get a kick out of these kinds of hobbies. 

If you feel as though your child has a real gift or can really do good things in terms of arts and crafts, then you might want to encourage them to continue. This might also be a hobby that keeps them calm and tranquil instead of rowdy and uncontrollable! Even for crafting newbies, it can be a really rewarding and valuable way to spend time. So, if you’re hoping to get your kids into more creative crafts, then here are a few ways you can do it: 

Have Everything You Need For A Wonderfully Creative Time

If you have very few items to work with, then convincing them to join you might be quite difficult. When there’s very little in terms of visual stimulation, a child can be bored of an idea. If you have lots of different supplies to play around with, then they’ll enjoy themselves a lot more. So, whether you need millinery supplies for hat-making or random pieces for smaller arts and crafts, make sure you have more than to whet their appetite(s).

Show Them Some Of The Things You’ve Done In The Past  

Your kids will look up to you and want to be like you, so if you show off some of the stuff you’ve done, then they might want to get involved. If they feel as though they can replicate you, then they might be more inclined to participate. 

Let Them Watch Exciting Content Online  

If you can’t do it yourself, then perhaps professionals might be able to help you out. There will always be amazing people out there with bags of creativity, so why not hop onto YouTube and let them watch some of the coolest art channels? It could really inspire them and get them in the mood for some work. 

Allow Them To Be As Creative As They’d Like  

If you tell kids what they can and cannot do in life, then they’ll be disciplined. They’ll likely go into their shell a lot of the time, though. When it comes to things like painting, drawing, and many other arts/crafts, you should let them have the freedom to do what they feel. Let them put what’s going on in their head down onto a canvas. If you allow them to do what they want here, then they’ll be a lot more excited when it comes to this kind of hobby/passion. You’ll know this from being a child – if you’re constantly given strict cues and instructions, it makes it less fun as you feel somewhat shackled. 

In this blog you will find three common DIY and craft injuries to watch out for, and what to do if you do become injured while running your business. Let’s get started!

1. Cuts or other skin injuries

DIY and crafts often involve handling equipment such as scissors, knives, hammers or staplers. If you slip while using these items, or you use them incorrectly by accident, you can cut or slice open your skin, causing bleeding. While some of these injuries are pretty mild and can be fixed with a band aid, others might require stitches at the hospital.

To avoid this, it is advisable to wear protective gloves while using this equipment, or to build your confidence by working slowly to begin with.

2. Back ache

Back ache is a highly common workplace injury, due to the fact that as humans, we simply aren’t evolved to sit down, hunched over our work, for multiple hours per day. For those who run craft businesses involving working with fiddly projects on a desk, back ache is a very common problem.

To combat back ache, ensure that you get out of your chair every hour and stretch. Some creatives find that taking up yoga or pilates is helpful to avoid back ache and posture hunching.

3. Slipping and falling

If your business involves climbing ladders, perhaps to paint large murals or wall paintings, you will already know that slipping and falling is a common, and often serious, way to get injured while working on your projects. To ensure you are staying safe while creating your work, make sure to wear shoes with good grip on the soles, as well as having others help you if you are climbing ladders or other high-up equipment.

Documenting your injuries & next steps

As soon as you possibly can, it is very important that you document your injuries. This is so important because in order to claim from an insurance policy, you will need as much proof as possible that your injuries were as severe as you claim. 

If you have trouble claiming your insurance, you might need to hire a lawyer to represent you. From many firms, you can get a free case evaluation from a personal injury attorney who will break down the details of your case and provide you with an overview of your chances of success. 

Final Thoughts

If any of these injuries do occur while you are working in your creative field, don’t panic. Use this step by step guide to ensure you are taking the right steps after the injury.

We’ve just turned back our clocks for Daylight Savings Time, but I already have Christmas on the brain . . .

This finished quilt was made with my new Winter Woods quilt pattern! If you’d like to purchase the pattern, use the discount code WINTERWOODS at checkout for 20% off all PDF patterns in my shop through October 31, 2020!

For the trees, I chose prints in red, teal, and grey/black. Choosing the tree fabric was my favorite part of designing this quilt. The pattern includes directions for a quilt two sizes, with two types of tree blocks and printable templates with easy assembly instructions.

Want to see it in totally different colors? You can see my first Winter Woods quilt here.

I used Kona Essen Linen in Black for the background. If you look closely, you’ll notice that my sashing rows are slightly darker than the tree rows, because this fabric came from a different batch. I don’t mind the striped effect, but I am glad I noticed it while I was sewing so I could keep it contained to just the middle rows.

While I was taking photos, my son jumped on top to get in my way. This happens quite often!

Although this is the “crib size” quilt, it’s actually a nice size for snuggling with just one person. (These are my legs underneath.) The larger lap quilt is great for snuggling with two people.

For the background, I pieced together some Riley Blake Designs fabrics: a black gingham, and winter trees. The binding is Domino Dot in black by Violet Craft. I love these fabrics together and am kicking myself that I didn’t buy more.

I finished my piecing, quilting, and binding by machine using the Baby Lock Destiny II. If you are planning to make a holiday quilt this year, have you already decided on a pattern? Joined any great quilt alongs?

I hope you enjoy the Winter Woods quilt! Remember, the WINTERWOODS discount code for 20% off is good through October 31,
2020 at midnight.

Who is ready for gift giving? This month, I’m sharing a tutorial for how to sew this elegant gift bag from kraft-tex! This heavyweight present bag can be used over and over again. It would even make a nice mini tote.

The snowflake applique makes it a great holiday tote, but you can customize it with your own design or leave it plain and attach a cute hanging gift tag.

Want to make your own?

Materials:

– 1 roll Blue Iris kraft-tex

– 1 piece 8 1/2″ x 11″ and two strips 1 1/2″ x 11″ Linen kraft-tex 

– white glue

– sewing machine and thread

– rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat

– glitter glue (optional)

– paper scissors

1. From the Blue Iris kraft-tex, cut two squares 14″ x 14″. From one piece, cut and remove a 3″ x 3″ square from the left bottom and right bottom corners. Repeat with the other piece.

2. Stack the two pieces on top of each other so the cutouts are aligned. Stitch together 3/8″ from raw edge across the left side, bottom, and right sides, making sure to backstitch at each end. Sew a second seam 1/4″ from each raw edge to reinforce.

3. Open the kraft-tex and fan out the cut-away corners as shown below. Align the seams and clip into place. Stitch across the seam you just clipped, 3/8″ from edge. Reinforce with another line of stitches 1/4″ from seam.

4. Turn the bag right side out, making sure to poke out the corners.

5. Fold down the top of the bag about 1″ toward the center to make a nice rounded top edge. Clip in several places and measure the bag from top to bottom on each side to make sure it is the same height all around. Topstitch around the perimeter, 1/8″ from the edge.

5. Use the 8 1/2″ by 11″ sheet of kraft-tex and send it through your printer. That’s right! Send it right through. Print a snowflake design onto the kraft-tex. I downloaded a free design from Suncatcher Studio and printed it at 50% scale. (Note: depending on your printer, you may be able to use a slightly smaller piece of kraft-tex, as I did.)

6. Cut out the snowflake from the kraft-tex with paper scissors and add glitter glue to one side if desired.

6. Use white glue to attach the snowflake to one side of the bag. To make sure it dries flat, you can lay the bag down flat and place a heavy book and several dinner plates on top.

7. To sew the handles, take the 1 1/2″ x 11″ strips and fold one edge over 1/2″. Fold the other edge over top of that, making it three layers thick. Stitch a single line of thread down the center of each strap to hold the folds in place. Work the handles, bending them between your fingers to make them more flexible like leather.

8. Place each strap’s raw edge inside the top of the bag, about 2″ from the left and right sides. (Adjust the strap length as desired by lowering more of the strap ends.) Clip in place. Stitch over top of each strap end in a straight line, sewing right along the previously sewn topstitching line.

And there you have it! You can add a bit of white glue to reinforce the straps inside the bag. Just clip in place while they are drying.

This bag is super sturdy and measures 10″ tall x 8″ wide x 6″ deep when finished. It could easily hold a stack of CDs (who gives these any more?), a couple t-shirts, jewelry, a big candle . . . or many other things!

Best of all, when you are done gifting it, the bag can be reused again by the recipient. This is a bag that will stay in the family Christmas swaps for years a years without losing its luster!

Want some more ideas for using kraft-tex in accessories, bags, and home decor? You can check out my book kraft-tex Creations: Sew 18 Projects with Vegan Leather; Print, Stitch, Paint & Design (Stash Books).

kraft-tex Color of the Month 2020

I’m looking forward to sharing more kraft-tex project ideas each
month of 2020 as a #krafttexambassador ! Each month I’ll share a
different kraft-tex project in the color of the month (hint: think birthstones). Here are my past projects.

September: AirPods case with kraft-tex
August: kraft-tex Journal Necklace and Fringe Necklace
July: kraft-tex Boxy Zipper Bag
June: kraft-tex Woven Basket
May: kraft-tex Succulent Plant
April: kraft-tex Pillow Boxes for Gift Wrap
March: kraft-tex Flat Zipper Pouch Tutorial
February: kraft-tex Wallet
January: Wide Zipper Pouch

To shop all of the colors of kraft-tex and get more project ideas, visit CTPub.com and search kraft-tex.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

Well, it happened. Our city has officially discouraged families from going door to door and trick-or-treating this year, due to the pandemic. 

Funny enough, our son hasn’t mentioned one thing about dressing up or trick-or-treating, so having a “Halloween at home” will be a pretty easy sell! Some friends of ours are doing a pinata in the backyard, and a local church is doing a “drive-through” Trunk or Treat where the kids never have to get out of the car, but they see a lot of decorated cars and get a bag of candy at the end.

We’ve already spent a few afternoons making Halloween crafts to decorate the house with. Last night, we decorated monster cookies, and it was super fun! We even put some extra cookies “blanks” in the freezer so we can pull them out on Halloween and do the activity again. 

 Want to give it a try?

What You’ll Need: 

– Cookies! We baked sugar cookies and chocolate chip. Want an
easier time? Why not decorate store-bought cookies or even graham
crackers?

– Eyeball sprinkles

– Funfetti Halloween icing  

– Assorted decorations, like this bag of mixed Halloween candy. (We cut up Twizzlers and Hershey miniature bars, used chocolate chips, etc. Mini marshmallows would also be great here.)

– Plastic sandwich bags

– Small containers (or icing lids) to sort sprinkles

1. First, you’ll want to prepare a work space. I used the lids of the Funfetti icing and other small plastic containers to store the sprinkles that come with them. After the cookies have cooled, place them onto a clean cookie sheet or plate for decorating.

2. Next, you’ll want to prepare the frosting bags! To make it easier to add the icing, I spooned it into a plastic sandwich bag and then used scissors to snip off one corner. The hole should be an opening of 1/4″ to 1/2″ for the best results. Seal the bag, and use your fingers to gently push the icing toward the opened corner. You can squirt it directly onto the cookies and start decorating, or keep a butter knife nearby to smooth things over.

3. Next, go wild with decorations! We had fun piling up the icing super tall and putting candy everywhere. You can use cut up Twizzlers for mouth or antennae, use as many eyeball sprinkles as you want, and find interesting ways to add chocolate chips and candy sprinkles.

There you have it! Having just two colors of frosting and a few different types of decorations really leads to a lot of possibilities. We thought the orange and green icing made a perfect pumpkin cookie!

Are you planning a Halloween at home this year due to COVID-19? What kinds of fun activities have you come up with?