One of my favorite parts of my childhood Halloween experience was racing home from trick or treating to sort out all of the Halloween candy I received. I was obsessed with finding my favorites (Smarties were at the top of the list along with chocolate). And one of my favorite parts of Halloween now are the decorations we put up each year. I absolutely love how festive and creative we get each year.
My husband is quite the Halloween decor enthusiast. Each year he purchases foam pumpkins from the store and creates a new face. And in an effort to keep up with him, I try to get creative as well in the decor inside our home.
Gluten-Free and Allergen Free
This year I headed to Target to pick up some decorating supplies and candy to pass out. Since there are so many allergies and special diets these days, we went simple. Smarties all around! And I planned on decorating with Smarties as well.
Smarties are not only gluten-free, but they also contain no peanuts and are fat free! They’re the worry-free, one-size-fits-all candy this holiday and are the perfect choice for passing out. I was able to pick up a large bag of Smarties and another bag of Smarties and Dum-Dums mixed together. My daugther was absolutely elated to put these bags into the cart to take home.
Fun for All Ages
I always make sure to pick up some goodies for smaller children who aren’t able to eat candy so I grabbed a pack of Play-Doh as well. Once I had everything I needed to pass out to the kids, I grabbed some decorations to make our home festive.
Since we also needed a bucket for my daughter (she was a bit too young last year for a bucket), we picked up a classic pumpkin bucket to match her brother’s. My son’s bucket is personalized so I grabbed some scrapbooking alphabet stickers to personalize hers as well. It makes a simple bucket their own and I love the ease of it.
You can check out the rest of my shopping experience in my Smarties Google+ Album.
Fun and Festive Wreath
In an effort to tie in the fun of one of my favorite candies with the decor in my home, I decided to turn a Target $1 Spot foam wreath into a festive piece for my front door. Along with the pumpkins and spider webs in our front yard, our trick-or-treaters would also see this gorgeous wreath and know exactly what they’d be getting in their buckets.
To create my wreath I simply glued Smarties in their wrappers onto the wreath. By gluing them seam side down, the wreath can stay in tact for many years. Because the Smarties left gaps as I glued the first layer I decided to add a second layer. And even though it added a bit of weight to the wreath I absolutely loved the look it gave to the finished piece. I simply tied dome wire ribbon to the top and hung it on my door.
To find out how to make this wreath step by step, check out my Smarties Wreath DIY Tutorial here.
Sweet Treats
After creating our wreath, we wanted to celebrate by using our Smarties in a different way.With our Parish Festival coming up we were already planning on making some delicious goodies to sell in the Bake Shop to raise money for the church. We made some delicious Smarties Sugar Cookies that were absolutely delicious.
Instead of using the Smarties whole in our cookies I decided to crush them into a flour and use them in a family sugar cookie recipe. not only did they give great flavor to the sugar cookies, they were the perfect treat for Halloweentime. We packaged them in with a few whole Smarties in with the package to share our Smarties love.
You can check out my Smarties Sugar Cookies recipe here
If you’re looking for a great treat to pass out to the goblins and ghouls who come to your door this Halloween, pick up a large bag of Smarties and you’ll be set! And if you want to get a bit creative… see what you can make with Smarties this Halloween.
Make sure to head over to visit Smarties on Facebook and follow Smarties on Twitter to indulge in their sweet goodness.
What would you do with Smarties candy?
Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Smarties. All opinions are my own. #CBias #SocialFabric
That is one adorable wreath! The cookies look delicious too!
Oh my goodness! Your wreath is so cute! Great idea!
Love the wreath!
I love smarties – they’re always one of my favorites for the kids. Great job on the wreath! *pinned*!
I would pass them out for trick or treat.
I am loving the wreath you made and the cookies would be great for Halloween!
You are a smartie! The wreath and cookie recipe are so creative. I never would have thought to use smarties like that!
I love the wreath! Perfect for this time of year and also spring time!
I’m boring. I just eat them as is. They are my FAVORITE candy. I will be making these cookies now. So delicious looking.
I want to try these cookies!
I would totally try making those cookies!
I can’t wait to try the sugar cookies…that sounds like a great idea!
I would donate most of the Smarties to our Church, because they do a community outreach by giving out small bags of candy (along with a Scripture verse). We live in a rural community (pop. 600) and it is just one more way our Pastor tries to embrace the community. I’ll keep some of the Smarties for our family–because we love them! I’ll let my kids decide what they want to make. Thanks for the giveaway!
eat them :o) Smarties are a childhood favorite! I love the idea of Smarties sugar cookies!
I’d love to try a wreath!
Eat them, hand them out and create crafts!
free candy
i would make cookies with all my kids! have family fun day
I always like to have candy with me for the kids (parents) when we are at football or basketball games …would definitely take these with me
I’d save some for Christmas stocking stuffers. My dad loves Smarties so I know I’d share some with him.
I would dole them out to my children & their friends…and also include them in some holiday packaging to friends & family!
I think it would be fun to incorporate smarties candies into rice crispy treats, maybe ghost with smarties as the holes in there sheet or at Christmas use them on the tree shapes for ornaments, thanks my grandson adores this awesome candy & so do we too
sewitupjulie@gmail.com
We make gingerbread houses every year, and we would use the Smarties to decorate them!
since smarties are my son’s second fav candy (tooties rolls being this first) i’d give them to him.
Eat them! lol Not very creative I know.
I would take them to work with me.I work in a care center for the elderly and i would share them with residents
most of them would just get eaten. my boys have lots of food allergies, but since smarties are free of common allergens they are a staple here. I’d like to try the cookie recipe though.
I would try them in the cookies, that is a wonderful idea and I have to say I am curious!
I will EAT THEM! Just plain, although the cookies look fun! thanks for the ideas & the chance to WIN!
~Jaime R
ccff 41 at aol dot com
I would TRY to make that wreath myself! It’s adorable 🙂
I would use them to decorate cake pops