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Halloween Party Treat Bags & Free Cut File

Flashback! Lauren and family on Halloween...the early days.
The whole fam damily, Halloween circa 1988

I’ve never been a huge fan of the sinister side of Halloween.  And I blame it all on October 31, 1990.

Although we had just moved in to our new house earlier that day, my sister and I begged our parents to take us out trick-or-treating.  Despite his utter exhaustion, my Dad conceded, and as we roamed our new neighborhood collecting candy in our plastic pumpkins, I noticed that our new neighbors took Halloween to a whole new level.

The decorations spilled off of front porches all the way to the hedges; some houses even blared scary sound effects like footsteps and screams on loudspeakers; and in order to get candy from one house in particular, you had to make it past masked zombies roaming the yard.  Adult-sized zombies.

The roaming zombies weren’t quite my cup-o-cider, so I decided to play it safe and wait on the sidewalk while my Dad walked my brave little sister up to the door.  Well, one of those masked zombies must have seen me standing there alone and decided to traumatize a little seven-year-old for life because he actually left the yard in order to come after me on the sidewalk.  Only when he heard me yelp in fear, did he turn back.

Yeah, not cool, zombie-man.  Not cool.

But, the candy?  The pumpkin carving?  The apple bobbing?  The excuse to dress up in costume?  I love it.  I mean, come on, I’m a theatre nut.  This is what I live for!

In fact, I love it so much that Mark and I are hosting a costume party this weekend.  And I’m rather giddy about it!

Party Prep

Here’s what I’ve done so far to prepare:

  • Sent out the Evites to some of our friends from church.  So far, 13 are planning to attend.  I think that counts as critical mass for a rockin’ partay, don’t you?
  • Purchased supplies for party decor {check out our Glitter Glam Pumpkins HERE}.
  • Planned our punny Halloween costumes {check ’em out HERE}.
  • Created some props for our photo booth {check that out HERE}.
  • Created treat bags to send home with our party guests!  Want to see them?  Right here, right now?  Okey dokey, here they are:

Halloween Party Treat Bags - - Tutorial on How to Create Custom Labels. Free Cut File included! via thinkingcloset.com

I figure, you’re never too old for treat bags, right?  And I was eager to create some fancy dancy labels using Silhouette’s Printable Silver Foil that I had the opportunity to try out.

Here’s the run-down of how I made these bad boys-n-girls.  {Please DO try this at home.}

Halloween Treat Bag Tutorial

Step 1.  Create your design.  So, I designed two different labels in my Designer Edition of Silhouette Studio.  The first one, “Sweets for the Sweet,” is actually a nod to my-buddy-my-pal, William Shakespeare.  {Bonus points for anyone who knows the play from which that quote was pulled.}  I used one of the fonts from our DIY wedding invitations, Birmingham, as well as Harrington.

Sweets for the Sweet! Halloween Treat Bag Label by thinkingcloset.com

Of course, I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a pun, so my second label reads, “It has been a treat!”  You might recognize the first font from the headings on this here blog!  It’s called Springtime, and I heart its handwritten quality.  The second font is called KG Hard Candy Solid.  The frames in both designs come from one of my favorite free font finds and another one by Kimberly Geswein, KG Flavor and Frames.  And the artwork in each were edited by yours truly from free clip art files.

"It has been a treat!" Punny Halloween Treat Bag Label by thinkingcloset.com

Free Cut File

I’d love to share these labels with you, my dear readers, fo’ free! You can sign up to download your free cut file using the nifty form below or by clicking HERE. {Fine print: this design is for personal use only and is not to be used for commercial purposes. Thanks!} 

Halloween Treat Bag Labels - Free Cut File for Silhouette Studio via thinkingcloset.com

Step 2.  Print your design.  I’ve had my Silhouette Cameo since December of last year, and I’m ashamed to say this was my first attempt at the print-and-cut feature.  What was I waiting for?!  It’s awesome!  In truth, I think I had a misconception that it was super complicated.  But it’s so not.  There are just a few important steps to remember.

Before you print your design on your Printable Silver Foil or label paper, make sure that you’ve identified your paper as letter-sized (that’s in the Page Tools window).  Then, in the Registration Marks window, click “Show Reg Marks.”  Lastly, make sure your designs are inside those registration marks.  The registration marks ensure your machine knows where your images are; that way, it can cut exactly where you want it to.

Show Registration Marks in Silhouette Studio for print-and-cut designs.

Okay, so when I pulled the Printable Silver Foil out of its package, I was skeptical that any ink would stick to it being a shiny, metallic surface and all…

Silhouette brand Printable Silver Foil...perfect for making custom labels! via thinkingcloset.com

Silhouette brand Printable Silver Foil...perfect for making custom labels! via thinkingcloset.com

But I decided it was worth a shot, and loaded it up, making sure to feed the Silver Foil into the printer so that it printed on the proper side.

Well, any skepticism I had immediately vanished when I pulled the printed foil page out.  I was super impressed with the printing quality, especially considering we just have a standard Epson laser printer.  The lines were crisp and colors ultra bright!  And when I ran my finger across it: no smear-age.

It was a challenge to capture the quality of the printing in photos, but I did my best!  Hopefully this gives you a sense for how well it turned out:

Impressive quality printing on Silhouette Silver Foil via thinkingcloset.com

Not bad, eh?

Step 3.  Cut your design.  Okay, so here’s a really important step in the cutting process.  Before cutting your labels, you need to tell your Silhouette which lines to cut and which to ignore.  So, open up the Cut Style window (the little scissors), and select “No Cut” to all shapes except what you want cut with your machine’s blade.  I selected “No Cut” on everything except the outer edge of the frame.  What is in bright red is what your machine will cut.

Designating cut lines in Silhouette Studio for print-and-cut designs.

Next, I placed my printed silver foil on a brand new cutting mat (it wasn’t sticking too well to my old one) and loaded my mat into my machine.  (A mat is required for this media.)  Then, in the Media Settings, I selected “Printable Silver Foil” and adjusted the blade to the recommended setting of 5.

Media settings for Printable Silver Foil in Silhouette Studio Software.

Then, I clicked “cut” and watched my machine read the registration marks (a first!) to orient itself to the design, and then it began to cut.  It was as precise as usual, cutting a perfect margin around all of my Treat Bag Labels.  Not a one was off kilter.

Silhouette hard at work, cutting my Halloween Party Treat Bag labels! via thinkingcloset.com

Impeccably cut labels on Silhouette Printable Foil via thinkingcloset.com

The only snafu I ran into is that after I had unloaded my old mat in order and replaced it with a newer, stickier one, my Cameo assumed it had already read the registration marks and went rogue, cutting where it shouldn’t.  I caught it early on, so that I didn’t ruin an entire sheet of labels, but I learned that anytime you unload or re-load your mat, you should reset the registration marks (your machine won’t automatically re-read them every time).  To do that, just uncheck and recheck the “Show Reg Marks” box.  Problem solved!

Step 4.  Prepare your treat bags.  I decided to use some good-old-fashioned brown paper bags for our treat bags (for nostalgia’s sake), but if you’re looking for the clear kind with some cute Halloween themed designs, I saw some at Dollar Tree.  I filled the bags with an assortment of mini chocolate bars, Skittles, candy bracelets, and candy corn…trying to put more in the bags than in my mouth.

Supplies for stocking my Halloween Party Treat Bags via thinkingcloset.com

Candy Corn sachets using the corner of zip-lock bags!
Candy Corn sachets using the corner of zip-lock bags!

{P.S. If candy corn actually boasted the nutrients of its second name, that’s all I would eat.  ‘Nuff said.}

Then, once my bags were filled, I folded over the tops, chopping off about 2″ inches with my zig-zag scrapbook scissors.  I tied on some paper baker’s twine (affiliate link) before adding the finishing touch of a custom silver foil label, and voila:

Halloween Party Treat Bags with Custom Silver Foil Labels via thinkingcloset.com

Halloween Party Treat Bags are complete!  Brown paper packages tied up with string…and sealed with some bling!

Halloween Party Treat Bags with Custom Silver Foil Labels via thinkingcloset.com

Halloween Party Treat Bags & Free Cut File for Custom Labels via thinkingcloset.com

"Sweets for the Sweet" - - one of two free cut files for Silhouette Studio shared in a Halloween Treat Bag Tutorial! via thinkingcloset.com

Good thing these bags are sealed.  Otherwise, I doubt there’d be anything left for our party guests Saturday night!

Make Your Own Halloween Treat Bag Labels with your Silhouette! Tutorial and free cut file via thinkingcloset.com

Okay, good thing most of them are sealed.  {Smile.}

Your Turn!

What about you, dear reader?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on these shiny silver labels…or on any of the following topics, really:

  • Do you get as giddy as I do about planning a party?
  • Do you have any Halloween parties or fall festivals coming up?
  • What would you like to find inside a treat bag?

Spill the beans candy corn!

The Silhouette Challenge - A Series By The Thinking Closet & Friends

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies are all sharing projects today on their blogs, so peruse the links below for a blog-hopping good time.

Crafting with Glitter Just Got Easier by Create & Babble

Birthday Invitations Homer Simpson Style by Black & White Obsession

DIY Planner Dividers by The House on Hillbrook

3D Haunted Forest by Chicken Scratch NY

Pumpkins and Peacocks Fall Mantel by joy & gladness of heart

DIY Cheers Garland by Rain on a Tin Roof

Wedding Gift Wrapping by It Happens in a Blink

Glitter Monogrammed Pumpkin by unOriginal Mom

Halloween Family Rules by Tried & True

Faux Stitched Speech Bubbles by Get Silvered Craft

A Mario Bros. Backsplash by Please Excuse My Craftermath…

Addressing Invitations with a Silhouette Cameo by My Favorite Finds

“Create” Wooden Pallet by Lil’ Mrs. Tori

Spooky Halloween Bats Garland by TitiCrafty

Decorated Pumpkins by Tanya’s Creative Space

Learn to Tie Your Shoes by From Wine to Whine

Fussy Cutting Making You Fussy? by My Paper Craze

Cut Fabric With Your Silhouette by Cutesy Crafts

Cookie Lee Jewelry’ Gift Bags with a Purpose: Sharing Thankfulness by An Elegant Touch

Halloween Banner by Sowdering About

This is Lauren, signing off.

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64 Comments

  1. I had to look up “sweets to the sweet” (shhhh, it’s not like I performed in Hamlet, working on that play for a year or anything)…:) Oh how quickly we forget. But it’s neat how even that darker phrase (context is Ophelia’s death- flowers for the sweet), you have turned into a truly sweet and lovely thing with providing a giftie for your guests! I too, prefer the sweeter side of Halloween (candies especially). I remember those scary houses, and those chilling walks up to the front porches…sometimes I’d just skip the houses that looked too ominous! I’m honored to have received one of those yummy gift bags myself, even though I could not attend the party. I think it was around the time of our reunion, and there was one waiting for me in the guest room. Thanks for my sweets, you sweet sister, you!

    1. Ha ha, that’s okay. I totally remembered the quote incorrectly myself and mis-wrote it on my labels…funny how dusty the brain can get if not regularly exercised. Makes me in all the more in awe of Willy Shakes and his literary genius!

      And if anyone can empathize with my traumatic trick-or-treating experiences, it’s you, sister! Oh, our lil neighborhood and it’s fixation on all things dark and terrifying! It’s almost humorous how much they get into it. (Although not humorous when you’re young and impressionable and in the midst of it.)

      Oh, and that’s right! I forgot that you got to receive a treat bag! That special overnight before the reunion was so much fun to share together. Looking forward to the possibility of you occupying our guest room again soon. Might need to whip up another treat bag just for the occasion!

    1. I know! It’s about time for me to replenish my supply of baker’s twine; I pretty much tapped it out with this project. (Sorry for the delayed response; had to rescue this comment from my spam folder!)

    1. Thanks, Marilyn! I know you’ll love that silver foil! Do you have any idea what you want to create with it or are you waiting for inspiration to strike?

  2. Lauren,
    Do you remember the house on Beach Ave. where they wanted you to come up on the porch and lift a cake cover to get your treat on a table–except under the cover was a real guy’s head sticking up thru the table. I jumped!!
    Dad

    1. I do remember that! Down by the Cristofalo’s house! In fact, I had so many stories of scary houses, it was hard to settle on one! People take Halloween seriously in New York. We’ll be lucky if we get even one trick-or-treater at our door this year! #deadendstreetproblems

    1. Ha ha. We shall get you one of these crafting wonder machines soon enough, Heather! I’m pulling for ya!

  3. those are super great! I like that foil-y paper! everytime I think nothing could get cooler or better, silhouette comes out with something cooler and better- I need a savings plan started up for all these cute accessories! great treat bags- hope your party is a blast and yes I agree- I hate when adults scare little kids- its awful and not funny!

    1. I know, Kelly. Just when I have a new “favorite” material, they come out with something even more cool and awesome! It’s probably a good idea to start a special Silhouette fund in our budgets!

      And thanks for the well-wishes on the party. I hope to share more about it this week, but I can disclose here and now that it was an absolute blast!

  4. I WANT TO COME TO YOUR PARTY!!!! 🙁

    Yeah, I just invited myself from Toronto to Orlando for a Halloween party. I agree with you on the sinister side of things – I’m not a fan.

    These treat bags look seriously so incredibly awesome and it makes me want one of these magic machines even MORE!

    1. Magic machine is right; maybe it’s so magical, it can magically bump Florida up next to Canada, so we’re not so far apart. And then, we can crash each other’s parties on a regular basis! Wouldn’t that be sa-weet?! The Silhouette seems to be able to do everything else, I don’t know why it wouldn’t be able to do that, too. I’m lookin’ into it!

  5. I want to come to your party! Looks like great fun! I well remember that Halloween with the scary house on Beach Ave. In fact, when the wrap-up crew were here today after the film shoot yesterday, we were discussing Halloween and one of the women and I were saying how much we DON’T like scary!! I told her about our neighborhood! So glad you weren’t so traumatized that you can’t enjoy the healthy and fun aspects of Halloween.

    The labels and bags are SWEET!! I’ve pinned this post for future reference! Have fun at your party and can’t wait to see the pun-ny costumes, too!

    1. I wish you could have come! It would been 10x more fun, and I’d love to see what you and Dad would dress up as!

      And it would take a whole lot more than some scary zombies to scare this candy-lover out of trick-or-treating! Ha ha. Was always glad you and Dad showed us creative alternatives to having fun around Halloween; I have such fond memories of our All Saints Day parties at HPC with family-friendly games like bobbing for apples! We almost did that at our party, but ran out of prep time. Next year! (And maybe you can come then….)

      1. Sounds like a plan!

        Glad those HPC parties are still memorable. Remember when Lynn May brought a little cake to the All Saints party, and I had some food and we didn’t think it would feed the crowd, but the Lord multiplied the food that night. I also think that may have been when I first tried Lynn’s pumpkin soup and spent many years trying to find a good recipe (I couldn’t seem to get her recipe out of her) and finally settled on the pumpkin soup I love. Interesting what memories this post triggered! xxoo

    1. Thanks, Pam! Yeah, I was really impressed with the printing quality on the foil, especially since our printer is nothing to write home about!

    1. Fun, Sharon! Are yours to give out to Trick-or-Treaters or are you hosting a party? I wish we lived closer so we could swap treat bags!

  6. I also have a traumatizing story about Halloween. To this day I can’t make it through a haunted house. However, I do love to dress up the kiddies and have fun. Your treat bags, my dear, are simply gorgeous! Hope you have a wonderful party!

    1. Eeek! I’d rather have a root canal than go through a haunted house. (Though I’m kinda sorta really curious about your traumatizing story…you’ll have to tell me sometime, if it’s not too traumatizing to re-live it!)

      And thanks for the well wishes, Tori! The party was a blast! And it was so much fun to hand these out to everyone as we bid them adieu at the end of the night.

  7. You are adorable as a queen and your treat bags are adorable as well. However, the fact that this silhouette can print and cut just overwhelms me. I don’t know if I will ever be able to get that advanced with it.

    1. Ha ha. Thanks, Jenna! And don’t get too overwhelmed with all the fancy features of the Silhouette. Just take it one at a time. I mostly just cut paper and vinyl to start out…and then, branched out into more unique mediums later. I already think you’ve done incredible work for a beginner. You’ve so got this!

  8. ouh! I love how it looks, it looks as if you added bling bling to your treat bags! love how you decorate them! good idea to add twine to them too. I’m sure your guests will love them and oh! I LOVE Halloween too! any excuse to decorate & being a kid again! 😉
    & yep, good thing almost all of them are sealed! ha!ha! 🙂

    1. Ha ha. The more bling and twine, the better, right, Ingrid?! And I’m glad you get giddy over party planning and decorating and dressing up in costume like I do. Forever young, right?

      I REALLY wish you and your family could have been guests at our party last night….

  9. As always, a great blog! I feel your enthusiasm as we were fortunate enough to be the chef (me) and host (dad) of our son’s (the doc) 1st Halloween party just after he moved to California. We drove out from Ohio and I had packed appetizers and food in dry ice for the trip. I started preparing early, just like you are, and the excitement kept building. It’s so much fun even if you do worry if you have everything covered. Good luck and I’m sure it will be great!

    1. I love that you and your hubby road-tripped to Cali with party appetizers in tow! Now THAT’S dedication. But I would expect nothing less from you, Karen! Your son must have been so touched!

    1. Thanks for your enthusiasm, Randi! It’s true – – the Silhouette never ceases to amaze me with its cutting prowess.

    1. I know, it rocked my world to get to try it out! Especially since I had never tried print-and-cut before; and now, I’m quite fanatical about it! (Which is usually the story of my life with any new Silhouette material I try, let’s be honest.)

  10. Lauren, I feel you on being not for the scary side of Halloween! I used to get chased around the skating rink when I was little with a guy with a chainsaw…. (no chain but still noisy!)

    I love these bags, I’ll just go wait for my invite in the mail! 🙂 JK!

    1. Oh my gosh – – the chainsaw at the skating rink sounds terrifying! What kind of a nightmare were you living in?!

      Invite is on its way. 😉

    1. Glad you’re a fan, too, Carrie! I highly recommend the printable silver foil, especially if you find yourself in need of some shiny labels!

  11. Is the quote from A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
    I love that you made treat bags for your party! And these are so festive! I LOVE planning parties (even though I ended up being stressed-out the day of… I’m working on it!). I’ve already started planning my 30th birthday bash, which won’t roll around until June, 2014. But, you can never be too prepared, right?

    1. Good guess, Emily! It’s actually adapted from “Hamlet!” Queen Gertrude says, “Sweets to the sweet,” when scattering flowers on Ophelia’s grave. A bit morbid, but seemed appropriate when taken out of context for a treat bag!

      I, too, can get stressed out planning parties, but I’m getting better. Mark really helps me with my TO DO list in the days before a party, so we’re not scrambling the day of!

      And I love that you’re already planning your 30th b-day. Way to get a head-start! And you should; your 30th is a occasion worth celebrating in style!

  12. I feel the same way about Halloween. No scary for me! Your labels rock! I’ve been wanting to order foil for some time now. I love the way the turned out!

    1. Thanks, Tanya! Yeah, I’m definitely diggin’ the printable silver foil. Such a fun medium to work with! (And I’m glad you’re joining my Halloween-sans-the-scary club.)

  13. Adorable treat bags!! For real, Lauren, So CUTE!! I feel the same way about halloween. I love the excuse to have a little party and to decorate, but I am not a huge fan of the yucky horror-ness. (yep, I just made that word up)

    1. Oh, I think horror-ness should definitely be a word. And spellcheck isn’t underlining it in red right now, so I think it’s officially in the clear! And thanks for your enthusiasm over the treat bags. I’m glad we haven’t outgrown such things as treat bags, ya know?

  14. Hamlet! Will’s punctuation is a bit different, though. 🙂

    In other candy news, do you have an opinion on Skittles changing the green flavor from lime to green apple? It’s kind of throwing a wrench in my Halloween candy enjoyment. Thank goodness for always-classic Sour Patch Kids. (Did I just eat one in honor of you? Maybe.)

    The baker’s twine is a great touch! I was shocked to learn that yours is made out of paper. Any thoughts on its applications vs. a twine made out of cotton? At this point in my grad school life, I can probably only spring for one type of baker’s twine.

    1. Correct! And my replacement of the “to” with the “for” was unintentional; my memory deceived me! (Just goes to show you really need to check your facts, especially after you hit 30. Lol.) Oh well! Hopefully our party guests were forgiving on that blunder – – though Will may be rolling in his grave.

      Okay, I had no idea about the change of the green Skittle from lime to green apple. I used to be a huge Skittles fan, so any disruption to the good thing they’ve got going is not cool; I just haven’t indulged in them of late because my Dentist is not a fan. That doesn’t stop me from gobbling up candy corn, though, like it’s my job! (There just may be an open bag to my right now.) And yes, Sour Patch Kids always find a way into our car on a road trip or en route to the movies! I will be forever loyal to the Kids as my candy of choice. (Thanks for eating one in my honor!)

      Ya know, I just used the paper twine because that is all our Hobby Lobby carries…and I’d say they are superior to cotton twine in that you can actually untie knots and reuse them whereas the cotton twin knots are forever tied. However, if I got my hands on a cotton spool of twine, I’d be just as excited to use it! It has a classic look to it, and I think you can get more bang for your buck. So, perhaps that is the best choice for a grad student like yourself?

      Always great to hear from you here, Becky!

  15. Thanks for hosting the Silhouette Challenge, how do you manage to get everything done haha!

    I ALWAYS forget to make goodie bags or something for guests to take home. These are so cute and simple especially with the free cut file! I may have to try my hand at them!!

    Much love,
    Trisha D.

    1. Ha ha. I basically put crafting before laundry and house-cleaning and cooking…it’s a problem! But hosting the Silhouette Challenge is always a highlight of the month for me; well worth prioritizing!

      And this is the first time I’ve ever had goodies to send home with party guests…at least, I can’t remember the last time I did such a thing! But they were a hit, so I think it won’t be the last set of treat bags I make. 🙂

    1. You’re so welcome, Debbie! Let me know if you run into any snags! And of course, I’d LOVE to see a pic of your labels if you decide to give it a go.

  16. We had a house on our block that always scared the dickens out of us. We always felt so brave if we chose to walk up to the door to get candy. I, too, am more for the other elements of Halloween rather than the scary parts! Your treat bags are so cute! How fun. 🙂
    Kenley

    1. I guess it’s like a rite of passage, then! If we can survive the spooky houses of our childhood, we can certainly survive anything. 😉

      Thanks for the kind words, Kenley. I had loads of fun making these!

  17. What a fantastic post Lauren. Thank you for the feedback on the silver foil paper. Now I am compelled to go get some!!!…lol! Thank you too for the very nice freebies!
    -Melin
    MyPaperCrafting.com

    1. You’re so welcome, Melin! I always figure if I can save someone some extra time, and perhaps inspire a Silhouette creation, then it’s worth it! Happy to have you in our Silhouette group. Looking forward to having you even join us on future Challenges!

    1. Glad to know that perhaps this tutorial has sparked some inspiration for you, Glenna! And you are welcome for the cut file! Enjoy.

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