To attach the plait to your witches hat, we were fortunate enough to have a label in the hat which we could feed the plait through and the knot held it in place. If this isn’t an option, just use a couple of safety pins to secure the plait to the hat. If you pin through the knot you’ll find you get better traction. Don’t forget to pin it up inside the cone of the hat so that the pin isn’t resting on your little one’s head. If they try it on and the plait is too long, simply knot it again over the first knot to reduce the length – this will save you starting from scratch with the plait. The popular Nerd Fest takes on a Halloween theme on October 22, this time at the Parks Sports Centre in North Shields and - as usual - raising money for the charity Cash for Kids which supports disadvantaged children in the North East. There will be Ghostbusters, Gremlins and Star Wars characters plus cosplay and fancy dress competitions. The skirt was based on the Lazy Days Skirt free tutorial from the Oliver + S blog. I made Charlotte’s skirt quite long and used my pinking shears to create the points at the hemline. To add the broach, cut out an oval of green felt. Place this on top of the yellowfelt and cut out a larger oval of this, around 1cm bigger on all sides. Shape this to go in and out so that it looks like mini jewels (or hills!). Glue or stitch this together and then attach to the top of the cloak with a couple of small stitches. Job done! To celebrate World Book Day Charlotte went into school dressed as a character from a book. For some time she was going to go as Sleeping Beauty but just before the weekend she decided she wanted to go as ‘The Witch’ from ‘Room on The Broom’ by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. I was so pleased as she has loved this book for such a long time and we love the animation just as much (can’t believe they missed out on an Oscar!)

Room on the Broom is one of our favourite family books, so it’s no surprise that when we needed a costume for World Book Day we opted for the Room on the Broom witch! This Room on the Broom costume is simple to make, has minimal costs and works well for themed days and Halloween as well. Plus, it’s super cute. Thankfully it’s a pretty easy costume to put together, so in the interests of sharing, here’s how we made our simple witches costume from Room On The Broom. Room On The Broom Costume – The Witch Costume Elements I have not done paper mache since I was at school and I honestly don’t remember it being quite so messy and taking so long! The cauldron was one of those things that you start and really wish that you hadn’t!So over the weekend we (well, mostly I) have been making a plait, a bow, a cauldron, a cape and a skirt to re-create the look. Here’s how we got on… I used the Super Easy No-Sew Bows tutorial from Sew Sara, which did exactly what it said on the tin…super easy and no sew! Costumed characters will be taking over part of Saltwell Park in Gateshead on October 29 for a family Halloween-theme event, running from 10.30am until 3pm, and families are encouraged to dress up too. On arrival they will receive a map showing where on the trail the likes of Halloween characters, as well as superheros, princesses and Mr & Mrs Mouse, will be waiting to meet guests and pose for a photo opportunity. The cape was super easy and super cheap. The fabric came right out of the sale section. All I did was cut the metre in half lengthways (so I could make on for Emily too), sewed a channel along one short edge, threaded a wide ribbon through and secured it in place with a few stitches so that it wouldn’t slide out of place. Perfectly witchy!

Today is World Book Day…hurrah for books. My girls love books and Charlotte is a great little reader (proud mummy) Showcase and Showcase Cinema de Lux are committed to providing you with the ultimate film-going experience. We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all! No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.For the bow I found some yellow fabric with white spots. I decided to get out a red sharpie and colour in the dots so it matched the witch’s bow (madness!!). The sharpie bled a little but it looks more authentic don’t you think? The deadline for this, open to three age groups between five and 18 who are invited to write a 500-word terrifying tale, is October 9: see here. Halloween is always a popular time of year for youngsters (Image: Evening Gazette) Halloween fireworks and Pyromusical Did your little ones dress up for World Book Day? Add a link to the comments section if you’ve got any pictures online Showcase and Showcase Cinema de Lux are owned and operated by National Amusements, Inc., a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry operating 839 screens in the US, UK, Argentina and Brazil. National Amusements delivers a superior entertainment experience in cinemas around the world under its Showcase, Multiplex, Showcase Cinema de Lux and UCI brands. Based in Massachusetts, National Amusements is a closely held company operating under the third generation of leadership by the Redstone family. National Amusements is the parent company of Paramount Global.