Because by last minute, of course I *really* mean, last minute gift. Actually, yesterday, we just got “boo’ed” for the first time ever. I was practically ecstatic. I felt like one of the cool kids to see a note that said, “You’ve Been Booed!” I’m thrilled we live in a neighborhood where people have fun, and reach out to one another. So of course, I immediately raided my craft room so that we could get Boo Boxes out to a couple of neighbors right away, while there was still time left for them to play the game, too.
If you’ve never been Boo’ed, it goes like this: you get a mysterious knock at your door, and open it to find no one around, but a special treat from a neighbor on your doorstep. It comes with a 2-part note, one half telling you that you’ve been Boo’ed, and that you need to covertly “boo” 2 neighbors by tomorrow, and the other half is an image you can post telling your neighbors that you’ve already gotten a treat, and they should find a house that hasn’t yet. You print 2 copies of the instructions (a quick Google search for “You’ve Been Booed” turned up tons of cute printables) and make 2 treats, and set off into the neighborhood to make someone’s day.
I used some 4.5 inch small Wilton treat boxes, a bit of scrapbook paper, and baker’s twine to make up some simple and cute boxes. I cut a quick “boo” shape on my Silhouette machine, and if you’ve got a Silhouette, then I can save you a step by sharing my cut file. It’s nothing fancy – it just says boo – but you can download it by clicking here, and it will save you the time searching or designing something. Because when it’s the last minute, those 10 minutes count! If you don’t have a Silhouette, don’t sweat it – just tie on a cute tag, or cut one by hand with a craft knife.
My boxes were 4.5 inches square, and 1.5 inches tall, so 12-inch scrapbook paper was perfect to wrap around it. I trimmed it to 4 inches wide so a little bit of box still showed, and scored it for easy folding, using my box as a guide.
Then, I tied the “boo” graphic on with baker’s twine, and added a little foam sticker. It was a rainy day here, so we took an extra step of putting it in a plastic bag, just in case!
It was a lot of fun to get everyone in on it, and it just goes to show – it’s never too late to make someone’s day. Halloween isn’t until tomorrow, so if you’ve been on the fence, you can still crank out a couple Boo Boxes for your friends or neighbors today. Even after designing a quick cut file, assembling, cleaning up, and then delivery – it only took us 30 minutes.
Were you boo’ed this Halloween?
I love the idea of “Boo-ing” someone! I wish we did that when I was little :) I’d love to try it next year.
Booing people is so much fun. My mom and I booed people in her apartment complex this year!
This is such a fun idea! Thanks for the Silhouette file. :)
Ardrianne, could you please tell me how to get rid of the screen that shows up when I try to download shapes in my Silhouette? I have tried to click outside of the screen and I can’t get it off. I would love to get it gone. Thanks for any help. I love this post. Such a great way to love your neighbors.
Hey Shirley! If it’s the screen I am thinking of, there should be a bar across the middle and an X on the right side. Clicking that X *should* take you back – but I have to confess, I don’t use my Silhouette much, so I am not too savvy with the software. I’m a lot better with my manual machines – until I need letters! Haha.
Love it! I’ve never been boo’ed…or boo’ed anyone :)