Each Halloween I notice that the most elaborately decorated houses tend to belong to people without children. Perhaps it’s because they can take the uninterrupted time it takes to get it so fabulously together, but what I think it actually points to is the fact that adults, not just kids, love to craft and decorate.
From left: Hostess with the Mostess, Martha Stewart Crafts
Give people a little thematic motif and watch their eyes light up with countless ideas – case in point: the grownup Halloween party. Here are some irresistible Halloween party décor I found surfing the web for inspiration.
Orange Roses, Black Table ClothThis black and orange table top (above left) has been making the online rounds, and comes to us from
Hostess with the Mostess. It’s expertly set, granted, but in actuality not that hard to reproduce. What makes this scene are the orange roses and the black table cloth. Orange roses may be a little hard to find, but you can always dye white roses with orange food colouring (
see how to dye roses).
Strung UpThese
Martha Stewart pom poms (above right) are my absolute favourite. I’ve seen them used in festive colours for other occasions, and I just can’t get enough of them. Although available online, you can probably make a version of these yourself, by checking out these
assembly instructions. In any case, you can take cue from this for how to make a real impact over the dining table – just suspend something bold from the ceiling!
Photos: Martha Stewart
Moth-Eaten Curtains
This set-up (above left) from Martha Stewart is elaborate in need, so take from it what you will, but my reason for loving this is the moth-eaten curtains. If you have any dividing wall/doorway separating your dining area from the living room, hallway or kitchen, this is the perfect thing to hang there. All you would need is some gauze/cheesecloth, and some zeal for ripping it up. You can also use it to wrap a window or mirror, as shown on the back wall.
Bats, Bats!
Also from Martha is this cute bat headband, (above centre) making a play on how most of us would like nothing less than to have bats get caught in our hair… If not Martha’s, a headband like this could be easily fashioned out of a black band from the drugstore, some black pipe cleaners or small springs from your local craft store and some cut-out bats.
The Coffin Table
Martha’s last offering is this ingenious coffin coffee table (above right). It’s one of those perfect ideas that makes me jealous – why didn’t I think of it??? The helpful lady that she is, she posts instructions on how to make one, but if you don't have the minimum carpentry skills required, you can simply cut a coffin shape out of some sturdy cardboard, fasten it over your existing coffee table, or to a stack of books, as Martha suggests, and just drape it with black cloth.
From left: Yum Sugar, Design Mom, Country Living
Pumpkin Lantern de Jour
Haven’t you heard? NO ONE is gutting their gourds from the top anymore… To preserve that pumpkin stem, Yum Sugar tells us, hollow it out from the bottom! That was the case with this adorable pumpkin lantern (above left), and I also love that it was white-washed -- another trend I’m seeing more and more.
Chirp and Chic
This NY-based Design Mom made an elegant scare on a shoestring budget – the branch she pilfered from her neighbours’ yard waste, the birds on sale at her local craft store and the vessel, well we’ve all got something we can use. And look at it (above centre) – it looks great! The photo is a little dark, but you get the picture. Can’t find crows? You can always spray some hobby birds with black paint.
Easiest Lantern Ever
That’s what makes this one a winner (above right) – it’s a total no-brainer. Country Living says get a glass jar, orange (yellow, black, rust, green or even white would work as well) candle and candy corn, and work it! It's easy as pie, and with a family assembly line I imagine you could turn this into a cottage industry… I would even tie a little black raffia around the neck of the jar.
Happy Halloween!!!