I love throwing seasonal parties but hate having themed, once-a-year stuff crowding my very limited storage space. Here's how to get in the Halloween spirit with things you can use year-round (and may already have!).
Candles. Flickering low light creates spooky shadows and sets the mood for a Halloween haunt. Black candles in particular are extra creepy in context, but can be quite chic for everyday use in a modern space.
Jars. Jars of all shapes and sizes can be filled with candy or curiosities, on Halloween or any day. Clear vases also work and add variety.
Cheesecloth. When you're not straining dairy, Martha Stewart has a couple ideas on how to make cheesecloth seasonally spooky: for candles and spiderwebs.
Black construction paper. Whether making stair silhouettes, skull-filled garlands, or masks for portraits, this crafty staple makes for quick decorating.
Goblets. For a goth vampiric take on the holiday, break out the china and crystal, and serve something deep red from those faceted vessels. Pottery Barn's casual cafe version will do the trick.
Do you have a favorite everyday item that doubles as Halloween décor?
MORE HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Fall Fun Fest: Halloween Party Ideas
• Boo! Halloween Decor That Won't Scare the Planet
• Halloween: Keeping Things Spooky Yet Attractive
(Image: Bethany Nauert/John's Halloween House)
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I buy some small sugar pumpkins but don't carve them, and then make soup and muffins out of them when they are no longer decorations the next day.
I geeked out quite a bit this year on the Halloween front. I tried to decorate with things from around the house and did minimal shopping. I'm still fussing with this stuff, so it's a work in progress, but here are some shots, if you're still reading.
I caught a ghost in a cloche jar and threw some plastic eyeballs ($1 for 6 at Family Dollar) into a jar of candy corn.
http://tinyurl.com/8gfp489
Make homemade ghosts on the cheap. Stagger two pieces of white tissue paper, wad up a plastic shopping bag (or use newspaper), tie the stuffing into the center of the tissue paper with twine. Cut out eyes from black construction paper. You can hang them by their collars with fishing line, or just by their collars.
http://tinyurl.com/9hwcajz
More ghosts haunt the dining area in my apartment (hanging from the Algue I put on the awful peacock etchings on the mirror).
http://tinyurl.com/9xadaud
A jar of pickled eyeballs in green water, a big beaker with a bizarre "specimen" (a swatch of cheap Halloween shroud from Family Dollar suspended in colored water), a pomegranate and some persimmons from the grocery store, and a $5 skull from Target. A few inches off camera are some tall glass cylinders from the kitchen filled with candy.
http://tinyurl.com/9p58q48
I grouped some black ceramics and rustic objects from around the house with a $5 glow pumpkin I got last year on clearance at the drugstore; some draped gauzey shroud material makes my framed art a bit spookier, rounding out the theme.
http://tinyurl.com/8nauqso
Best time to buy Halloween decorations is, of course, after Halloween. I keep those things with my Christmas decorations—in the top box for easy access.
Thanks for letting me share and enjoy the holiday!
TurtleNYC ~ great decorations ~ love the eyeballs in the candy corn!
Marshmallows = 'Ghost poop'
I'm for just eliminating the day of macabre as I believe it's not something to celebrate or even recognize. But if one *must* celebrate, I do appreciate the idea or not contributing to the vast amounts of waste created by the day.
I think if one is to buy pumpkins and squash they should get the kind they can eat and cook them and eat them the day after the fact.
Now if only there were a substitute for all that candy!