Let me start by saying that Halloween is my favorite holiday. Since the last week of August, I have been making weekly trips to Michael's, Jo-Anns and Target, looking for the most original Halloween decorations to add to my 7+ crate collection.
Michael's Craft Store, Palm Bay, FL Sept 17th 2013
Michael's was seriously disappointing this year. I'm not even kidding--they started clearing out their Halloween stuff and putting up the Lemax Christmas displays the second week of September. They're taking that whole Christmas "season" thing literally since you can count on this stuff being out until the middle of January.
For Halloween, I co-hosted a party with a friend at her house. Thought I'd share a few of our fun decorating tips:
Replace your family portraits with portraits of movie stars and superheros.
See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil skeletons.
We loved the construction paper bat Pinterest trend!
Convert a cluttered office desk into a spooky setting with a white sheet and construction paper chains
Martha Stewart's Spooky Fence Post Deep Edge Punch helped us decorate
mini water bottles for our refreshments--because it can be a challenge to
keep a bowl of punch filled for a party of over 40 people.
Kid's Halloween Activity Table
The Magician's Assistant
Oh the fun things you can find at Good Will.
Skeleton Game
With our large group, we decided potluck was the way to go. Along with the invitation, we included a ticket stub with the following message:
To our Wonderful Guests,
Please Bring a dish to share and provide the food category when you RSVP. There will be a prizes for the best dressed and spookiest dishes!
Best Costume received the skeleton trophy (purchased at Spirit Halloween.)
Best Dish received a pair of hand towels (purchased at Target.)
This Halloween, bring back empty bottles from the dead.
Pumpkin Candle Holder
Step 1: Remove label from bottle. I soak them in warm soapy water then use Goo-Gone to get rid of the remaining sticky residue.
Step 2. Wrap masking tape or painter's tape around the barrel of the bottle.
Step 3. Using a marker or pencil, draw on face. I blackened the area I wanted to keep so that I wouldn't get confused while cutting it out.
Step 4. Carefully cut along markings using a razor blade or an X-Acto knife. Peel off surrounding tape leaving the eyes and mouth in place.
Step 5. Cover the bottle with orange spray paint. Let dry until paint is no longer tacky, then remove masking tape.
A little about paint:
I prefer to use acrylic paints because they dry fast and stick to almost anything. Acrylic paints are usually diluted with water. However, if you want the paint to dry faster, you can use rubbing alcohol. Acrylic paints can be purchased in spray cans, so an airbrush is not a requirement. (Drying time is almost instantaneous.)
Where to purchase paint: I recommend Hobby Lobby, Hobbytown, HobbyUSA etc... anywhere that plastic airplane model kits are sold. I have found that most Michaels do not carry acrylic paints in the spray can format.Home Depot/Lowes/Walmart will have a selection of oil-based spray paint.This will take much longer to dry. Do check with a paint expert if the paint is meant to bond with glass.
Model Master, Testors, and Tamiya are example brands. Do not buy the kind in tubes or anything with 'craft' on it. It will not coat the glass evenly.
Okay, if there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love Halloween more than any other holiday—yes, even more than Christmas. But, I should clarify that I’m not into the scary, morbid, aspects.
A few things pertaining to Halloween usually happen every year:
I will sew my own costume. It will be elaborate and unrivaled in craftsmanship, but will fail to win the local costume contest.
I will spend at least $100 dollars on new Halloween decorations (this is a self-imposed restriction since I can easily spend more) and another $70+ on candy.
I will host or attend one Halloween party where over half of the food must be cleverly garnished to resemble something spooky or Halloween-like.
Since this was a success at the party I hosted last year so I thought I’d share some tips for creating your own Mad Scientist Drink Bar:
Science equipment is relatively inexpensive if you can find a local supplier. However, if you don’t have one, and have to purchase the items online, it can get pricey with shipping& handling. I’ve been very satisfied with every item I’ve purchased from American Science & Surplus. (www.sciplus.com)Their descriptions for each item are sarcastic and funny too.
Test Tube Rack- The rack was actually not stained when it arrived, so I did a quick sand, stain, varnish job to give it the dark 19th century look I admired in the picture.
Test tubes- DO boil and sterilize these after they arrive. Then do it again. These make fun “drink shots”.
500 ml Erlenmeyer Flask- (Triangular bottom)
500 ml Borosilicate boiling flask- (Has a round, bulbous bottom)
10 ml 1/2” tubular bottles- (Uses #0 cork) Boil and sterilize before use. I filled them with mystery “potions” (drink/juice concentrates). You can let your guests uncork the bottles and use eye droppers to add flavor totheir drinks. With larger bottles you can use powdered drink mixes. Use a miniature funnel or eyedropper to fill vials.
Tongs-Kitchen or scientific. If you're going to crush dry ice for your guests to add to their drinks, I strongly recommend the scientific tongs.
CocktailStirrers-PartyCity
Formaldehyde pumpkin in a jar- (Marshmallow pumpkin)-Walmart
Apply stickers at room temperature, then put the drink in the fridge to chill. If you decide to print your own labels, they may not hold up after the bottle begins to sweat once it's removed from the fridge.
