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My Fave & Frightful Halloween Decorating Ideas from Blogland

October 28, 2010 · Comments { 18 }

With Halloween just a few days away, I’ve been surfing blogland for some last minute décor ideas. Wow. There are so many amazingly creative and down right creepy ideas for decorating your home and entertaining your guests this All Hallow’s Eve. Here are some of my favorites I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!

Favorite Halloween Party Invitations:

Start the party off right with Skeleton Halloween invitations by Martha Stewart. Not too scary to make yourself – just download & assemble! Visit Martha’s for the how to.

halloween party invite amy atlas cocodot yellow orange

Stylish, colorful and paperless Halloween invites by Amy Altas for CocoDot. I used the “Boo!” invite in the bottom right corner for our little party coming up!

Favorite Halloween Décor – Outside:

halloween decorating outside home apartment

halloween decorating outside freak show apartment

For three years, this home in Brooklyn has been frightening trick-or-treaters. This year, it’s a “freak show” at A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress. Wow.

Favorite Halloween Décor – Inside:

Loving this Dr. Jekyll’s Laboratory décor theme from Three Pixie Lane. The vintage photos with googol eyes are the best.

The Graphics Fairy {love} has a ton of great vintage Halloween clipart for all your spooky projects. Here are those eyes just mentioned.

halloween decorating black white mantel ghosts

The stylish DIYer, Kate at Centsational Girl, created the best mantel this season. Love the black & white color palette. Aren’t the chains great?

Love these little mice {Martha Stewart} creeping and crawling all over the stairs at Thrifty Décor Chick.

Favorite Halloween Treats:

halloween cupcakes spooky frightful lily vanilli

halloween gourmet cupcakes mummy tombstone lily vanilli

These ominous cupcakes by Lily Vanilli via Cupcake Loves Evil are perfectly frightful for any Halloween party.

halloween party spooky candied apples matt bites

And how about these eerie candied apples by Matt Bites? Love the twigs.

halloween party candy jar labels martha stewart

For something a little more inviting {especially for kids}, this simple Halloween candy station by Martha Stewart is a great option. The jar label’s can be downloaded here.

Favorite Halloween Drinks:

halloween party beer drink labels download

These ghoulish beverage labels by Centsational Girl are my favorite. You will need to drop by her blog; She has downloads for these witches brews and many others including one for kids’ juice boxes! Go here.

halloween drink labels glass simple stickers

Here’s yet another way by Real Simple to add an eeire touch to drinks by labeling each guest’s stemware. Make everyone’s different so to not get drinks mixed up!

Favorite Halloween Pumpkins:

halloween pumpkin with rats martha stewart

I picked up a bag of little rubber rats at Michael’s the other day having no clue what I was going to do with them. Now I know. Thanks Martha Stewart!

halloween painted pumpkins black white insects

Love these painted pumpkins too by Stylist Liz Demos via Country Living.

halloween cute painted pumpkins jack-o-lanterns

This assortment of painted and carved pumpkins is also a favorite. Does anyone know the original source? I found it on a blog that did not give it proper credit.

Need some more spooky decor inspiration? Here are some more Halloween decorating ideas I think you’ll love.

Read full story By Cristin on October 28, 2010 in DIY, Entertaining, food, Halloween, holiday decor

Thanksgiving Table Decorating Ideas – With or Without Kids!

October 18, 2010 · Comments { 23 }

{image via Country Living}

With Thanksgiving around the corner, many of us are already thinking about how we will set the table to celebrate. Formal or casual, with kids or without, there are many options when it comes to decorating your Thanksgiving table. It is always good to start with the basics. I included this in last year’s article on Thanksgiving Table Setting and Decorating Ideas, but it is always good to review how to set a table. If your dinner will be on the fancy side, here is how to set a formal table:

{image courtesy of Classy & Fabulous}

If your turkey day dinner will be more casual, here is how to set an informal table:

{image courtesy of Classy & Fabulous}

eddie ross table setting quote thanksgiving

Speaking of knives, if your silver is in need of a good cleaning, here’s a non-toxic DIY way to clean silver.

And now onto the fun stuff… decorating the table! My hands down favorite tablescape this Thanksgiving is by Eddie Ross, recently featured in Lonny.

{images via Lonny & design by Eddie Ross}

Eddie and his partner, Jaithan Kochar created a vintage meets modern Thanksgiving table that is high on glamour, yet easy on the pocket book. They start with a modern table linen from Quadrille and lay it with vintage flatware and an antique Imari porcelain plate.

thanksgiving table setting modern vintage eddie ross quadrille linen

For a touch of low-cost opulence, Eddie spray painted small pumpkins gold and added watercolored craft paper with guests’ initials as place cards. The pheasants were inexpensive finds and also painted gold for a more luxurious look.

Images of birds of the season are also fun on dinnerware. This dinner plate from Pottery Barn is part of a set of four – each features a unique turkey design. The place setting includes a scroll thank you note individualized for each guest. What a lovely personal touch.

thanksgiving-table-setting-gold-pumpkins-diy

Don’t be afraid the go with a non-traditional color palette. This beautiful place setting by Martha Stewart features both cool and warm hues of blue and gold. Contemporary elements such as the dishware is mixed with contemporary flatware, while a solid linen table cloth is paired with a block-printed napkin. Martha paints a collection of mini pumpkins gold for a simple centerpiece and a place card holder.

thanksgiving table decorations metallic diy gourds hgtv

{Photo courtesy of Bobbi Fabian via HGTV}

This contemporary Thanksgiving table setting via HGTV showcases a white pumpkin, chunky pillar candles and a mixture of metallic-painted gourds. So simple and elegant.

thanksgiving-tablescape-dwell-white-pumpkins-ideas

{image via Design Public}

If you can’t find white pumpkins, you can always paint them as in the case with this table setting above. This monochromatic table was created by DwellStudio’s Christiane Lemieux. She created a simple, backdrop using DwellStudio linens. The subtle, graphic black and white palette are a great way to keep the focus on the main attraction – dinner. For a similar look, try Gate Java Napkins available now by DwellStudio.

{image via Martha Stewart}

Thanksgiving with kids? Setting a table inviting for kids is a good idea if they will not be seated at the “adult” table. What kid wouldn’t want to sit with these darling felt & pom pom turkeys by Martha Stewart? Here’s the how to.

{image via Country Living}

Weather permitting, I love this outdoors table setting via Country Living. A wool blanket is brilliantly used as a rug. The “giving tree” centerpiece is my favorite. Kids are asked to write down what they’re thankful for on decorative tags and then tie to the branches of fall foliage. This little covered stools with rustic log legs are sweet too.

{image courtesy of Country Living via CasaSugar}

Offering the children activities to keep boredom and squabbles at bay is also a good idea. Here kids are given cups of crayons and are free to draw right on the butcher paper tablecloth. The drawn placemats are such a cute idea too! So simple and budget-friendly.

These personalized modern dots placemats by Name Your Design are another great option for a Thanksgiving kids’ table. They are not only cute, but functional, fun and educational. On one side kids have a diagram on how to set the table. On the other kids can write & draw about their day with simple dry erase makers. They are laminated, study and easy to wipe clean. The colorways can also be customized to coordinate with your holiday color palette.

{image via Martha Stewart}

Love this idea from Martha Stewart too. What kid wouldn’t love this darling felt finger puppets placed atop candy sticks. Arranged in simple white containers, they make a centerpiece that will keep kids entertained for hours. Here’s the how to.

Do you need more turkey day inspiration? Here’s additional Thanksgiving Table Setting and Decorating Ideas…

Read full story By Cristin on October 18, 2010 in baby and children, Entertaining, holiday decor, Thanksgiving

Spiders, Crows & Mice Oh My! – Halloween Mantel

October 14, 2010 · Comments { 15 }

Halloween mantel decorating crows spiders boo sign

So here it is… my Halloween mantel. It is not super scary, but works for me. Because I don’t like taking down the Chinese vase, horse bookends or Imperial horse artwork, I simply decorated around them.

Orange wax paper was wrapped around jars props up a message from beyond. The “boo” letters purchased at Michaels were white and I glued black glitter for a Halloween look. Black bat garland {Martha Stewart} adds contrast to the all white mantel.

halloween mantel black crow in tree branch

Three black crows perch in bare branches and red berries. There is something about those crows that are just down right spooky.

Simple white tulle is draped under the mantel to mimic a web for glittery spiders to creep and crawl. Black mice cut-outs {Martha Stewart} scurry up the walls. Yikes! Books with orange spines are used to add pops orange.

Perched on a small pumpkin, this little black feathery owl was purchased at Michaels. I glued paper with a rat punched out {Martha Stewart} on to a simple white votive candle. Voilà!

Happy Halloween!

Read full story By Cristin on October 14, 2010 in DIY, Halloween, holiday decor

Halloween Decorating Ideas for Your Home – Many DIY & Inexpensive

September 12, 2010 · Comments { 19 }

{image via Martha Stewart}

As summer comes to an end, soon we will be pulling out eerie decor such as bats, jack-o-lanterns and spider webs to greet Halloween trick-or-treaters to your home. Whether you’re a minimalist or prefer a little bit of everything, here are some Halloween decorating ideas you may want to consider. And best off, most are inexpensive DIY projects.

Greet your guest with illuminated mini pumpkins. This DIY project from Country Living, is fairly easy. First, pencil letters on hollowed pumpkins and carving out an opening from the bottom. Using a 1/2 inch drill, create holes to form each letter. Then string Christmas tree lights, gathered in small bunches to light up each pumpkin and remove bulbs where the string descends to the next row.

Decorating your doorstep for Halloween can be as simple as adding a spooky doormat. This bat-themed doormat is another easy DIY project. For the “how to”, visit Better Homes and Garden. Bif! Baf! Pow! Batman!

Decorating your fireplace mantel is way to decorate the inside of your home for Halloween. This mantel with greeting from the grave is from Delish. The “boo” pumpkins {in a size that will fit on the width of your mantel} can be either bought that way or spray painted with white enamel paint. A black marker was used to draw out the letters B-O-O. The creepy ivy is simply real or artificial ivy spray painted black. Use black spray paint to color artificial ivy from the craft store or real ivy from your garden. Love this simple DIY idea!

These bewitchingly cute, Halloween Revelers are impeccably dressed for a night on the town. The spooky trio is another great option to decorate your fireplace mantel, buffet or dining room table. Each character is handmade and available at Gump’s San Francisco.

Battery-operated candles are a kid and pet-friendly way to decorate your home for Halloween. These battery-operated candles with eerie Halloween landscapes are available at Pottery Barn Kids.

Hanging spiders or placing them on tables is cute way to decorate a home for Halloween. It is also a fun DIY, inexpensive project you can do with your kids. Here’s what you’ll need: 1 skein black yarn (not shiny or metallic), 5 pipe cleaners per spider, scissors and 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch green or orange buttons for the eyes. The directions are here at eighteen25.

Displaying a spooktacular “subway” sign is a darling way to get your home in the Halloween mood. I would create one for a menu or activies at a Halloween Party. Crafty blogger, A Glimpse Inside shows us how to make a subway sign using a machine cutter here.

A tree with mini treat bags in festive prints is a fun way to distribute treats to guests. For instructions for this DIY craft, visit Woman’s Day.

Many of us look to Martha Stewart’s creations for inspiration when decorating for Halloween. This black chest is loaded with Halloween treats. Brilliant idea! Pumpkins decorated with candy top large glass jars filled to the top with more treats. For the “how to” on decorating a pumpkin with candy, go here.

Simple cupcakes are ready for Halloween guests when ghoulish skulls and boo greeting is added. Download the printable images for free at Paper Glitter.

Not a decoration, but these trick-or-treat bags at Pottery Barn Kids are too cute to pass up. These three are my favorites and can be personalized! PBK has lots of fun Halloween costumes for your little one this year too.

Speaking of cute kids Halloween costumes, Chasing Fireflies has an amazing selection. {loving the Queen or Hearts and Viking Warrior first image above} They are not inexpensive, but the fine detailing can’t be ignored.The baby and dog costumes are the best!

Need more ideas? Visit, this link for even more Halloween decorating ideas.

What is your favorite Halloween decoration or craft?

Read full story By Cristin on September 12, 2010 in baby and children, Entertaining, Halloween, holiday decor

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My Fave & Frightful Halloween Decorating Ideas from Blogland

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