Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It’s the only time of the year when we get to have fun decorating while also plotting some spooky stuff. Creativity is your best friend, and depending on the crowd, one can go from cute little ghosts to pulling skeletons out of the closet. Today, I’ll be sharing my table setting and entertaining tips for an adult Halloween, where creepiness and horror stories take center stage.
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There are many ways you can give the illusion of a haunted atmosphere. On my table, I used an old tree branch in the center to create that “abandoned house” appearance. A couple of yards of taffeta fabric in black were also used to cover two of my chairs, again with an effort to echo those eerie scenes from horror movies. Another element I found amusing to work with was dry ice.
Photo by I Don’t Know How She Does It
At HomeGoods, I found a trophy-like metal vase that I used as an ice bucket. Inside, I placed what I like to call my “graveyard poison” (just a bottle of wine and some plastic test tubes with orange hot chocolate) along with the dry ice. Remember to use caution here. I learned (the hard way) that if touched with bare hands, dry ice will burn the skin, so make sure to follow instructions and be very careful if you decide to use dry ice.
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Candles are another great way to bring in spooky ambiance. I used battery-operated ones for everyone’s safety (just in case the “graveyard poison” has done its work).
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Night creatures are a must for any Halloween party. I found some small dishes at HomeGoods that were stamped with scary owls, and also brought in plastic skeleton rats and spiders to add a touch of creepiness to the whole scene.
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Another idea I loved incorporating in our Halloween table setting was a metal bowl filled with caramel popcorn (both from HomeGoods). Inside, you’ll find a plastic jaw bone. For dinner, I scattered around different sized skeleton-head candles, and served black pasta (yes, you read that right) made out of beans and topped with thick, dark tomato sauce (also from the HomeGoods food department).
Photo by I Don’t Know How She Does It
So now that my table is all set, it’s time to “eat, drink and be scary!”
Photo by I Don’t Know How She Does It
Gloribell Lebron is an interior stylist and designer with a strong background and knowledge in graphic design. She is also a blogger at I don’t know how she does it. (Find her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.)