Halloween on a budget!

Yesterday, I was asked how to decorate for Halloween while on a budget. The decorations had to be "really cool" and not the ordinary, run-of-the-mill sort of things that you could buy at the local department store. At first,I said "Turn down the lights! Use flicker candles! Pull out the strings of white lights!" Anything to add ambiance..then I referred them to past posts of the blog. Last year, I had posted things like..using cheesecloth as curtains and printing and framing old movie monster portraits. These things were accepted heartily but the request for more ideas still stood. I thought and thought. Things are just so expensive nowadays and most of us (especially young parents) just do not have the funds to splurge on $80 centerpieces for one party. Time to be a bit creative!

I scrounged around the cabinets until I found an old (by old..antique) silver centerpiece vase/candelabra. It had seen better days as the (frog) insert that holds the flowers was bent and broken but it was still too good to toss. This was a good start..now to make it creepy. I used some water-based paint to cover the entire vase/candelabra. No sooner had I finished painting, I pulled some paper towels and rubbed off most of the paint. Yep..looks old now! (The water-based paint will not harm the silver as it can merely be washed off after Halloween. In my stash of goodies, I have an assortment of candles. None of these looked particularly spooky, so the black paint was needed again. I painted the candles with the black water-based paint. (I do not light these candles so I am not worried about the longevity of the paint. I have not tried burning them to see if the paint has any effect on the flame or not..so if you do this..try it first in a place that will not be a danger in case something does not go well! We wouldn't want to burn down the house!) Hmmm...flowers were not called for at this party, so a small pumpkin was placed on some moss in the vase! Voila'...instant creepy centerpiece for free! A bit if dyed cheesecloth for a table runner and a few fall leaves round out this look! If you do not have the silver piece..any candleholders and a black-painted bowl will work..even an old plastic margarine tub will do in a pinch. (Just paint solid black and do not wipe off any of the paint!) I really like this centerpiece since it is still elegant enough to use at any late fall party.

Dead branches are always available..just go clean your yard a bit and you should have an abundance! Gather up a bunch of these since they can be used everywhere! They go great just shoved in any container and placed on the shelf or they can be added to garlands under windows. I used a large glass container and added a few dried weeds and fall leaves. This was placed in the entryway with some gourds and a coach lamp. The gourds were free as they were from the garden, the weeds..well..there are far too many of them everywhere!..and the coach lamp was moved from another part of the house. Again..this is more of a fall decoration but an old sheet dyed black as a table cloth lends itself to Halloween.

Mice! Mice! Everywhere! Every good haunted house definitely needs rodents lurking in the shadows. I actually got this idea from Martha Stewart! She has the most amazing website that is so full of good ideas! The template for these mice is a free download from her site. Just print and cut out a whole slew of the little rascals. Put double-sided tape (or role scotch tape) on the back side of each mouse and stick them to stairs like Martha did or in the shadows of shelves, behind furniture or anywhere that a mouse might wander! Turn down the lights and they appear almost real! Of course, if you have mice..you have to have the black cat! Ms. Put fits right in with the decorations!

For the next week, as time permits, I will add more "freebie" or "near-freebie" decorations. Parties of any kind do not require expensive decorations if you are willing to use a little ingenuity and apply a little bit of elbow grease! Darling daughter, Elizabeth, will be here this weekend so between the two of us, we will transform the house into a party-ready area!