Spooky But Friendly Parties
Halloween is just around the corner so Karol Nickell, editor in chief of Better Homes and Gardens, visits The Saturday Early Show to share some spooky yet stylish party ideas for family, neighbors and friends.
Here are some ideas:
Tablecloth
To make your table stand out, use a colorful, easy to make runner. Nickell suggests using two contrasting colors of felt, orange and chocolate brown and create fun pops of color along the center of the table.
- How to do it
To make the table cloth, children old enough to use scissors can trace circles of various sizes on the brown felt and cut them out. Or, craft stores will have extra large adjustable hole-punchers that are also very easy to use.
Where to get it
Crate&Barrel Linden "Sienna" 60 x 120 tablecloth, $36.95
Jo-Ann Fabrics: Felt for runner, $6.99 per yard (total cost under $30).
Pumpkin centerpiece
The next item is the pumpkin centerpiece, which can be used seasonally for the fall. But when Halloween arrives, drive your kids batty with this great pumpkin spruce-up.
- How to do it
- Carve out the center of a medium sized pumpkin.
- Insert a block of dry florist foam which is available at any crafting or florist shop.
- Cut bat shapes out of heavy black construction paper and tape the bats to some black wire.
- Insert wires in the florist foam and arrange the bats so they look like they are flying up and out of the pumpkin.
- To make the centerpiece extra creepy, you can add a black boa and stuff it into the opening for some real drama.
Where to get it:
Jo-Ann Fabrics: Stem wire and card stock to make bats, $1.99 each
Place Settings
Take advantage of the wonderful colors that appear during the autumn season, such as yellow, orange, and browns. Nickel suggests using an ochre charger, russet dinner plate, and a yellow leaf plate. The unique aspect of this table setting is that it not only has a mix of colors but the plates come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
- Where to get it:
Crate&Barrel Kalamkari "Sienna" 22-inch napkins, $2.95 each
Crate&Barrel Rust Oval Platter, 16 x 20, $42.95
Crate&Barrel small tumblers, $5.95 each
HomeGoods: Plates $3.99 and $4.99
HomeGoods: Woven chargers, $3.99 each
Target: Leaf Plates, $5.39 each
Target: Tumblers, $2.99 each
Pumpkin Place Cards
The focus of this place setting are the pumpkins, which can be found at any grocery store for $1. Instead of buying regular place cards, take a magic marker and write guest name on the pumpkin.
Candles
Using black candles is the easiest way to make a Halloween table look spooky. You can also add spider webbing. You can find spider webs anywhere that candy is sold. All you have to do is drape it along the base of the candles. To make it spookier, add plastic spiders for a more dramatic effect. When your house is lit by candlelight, it actually looks as if the spiders are crawling up the candle sticks.
- Where to get it:
Target: Spiderweb, $1.99
Candy bags
To make these treats more fun, add a cute way to fasten the bags shut.
- How to do it:
Any craft store will have pre-made pom-poms and fuzzy pipe cleaners. Just glue some googly-eyes on to either end or right to the pom-pom
These treat bags are so easy to do, even the kids can help assemble them. Nickell's tip is to add black jelly beans or licorice to the colorful bags. They really make the candy pop.
Broomstick skewers
To create these clever party skewers, start with a regular 10-inch bamboo skewer which can be purchased at the grocery store. Add some cut natural straw that you tie to the end of each skewer. Then layer on dried fruits and candy. Licorice can be tied around the skewer as well as gummy worms. In fact, all types of gummy candy work great. If you stick them in the pumpkin, it really makes a great presentation for any trick or treater.