Dazzle with an eek-chic party
Treat loved ones (and yourself!) to a Halloween bash filled with bright, bewitching extras
Collect compliments
with peeping pumpkins
Plain gourds transform into an eerie-meets-cute centerpiece in seconds! To do: For each, slice off the top quarter of a pumpkin, then scoop out the pulp and seeds. Hot-glue lengths of patterned ribbon to the outside of the pumpkin as shown. Paint two 2" foam balls green, then glue a googly eye onto each. Hot-glue the balls to the cut edge of the pumpkin and set the pumpkin’s lid on top.
Sweeten their day
with fright-tastic snacks
Dressing up chocolate bars in cute costumes is as easy as folding a piece of paper! To do: For each, cut a 7"x 9" rectangle from a piece of scrapbook paper. Use glue to stick a bar of chocolate to the middle, then cut the paper into the shape of a ghost, bat or vampire. Fold the two paper flaps over the bar and glue on googly eyes.
Cast a stylish spell
with a spirited buffet
The key to creating a wow-worthy Halloween scene that’s spooky and chic: updating the classic orange-and-black color scheme with stylish stripes and layers of surprising accents. Here, a help-yourself table is topped with an orange cloth and party-store cauldrons of chilling chili and other goodies. Adding spider dip bowls (made by gluing bendy straws and googly eyes to black plastic bowls) and playful paper menu signs makes it even more festive. It’s sure to impress trickers, treaters and just-take-a-seaters! SUCCESS SECRET: To transform your space, hang a striped backdrop (like Black & White Backdrop, $18, OrientalTrading.com) behind a buffet
Enchant everyone
with broomstick place cards
A small stick, some yarn and scrap paper team up to offer guests a witchy welcome. To do: Snip 24 pieces of white yarn to 6 inches; lay flat. Gather into a bundle, then fold it in half to form the broom’s bristles. Wrap a piece of orange yarn around the middle of the bundle, then hot-glue an 8" stick into the center of the bristles. Tie on a name tag and place on a napkin.
Make them feel special
with treat-filled totes
Party-store bags go from simple to sensational with a stencil design and a handful of sweets. To do: For each, lay a pumpkin stencil atop a paper bag and use felt-tip markers to color it in. Remove stencil and fill bags with candy. SECRET SOURCE: Clear Scraps Plastic Pumpkin Stencil, $5, Joann.com