LIFE AT CONTENT: 3 Easy Halloween Decorating Ideas
I have said it before, and I will say it again: I love Halloween! It's such a nonsense holiday.
October 31 was originally marked as the ancient, Celtic new year, BUT nowadays it's all tricks & treats. Plus, there's no family obligation. No travel. No gift giving. No special recipe you've been bequeathed to recreate (just like Grandma used to make).
✅ If you’re short on time, you can jump to our favorite Halloween décor materials and products. Check out the full list here.
Aside from deciding on a costume (for you or your family), there's no pressure. Think about it. Just a bunch of nonsense, and tons of fun sized chocolate.
For the past 10 years, John and I have hosted (in some capacity) a Halloween party. This will be our 2nd party here at Content. If you want to check out some of our past Halloween party tips, here's another post on the subject from a few years back.
This year, we're sharing 3 Easy Halloween Decorating Ideas that are not only simple to execute but also very inexpensive.
Spooky Window Glow
By far, my favorite addition to this year's haunt! This look is achieved using orange, plastic table covers. To get the look, roughly measure the width of your window, and cut the table cloth to size. Use a couple pieces of Scotch tape to affix the cloth to the top corners of your windows, and let static electricity take care of the rest.
In the evening, the interior lights of your house will make the house appear to "glow" a spooky amber.
Heighten The Look With Contrast
Blue Flood Light
To heighten the look, use a blue colored flood light on the exterior of the house, positioned on the ground, illuminating the windows.
The blue and orange compliment each other, adding contract and depth.
BONUS IDEA
I added black velvet ribbon to these inexpensive hologram photos. They change from innocent family picture to horrific scene depending on the angle you’re viewing them.
The black velvet adds a sophistication and allows for them to hang. Next year I’m going to do a whole galley wall!
Faux Pillar Candles
Candles of any kind are always a great Halloween addition. Unfortunately, open flames can cause serious damage to your home, if left unattended, or to party guests, especially if guests are dressed in costumes with extra adornment or potentially flammable materials.
Our go to is battery operated tea lights, and this year we gave them an unexpected twist creating pillar like candles that can be used in a variety of ways.
It should be noted, DO NOT USE REAL FLAME TEA LIGHTS.
Toilet paper or paper towel rolls are ideal, but you might not have these readily available. As an alternative, we used matte card stock, cut to varied widths and used a hot glue gun to join the seams, creating the pillar shapes. Just be sure to test fit your battery operated tea lights before gluing.
We cut the tops of the pillars unevenly to create a realistic burn edge of a real wax candle and used extra hot glue to create the wax drip texture.
For display on window ledges or shelves, simply stuff the pillars with a paper towel to create a surface for the battery tea lights to rest on.
For a floating effect, poke two adjacent holes on the sides of the pillar (near the top), thread mono filament (fishing line) through the holes and rest the tea light on the line.
Give yourself some extra line for varied height hanging from the ceiling or doorway.
Spooky Cheese Cloth Curtain
Cheese cloth has endless Halloween decorating potential. With a little distressing, you can drape cheese cloth almost anywhere (on a mantel, as a table runner, over a piece of furniture) and the cloth will exude a eerie feeling of decay.
Here at Content, we use approximately 5 yards of cheese cloth to create these ghostly apparitions. Cheese cloth is light weight and easily responds to wind, casting shadows and unexpected movement.
Simply cut cheese cloth to varying lengths, distress and affix to a curtain rod.
And that's it!
