Halloween parties for the neighborhood kids was how I inadvertently got my start in theme party planning. They're my favorite party to throw.
invitations
The more complex my Halloween parties became, the more complex my invitations became.
My last invitation was a light up invitation. Yes, time consuming but it was fun and ended up being my favorite invitation I've ever done.
SUPPLIES:
Pear Blossom Press EZ Lights (5 Pack): https://pearblossompress.com/product/...
Scrappy Tails Crafts "Slimline Pop up Birdhouse" Die set: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec...
Scrappy Tails Crafts "Neighborhood House Add-on" die set: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec...
Scrappy Tails Crafts "German Christmas House Add-on" die set: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec... Scrappy Tails Crafts "Fairy House Add-on" die set: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec...
Scrappy Tails Crafts "Slimline Woodgrain Background" die: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec...
Scrappy Tails Crafts "Slimline Brick Background" die: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec...
Scrappy Tails Crafts "Slimline Cobblestone Background" die: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec...
Scrappy Tails Crafts "Slimline Everyday Borders" die set: https://scrappytailscrafts.com/collec...
Tim Holtz / Sizzix "Frightful Things" thinlet dies: http://shrsl.com/1tr2w
Tim Holtz/Sizzix "Gate Keeper" thinlits dies: http://shrsl.com/2jxxp
Tim Holtz/Sizzix "Regions Beyond" thinlet dies: (OUT OF STOCK) http://shrsl.com/37lk6
Tim Holtz/Sizzix "Ghoulish" thinlet dies: (OUT OF STOCK)
Lawn Fawn "Spooky Fence" border lawn cut: http://shrsl.com/2j9zy
Crafter's Companion "Gemini Die Cut" Machine: http://shrsl.com/2l91c
Inks:
Tim Holtz “Stormy Sky” distress oxide ink:http://shrsl.com/2e4p8
Tim Holtz “Chipped Saphire” Distress oxide ink: http://shrsl.com/2dxk1,
http://shrsl.com/2dxk4, http://shrsl.com/2dxk6
Tim Holtz "Carved Pumpkin" Distress oxide ink: http://shrsl.com/2kaal, http://shrsl.com/2kab2
Tim Holtz "Lucky Clover" distress oxide ink: http://shrsl.com/1tr39
Tim Holtz “Black Soot” Distress oxide ink: http://shrsl.com/1tr2z, http://shrsl.com/2cv0y http://shrsl.com/2cv0x
I got more favorable party guest comments on these invitations than any other invitations I'd done.
staging & Props
Hubby and I would actually start staging our Halloween parties 2-3 months ahead of the party because the staging was so extensive - both exterior and interior.
At left is my old house down south.
That entire front yard would be staged with a huge Halloween 'exhibit' including numerous animations.
It actually took longer to stage than the house interior did.
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I don't expect you to do anything as complex...but I'm just going to show you what we did and maybe you'll get some of your own ideas from it.
Some of the animatronics we bought, most we built ourselves.
Some of our exterior animatronics:
WARNING: If you're doing to do a lot of outside decor that requires electricity, make sure you have someone qualified or an electrician checking things over so you don't overload your electrical system aznd burn your house down!
exterior non-powered decorations
If you need a non-electric way to highlight gravestones in your cemetery, you can use old fashioned LED lanterns.
CEMETERY ARCH
I used corrugated cardboard and Styrofoam to build the arch. I did not put the gargoyles on the top. The skeletons I found at the dollar store. I strung some Spanish moss from them to make them look more creepy.
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PILLARS
Our guests were spooked out before they even entered our house! Most of them spent considerable time in the yard looking over all of the displays before they even approached the house.
You can even make a group of ghosts holding hands around a LED light faux fire pit for some haunted scary and spooky outdoor Halloween decorations!
Tutorial here, or buy them here.
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If you want dynamite outdoor Halloween scenes, then get yourself a holographic image projector.
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You'll also want to invest in a couple of
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The last item you'll need is some floor spotlights.
What we discovered is you want to engage guests 5 senses with your exterior decor, before they ever set foot in your venue. Including a way to pipe spooky music into your yard.
They were about to get more spooked out when they entered our house! The entry was through a hallway that we could make nearly pitch black and that was the entrance to the haunted house interior.
What would Halloween be without creepy cobwebs and spiders?
Now, from the looks of it, designing the cobwebbed décor might be a nightmare in itself. Thankfully, looks can be deceiving, and it is not half as complicated as it might seem.
This design can be easily achieved with the generous use of white cloth and stretchable spider webs. In the case of the spiders, you can make the effort to make them out of paper-mâché or simply purchase plastic models.
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Remember the well I'd made and used as a coffee table in my Medieval party?
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That well turned into this...
Chicken Wire Lawn Ghosts
These were my fave ghosts to use because they look so realistic.
Chicken wire ghost tutorial below
Hubby and I would buy cheesecloth by the roll from Uline because it could be used so many ways and was far cheaper than buying faux cobwebs retail. You can also buy it by the roll from Amazon.
It's amazing how creepy something as simple as an old doll spray painted white can be, especially when placed among white surroundings!
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TIPS:
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Shop the after Halloween sales (especially at the dollar stores) to stock up on items for the following Halloween.
I'd say 3/4's of our Halloween decor came from after Halloween sales where we got items at a substantially reduced cost.
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The thing people fear most is the unknown. Whenever possible, we incorporated the unknown into our Halloween staging. What's going to grab me if I walk down that dark hallway? Is something going to pop out at me from that coffin? Hit your guests with the unexpected!
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Visit retail Halloween supplier trade shows and conventions! You may not buy anything but we got many great ideas just from browsing these trade shows, especially when it came to animatronics!
Learn how to DIY. A good animatronic can cost hundreds of dollars apiece so we learned to build our own, saving us thousands of dollars over the years.
food/menu
If you're going to do a big Halloween production like we did, then I highly recommend you stick to finger food and snacks for your Halloween party menu, that guests can help themselves to. You'll be too busy to be messing around with food.
Sit down dinners are okay for small, intimate groups of friends and party guests.
CHARCUTERIE BOARDS: Are a great way to lay out a variety of foods in quantity. I suggest having your party co-host or someone assigned to refilling food containers when necessary.
For our charcuterie board hubby made a black coffin board and we used a full-sized skeleton, making the food look as though it were the skeleton's innards coming out.
To make it even more spooky, I put several life-sized black rats all over and
around the board.
MUMMY HOT DOGS Recipe here
Don't forget your condiments. I put them in squeeze bottles and labeled ketchup "blood", mustard was "bile" and so forth.
PULL APART GRAVEYARD CUPCAKES Recipe here
Although it looks almost like a cake, this graveyard is made up of individual cupcakes, making it a self-serve party option. Just grab your cupcake and go — no knives necessary.
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INDIVIDUAL GHOST PIZZAS Recipe here
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MAC-O-LANTERN & CHEESE BOWLS Recipe here
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SPIDER WEB DEVILED EGGS Recipe here
A little food coloring can transform regular deviled eggs into a Halloween treat! Best of all, you can make these ahead and leave them in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve them.
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CANDY COATED PEAR SKULLS Recipe here
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CARAMEL APPLE MONSTER MUNCH Recipe here
An option we found really handy for us was inexpensive food warming trays to keep hot foods warm.
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Similarly, we used food cooling trays to keep cold foods chilled.
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This made things a whole lot easier in setting out our Halloween help yourself buffet.
Well worth the investment!
activities
Whether you're inviting kids, adults or both to your bash, no Halloween party is complete without a costume contest.
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We had guests vote on their favorites then awarded trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
You could also award Halloween gift baskets to the winners.
I loved these candy bouquets so made some of my own in Halloween colors.
TRUTH OR SCARE
Who didn't play Truth or Dare as a kid?
This is a Halloween version of that game.
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I made up my own truth questions and dare challenges but you can also buy a game here.
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DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
This game can be played many different ways so here's a full tutorial.
JACK 'O LANTERN TIN CAN TOSS
For the Jack 'O Lantern Tin Can Toss...
To craft this classic carnival game, you’ll need 10 equally sized tin cans. Measure the height and diameter of one can and use a sliding paper trimmer or scissors to cut 10 pieces of sparkling orange cardstock to size. If desired, sub in normal orange construction paper on a few to add texture and variety. Wrap the cardstock around each can and secure with hot glue. Once
the cans have been wrapped, draw and cut traditional jack-o'-lantern faces out of black construction paper and hot glue the pieces to the cans. Stack some hay bales and place the cans in a pyramid at the top of the stack. Use orange and black bean bags to see who can knock down the whole stack first!
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PUMPKIN PONG
Pumpkin carving with a twist - Try combining shaving and carving techniques to create a 3D effect that will make your jack-o'-lantern the envy of the party.
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Have guests vote on their favorite pumpkin and award a prize to the winner.
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This oversized version of the classic college party game is reimagined for family fun. To set up the game, simply place 10 dollar-store candy buckets on the ground in a triangle. Place rocks or sand in the bottom to help hold the buckets in place. Standing about 6 feet from the first bucket, players take turns trying to toss a Ping-Pong ball into the buckets, removing one each time they score. The player with the most buckets at the end wins. Shake up the game by seeing who can get a ball in each bucket first or by placing higher points on specific buckets. The choice is yours!
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PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST
VISIT A PUMPKIN FARM
My great nieces and nephews love their annual visits to their local pumpkin farm.
Pumpkin farms are great if you have little ones and they're inexpensive. Best of all, the kids really enjoy them.
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TOUR A HAUNTED HOUSE OR TAKE A GHOST TOUR
Many cities and towns sponsor haunted houses during Halloween as well as ghost tours.
There are usually admission feees but normally they're not that steep.