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Who says hauntings have to be just for Halloween? My friend, Lisa and I decided to throw a haunted soiree party just to get our psychic group together since we hadn't seen each other for awhile. Have a nice dinner and just catch up. It would be a small gathering since there are only six of us in my area.
invitations
I kept this invitation relatively simple.
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Black card stock, a die cut haunted house over purple scrapbook paper. I printed out the moons on white card stock and affixed them to the card with foam glue dots to give them a slightly raised look.
I printed the photo of myself out on computer photo paper, cut it out and glued it to the card.
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This was a folded card. The inside was black, I printed the party info out on white computer paper, used distress ink to give the white sheet a more smoky look around the edges, cut out the party info and glued that white computer paper to the inside of the card.
staging & props
Staging would be a breeze since I could use my Halloween decorations and some items from my party stash that I'd used for other parties.
The only thing I bought for the above wall was a stretch furniture cover for my wing chair, $28. We swapped my deck glider (since it matched the wing chair) and put my other glider out on the deck for the night.
Everything else came from my Halloween and party stash.
In staging a Haunted Soiree, you can use Halloween decorations but don't stage your venue to look too much like Halloween. You want to give your staging a more paranormal look - anything haunted, haunted mirrors, ghosts, anything to do with those in spirit, etc.
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Cheesecloth ghosts with faces are the best ghosts to make, they look more realistic. Tutorial here
(A trio of these ghosts bought at retail cost close to $50)
Haunted mirrors are another fun DIY project and lend themselves to a Haunted Soiree party. Tutorial here
Animated haunted mirrors are even more cool!
Although those of us who are and have worked as professional psychics don't need any tools or aids in receiving psychic information, such as tarot cards and the like, you can still use them in staging.
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On to staging the dining table...
I simply used my white tablecloth overlaid with a black lace tablecloth that's part of my Halloween decor. For the centerpiece I used my silver candleabra.
Rarely do I use the black, white and gold china I got as a wedding present but they go with the decor so...
(Yes, I do have a gazillion different sets of dishes, most of them inherited. LOL)
For your dining area ambiance, consider draping tattered gauzy black fabric overhead, tilt any pictures you have on the wall so they're off center and cover them in faux cobwebs. Use indoor spotlights to give your room a green or purple glow - or both!
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​Don't forget your creepy music playing softly in the background.
food/menu
Lisa and I decided to cook ourselves but do things that we could prepare ahead of time that morning or that would only take a few minutes to prepare the night of the soiree.
HOMEMADE PASTA SAUCE
RECIPE FROM ITALY
HOMEMADE GENUINE ITALIAN PASTA SAUCE
My stepmother's relatives all came to America from Italy and they brought all of their mouthwatering recipes with them. As a kid, every Sunday we would go to Nani and Rosalita's house for their homemade spaghetti. My mouth is watering just remembering that spaghetti!
Here's the sauce recipe:
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INGREDIENTS (Be sure to use fresh ingredients or it won't taste the same!)
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1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or vegan butter
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1 yellow onion, diced
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2 carrots, peeled & diced
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2 celery stalks, diced
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3 garlic cloves, minced
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2 teaspoons salt
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½ cup red wine, such as Chianti, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
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1 (28 ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
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black pepper, to taste
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¼ cup fresh basil, torn
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1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
DIRECTIONS
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Heat olive oil & butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil,1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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Once hot, add the diced onion, carrots & celery and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
1 yellow onion,2 carrots, 2 celery stalks
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Add in 1 teaspoon of salt and the garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
3 garlic cloves,2 teaspoons salt
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Pour in the red wine and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Next, add in the can of crushed tomatoes, more salt, black pepper to taste, basil and thyme.
½ cup red wine,1 (28 ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes,black pepper,¼ cup fresh basil,1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
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Cover the pot, bring it to a slight boil, turn down the heat to low & simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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Turn off the heat, allow the sauce to cool for a few minutes, then blend with an immersion or a traditional blender until smooth.
(I like my sauce on the chunkier side so I never blended it to make it smooth - optional)
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We wanted our spaghetti to have a spooky look to it so we served the sauce over black spaghetti noodles.
Italian and Sicilian black spaghetti noodles get their coloring from squid ink. NO THANK YOU! So I use organic black bean spaghetti. It really tastes no different than regular spaghetti noodles.
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HAUNTED MANSION SPINACH SALAD
This recipe is for ONE serving so adjust accordingly for your number of guests!
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INGREDIENTS
2 cups raw spinach
2 large scallions
2 T. olive oil
2 dashes of black pepper
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup raw blackberries
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DIRECTIONS
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Wash spinach well, drain, and chop. Squeeze out excess water. Chop green onions.
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Put spinach in a mixing bowl and add the scallions/green onions, oil, pepper, and the juice from 1 squeezed lemon. Toss and top with blackberries. Enjoy!
Note: I also add raspberries, bacon bits and sunflower seeds to mine and serve with Raspberry Vinaigrette on the side.
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DIPPIN' GHOST ROLLS Recipe here
Since we were serving Italian we added a bit of minced garlic and garlic powder to ours - optional.
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TIRAMISU Recipe here #12 on the page​
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activities
My friends and I didn't really need any activities as such...we catch up with each other on paranormal developments, the haunting investigations we've been doing, etc. But I'll give you some activities you can do when planning a Haunted Soiree party.
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HIRE A PSYCHIC TO DO READINGS
Take it from us...people love having readings done on themselves and their lives.
Just a cautionary note here though: Hire a LEGITIMATE psychic, not a novice or fraud calling themselves a psychic and who wants to charge you an exorbitant amount for a simple reading.
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How do you tell a legitimate psychic from a fraud or novice?
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We do NOT look like this for starters! We look just like everyone else.
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We use our real names not some made up BS like Madame I'm Full of Chit.
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We aren't in what we do for the money so wouldn't charge a ridiculous amount of money for a reading.
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Most of us are cold readers - meaning we need no aids like tarot cards and the like to read someone.
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We know what our accuracy rates are and will tell you if asked. A legitimate professional psychic will have an accuracy rate of at least 76%.
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We adhere to a strict code of morals and ethics, realizing when we read someone we have a big responsibility on our shoulders toward the person being read and how our reading might affect them.
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Ask us if a psychic can be 100% accurate and we will be honest and tell you "No way!"
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We will not read you without first having your permission to do so.
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CHECK OUT REPORTEDLY HAUNTED LOCATIONS IN YOUR AREA
My friends and I often used to do this together before we all got so busy and we'd compare notes on what we were each psychically picking up. It's good to know some history of the locations before you physically go out investigating.
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ATTEND A PSYCHIC FAIR
People have gotten far more interested in the paranormal than they have been in the past so psychic fairs are becoming more and more common and popular. They're a good way to get your feet wet if you don't know that much about what psychics, paranormal investigators, etc. actually do. Many psychics will also do readings at these fairs - but read how to tell a legitimate psychic from a fraud or novice above before allowing anyone to read you!
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WATCH A PARANORMAL MOVIE TOGETHER, BASED ON ACTUAL EVENTS
Or at least watch a realistic one - not a hyped up Hollywood version that's patently ridiculous.
THE CONJURING is an excellent movie, based on a case Lorraine and Ed Warren investigated in the 1970's.
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The Conjuring follows a family who move into a haunted house and turn to demonologists Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) to investigate the curse's origin.
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE
The film follows a self-proclaimed agnostic (Linney) who acts as defense counsel representing a parish priest (Wilkinson) accused of negligent homicide after performing an exorcism. The story is inspired by the real-life case of Anneliese Michel.
THE SIXTH SENSE
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Haley Joel Osment made the line "I see dead people" iconic with this film.
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Any psychic medium coming to grips with their abilities can totally relate to this film and Osment's character.
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Those are just 3 good movies based on true life characters and events.
OIUJA BOARDS
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DO NOT, repeat DO NOT use a Ouija board at your party!
You can literally open portals to some very nasty things playing around with a Ouija board! I cannot tell you how many cases I've been called into to try to rid people and their homes of very nasty things they brought into their homes playing with Ouija boards.
VISIT AN ESCAPE ROOM OR DESIGN YOUR OWN
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These are fun and mentally challenging. You and your group must solve clues and complete tasks to get out of the escape room.
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There are a couple of places near me that host escape rooms and the admittance fee is around $28 per person.
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How to Design Your Own Escape Room, According to Escape Room Experts
You don't have to wait for Halloween to enjoy spooky stuff! Throw yourself a Haunted Soiree any time of year.
