The Decoration

It didn't rain!

You'd never know it from all the rain today, but we lucked out and had a really great night!



We had to wait for Will to get home from the airport before heading out into the neighborhood, so the kids set up a table, three chairs and the candy bucket...

and had a good time passing out candy and checking out all the kids in their fun costumes!


Ellison took her job very seriously, asking kids how they were doing and telling them how cute they looked...

It was pretty adorable!

The boys' costumes came with scary masks, but they were very kind and decided not to wear them while they passed out candy. That way they wouldn't scare any of the little kids.

Sweet boys!

And then finally, Dad was home and it was their turn to go Trick-Or-Treating!

First, Grandma's house...

where they were spoiled with goody bags!

A few more stops...



and then back home...

to our Hot Dog...

Scout!


I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

..........................................................................


That being said, can you believe that it is November already?

Where has the year gone?

But I can't say that I'm entirely disappointed.

I hear turkey and cranberries calling my name.

:)

This years objective for Halloween:

make it Spooky, but not Scary.

This was the first year that the boys begged me to go scary with the decor. But with a 4 year old little girl, I just can't do scary.

The compromise: Skulls and Spiders with emphasis on Trick-Or-Treating!


The boys are happy because they are way into the skulls, but Ellison is happy too because none of it is scary enough to be nightmare-inducing!

And that makes Mama very happy!

:)

First, I needed a few candle holders. I lucked out when our local thrift store had these...

A few coats of glossy, black spray paint later and they were perfect for my Halloween mantle...



I found this spidery runner and laid it down first...


Added a few skulls (the boys love this one the most!)...



A free printable from The Graphics Fairy - LOVE her!

And four cute, little bottles with skull stoppers from TJ Maxx...

Some candy corn for color and to reinforce the "Trick-Or-Treat" theme...


A little bit of Spanish Moss here and there...

Candles and Spiders...

And the coolest glittery, black paper chandeliers from Martha Stewart and JoAnne Etc...

I hung one on each side of the mantle...

And Halloween just wouldn't be complete without a few stray crows...

A little more orange, by way of a framed greeting card...

and a Jack-O-Lantern...

And it all comes together to make a slightly-Spooky-but-not-Scary Halloween mantle!

The skeletons found themselves placed around the house, which the kids (and Will too!) love moving into different poses! This one is by Martha Stewart from JoAnne's...

love him - he's a keeper!

Some sticky spiders...

and spider webs...

were just enough to make the house feel ready for Halloween!


It was fun to have the kids fully involved in it this year. Here is how Ellison decorated when we first open up our Halloween boxes...

She was super proud of herself!

:)


And Mummy Pizza's were a huge hit!

Will and I got lucky this year - my best friend hosted a Costume Party on Friday night and it was SO much fun!

Here are a few of us girls...

(my BFF - Medusa)

And now it's dark and the kids are chomping at the bit to get out there and start ringing doorbells!

Off to Trick-Or-Treat!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Be safe!

P.S. I am linking to:

The Inspired Room, Just A Girl, Tatertots & Jello

It's official...

My Halloween decorating can now begin!

I know, I know - there are plenty of you die-hard-Halloweener's...

or...

Halloweenies...

Halloweenettes...

Hmm?

(MOVING ON!)

...who started decorating as soon as Fall arrived, but I typically like to keep my seasons and holidays separate, giving them each their own space to express themselves.

But as of today, the ghost and goblins can make their way out of the cellar and into the house!

While browsing Better Homes & Gardens I found some great ideas that I will definitely be incorporating this year.


These gourds are not only pretty, but functional too! Can't beat that...



And every house should be home to a few crows and cobwebs...



Or maybe, a lot of cobwebs!

My kids would LOVE to have a webby, spidery chandelier like this one!

And it's just not Halloween without the bats...

Remember our colony of bats from last Halloween?


The effort was definitely worth the end result!



And I love this idea!

This particular tree is painted on, but lucky for us, Eileen has some fabulous trees in her shop that would work perfectly for this. Hit up the dollar store for a bunch of crows and you've got yourself a display that will *WOW* anyone that walks in your door!





These last two ideas are about as simple as it gets.

If your kids are anything like mine, they love seeing themselves all framed up!

Make it a little creepy and crawly and they'll love it even more...

How about a new use for all of those Mason jars you have sitting around?

With a little black construction paper and some masking tape, you can make yourself a mummy...

I'm thinking this is the perfect craft for the kids.

So what about you?

Has your Halloween decorating commenced?


I'm always up for fresh, new ideas, so if you have any that you would like to share, I'm all ears!


Happy October!





All photos courtesy of BHG.com