Sweet and Spooky Ideas for Halloween

With yesterday being the hottest day EVER (no really, it was the hottest day in recorded history in LA) it's difficult to get my mind around the fact that it's time to get the Fall and Halloween decorations out. We have flames shooting out of the hillsides, air conditioning running nonstop and are trying hard not to stick to our furniture. It definitely feels like summer but one look at the calendar tells me that cooler temperatures are not far away and neither is our (somewhat sad) version of fall. Knowing that Halloween is a big holiday for many of you, here are some ideas decor and gift ideas.

 Before I get to Halloween, I just want to point out that it's easy to get double duty from accessories and decorations this time of year by going with a fall theme instead of just Halloween. The pumpkin in the photo about is a great example. Using a big fall leaf embellishment and several small ones turns this plain craft pumpkin into an elegant accessory that can stay out until the Christmas decoration appear. If you'd like to make it more appropriate for Halloween, you can always add a Jack O' Lantern face on one side and leaves on the other. The faces come in a variety of designs in lots of sizes, so you can use them in many different ways.

 

I like using them on larger craft pumpkins so that I can use them year after year. It's definitely a good investment over the long run, plus I don't have to deal with slimy pumpkin guts! You can also apply a couple of these faces to a mirror in your home for a fun  Halloween "trick." 

A good idea for Halloween decor is to apply your vinyl expressions on boards, tiles or plaques so that you can reuse them each year. That's what I did on this punched metal tile to warn guests at my door:

I ordered this expression in Shimmer Orange to make it really pop against the Black Punched Metal Tile (love this new color addition!). I added a little of our black ribbon and have a great piece I'll use every year. My daughter thinks this refers to her brothers. Little does she know...

Another Halloween piece I love is this cute "Eat, Drink and Be Scary" in Green Tea and Concord Grape. It might be difficult to see in the photo but I applied some Shimmer Effects to the purple parts to make them shimmer and shine a little more. I love the look. This expression is shown on the Vintage Embossed Metal Board in Black. This is another great, versatile Foundations piece because it can be hung vertically or horizontally. With its not-too-scary faces, this expression is perfect for my family. Two of my kids are still too young to enjoy the scary aspects of Halloween, and the other one is too, but won't admit it.

The last idea I'd like to share with you today is this cute vase I found on clearance a while back. It was much too plain so I added a spider and some lettering to make it the perfect little Halloween accent. Some orange ribbon and a spooky branch finish off the look. This is great to use if you don't have a lot of wall space but would still like to decorate. As always, you can make it do double duty by adding some silver snowflakes to the other side and using it through the winter.

Whatever you decide to use for your Halloween decor, don't wait very long to order your pieces. The sooner you receive them, the sooner you can begin to enjoy your fun items.