House Decoration Photos outdoors - dining room - living room - study - bathroom back to 2002 index Outdoors We had minimal outdoor decorations up for trick-or-treaters (TOTs) on Halloween Night. Just purple/orange/green icicle lights on the porch eaves, purple lights framing the door, a black cornhusk and dried rose wreath on the door, skull-on-a-stake lights from the porch down the walkway, and a life-size skeleton hanging from a hook on the porch roof near the door. Also taped black paper bat cutouts inside our picture window that overlooks the porch. We have white blinds on the window, so the bats stood out nicely. We set up three styrofoam tombstones on the front lawn. Despite the simple decor, the TOTs and their parents loved it! We got many compliments and some questions asking where we got this or that item. The kids were thrilled by our goodies too. In addition to Sweet Tarts, I gave out skull-and-crossbone pencils and whistles that look like a vampire's fanged mouth (both from Oriental Trading Company). The next-door-neighbor kid even came back later in the evening to ask for more whistles! Probably had two dozen TOTs from about 6-8pm. That's a definite improvement from previous neighborhoods, so I was happy. Hopefully, word will get out about the funky couple who have cool decorations and give out neat toys, so we'll get more TOTs next year! For the party, in addition to the Halloween night decorations, I dressed my sewing dressform up in my black Victorian bustle gown and duct-taped skeleton hands inside the sleeves at the wrists. One arm was draped over a curved lantern stand, and I put a lit votive inside the pierced bronzed metal lantern. The other arm "held" (thanks to more duct tape) the Famous Dead Person's Ball sign. Unfortunately, I didn't have any red fabric to tuck into the high neck of the bodice for that severed-head look. The skeleton still hung from the porch, but I used fishing wire to put his right arm up, as if waving. Then I attached the "Enter at your own risk" sign to his hand. This is a cardboard sign I made ages ago to resemble the one in Rocky Horror. The final touch was a misty shroud of fog from the fogger Kevin so graciously loaned us. The machine was hidden around the corner of the house, and we snaked a dryer hose up to the front of the porch to pour fog right where guests walked in. Oh, and we put a little thunder-and-lightening sound effect box at the porch step. It was motion triggered to go off as guests passed. Dining Room Over the picture window (which has white blinds but no curtains yet), I hung a black iron curtain rod with arrow finials. Over this, I draped black lace in three swags, topped with a shorter piece of purple tulle in two swags, overlapped. From each end, I hung lengths of black gauze fabric that had been washed, which gave it extra texture. At the very center and at each end, I added streamers of wide black spiderweb tulle. I hung black rubber bats at each end and hung two bats head-to-foot from the center. Above the center, I propped an old wreath of purple silk roses accented with chicken bones. From the copper light fixture, I hung three more bats, and I hung bats from the two black iron sconces (with purple taper candles) that frame the picture window. More bats at the corner of both framed Medieval woman pictures and from the various swords mounted on the walls. We moved the long oval dining table up against the picture window, pointing out into the room. I put an ivory brocade tablecloth on, then draped a length of black lace over it in a zig-zag pattern. In the center of the table, I used several thick books for risers (thank you Chicago Manual of Style!), draped with purple brocade dinner napkins. At the window-end of the table was the Harvest of Skulls display, using instructions in Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor, and putting my own twist on it. In the center was a plastic lamp in the shape of a tower of skulls, grey and antiqued looking. This was on a 6"-high box draped with more purple napkins and topped by a Vampire: the Dark Ages book, both for added height and theme. To the right, sitting atop a leather-bound book of English Romantic era poetry, was a grey, antiqued, slightly-larger-than-life-size skull that I'd put an electric candle in the top of (this project is in the aforementioned craft book). I drilled a hole in the top of the skull, inserted the faux candle, then dripped tons of hot glue over the candle and down the skull, to look like wax. I spray-painted the candle and faux wax black. On the other side of the skull-tower light was another skull with electric candle, this one up on a 8"-high pumpkin. The skull was bone-colored and life-size, without a jawbone, and the candle and faux wax on top of the skull were black. Both skull-candle creations had flame-shaped flicker bulbs in them, to enhance the candle effect. Around these skull lamps, I arranged bunches of black, silver, and purple silk roses. Tons of 'em, bought off eBay. At the center front, I arranged three of the beautiful Martha Stewart bone candles. The two risers in the center of the table each held two-tier china tea trays, filled with veggie bruschetta and crab canapes. Silver trays and crystal bowls held the rest of the food on the table. I used my Martha Stewart cake stencils to put a powdered-sugar raven on the brownie cake. I'd made Rice Krispy treats in a skull muffin pan and Cocoa Krispy treats in small bat pans. There were also sugar cookies cut into bats, scared cats, two types of ghosts, crosses, crescent moons, and a spiderweb. The much-beloved ginger cookies surrounded the sugar cookies. To accompany the fruit kabobs, I had a lemon yogurt sauce that I made a spiderweb on top of with black decorating gel -- looked too pretty to eat, so nobody did! I tried to do the same spiderweb pattern in sour cream atop the black bean dip, but it didn't work. Maybe I should have piped it thinner. The crudites were garnished with eyeball radishes (which are a lot harder to make than I thought they'd be). Black and purple paper napkins were available for guests, and the white cocktail plates printed with "Eeek!" and a spider (from Target's retro-Halloween collection) were nearby for the bbq turkey meatballs. Drinks were all in the kitchen, where the only real decoration was the severed head in a pan on the stove, simmering with a collection of ears, fingers, tongues, and other fake body parts. We served sodas, beers (including Dead Guy Ale, Pete's Wicked, Hobgoblin Ale, and Scarecrow Ale), and wine (not sure if the Vampire Merlot got opened). In the crystal punchbowl, we ladled up Radioactive Death Punch, which burns brilliantly green thanks to the liberal use of Midori. Recipe is simple -- mix a bottle of Midori with a bottle of 7-Up, a bunch of ice, and vodka to taste. Shredded black fabric hung in the doorways from the kitchen and hallway into the laundry room. We've joked that we should leave these up year-round, as they nicely obscure the messy little space. The cats and much of their stuff were quarantined to the locked bedroom (although the buggers escaped once during the party!). Living Room The focal point of the room was the fireplace mantle. It's stately and painted black to begin with. For contrast, I used cheesecloth and ivory lace that I shredded and tattered. This covered the top of the mantle and draped over the edge in a very Disney's-Haunted-Mansion way. At the center, I displayed my wedding bouquet, which is now all dried roses. Below that, I hung a bunch of dried, longstem roses, tied with black spiderweb tulle. On top of the mantle was our usual display of silver frames with photos from our wedding and weddings of friends and family, as well as photos of us at the two GBACG Faerie Tale Masquerade Balls. I scattered dried rose heads around the photos. At each end of the mantle were the regular silver candlesticks with burgundy tapers, and above everything was our nine-candle faux-silver sconce, as always. Inside the fireplace behind the black screen was a large candleholder with ivory pillars and tapers. All of these candles were lit for the party. We moved all the dining chairs into the living room, for more seating. I draped various black tablecloths and jewel-tone throws over them. I put a lacy white round cloth towards one end of the oval coffeetable, and we had more chips, black bean dip, and salsa here. At the other end was a black plastic cauldron filled with Halloween candy, and this was surrounded by black and silver beaded spiderweb coasters (the ones Target had a few years back). An ivory pillar candle and mini pumpkins accented the table. Another cauldron of candy and a crystal biscuit barrel of Halloween M&Ms were on the round side table. Atop the entertainment center, I draped more tattered cheesecloth. Btw, I'm totally in love with this look! It achieves a decayed, creepy look but is much less cheesy than the fake spiderwebs you get at the Halloween stores. On top of the entertainment center, in addition to the usual stone planter with silk ivy and tall bronze votive holder were a large and small raven, one on each end. Black rubber bats hung from the door handles of the piece. The low table by the sofa held two baskets stuffed with party favors. I filled black plastic coffin-shaped cups with black and orange shredded paper and put in several spider rings and either a vampire whistle or a Halloween bubble bottle (all from OTC). Then I put the cups in purple cellophane bags tied with black curling ribbon. Almost everyone took a party favor home. On this same table was also the guestbook, which I'll use to update the Roll Call of the Famous and Dead. We also had a bunch of tombstone-shaped name tags that say "Hi, my name was _____." I've collected these for years for the FDPB, but they're hard to find. My stores were generously replenished by Ronda of Dragonfly Designs, who also supplied some of the party favors, along with an eBay order of the skull baking pans. Study My study became the Divination Parlor, although my decorations were half-assed compared to what I'd planned. Just ran out of time. I moved the futon couch out and put a tall lamp with black lights behind it. My computer desk and two bookshelves were covered with white sheets. I placed two tube blacklights around the room (although I'd wanted to mount them on the walls to better disperse the glow). My sewing table was opened fully and covered with a spiderweb print tablecloth. At the wall end of the table, I put a 6" box draped with black velour (actually a nightgown of mine ;-). On top was a "crystal ball" made of a globe fishbowl filled with fake spiderwebbing through which peeked flashing eyeball lights (on a battery pack). The base of the fishbowl was wrapped with a silver glittery scarf. On the table was a tray of bruschetta and another brownie cake, this one with a spiderweb stencil in powdered sugar. Silver skull candles, two tarot decks, and a glow-in-the-dark Oujia board completed the table. Bathroom We replaced all the light bulbs with red bulbs. In the bathtub, we floated lit eyeball candles (from OTC). A burnt bloody stump of a hand candle graced the side of the tub, and my bat bath scrubby sat atop the toilet tank. Purple vampire bat soaps from Sephora were in the soapdish. On the mirror, I put window clings that look like bloody hand prints and blood splashes (from OTC). back to 2002 index