October 29, 2014

Halloween Party Ideas

As I am not a fan of anything horror-related, Halloween has never been my favorite celebration of the year. But this coincidental little celebration in Cambodia really rocked and turned things around for me . . .

I stayed at a cosy guesthouse named Rosy, a little accommodation place run by an Australian couple (if I’m not mistaken). As they have kids, the whole place was decorated in such a friendly manner that didn’t feel too spooky, yet enough to transform the entire space to set the mood for a warm celebration. What I find amazing is the effort and how swift the transformation happened – overnight. Here are some ideas I picked up from my stay there that you might find useful, especially if you are a Halloween fan throwing a party.

1. The Basic: Stick-Ons 

Cutout bats on black paper and stick them on the wall using a gentle adhesive option that won’t peel off your paint. For some variety, make the same shapes in different sizes.

2. The 2nd Dimension: Hanging Deco

Sticking everything ON the wall might make your space look messy and flat. Make sure to have some Halloween decorations hanging from the ceiling as well. Play with different lengths, materials, and colors. This trick will definitely add spook to your space, especially if you’re hanging ‘ghosts’!

3. Props

A good party definitely comes with some props for their guests to play with. In this case, I found some fun eyeballs which I decided to use to scare the Skeleton Man (who scared me first, unintentionally, of course).

4. Jack-O-Lanterns

NO Halloween is complete without pumpkins. Try this: buy a few pumpkins, carve them to your desire, and put a tea light candle into each one of them. If you have a small party, I’d suggest arranging most of them on a black table (if you don’t have one, just wrap any table with black plastic bags like this), and name each one of them according to your guest list! Everyone likes a special something. 🙂 The other two items you need would be black pots and tall glasses; where you stuff cotton, more eyeballs, plastic skeletons, and toy spiders. All these are essential yet basic deco that you can get for a decent price.

5. The Halloween Special Menu

On the menu today we have Bloody Mary as drink-of-the-night, and Deadman’s Fingers as bites.

To make your own version of Bloody Mary, mix vodka (how much can you handle?), tomato juice, and just a dash of Worchester sauce. Mix well, throw in some ice and pop in a straw. Set up a mini bar with Tabasco, celery salt, and pepper for your guests as it is more fun for them to season their own drink throughout the party.

To make this chewy snack, cut bread into slices and add on a layer of cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven till the cheese melts ever so slightly. To add ‘fingernails’, thinly slice carrots and cut them into triangle pieces (as shown above). Place them at the tip of your bread slices, and arrange them on a fun plate. Pour ketchup at the opposite ends of the carrots to add some ‘blood’ and voila! You have your Deadman’s Fingers!

If you are not into costumes, opting for a LBD will do the trick. But if you’re in a more festive mood, try my mysterious Venetian look here. Have a great one!