3 Tips for Your Halloween Decorating
Adding holiday decor is considered an essential part of our family's Halloween traditions. It's part of the feeling of home. We love the excitement Halloween decor brings. I love the chance to find creative ways to use the things I already have and fun opportunities to add a few new things. 2020 was no exception. Even though September 22nd marked the first day of Fall, my Halloween decor is up and ready to go!
You don't have to go big on Halloween, but I guarantee your family will enjoy if you add even a few little accents in your home. We have some fun new Halloween items in the Shoppe, but you can create amazing Halloween decor using what you already have. Here are three Halloween decorating tips that will help you create a fun Halloween space for your family.
Tip One: Choose a color scheme for your Halloween decorations.
Choose about three colors that reflect the feeling you want to create. Are you going for spooky or elegant? Fun or sophisticated? Ideas might be a sophisticated silver and black, creepy black and green, mesmerizing purple and black, a fun yellow and orange or the traditional orange and black. Whatever colors you choose, use them consistently through your space, even in different rooms. It will make your home's decor feel connected, giving your home another layer of the "feeling" of home.
I chose an orange, white and black color scheme this year. We are not into the gory Halloween stuff, so these colors were perfect because they give a very traditional vibe, just what I was going for. I purposely did not use some of my decorations from years past that had a lot of purple because I really wanted to consistently keep the same colors going. My home feels connected because those same colors repeat throughout the space. It looks like I spent time really planning what to use, but really, I just picked a color plan and stuck to it.
Tip Two: Choose a theme for your decorations.
Don't go too broad on this one... Halloween in general isn't enough, but you don't have to stress about it. Pick a simple element or two that will run consistently through your decor. Although everything doesn't have to be the same, it's nice to have a main element that incorporates all the way through your home. Ideas include pumpkins, bats, jack-o-lanterns, candy corns, ghosts, witches or spiders. Have fun with it and think how you can use that element throughout the entire space. Maybe you have pumpkins running down your porch steps, stacked in a basket in your family room, down the center of your kitchen table, on your tier tray, and on your mantel. You get the idea.
I didn't go heavy on theme this year, but I pulled bats and spiders "out" of what I already had and showed them off a bit more. I added accents of bats cut outs "flying" in my entry way and on my mantel. I added Spider Web Chargers to my kitchen table over striped placemats (in the Shoppe) along with a runner with spiderwebs and bats.
I put orange and black spiders as a napkin holder and throughout my Halloween themed tier tray in the kitchen. Click here to see how I put together this tiered tray!
In my entry I added a hanging spider from the ceiling along with a spider pillow. My sofa hosts a fun combo of of Halloween themed pillows (from the Shoppe) including one with a spider web and another with a dangling spider.
I also did a DIY and made three wood bead garlands in my orange, black and white. (Bead Garland Tutorial is on my Instagram IGTV) I used these in different spots in the kitchen and living room. These little cohesive pieces and my themed pieces along with consistent colors running through my decor helped to pull it all together in a connected way. Don't want to make your own bead garland? Check out our Black & White Wood Bead Garland in the Shoppe.
Click here to see how I put together this tiered tray!
Tip Three: Use what you already have and just add some new touches.
There are pieces of my Halloween decor that I have had for many years. I have totes full! Now, I'm not advocating keeping everything, there is a time for some things to go, but some items hold sentimental value so they are important to your decor. Those are worth hanging on to! (I purged a witch a few years back and my kids have not stopped complaining about it! Keep what's special to your family!)
Although I wanted to incorporate pieces that I had from past years, I also wanted to bring "new life" to our seasonal decor. You can do that! My mom made me a quilted throw 20 years ago when I got married. It's Halloween fabric is outdated and didn't match my color scheme. I just flipped it over to the solid side and draped it over a basket. Perfect. I still got to feel the personal connection, but didn't feel like I was "tired" of all my decor. It felt new.
There were several items I made or repurposed. I used letter blocks I had made years ago to stack, adding levels to my decor. Most I turned so you couldn't see the letters, but they remind me of doing sweet projects with my husband and I've still got them if I want to use them another year. Using just cardstock and scissors, I made the bat cut outs mentioned earlier. (Available free with "Bat" Halloween items in the Shoppe!) I also saved money by making my own wood bead garlands. (Update 2021- Wood Bead Garlands are also available in the shoppe!) (Remember, the video tutorial is on our IGTV!) These were affordable and fun ways to add a "new" element to my decor.
So, yes, I couldn't wait to add some of the fun new Halloween things from the Shoppe. I used the Halloween pillow covers, Black Striped Placemats & Napkins, Spider Web chargers, and a couple trays. But, a little can go a long way. You don't have to do it all. Pick just a couple key pieces to add this year and then add a couple more next year and transition out things you are no longer using. With a few new additions, a plan and what you already have, you will create a Halloween space your family will be thrilled about! Our Halloween decor has new life and we are loving it! It's been exciting putting it all together!
What do you think? What colors or themes will you be using in your Halloween decor?
Love,
Candace (:
Links to other blog posts you may enjoy:
- Family Fun - Halloween Kick Off!
- Tips for Styling a Tiered Tray - a look at my HALLOWEEN TRAY
- 5 Tips to Create a Cozy Fall Filled Home