We have officially entered the most wonderful time of year, my friends. October, November, December are really not playing fair. They have all of the best holidays, the best weather (I mean, for those of you who don't live in Texas and have actual seasons), the best clothes, the best food. The. Best.
Our big kids are at PEAK Halloween age at 7 and 4. I generally don't do much decorating for this holiday. Mostly because I do it up big for Christmas. And also I am lazy. And cheap. But the kids have been begging to decorate the house for Halloween. And if my kid asks me to decorate, and decorating is part of my actual job, what choice did I have??
I raided Pinterest for inspiration, as one does, and rounded up some of the most chic Halloweened out homes I could find. For me, the trick with decorating for Halloween (and any holiday to be honest), is to find that perfect balance between festive and beautiful, without fully crossing the line into kitsch. Flirt with the line, to be sure, but not cross it. It's a delicate dance. Bonus points for decorations that are cheap or free.
If you're dipping your toes into Halloween decorating, my advice would be to put several things in one place, rather than scatter small things around the house. Go for IMPACT. Best places to do this - the mantle, the front porch, and the coffee table.
Love the DIY moon phase garland. I'm a huge fan of crafts that you can make for like $2 in 30 minutes.
Never underestimate the power of cheesecloth. Also, how brilliant to add some hand lettering to a book that otherwise might just be decoration...like about half the books at my house.
Love these flying bats (so much that I DIY'd them in my photo, top of this page). And the blog post from Ella Claire includes a free printable. Win/win.
Another freebie from Ella Claire - this creepy/cool printables. Again, free. Do you see a theme here?? I am so cheap, y'all.
One more free decoration for you - add creepy black eyes to your portraits. Horrifying and stylish.
Nobody quite does Halloween like the Marcums. If you aren't following Chris loves Julia, do so immediately. They have year round great design, but they are the tip top at Halloween.
Another #onetofollow is Becki Owens. She's got an incredible eye for style. I love how this skeleton is chillin like he's in a hot tub. The fresh greenery and pumpkin keep this feeling light and stylish.
You can bet your witch's hat that I DIY'd that wreath this weekend. $8 wreath, $1 of felt, and DONE.
This front porch is checking all the boxes, and will hold up all fall (a bonus if you don't want to re-decorate on November 1st).
We are still putting up the finishing touches on our house (and unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and it was too dark to get pretty photos), but here are a couple of photos from our place. Join us over on Instagram as we share more snippits throughout the month.
Henry named this creepy death-bird Joey. And said that he wished that I'd gotten him as a gift for his 7th birthday last April. This poor kid has no choice but to be a designer of some sort when he grows up. Sorry, Henry. The bird and black ranunculus are from JoAnn's; pumpkins and skull are from Target. Once Halloween is over, the black flowers will go and something white or orange will go in its place will carry us through Thanksgiving. Joey will apparently go live in Henry's room.
Happy Halloween, friends!
