Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Halloween Decorating Essentials

When it comes to decorating for Halloween, there are a few little extras that really make a difference and it's relatively simple to do. Add some of these to you store bought decorations and you will have Martha Stewart worthy decor!

Here is my list of Halloween must haves:

1. Spanish Moss
This is a great accent to take a plain decorative piece or empty shelf to the next level. It's really cheap too and a bag goes a long way. Hang it from your chandelier and light fixtures, drape it off the shelves and tuck it in between items. Hang it on frames and off of plants. I personally will have it draping on just about everything in my house during this Halloween season.

2. Variety Moss
The craft store also sells bags of moss that include about 4 different types of moss, green and tan spongy stuff, this bark like moss and a hairy looking moss. I love to use it on wreaths, picture frames, and crafty items. I especially like to add it to my store bought items too! It adds lots of texture and a sense of age to things.

3. Creepy Cloth
You buy this in bags and it's usually called creepy cloth but it is sometimes called something else. It's essentially a thicker cheesecloth material dyed black, gray, tan, and green. the trick is to hang it as messy as possible and to cut holes, shred and tear it. Drape it over tables, use as window coverings and hang it all about.

4. Faux spider web
everybody uses this during Halloween but most often it ends up looking really cheesy. The nice thing is that it turns your everyday home decor into Halloween decor. Wrap it all over your plants, light fixtures, shelves, vases, whatever. To keep it from looking cheesy, be patient and stretch out the fibers as thin as possible. The best way is to take a piece the size of a cotton ball and stretch it out and separate all the strands to the point that you can barely see them. Then repeat that proces and layer it until you get your desired look. The point is to avoid looking like you have cotton balls all over your stuff!

5. Contrast
Having items that really contrast makes a huge decorating impact. In a room with dark walls, stick to light colored skulls and gray accents. In a room with dark walls go for bold black pieces that really pop against the wall.

6. Theme
Theme isn't really necessary to have a polished look but like to try to group things and the overall look is cohesive. For instance my foyer is where I have a majority of my poison bottles and I will keep the "Apothecary" decor Items there. In my living room is where all my witch items are, and the dining room is where all the melted candles, crows, creepy photos and specimen jars are. My kitchen will have all the cutesy whimsy decor that does not really fit in with the decrepit look of the rest of the house. But I will have Spiders, skulls and webs scattered throughout.

I hope these tips are helpful and please send me pics of your own Halloween decor!!
I will be posting some of my personal decor soon.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Signature