Decorating your Home for Halloween in Style

When I was a kid, Halloween was a holiday that meant I could eat all the candy that I wanted and my mother didn't have to pay for them. I was a fat kid that loved candy and Halloween gave me permission to endulge my sweet tooth. In my late teens and early 20's it was all about dressing up in the wildest costume imaginable hoping to impress my friends.

These days I prefer a quieter celebration such as an intimate party at home and Halloween lets me flex my creative juices to the max. I used to love going all out with jack-o-lanterns, black cats and other scary stuff but in recent years I've started to experiment with decorating in a more simple and stylish way.

Here are some of my favorite ways that I get my home ready to celebrate Halloween, the most goulishly delightly holiday of the year!

Image courtesy of apolonia / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Leafing through a couple of books will give you tons of ideas you would have never thought of. The selection is almost endless but here are two of my favorites that do it right, especially when it comes to Halloween, the darkest of all holidays.

Dark and gothic. So not Martha Stewart! Most of her ideas in this excellent Halloween book are tasteful, without being too cute.
Includes great food ideas as well as costume and party suggestions, making this one of the most complete Halloween books around.

Candles are one of the easiest ways to add some Halloween style to your home. Besides adding some atmospheric light, many also come with wonderful fragrances.

During the fall season, I especially love candles that remind me of the season-pumpkin, apple pie and cinnamon to name a few.

In addition to candles in jars, there are many fabulous votive holders that scream Halloween! Can you tell how much I love them? I mean what's not there to like?

Not only are they beautiful to look at, they make wonderful gifts for anyone on your Halloween Gift List.

1. Candy : Set up a candy bar. Choose candies with different colors and sizes and place them on nice plates, attractive bowls or glass jars. Add some nice paper bags and allow your guests to help themselves to all the sugary yumminess. This makes an easy and colorful way to add some Halloween fun to the room.
2. Pumpkin candle holders : Add some mood with some home-made candle holders. Cut out holes on the tops of miniature pumpkins making sure it is large enough to hold a tea light.
3. Add Halloween color : One of the easiest way to transform your home is using Halloween colored items such as throw pillows, candle holders and tableware. Use orange and black as your main colors with accents of gold or silver for drama.
4. Halloween floral bouquet : This is one of my favorite ways to decorate. Ask your florist to create a floral centerpiece for Halloween. You can also buy individual cut flowers in Halloween hues and place them around the room.
5. Create a Halloween wreath : You can make it easily with twigs. Spray paint them with black. Cover with some glitter and finish it off with a spider or crow.
6. Paper lanterns : If you have a garden, patio or even a small balcony in your apartment, you can decorate it with some nice paper lanterns. Keep it simple and minimal with orange and black or make it fun and whimsical with pumpkin lanterns.

If you are having a party for your guests, food will be one of the main items on your agenda. Instead of trying to think of making Halloween foods, decorate the table and serve what you like. You can make your table look festive and stylish with a few good props.

Here are some simple ways to decorate your table.

• 1. Candles
• 2. Table runner
• 3. Floral or food centerpiece
• 4. Halloween colored plates
• 5. Black wine glasses
• 6. Ribbons and streamers
• 7. Candy

If you want though, there are lots of ideas for Halloween-themed food. Take a look at some of my Halloween food recipes!

Halloween Curry Rice

Halloween Spider Cupcakes