For some people, the scarier the better when it comes to Halloween decorations. A zombie girl with glowing eyes who rips the head off her teddy bear? OK. A 6-foot-tall, chainsaw-wielding hulk who emits bloodcurdling screams and buzzing? Trick or treat!
Decorating with scary stuff can be part of the fun.
But other people, including those with little kids, find the aesthetic disturbing, and prefer their Halloween without the gore.
91裸聊视频淚 want to preserve my little ones91裸聊视频� innocence as long as possible, and the creepy, mischievous, evil side of Halloween brings up topics I don91裸聊视频檛 want my child to know about until they91裸聊视频檙e old enough to understand it91裸聊视频檚 fake,91裸聊视频� says Jamie Morrissey, who has three children under 3 in suburban New York.
For those after a more dialed-down but still spooky and dramatic look, there are plenty of decorations and themes.
Some play off of old science and wizardry, with celestial illustrations and apothecary elements. Some take a playfully gothic turn. There91裸聊视频檚 the traditional orange-and-black color scheme, but no reason to stick only to that.
(Note: As for fake cobwebs and dangling lights, wildlife experts urge people not to put them up. Animals can get in them, leading to injury or death.)
BASIC BLACK. OR A HALLOWEEN RAINBOW
Jessica Dodell-Feder, HGTV Magazine91裸聊视频檚 executive editor, bleeds the color from her decorations.
91裸聊视频淚 love keeping everything black and white, then using natural elements that have a little bit of a creepy factor like bats, snakes, bugs or Venus fly traps,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淭hink black-painted branches sticking out of an urn; framed faux moth specimens; black-painted faux snakes 91裸聊视频榗rawling91裸聊视频� across the center of a table like a runner.91裸聊视频�
At the other end of the spectrum, if you want to take your Halloween a little bit 91裸聊视频�90s, a little bit , then professional crafter of Austin, Texas, has some zingy, rainbow-hued, Halloween-themed ideas at her site, akailochiclife. She offers garlands of multicolored pumpkins or phrases, like 91裸聊视频淗ocus Pocus91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频淚 Put a Spell on You.91裸聊视频� She has instructions for spatter-painting faux pumpkins in day-glo colors.
Another craft idea that kids and adults can do together:
Submerge a few white tapers in warm water until they91裸聊视频檙e soft enough to bend into curvy shapes. Then with a permanent marker add facial features. Once they91裸聊视频檝e cooled and hardened again, you91裸聊视频檝e got some candle ghosts for the table. There91裸聊视频檚 a DIY video on Whitten91裸聊视频檚 blog.
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living91裸聊视频檚 senior homes and features editor, favors fall colors.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 not huge on Halloween, so I love leaning into the season91裸聊视频檚 abundance of natural colors instead: sage greens, burnt oranges, golden yellows and chocolate browns,91裸聊视频� she says.
91裸聊视频淧lus, when you skip the zombies in favor of fall color, you can enjoy your decorations from the start of the season through Thanksgiving.91裸聊视频�
GHOSTS, JACK-O91裸聊视频�-LANTERNS AND OTHER STALWARTS
But Watson acknowledges it91裸聊视频檚 no fun to be a Halloween Scrooge, either.
She finds the handmade ghosts from Mollie Jenkins Pottery 91裸聊视频渏ust the right mix of sweet and spooky.91裸聊视频�
is a Columbus, Georgia, ceramic artist who found herself with a little extra white clay one fall semester while pursuing her B.F.A. at Auburn University.
91裸聊视频淢y mom91裸聊视频檚 always loved decorating for the holidays, and growing up we had spooky Halloween candlesticks along with big terracotta jack-o91裸聊视频�-lanterns. I took a spin off of those, creating my whimsical ghost,91裸聊视频� she said.
Her little specters have developed a following, and sell out every year on her site.
DECORATING FOR A PARTY
Inviting some friends over for a spooky soiree?
For a Hogwarts feel, hang some of battery-operated 91裸聊视频渇loating candles91裸聊视频� over a party table or entry. The retailer also has stacked black pumpkin lights with cat faces, and glittery black twig trees.
got a twiggy, matte-black wreath for a mantel or door. Or create a modern Halloween village with a few of their matte-black haunted houses.
Lauren McIntosh, an artist in Berkeley, California, has created a collection of glassware and napkins for with illustrations including a fortune-teller91裸聊视频檚 palm, ravens, night-blooming flowers, and mystical moon and star patterns. Also for London ceramicist has an endearing array of bats, cats, owls and ravens on trays, mugs, lanterns and a candelabra.
Dodell-Felder shares a party idea connected to the movie 91裸聊视频淏eetlejuice,91裸聊视频� which gets a new installment as early as next year.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 a huge fan of Tim Burton, and recently ended up purely by accident at a Beetlejuice-themed bar. It had black-and-white striped d茅cor with neon green elements. The drinks were served on dry ice, and they had old-timey portraits on the walls. You couldn91裸聊视频檛 look away!91裸聊视频� she says.
For 91裸聊视频渁n elevated Halloween party,91裸聊视频� The Spruce91裸聊视频檚 editorial and strategy director, Caroline Utz, suggests setting up a tablescape with luxe textures like velvet, and adding orange, purple and green candlesticks in different shapes and sizes. Sculptured Greek or Roman busts might add a 91裸聊视频淣ight at the Museum91裸聊视频� vibe.
CREATIVE BUT GENTLE
In San Francisco, Emily Reaman works in interior design, and she91裸聊视频檚 also got a preschooler. While he loves some 91裸聊视频渟pooky91裸聊视频� things, she91裸聊视频檚 careful about her decorating.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 have cobwebs or skeletons hanging by my front door,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淏ut I do add lights to the trees, and my son and I decorate gourds with paint and glitter that we keep out during Halloween, then use on the Thanksgiving table.91裸聊视频�
READ ALSO:
