Come Over for a SPELL

I have been decorating my home for Halloween for years.  I love to entertain, but our Halloween parties have been outdoor events over the last twelve years.  Last year, I decided to have a coffee and invite friends over to see my decorations, visit and enjoy refreshments.   It was fun, so I decided to do it again this year. Since I'm blogging now, I decided to take pictures to share the party with you.

Come Over for a SPELL.....(that's what the invitation says)

Here is my front door-decorated and ready for guests.

I've already shared many of my Halloween decorations

so I thought I would share with you

 the food I served today at my Creepy Coffee.

I came up with funny Halloween-sounding names for the refreshments I served.

I invited adults and teens to the party.  I thought all the kids would love these Wizard Wands.  I think everyone has heard of Harry Potter and I thought they would like these pretzels with candy coating and sprinkles.  The wands were popular with the kids and the adults, too.

I served a sour cream cinnamon coffee cake but called it a Cinnamon Coffin Cake.

I made these marshmallows dipped in royal icing last year and wanted to make them again this year.  I called them Eye of Newt.  They are fun and easy to make.  You put the marshmallow on a sucker stick (Wilton makes them) and coat with thinned royal icing.  The best part is decorating the icing-coated marshmallow with sprinkles and putting the eye in place.  It doesn't take much to make me happy!

I had so much fun making these Melting Monsters.  They are brownies with marshmallows covered with royal icing and decorated with sprinkles and eyes.  I don't think I have ever used so many sprinkles since I was a kid decorating my Christmas cookies with my friends.

I made a cheese Eye Ball that I served with crackers. 

Here are some delicious toasted pecans that I called Owl Toes.

We had a fun morning and it was a perfect day for the party.  Everyone enjoyed the decorations, food and fellowship.  I'm glad I could share my party with you.

Joining the party at:

Halloween Home

I know I have a lot of Halloween decorations.  I started my collection over 12 years ago and it has continued to grow a little bit more every year. Most people have NO idea that I have these Halloween decorations in my home (from the outside, there isn't much of a hint that I love Halloween). Slowly, I have begun to share my Halloween home and decorations and everyone seems to be delighted. 

I love vintage-style Halloween decorations.  I know you might not think it, but I am VERY particular about the decorations I select.  I like unique items that you don't see in every store.  As a matter-of-fact, I started out trying to make Hallowen items when I couldn't find what I wanted in stores.  I would see a pictue like this in a magazine and I would want the vintage-style decorations that I would see on those pages.  If Martha Stewart had a Halloween party table set, I wasn't looking at the cupcakes, I had the magnifying glass out trying to get a better look at some cute decoration off to the side.  I searched for several years on line before I finally began to find the items I wanted. 



So here we go...

Vintage-style is very appealing to me. I brings back the joys of my childhood when you could Trick-or-Treat with a friend...as long as you stayed together and you didn't cross the street.   It was a time when it was safe to be a child...

It was okay to be a witch when I was growing up.  Was it okay for you, too? 

Here's my Witch Coffee Table.  The little witch figure is an original from

Debra Schoch of  Hop Hop Jingle Boo

 (she makes Easter, Halloween and Christmas in papier mache').

I love to put out pictures of my daughter in her Halloween costumes.

  Here's her version of a little witch (in our neighbor's yard).

 

I like details.  Here are some balls I picked up at

Michael's last year.  I found the giant candy

 corn at another store.  I thought about

making it myself, but it was priced low

enough that it was cheaper to buy than to make it.

Here's a fun photo scrapbook I made a several years ago.

  It has pictures of Halloween adventures inside. 

 Here's a complete picture of my coffee table.

 

This desk is in my family room, too. 

 Here's what it looks like most of the time. 

 I like to add a few Halloween touches here, also.

Here are a few close ups of the decorations I have on the desk. 

 I try to work things in so they are easy to see without

 changing too many of my regular decorations.

My husband is so sweet.  He gives me a gift certificate at

Christmas to a local store that has a lot of my favorite

 kind of Halloween goodies.  I wait until the Halloween

 decorations arrive and then use my certificate.  Thank you, Sweetie!

This is Miss Moon.

Our Halloween kitchen table.

Here's the Butler's Pantry between our kitchen and our formal dining room. 

 This is how it looks a lot of the time.

I have to "Spook" this, too.

 The pumpkin on the cat's head lights up. 

 The little figure is "Simon the Sorcerer" --he's displayed on Harry Potter books

(The Sorcerer's Stone, of course). 

 I made the other pumpkin--it is a treat box.

How about some "Creepy Coffee" in a Mummy or a Frankenstein mug? 

Here are a few more collectibles I have in my kitchen.

I just love this vintage-style bucket with the cat.

  Sometimes I put candy in it, but I most often I use it for one of my plants. 

I hope you have enjoyed visiting my Halloween Home.

Linking up with the party at:

Frightful Foyer

Several years ago, I bought some fabric for a project. 

 I didn't use it all, so I decided to use the extra

fabric to decorate my foyer for Halloween.

Here's what my foyer normally looks like.

Now I know some of you are probably shocked that my furniture

 isn't painted or distressed....no that's not supposed to be the scary part!

Here's what I did to get the mournful look in my foyer.
I gathered the fabric in the middle and let it hang down from the top of the mirror.

I have it fastened with a black bow with silver accents in the ribbon.

 

I have some silver-looking pieces that I use in the foyer for Halloween

 that I hope lend an old, antique look to the area. 

I have several wooden crows that I place along on the chest, too.

I use a couple of chunky purple candles to give the spot just a touch of color.

I also place a styrofoam head stone behind one of the layers of fabric.

My Frightful Foyer

Can you imagine what all the Garden Club ladies thought

 when we met at my house in October?

Joining the party at: