Halloweeen Party and Decor Ideas

A couple of months ago, I had to set up a Halloween party and pretend like it was October....in late July! It was all for an article in Southern Holiday Life magazine about kid and family friendly Halloween party tips. You can read that article HERE on page 57.  

Today, however, I wanted to focus on some details of this party that I didn't get to include in my article. All of these photos weren't chosen for the actual issue, so I thought I'd share with you today!

If you notice the Sanderson name, it's from one of my favorite Halloween movies, Hocus Pocus. The film was my inspiration for this party. I imagined the three Sanderson sisters setting up a fabulous buffet of yummy treats to lure the children in. "Come little children..." 

Decor Details

Some inexpensive decorating items I used were:
*Pots with black spray painted branches that I gleaned from my yard. I also stuck a few branched with leaves attached to give it a little texture, then I added some cheesecloth to look like spider webs.
*Old bottles as candle holders. I gathered some old bottles and put taper candles in them. I lit them a couple of days before to make them look old and drippy. I used these on the table and the buffet.
*Cheesecloth as spider webs. I even added the cheesecloth to the doorways for a spooky entry to the room. To make it look like webs, pull and stretch cloth very thin.
*The tablecloth is black cheesecloth. I found this at a local fabric store (Glen's in Sanford) and ripped holes in it and at the edges to make it look old and tattered. It wasn't actual cheesecloth, but it was almost exactly like it. It was very inexpensive.
*Let the food double as decor. I tried to stay with my chosen color scheme when I chose my food. I was using orange, purple, and green and I tried to let the foods showcase those colors.

Food Details

The purple pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate are witch's wands. The zombie brains beside it is actually just mini marshmallows, pretzels, and pecans stirred into almond bark. I spread the mixture onto wax paper and let it set. Then, I just broke into pieces.

These witches hats are just Oreos, Hershey Kisses, and pre-made frosting (the kind that comes in a tube.) Easy peasy. 

I used a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter to cut out ham and turkey sandwiches. 

The green punch was so delicious! If you missed the recipe for it, you can view it HERE. 

This was the first time I had ever done a Halloween party, and I have to say, it was one of the most fun to decorate for! I had a great time coming up with all of it! I hope you can maybe incorporate some of these ideas into your next Halloween shindig! 

Woodland Bohemian Outdoor Party Inspiration

I have totally been crushing on all things bohemian lately. I may not dress like a boho chick, but I completely appreciate the look in all its feminine, throw-back glory.  I've been planning a special little intimate party, the details of which I will keep on the down-low for now. These are some of the images that have helped me come up with my overall plan and I couldn't wait to share them with you. If you would like more details for each photo, just click the link below each one.

Overall Aesthetic:
Flower crowns, feminine and flowing fabrics, and a nod to yesteryear. What's not to love?

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The Details:

What could go better with flower crowns than moss and ferns and flowers? And the setting? Outside amongst the beauty God has created.



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The Color Scheme:

Mint green, coral, and blush pink. Such a beautiful combo. Needing color inspiration for a party or even a room re-do? Look at the latest wedding trends to get inspiration.





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I really, really, really hope that the weather cooperates so that I can have this little shindig outside like I have planned. It just won't feel the same if I have to do it indoors, but I'll make it work if that happens.

 

I looked to a lot of wedding trends and photos for my inspiration for this upcoming party. Where do you look to get inspiration?



Throwback Thursday: Mermaid Party

 

 

A couple of years ago, before I started blogging, I threw a Mermaid themed birthday party for my daughter's fifth birthday. I've never shared this party, partly because the photos aren't that great....I was just starting to figure out my camera and hadn't gotten the hang of it yet. I was not quite in blogger mindset, and didn't get a lot of detail shots that now I would try to get when posting. With that being said, I still think that this worthy of a Throwback Thursday. This post may not contain the best Pinterest-worthy photos, but maybe you can get some inspiration if you little one is excited for all things mermaid.



 

 



 

I started with a backdrop. The rest of the party theme was built around this. I thought that this scalloped, fish scale backdrop was perfect for a mermaid party. I made a template out of cardstock, then traced it onto tissue paper, scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, and cardstock in various colors of blue with pops of pearly white and sparkly purple-pink. 

 

 

 

 

When we had this party, we had only been in our current home a year, and hadn't completed a lot of our projects yet. I set up the food table in what is now our office, and the rest of the party was set up in the dining room, but what is now our living area. 

I had cute names for all of the food, but I can't remember now what those were. The round tortilla chips were sandollars, but I still can't recall the rest.

I set this table up at kid height so that they could sit around it on the floor.

The rest of the party was set up in the dining room (before we made it our living room). I made an orb out of vines and spray painted it blue. We didn't have any lighting in this room, so I had to hang temporary lighting. The pink things hanging with it are glass tea light holders.

I hung a light we made out of a basket above the party favors. I used and Ikea light kit and had my hubby drill a hole in the bottom of the basket so we could run the cord for the light.

 



 

On the desert buffet, we served lots of blue sweets. Candies, cookies, and cake! My sister-in-law decorated the cake with ombre waves. It was topped with a DIY cake topper I made.

 

The kids, all wearing their favorite shade of ocean blue, enjoyed mermaid makeovers by my sweet nieces.  The got shimmery mermaid eye makeup and a whimsical mermaid hair clip that I made for each child. This was set up in the foyer before we painted the parquet.

 

 

After blowing out the candles on the cake, we served it up to some eager girls. They had fun sitting at their little table!

 

 

They look like they are in some deep conversation!

I think the kiddos had a great time and I had a blast planning this fun mermaid party! Hope you enjoyed this Throwback Thursday!



I Do BBQ Couples Shower

 

 

When I was asked to help plan a couples shower, specifically an "I Do BBQ," I couldn't have been more excited. My sweet client wanted a casual couples shower that was stylish yet laid back.

 

The first thing I like to decide on when planning a party or shower is usually the invitation. A well-made invitation can be a jumping off point for the design for the entire party. That was the case for this party. We found this adorable invite from Mols Designs and I took the inspiration from that to set the tone for the entire party.

You can order your own I Do BBQ from Mols Designs HERE.

 

The elements that inspired us from the invite were red and white gingham, sunflowers, and mason jars. We ordered fresh sunflowers and baby's breath for arrangements for all of the tables. I am a firm believer that fresh flowers can go a long way at a party (or even just having a jar or vase of them in your home.) I used mason jars to put the arrangements in, and the guests also drank sweet tea and lemonade from mason jars, as well.

 

Four tables were set up outside on the beautiful porches. We used white tablecloths and chair covers, then we kept things simple with a red and white gingham runner, party packet place settings, and beautiful sunflower arrangements. 

To dress up the mason jars, I glued gingham ribbon directly to the jar, then affixed a scalloped craft tag to the ribbon with a mini clothespin.  I used a stamp set to embellish the tag with the engaged couple's initials.

The Red Gingham Table Roll was actually cut in half to make the runner. It was a really wide roll and could be used as a tablecloth if preferred. For our purposes, this worked the best. The Striped Favor Bags and Red Stripey Straws were just the things we needed for the adorable party packets.

To download this free printable file, click HERE. For personal use only. Copyright Cultivate Create 2015.

Also, I filmed a short tutorial on making the party packets. Head to my YouTube page to view! If you like it, give me a thumbs up and please subscribe to my channel! Watch the tutorial HERE. (And yes, I have a strong Southern accent, and am a complete goofball as evident in the outtakes at the end. HA!)

Guests were sent home with sunflower seed favors with the sentiment "Let love grow" on the tag. How sweet!

And what would a party be without a fun photo booth? The backdrop is just red tablecloths attached to foam board and propped against the wall. I made the giant sunflowers out of tissue paper. (Tutorial to come soon.)

I blacked out the hashtag, but you get the gist!

 

Thanks, MA, for modeling for us!

 



 

 

I didn't get to snap any photos of the food all set up, but I did snap this photo of the sugar cookies that were made for the party. Aren't they adorable? There were also sunflower cupcakes that everyone got to enjoy after eating some yummy barbecue!

 

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed working on this party! Be sure to like Cultivate Create on FB, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or join this site to be sure to see future party posts like this one!

 

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