So another Halloween has come and gone…but before we move on, I’d like to reflect on some of the fun! One thing I love about entertaining & decorating is that you can take ideas from one holiday and make them work for another! So whenever I’m checking out other blogs or Pinterest boards, I try to think how I might be inspired for future celebrations…like trading orange and black banners for red and green, or chips served in a cauldron might find themselves spilling from a cornucopia! For me, this past weekend was full of future inspiration potential! With Halloween falling on Saturday we had the entire weekend planned with festivities…one of which was a Friday night bonfire at our home! A chilling evening for sure…not just with the “spooky” treats but the weather tried to trick us with spine chilling breezes! But the kids weren’t phased by the temperatures and the evening was filled with fun and Halloween whimsy for all! Have a look at the holiday joy and I hope you can find your own inspiration…for celebrations on the horizon or tricks and treats for next year!
a glimpse of Halloween past…
i’ve always wanted to try this fun Halloween treat label idea with the vampire teeth…i think its such an adorable way to make simple munchies and sweets look special for the holiday! i will tell you that i ended up hot gluing the tags to all four corners of the teeth…otherwise they wanted to just flop flat instead of holding the labels tight in the fangs! fortunately that was an easy fix and they turned out so cute…
i used mostly purchased snacks on the treat table making this setup a really easy one! mini cupcakes from the grocer were simply embellished with some gummy candy i had at home! so cute and SUPER inexpensive!
more grocer’s goodies…powdered doughnuts and plain doughnut holes that i drizzled with almond icing & sprinkles made sweet skewers topped with a gumdrop–so simple AND so tasty!
even though they’d be getting more sugar on Saturday, i figured a Halloween treat table wouldn’t be the same without some trick-or-treating candy!
i dumped two big bags of chicago style popcorn inside a large plastic cauldron and set out a scoop & some small goodie bags…perfect for a help-yourself treat table!
leftover cupcake picks look just as good in brownies…
and here’s the rest of the caramel apples that i made for an after school snack…i always try to get as much mileage as i can! and my boys didn’t care that they got to eat apples twice!
i painted this cake stand in chalkboard paint and it’s great for labeling whatever it’s holding!
some simple drinks…
since the labels were so darn cute i felt like i didn’t need much else for decorations! i strung a fabric banner to the front of the table and scattered a strand of flickering lights across the top
but my favorite find this year was the illumination box! it has changeable templates that light up a scene in the box and project another out the back! i found it at Meijer stores…and though it may be tough to come by now, scan the holiday sale sections or maybe other party stores and online sights carry similar items! i just LOVE the shadow effect on the wall behind the table!
my dollar store candelabras (that i painted gold last year) were also mixed into the fun. i love recycling & reusing…it certainly helps stretch the budget and nobody ever notices! (unless you make a point of telling them!)
even though this was a recap of our Halloween festivities…i’m thinking how some of these treats might inspire my Thanksgiving menu. it’s our turn to host turkey day celebrations with extended family and i can hardly wait! the doughnut skewers should make for some yummy coffee dunking one morning for our guests, and i’m pretty sure a serve-yourself popcorn or trail mix station will be perfect for all the kiddos on movie night! i hope you found some inspiration too!