(un) Spooky Night

Halloween is approaching! yaaaay! I'm going as Tintin this year, and Baby G as Snowy, Tintin's dog. My husband is not dressing up, but I secretly wish he would be my Captain Haddock. 

Today's post is about Halloween decorating though. Lots of my reader been asking on how to celebrate Halloween in not too scary nor too kiddy atmosphere. Indi, here, would like to decorate her parent's house, and as fellow Indonesian, I'd really, really know how conservative  things get around here. A friendly smiling skeleton would be considered outrageous. So here are some tips for you if you wish to celebrate Halloween, without the ghouls and witches.

Mandatory rules : no spooky creatures and/or animals, fictional or not. If you thirst for blood and gore, ignore this post.

Think of a not too scary theme, obviously. Think : Harry Potter potion class, not Saw nor Frankenstein. This arrangement by Martha Stewart is a perfect example. You get the mood of curious glass specimens, but not too hair raising as in a siamese twin fetus jar.

Going for classic literature this year? Think subtle gothic theme, like Poe's Raven instead of Stoker's Dracula. I found BrooklynLimestone's Raven themed dinner party decor is breathtaking but none bone chilling. Visit them for DIY dinner ware! See? No blood in sight!

Think outside of the box, in this case, pumpkins. Give your orange buddy a rest and arrange some flowers instead. Before you say that I am talking about the wrong holiday, take a look at this very fine example by OneCharmingParty. Pick your flower in a Halloween color scheme. For a grown up party, take white or purple ones or neutrals like grayish green.  If you want to bring out some oranges without the pumpkin, pick an orange or yellowish colored blooms. Decorate with monochrome vases. Tin can such as the pic works well, but I think vintage-y gothic vases work well too. Be sure to contrast the pairing; black or dark flower go with opaque white vases, white flower, black vases. Don't mix white flowers with glass jars or white vase or it'll scream "I do" instead of "boo". 

If you must, MUST, use pumpkins, please don't carve faces on them. For chic effect do paint, tie a bow, hang a tag, scribble your pumpkins in every possible way you can think of. Damask for pumpkins? Now that's what I call trendy. PaperCraftConnection will show you how and inspirations.  Think Audrey Hepburn chic, not Morticia. 

My final advise, think of Halloween as your un-holiday decor. Think of a color scheme of black and orange instead of vampires and werewolves. It does makes decorating easier if you stick to a color scheme instead of sticking to a theme. You've probably seen it everywhere, but Amy Atlas' pure genius (not evil genius) dessert tables spell C-H-I-C along the way. She showed the way to use color scheme perfectly, black and purple, traditional orange and neutral.

I hope you're inspired (and motivated. *now get out of your screen and get decorating*)!! What are you dressing up as this Halloween or how do you decor your house this year? Do share! 

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