Our living room decor skews a bit toward cabinet of curiosities as it is, with sharks’ teeth, bird feathers and old nature illustrations covering the walls. To decorate for Halloween, we just took it to the next level — an apothecary jar of candy, a snake skin, an 1875 skeleton illustration (via Just Something I Made), vintage doilies and old medicine bottles.
We added little quirky touches that “matched” rather than shocked (that’s what Greg’s 25 pound pumpkin is for!). We arranged a vase of branches, hung a bat garland and sketched a witch portrait, in addition to the previously mentioned doily webs, marshmallows and pumpkin candles. The rainbow of rose bushes surrounding our apartment also helps tremendously with seasonal decorating.
The great thing about these decorations is that we hardly bought anything that’s Halloween specific, thereby not adding a new box to our many in storage. In fact, of the things we did purchase (spiders, candy, pumpkins), only the spiders will stick around. I think our storage can handle a few of those!
Halloween decorations don’t have to be over the top. They can be subtle, surprising and sneaky. I’d even venture to say they can be cute! And homemade projects don’t have to be daunting ordeals (like sewing those complicated costumes!) — the super easy marshmallow ghosts alone have tons of potential. They can line the windowsill, hang from branches, haunt a mini graveyard or even serve as treats on sticks (if you buy edible ink!).
Check back for details on how to make your own bat- (or other-) shaped garland!