Getting Ready for Halloween!

There is only a week left until Halloween.

 Hopefully, you're not running late like I am getting your  decorations up, but better late than never!

Yesterday was spent running errands, making sure the house was clean, and getting out the decorations.

First I worked on my table centerpiece.

The skull in the center is a bowling ball a good friend gave to me as a gift.

 How could I resist leaving it out of Halloween?

 I used it as a central piece and built around it.

What I ended up with was this candlelight dinner with Death.

My first  challenge was to figure out how to keep the ball from rolling around on the table. I ended up discovering the top part of a CD spool worked great as a base.

Then I tossed a black gauze cloth over it and arranged the skull candelabra and goblets around it.

All that is left is to spread some fake cobwebs across it.

Then I set up my candle holders. These pictures show just how dramatic a difference something simple as a few silk leaves can make any arrangement.

To help put a bit of smell of Fall in the air, I put coffee beans around the tea lights in the candle holders. As the burning candle warms the beans, it releases a nice warm scent into the room

 

The last thing I put up is something that means a lot to me.

A year ago, I helped take care of a terminally ill woman. She had a curtain decoration I just fell in love with. They were spider broaches. When she passed, the family passed them on to me. They have been on my living room curtain ever since, but for Halloween, they get something special.

 I bought the cobweb at the local Dollar General for a dollar.

I removed the plastic spider and used the broaches to pin it all back to the curtain.

So there are a few ideas for some cheap decorating on the fly with items you have on hand.

Now I want to know what you do for Halloween decor.

Do you use all store-bought decorations or do you step outside that comfort zone and embrace your own style to create your own?