Some of the best parties are thrown on Halloween, whether they are for kids, or adult costume parties. Here are some unique ideas for decorations, costumes and food!
Decorations
It’s always more fun to make your own. Here are a few easy things to do:
1. Colored light bulbs. Make the lighting eerie with red and blue bulbs.
2. Make a few headless men (or women), using used clothes stuffed with rags. A little fake blood (recipe below) and you have a scary creation to hang on the back of the bathroom door or in an unobtrusive corner of the kitchen.
3. Good with a saw? Cut outlines of coffins out of light plywood, and paint black with a white skull and crossbones, and stand them in corners. Or cut out tombstones and write R.I.P on them.
4. Use some of the ideas here: http://www.hgtv.com/holidays-occasions/using-a-pumpkin-carving-template/index.html to carve cool and interesting pumpkins.
5. Make some scarecrows and put them around the yard.
6. Cut black plastic trash bags into strips and hang them in a stairwell. Add fake spider webs and fake plastic spiders for a great effect. You can make spider webs out of cotton batting, or buy them cheaply around Halloween at your local dollar store.
Fake Blood recipes: http://www.halloween-website.com/fake_blood.htm
Costume Ideas
For adults:
1. One of my favorite all-time costumes was one I wore when I was younger (and slimmer). I took a plastic trash barrel and painted it to look like a barrel, with straps for the shoulders. Inside I attached a plastic water dispenser, with a tap that was outside the barrel. I filled it with wine, and became a person dressed in a barrel that dispensed wine. Of course, for modesty I wore a leotard underneath.
2. What could be easier than a witch costume? Wear your most flattering black clothes, grab a pointy hat from the dollar store, and have fun with makeup. Bring along a broom for effect.
3. How about the old standby, a hippie? Tie die clothing, long wig , sandals, headband, anything with a fringe on it (vests, purse…) light colored sun glasses.
4. Hunchback of Notre Dame: Build the hunch out of foam or cardboard. Find an old coat several sizes too big. Add some old, ratty clothes and wear a scraggly wig.
For Kids:
1. Spider- wear black tights, (tops and bottoms) and add black pantyhose filled with anything dark and lightweight for the legs. Sew the 8 legs to the tights, add a little makeup, voila!
2. Grab a friend and take 2 cardboard boxes, paint them white. Cut out several black circles (From construction paper) and glue them in the appropriate places to make you and your friend a pair of dice!
3. Wear any pants you want and an over-sized white shirt or smock, splattered with paint. You can also smudge some paint on your face, hands, etc.
Using a piece of cardboard, cut out a paint palette shape. Use paint to make 4 or 5 circles of paint on the palette. Glue an old paintbrush to the palette. Let dry.
For a finishing touch, use eyeliner to draw a small mustache and goatee, and don’t forget a beret!
Many more ideas here: http://costumeideazone.com/
Food
It depends on whether you want to get all Halloween on the food, and potentially gross your guests out, Or have an easy meal that will keep them happy.
Go the gross route here: http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/halloween-food.html
Or make it easy on yourself and order a couple of Family-sized Chicken Pot pies, a few orders of BabyBack ribs and beef brisket, and some pierogies and some delicious desserts from MagicKitchen.com!
