Setting the Table for Halloween

See the bottom of the post for My Memories Giveaway details.

Today, I am showing you my Halloween tablescape.  I can't wait to show you what it looks like...but first, I am going to start by showing you how I made my quick and easy centerpiece.  I started the centerpiece with a vase of candy corn.  We LOVE candy corn and since it is the theme of the table I just thought that a little candy corn would take the whole table over the top.  I stuck a handful of birch branches into the candy.  (I got my birch branches from my favorite florist, but you can take a pair of clippers to the backyard and use what you have.)  I love the birch branches.




I cut various colors of ribbons in to six inch pieces.



I tied the ribbon to the branches in various places to make the whole thing fun and interesting.




Viola!  I just love it how it turned out.

Now for the tablescape.  A few weeks ago I ran across this fabric.  I instantly knew that it would be the inspiration for this year's Halloween tablescape.  I love it and the kids got a kick out of it too.




Orange place mats and white plates go on next. 

I also picked up this fun plaid fabric at the store to make into napkins.  I love how they turned out.  Surprisingly, I do not own Halloween inspired napkin rings.  Do you?  Anyway, I am just going to use a bit of yellow curling ribbon as my napkin ring.  Cheap and easy.  :-) 




Viola!  I love the way it turned out.  I tied the napkin off center so it did not look like a bow tie. 

My little helper added the silverware and cups.  Now it is time for a whimsical little party favor. 

I have these fun little glasses that sort of remind me of the shape of candy corn.  I also found these colorful chocolate gems in candy corn colors.

Start with a handful of white gems in the bottom of the glass. 

It's starting to look so good!

Now it's time for the centerpiece.  I am using some cute little white pumpkins along with some mini pumpkins from the farmer's market.

And finally, the centerpiece...

I always try to design a meal to go with my tablescapes.  

Our Halloween Menu:

Caramelized Carrots 

{So delicious and the color is perfect for Halloween!}

Squid Ink Pasta, Garlic Butter and Bay Scallops

{Squid Ink Pasta is so dramatic and lovely and what would Halloween be without a bit of garlic to keep the vampires away?}

Halloween Cupcakes 

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween

Don't forget to register here for the giveaway.  This is a wonderful tool for making your own signs and customizing photos with text and embellishments for your blog even if you are not interested in scrapbooks. Good luck.

I am linking to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On The Porch and On The Menu Monday at Stone Gable.

Halloween Party

This past weekend, we had a rustic Halloween party in our garage. We decided to invite some of our favorite people to come over and spend some time with us. Our plan was to have dinner in the garage and then watch a movie...out in the garage.


Time is flying by. I am constantly amazed at how fast the kids are growing and maturing. I want to celebrate as many moments with them as I can. Making our time together a little extra special and memorable is so worth it when I see the kids smiling and laughing.



To get ready for our party, we gave the garage a little make over.



I am not a huge fan of gory Halloween themes. I much prefer pumpkins and colored leaves. I can handle a few spiders too. I was very conscientious of the fact that we had a group of kids ranging in age from 5 to 16. A wide range of ages is a challenge when you want everyone to have fun and feel like the party had been planned for them.



But for the kids, a Halloween party is all about the treats and candy.



To make this a little more fun, I stuck glow sticks into two cheap little vases and filled them with candy corn. We LOVE candy corn and I had to take a picture quickly before all the candy was gone.



We brought our outdoor tables in from the patio.



I set the kid friendly tables with scrapbook paper for place mats, a sprinkle of fabric leaves, and fun little napkins that I bought at Wal Mart.



We made a few decorations out of empty tin cans. My kids filled the cans with water and froze them. When they were rock hard, I used a hammer and nail to punch holes in the cans outlining a pumpkin face. Then I painted the can with a few coats of metallic acrylic paint from the craft store. Then I went back and filled in the face shapes with black metallic paint.



A few pumpkin spice scented candles and we were in business.



I served hot dogs, orange jello, cooked carrots, and tater tots for dinner. But who cares about that! Here are our lovely desserts compliments of our dear friends. They brought lovely s'mores bars and a delicious pumpkin cobbler. We LOVE pumpkin anything. I also made some little candy corn cookies.



After we were stuffed to the gills, we watched a movie. My dear hubby and big strapping sons had brought our two love seats, the DVD player and a TV to the garage out to the garage for the adults to cuddle on during the movie. The kids sat on patio chairs. We watched the movie How To Train Your Dragon.



Then after the movie the kids turned off all the lights, grabbed the glow sticks and headed outside for some 'running around in the dark' fun. The kids were exhausted by the time they headed to bed, but not to tired to make sure that we knew they thought this should become a new family tradition.