Tricks n' Treats Halloween Decor + Free Printables

I've had a bit of a love affair recently with my Silhouette Curio. When I first received it over a year ago, I was overwhelmed with the amount of projects I could do with it. I made invitations for our rehearsal dinner, custom labels for our pantry, and so much more. 

I tend to go a little shopping-crazy over the holidays to decorate our house. My favorite holidays to decorate for are Christmas and Halloween, so it came as no surprise to my husband when I said I wanted to transform our entire dining room with a Halloween theme I had in mind. Fortunately, he enjoys getting into the spirit of the holidays as much as I do, so he had no rebuttal.

I wanted to create a look that all of you could make yourselves. I've included download links below for my banners as well as a quick tutorial on how to accomplish this decor.

RECREATE THIS HALLOWEEN LOOK

Like what you see? Start with a festive tablecloth. Thanks to Target, I scored this plastic and felt tablecloth for only $3.00. There are tons of inexpensive options you could use as a tablecloth, such a a plain black sheet!

For the place settings, I purchased inexpensive black plates from Ikea and topped them with mini pumpkins to hold place cards. As an inexpensive candle holder, I spray painted wine bottles with chalkboard paint and added blood-red taper candles to them as an unexpected detail. I must admit, I am really loving these black plates. They make your bright foods like peas and carrots pop!

Next up, I designed chair signs for the backs of my chairs and matching cupcake toppers with my Silhouette! They are super easy to cut out and put together at home. For the cupcakes, simply tape the mini banners to a toothpick and voila!

Download the Silhouette files here:

Smell My Feet Banner

Trick or Treat Banner

Or .pdf files here:

Smell My Feet Banner

Trick or Treat Banner

What is more fitting as a Halloween treat than a Devil's Food Cake cupcake with double-dark chocolate frosting? I can't think of anything! To get the recipe for my frosting, click the image below:

This year's Halloween costume:

We went as Bob Ross and his "Happy little tree" hahaha!

Elegant Halloween Dinner Party

There are so many Halloween decor and party ideas for kids, but I rarely see a great idea for adults. I wanted to give you guys a little inspiration for a beautiful Halloween dinner party! What better to do with your friends than get together and listen to Monster Mash as you delve into a moody charcuterie.

Check out my decor ideas and a menu example below!

Put together an elegant and dark cheese plate like this beauty from Camille Styles. Using figs, dark salami, pumpernickel bread and concord grapes, you can accomplish this sophisticated look.

RECREATE THIS ELEGANT HALLOWEEN LOOK

I purchased red roses a few days before I put together this look to allow them to die a little. Cruel? Maybe. Beautiful? Absolutely. I love how the edges of the petals blackened and how they became veiny. This simple trick made all the difference in this spooky look. 

Next, for the place setting, I purchased black plates from Ikea and used clear glass chargers from Michael's. I made these hand-lettered name tags on my computer and printed them out on printer paper. To lighten up the look, I added dark grey napkins that I found at HomeGoods.

I grabbed blood red taper candles and pushed them into old wine bottles that I spray painted black with chalkboard spray paint. The result was a matte finish with dripping red wax down the sides of the bottle. 

MENU IDEAS

So let's talk food. You don't have to keep everything super thematic...believe me, that is a lot of work. However, I scouted out a few easy and beautiful recipe ideas from fellow bloggers. Red wine is a great beverage of choice. Place a custom wine bottle label on the top of your current bottle, or get a spooky-looking wine such as 19 Crimes or Tribunal. Add food coloring to egg yolks to make simple deviled eggs sinister. There are so many simple tricks that can take your Halloween soiree to the next level. Check out these great ideas:

Black Widow Cocktail

Dark Deviled Eggs

Black Linguine Pasta with Kalamata Olive Pesto

Spiderweb Cheesecake