Fast, Cheap & Easy: Last-Minute Halloween Party Decor

 so it's THREE DAYS before Halloween

and you're thinking 'If it hasn't been done yet, I don't have time to do it'.

Halloween should be scary, but not because you aren't prepared...

here are a few tips to help you put together some EYEPOPPING Halloween Party decor

IN A DAY

In the photo above, there are some great ideas:

*make a paper banner

*spray paint some old frames black and orange

*put black masks from the Dollar Tree store on pumpkins

*haul out all the black pillows and candlesticks and accessories you can find.

but here's the big idea:

unearth an old chair or piano bench or small table or mirror - a really ugly ornate one -

from your garage or shed or wherever you stash stuff.

you know, the stuff you don't want the hubby to see that you picked up free off the curb last trash day. 

[no judgement here, sister!]

 then spray paint it orange. BRIGHT orange. 

When done, you'll have a hot orange prop for your party - 

use it on the serving table to show off your scary snacks and terrorizing treats!

Whether it's a table, a bench, a chair or a mirror, one POP of orange will make an impact

and pull everyone's eyes into your table scene. they'll ignore everything else in the room. 

this works in retail stores, as shown here- it will work in your house. trust me.

Another FAST way to make your table scary good is to use lots of party paraphernalia:

*use pedestals and stands to show off the goodies

*use all white or black or clear dishes to coordinate the look and make the food the star -

and serve fun BRIGHT foods: orange, yellow, green, purple!

*use battery-op candles on a table for safety (the ones shown here look like candy corn!)

 *hang lengths of orange & yellow ribbon from the chandeliers / light fixtures

 this huge chandelier in an entry hall is hung with mini plastic & paper pumpkins on fuzzy yarn

[from the Dollar Tree store, naturally]

and long strips of black netting.

 Last tip:

grab some bright orange flowers from the grocery store 

and use them to add more of the orange color all over the house with minimum effort.

it's fast, it's easy - and after the party, you can enjoy them

Fast, Cheap & Easy: Funkin Pumpkins!

the subject of  'fall decorating with pumpkins' just isn't complete

without mentioning fabulous FunkinsTM

[and seriously, go HERE to their website to see some JAWDROPPING ideas]

Funkins are lightweight resin pumpkins available in craft stores

and, for the truly CHEAP among us, at thrift stores.

these are really cost-effective, because they are reusable every year.

the thing is, Funkins LOOK like real pumpkins - and so just like real pumpkins,

you can carve them, paint them, embellish them, light them up...

 however, because they are lightweight, 

you can do things with Funkins that you can't do with real pumpkins:

hang them up, suspend them, cut them in half and hang them on a wall, impale them, 

add them to floral arrangements and potted plant displays... and more.

they become all-purpose decor props for fall and Halloween!

In the photos above, you see two large sized Funkins sitting in gorgeous black urns

at the entry to a residence that a partner and I decorated for several years.

each one is impaled on a wooden dowel that's been inserted into the dirt in the urn.

this holds the pumpkin upright in windy conditions.

this is a 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' TM way to add fall style to an existing planter.

 

 on the front porch, another Funkin joins a spooky topiary and some painted wooden pumpkins

to create a welcoming vignette.

the monograms on the Funkins shown in these photos

were all done with a simple black regular-tip Sharpie Marker

to coordinate with the welcome mat design, and to fit the elegant style of this client's home perfectly.

have you ever used a Funkin in YOUR fall decorating?

leave a link to your photos in a comment below, and let us see what you've come up with!