DECORATING - EASY HALLOWEEN DECORATING and PARTY IDEAS!!

There are lots of ideas out there, but I wanted to share creative ideas that make for a dramatic impression or an unconventional little twist yet require minimal effort, materials and talent...all under $10! (*mannequin parts vary in price) Look at page 1 and 2 of my blog for all of the photo ideas. Happy Haunting! Pamela Miltenberger pamelamiltenberger@comcast.net

MANNEQUIN PARTS - I did this for a gory scene in the theatrical production of REEFER MADNESS. Use old or broken mannequin body parts found at junk stores. Spray paint arms and legs a ghostly gray or drip red paint onto parts, use rubber spiders and other Dollar Store bugs and hot glue to ends of arms and various areas. Paint the rubber "tendons" and guts using red, black, blue, gray, etc... Arrange as a centerpiece for dinner table or hang from chairs draped in mesh or bloodied burlap for a ghastly gory look!

FAKE BODY PART CAKE - I'm making fake cakes right now for Main Street Theater's production of CAKEWALK. I made "cakes" out of styrofoam. Create the icing by using acrylic caulk mixed with gray or red acrylic paint or whatever color you choose. Ice the foam. Carefully push in Dollar Store, plastic, bloody hands or feet or doll parts (head, eyeballs, legs, etc...) from old Barbies or dolls found at Goodwill. Put the body parts poking out at various angles. You can even cut a slice out of the cake, paint, frost and put dolls arms and legs poking out of the slice you cut and the area of the cake that has been cut. FUN!!!

CHANDELIERS - Hang Dollar Store skeleton necklaces from your existing chandelier or light fixtures. (Make your own chandelier out of a toy wagon wheel or strofoam or wood and spray paint it.) Add some cobwebs, candles and crows! Perfect ambience to watch THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN!

LANTERNS AND JARS - Use Dollar Store masks (the glow in the dark kind preferably) and put inside various see through containers like lanterns. Put the lanterns all around the house, patio, entry way, on stairs or group them all together on your dining room table. Use as name tags for guests who are dining or use for take home gifts! Use old vitamin bottles or coke bottles and make your own poisons. Put gels inside or fingers or colored water. Make a label via computer or the old fashioned way with paper and glue. Have fun with the labels. Label can read - Take 1 pill daily if seeing 1 ghost. 2 doses = 2 ghosts. 3 or more ghosts = RUN!

SPIDERS, ROACHES, AND FINGERS, OH MY - Just fill your guests' dinner plates or glasses with Dollar store spiders. Fill some with cobwebs. Or put roaches and fingers in glasses of glow in the dark slime. Add a glow stick! Cheers!

CRYSTAL BALLS - Spray paint large round ornaments (plastic is best) or foam balls to look like crystal balls. Use metallic, glow in the dark, iridescent or glitter paint. Arrange several on table, on top of candlestick holders or in jars, cauldrons or funky bowls you already have at home.

BOOKS - Wrap books in spider webs! Drip red paint or spray paint various ghostly colors on old books or butcher paper or newspaper. Add words to covers: WITCHES GOLDEN BOOK OF SPELLS, HERBAL REMEDIES FOR MUMMIES/DUMMIES, BOO BEGONE, etc...

MIRRORS - Dollar Store mirrors or Goodwill mirrors can be sprayed with hairspray for a ghostly look. Experiment by spraying only edges and wrap spiderwebs around them. Group them for a dramatic Halloween effect!

PHOTO COPIES - Photo copy black and white or sepia pictures of your face and hands (fuzzier the better) on regular paper or colored paper, and frame using Goodwill frames. Wrap books. Make dinner place settings for your victims, er, guests with a facial clue to the coming treats...or tricks! Ex color only eyeballs of photocopy red to indicate eyeball pudding. Put pictures on window panes, in cauldrons or jars, under each witch hat using a backing like posterboard or cardboard or a For Sale sign, etc...