As my 3-year-old declared today, “It’s Halloween!” I reminded him that it is Halloween season, but that the day of Halloween hadn’t arrived yet. His response: “It’s not Halloween. But it’s Halloween at our house.” Fair enough.
Normally, I don’t put in a huge effort when it comes to decorating for fall or Halloween. This year, though, it felt right. Blame it on wanting some joy amid Covid-19 life or knowing that my littles would think it was magical (even if the decorations were decidedly on the simpler side). Either way, a few spots in our home got the spooky treatment.
If I was to write a formula for my spooky season decor vibe, it would be this: faux pumpkins + black + candlelight. Rinse and repeat. I know those decor items fall into the tried-and-true camp, but I love how that combination makes our home feel slightly witchy without screaming IT’S HALLOWEEN. Here’s a breakdown of our seasonal decor with a few tips thrown in.
Mantle + Shelving
Tip 1: Go fake with your candles.
The candlesticks with taper candles provide the perfect cozy, eerie atmosphere. Real taper candles would have been the most affordable option, but I knew we would never light them. And while that normally doesn’t bother me, I wanted the actual candlelight for this season. That left me looking for LED taper candles, and these have been great. They look realistic, they can flicker, and they come with a remote that controls all of them at once. The convenience factor means we have candlelight every night.
Tip 2: Bring the outdoors in.
The sticks were foraged from a debris pile in our yard, and although, I could have trimmed them down, I ended up appreciating how they gave the mantlescape a 3-D look. Don’t they look a bit like antlers? Or spooky tree arms reaching out?
PS: If you haven’t checked out The Makerista’s fall decor, she takes the foraging look to the next level.
Tip 3: Look beyond classic white or orange faux pumpkins.
My favorite category of faux pumpkins are ones that add some texture to the space, whether that’s through rattan or metal studs or (like my newest pumpkin addition) glass. This glass one is from HomeGoods and has discreet fairy lights inside that are fun to turn on at night.
I picked up the willow lantern at Target, which if you haven’t checked out the John Derian with Threshold Halloween line, stop reading and click over. Why they waited until October 10 to release a Halloween line, I do not know…but all I have to say is the collection is a winner.
Nooks
Tip 4: Don’t take your seasonal decor too seriously.
Above the kid desk (see it folded out here), I switched out the art, putting in this fun print. If you don’t investigate it closely, then you may just think it’s just brooms. And if you do investigate it closely, you will know we are Harry Potter nerds. I love affordable art, and the colors are so perfectly fall.
Other quirky art:
Tip 5: Repurpose what you have.
The skull sitting on the kid desk was something I already owned (from somewhere like the Dollar Tree). It got a coat of navy acrylic paint, and then I stuck a faux plant stem in his foam head.
Dapper Dan (aka the portrait above the dresser) received a black cardstock Zorro mask. It cost me exactly $0 and makes me smile. I tossed a faux pumpkin on the dresser and called that nook finished.
Other repurposing ideas:
Staircase
Tip 6: Make your decor functional.
I really appreciate when design intersects with functionality, especially when you live in a small house. Our family has hit the picture book stage, so we are endlessly checking out books from the library or hitting up Book Outlet. Over the past year, I have been slowly acquiring seasonal picture books, and many of them are beautiful. Their covers make perfect seasonal decor (that my sons can even play with!). My husband hung these acrylic picture ledges for me, and I can’t wait to decorate this area and showcase seasonal books throughout the year. And when we leave the picture book stage, I can just slide some art or family photos on there. For our Halloween books, I surrounded the ledges with the ever popular bat decals. I can see why they are a hit: they are easy, inexpensive, and really fun. Highly recommend.
A Bonus: Our favorite Halloween preschool picture books (not scary at all!)
Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler- This book has the sweetest message about friendship.
I am Bat by Morag Hood- This quick read is funny and interactive. Your littles will like paying attention to the details.
Dino Halloween by Lisa Wheeler- This one is for the true dinosaur lovers out there and has lots of types of dinosaurs.
The Ghosts Went Floating by Kim Norman- This book is read to the tune of “The Ants Go Marching” and presents lots of spooky characters in a non-scary way.
Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins -This pumpkin book has a strong storyline. It does get a little sad but, have no fear, it has a sweet ending.
Ten Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage- This book counts backward (always a good preschool skill to practice), and the illustrations are on point (as they are in all Stephen Savage books).
That’s all for spooky decor! Whether you are going all out decorating this Halloween, keeping things simple (like me), or just living vicariously through other people’s decorating, I hope you are finding joy this season. What are your tried and true ways to decorate for Halloween? What are you doing to celebrate Halloween this season?
XO, Kylie