10 Steps For Planning A Halloween Party - Creative And Creepy Halloween Ideas For Revelers Of All Ag

The sky is darkening. You feel a chill and ghostly horrors in the air as the moon shines brightly on this cloudless night. It is the last night of October, October 31st. It is officially Halloween night and you have decided to have a hauntingly exciting Halloween party. How ghoulishly delightful! But where do you start in planning your Halloween holiday celebration. Here are 10 steps to help you in planning a great Halloween Party that will have all those ghosts, wicked witches and grim goblins screaming with delight.

Step 1: Halloween Party Kickoff: Think about who the party is for - for you or your children? An adult Halloween party will be quite different from a children's Halloween party when it comes to planning the Halloween theme of the party, Halloween decorations, Halloween recipes and beverages. Adults and older children usually love to be frightened, but that is not the same for smaller children. So when planning your event keep the ages of your guests in mind. Once you have that figured out, now it is time to pick the date, time and place of your Halloween party. And don't forget the guest list.

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Step 2: Halloween invitations: This is where you can have fun and set the mood of your unforgettable night of horror chills and thrills by sending out unique and spookily inviting Halloween party invitations. You can purchase them or make some yourself with some construction paper and some glitter markers, or how about buying some inexpensive Halloween paper eye masks and writing the words on the back. Include all the important information such as date, time, place and a request for RSVP to your Halloween party.

10 Steps For Planning A Halloween Party - Creative And Creepy Halloween Ideas For Revelers Of All Ag

Step 3: Halloween party food and recipes: now the party would not be a party without a lot of great Halloween munchies. Plan a menu and write out your shopping list. Try to do as much in advance as possible, and try to pick Halloween recipes that can be made ahead and stored or frozen. And again, think of the ages of your guests - there are a lot of fun Halloween foods for both kids and adults. Here might be the place to use up some of those Halloween pumpkin guts.

Step 4:Haunted Halloween Pumpkins: plan to buy your pumpkins early to get the best selection. By selecting a variety of shapes and sizes of pumpkins, you will be able to make a variety of interesting jack-o-lanterns ghosts. And don't forget about those miniature pumpkins, they can make great party favors or Halloween decorations also. And the day before the party, carve your pumpkins and double check you have enough candles or use small flashlights to show off their ghostly grins.

Step 5: Halloween Costumes: there is always something exciting about putting on a Halloween costume and taking on another identity. So prepare yourself and your families Halloween party costumes in advance so that you don't have to run around in a panic trying to put something together at the last minute. It is easy to find a lot of great Halloween costume ideas that will not cost a lot of money or time.

Step 6: Halloween Party Games or Activities: Halloween games and craft activities are especially popular for younger Halloween party guests, but this does not mean that adults would not enjoy the fun of Halloween games and showing off their ghostly talents. So think about what Halloween activities your guests would be interested in and gather all the materials you need in advance. Also be sure to have some extra Halloween activities incase a game that you are expecting to take 45 minutes only lasts for 20. And do not forget the Halloween prizes, these can be easily and inexpensively assembled by a quick trip to your local novelty or dollar store or ordered online to be delivered straight to your door.

Step 7: Halloween music and sounds: there is no time then the present to start thinking about what kind of Halloween music you want at your Halloween party celebration. Are you looking for some fun party songs for dancing music, or hauntingly spooky background ghost music for a dinner party, or a collection of sing-a-longs for the kids. Also, you might want to incorporate some Halloween special effects outside with spooky horror sounds as your guests walk up to the front door. There are a lot of special music tapes or CD's available to purchase, or if your try making one on your own - it could be almost as much fun as the Halloween party itself.

Step 8:Halloween Party Favors: party favors add an extra treat of fun to any Halloween party and are a wonderful addition as a Halloween treat for each guest or something they can take home. They do not need to be elaborate Party Favors or costly and can range from a small plastic toy to a homemade individual bundle of snack mix wrapped in Halloween decoration style.

Step 9: Halloween Decorations: decorations for your front yard and house for Halloween can be a lot of fun and again does not need to be costly. You can get a lot of great eerie Halloween effects by experimenting with some horror lighting placed around your indoor and outdoor Halloween decorations. And adding in some Halloween music or ghost sounds can make some of your Halloween decorations come to life.

Step 10: Party Guests Arrival: today is the day - Halloween party Night, and your guests are about to arrive. Have a quick look around to see if all is in order and that your house is a safe setting. Keep a porch light on so everyone sees any steps or other obstacles, and make sure all your guests have a way back home after the Halloween festivities come to an end.

Final note: Remember that your Halloween party does not need to be elaborate, the main component of a great Halloween party are a few willing participants that want to have fun, a few simple Halloween decorations and props, toss in some spooky music and ghost sounds, and definitely the Halloween food - and you will have a smashingly and howling Halloween Party. So when the party starts, enjoy yourself! It will be a spookily great time.

10 Steps For Planning A Halloween Party - Creative And Creepy Halloween Ideas For Revelers Of All Ag

Daryl Plaza is the owner of spooky night.com a website with reviews and resources on Halloween recipes [http://www.spookynite.com/halloweenrecipes.html], costumes, music and decoration

Four Scary Halloween Decorations for Your Porch

Halloween has become a huge holiday. When I was a kid, it was all about homemade costumes and one night of trick-or-treating.

Today, Halloween is a full-fledged season for some families. Soon as September rolls around, people begin to plan for the holiday. Or should I say season?

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We have four eerieHalloween decoration ideas for your porch here.

Four Scary Halloween Decorations for Your Porch

1. Create a bat haven on your porch. From stiffened black felt, cut out many black bats. Try various sizes. Use a template you get online. Then using masking tape or duct tape on the back, tape the bats to the walls of your porch. Tape some to your windows and porch railings, too. Some of the bats could hang down from the ceiling using black thread. You will have an eerie porch that will be noticed for sure!
2. Create a spider covered porch. Scary Halloween decorations are as easy as finding some super-sized spiders at your craft store or home improvement store. The bigger the better. You might even be able to find glow-in-the-dark spiders. Ewwww! While you're at it, pick up a package or two of that fake spider web material. Stretch it in the corners of your porch to create bigger-than-life spider webs. Hang the spiders from the ceiling, the porch columns, and the walls - anywhere you want many-legged creatures.
3. Rent a fog machine and play some creepy music. Who knows what lurks in the fog? Perhaps nothing but your trick-or-treaters will not know for sure. Playing eerie music combined with the rolling fog will create an aura of suspense and mystery.
4. Make a crypt look like it has been opened and strategically place a Mummy on your porch, making it look like he has risen from the dead! How about hanging a couple skeletons freely from the ceiling and clothe them in a black jacket and hat? That will scare the munchkins some! Of course, play some of that eerie creepy music and imaginations will go like crazy. Include some jack-o-lanterns around the porch with electric lights.

Your porch, whether large or small, can be a very fun place to decorate for the munchkins that come knocking at your door for treats. Or is it tricks that you generously give? No matter how scary your porch is, be nice to the kids who come by! Use your imagination to create something special that they will remember for a long time.

Haunted porch anybody?

Four Scary Halloween Decorations for Your Porch

Get more ideas about scary Halloween decorations for your porch as well as ideas for just plain enjoying your porch.

Mary Morris is a self-proclaimed porch lover and grandma to 7 awesome grand kids. Mary is one of the co-founders of Front Porch Ideas and More, a site about everything related to front porches and more.

Easy Halloween Yard Decoration Ideas

Your yard gives you the opportunity to unleash all your creativity and really think big when it comes to decorating for the favorite spooky holiday - Halloween. But that does not mean you have slave around for hours making and putting up the decorations. Here are some quick and easy ideas for decorating your yard this Halloween:

1. Scarecrows set the mood. Purchase or make a scarecrow and display it in your yard. Make him stand in the center on in a corner or make him sit on a bench, on the steps or on the fence.

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2. Wreaths make the yard look very pretty. Choose from grapevine wreaths or black and orange Halloween wreaths to suit your tastes and decorate walls and front door by hanging them.

Easy Halloween Yard Decoration Ideas

3. Use pumpkins in every place for an instant 'Halloween' touch. Place them on the steps, porch railing and benches or grouped together in unexpected places. When grouping together, mix all shapes, sizes and colors.

4. Gourds are another natural decoration for yards for Halloween. String them to make garlands for fences or place them in baskets.

5. Witches and brooms make for great decorations. Make a purchased or made witch sit on the branch of a tree or on a bench. You can also simply use the broom near the tree or at the front steps and add a sign that 'The Witch is Up There' or 'The Witch is in'.

6. Garden stakes come in various designs for Halloween. Choose ghosts, witches, pumpkins or whatever else fits your theme and choice. They are great scene setters and look especially pretty when placed between plants.

7. Nature's own decorations can provide fall colors to your décor. Use lots of potted annuals like mums, begonias, dahlias etc. to decorate your yard. You can also use things like fall foliage, dried flowers, seed heads, hay bales etc.

8. Lastly, make a clear pathway for the trick-or-treaters to come in to your front door. Add ropes along the sides or use luminarias to keep them from trampling your plants or flowerbeds.

Easy Halloween Yard Decoration Ideas

We have many more ideas for Halloween Decorating, Halloween Party Decorations and Outdoor Halloween Decorations. We also have Pumpkin Carving Patterns, Halloween recipes, Halloween Party Themes, Halloween Crafts and many more creative ideas for Halloween.

How To Create Your Own Home Halloween Decorations

Whether to decorate your house or your classroom for Halloween, the best choice of decorations are the ones that you make yourself. Home Halloween decorations are fun to make and are really cost efficient in the long run. The camaraderie shared with your friends and family is priceless while you make home Halloween decorations. It is a creative experience that every child will remember doing. In some households it has become a family tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. With just a few materials you can turn your house or classroom into a gruesome, scary, and fun place to have a party or to invite trick or treaters.

The basics of home Halloween decorations are simplicity. Orange and black construction paper is a must. You also need Elmer's glue, scissors, tape, and crayons or magic markers. The best way to start is to start at the top of the room. You can make a boarder to go around all four walls with a paper chain. Simply cut your orange and black construction paper into strips. Curl the strips into a ring and glue or staple them. They must be interlocked and should alternate in color from black to orange. If you really want to get gruesome you can add some blood red construction paper to the chain. To be more creative you can draw symbols of Halloween on each strip to give it more character and depth.

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While still working on the top of the room, think of things that dangle from the ceiling. You can make cut outs of the skull and crossbones, witches, black cats, or ghosts from your construction paper to make some great scary figures. The paper is light enough so if there is even the slightest breeze your figures will move with it in a eerie fashion. To make this home Halloween decoration more creative, you may want to create mobiles with the figures by hanging your cut outs on descending sticks hung by fishing line or twine. If you have extra cutouts paste them on whole sheets of construction paper to give it a colorful back ground.

How To Create Your Own Home Halloween Decorations

On your snack table, you can play a joke on your guests by decorating with Halloween food. You could glue all the candy corn together in a huge ball so that when a friend tries to take one, the whole glob of candy corn comes up in his hand. Think of eerie foods that you can serve like gummy worms and marshmallow eyeballs. Your can take the paper plates and draw monsters or scary images on them. Put on a scary movie in the background with the sound off. These can give the room an extra feature of the Halloween spirit. You might want to die your curtains orange or another Halloween color and put candles in the windows. From the outside the candle looks nice but from the inside the candle can cast eerie shadows on the curtain creating a cool special effect. The skies the limit with home Halloween decorations and your imagination and creativity will flourish once you get going.

How To Create Your Own Home Halloween Decorations

Are you trying to come up with some fun Halloween activities? The Get In Costume website has plenty of other ideas for Halloween fun as well as creative costume ideas for trick-or-treaters of all ages.

Plus, get a free copy of my special report "The Family Guide To Halloween Safety" at http://www.getincostume.com/freereport

Do-It-Yourself Halloween Decorations

You can turn any home into a haunted house for Halloween by adding the right Halloween decorations. Here are simple do-it-yourself suggestions for Halloween decorations that you, your family, and the neighbors will enjoy this fall.

Gourd candleholders
Dim lighting is essential in creating the right Halloween mood so work on that as the first of your Halloween decorations. Create a low light atmosphere in your home by using candles instead of overhead lighting. To create a spooky candleholder, cut a hole in the center of a gourd, squash, or miniature pumpkin. This might be hard to do so start by gently rocking the knife back and forth until you create a slit. Keep moving the knife carefully until there is an open section large enough to hold a candle.

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• Safety warning: Make sure you put the candleholder on a tray with aluminum foil. As with all Halloween decorations, advise your children to stay away from the flame.

Witch's cauldron
To create the ultimate witch's cauldron you will need a large bowl, dry ice, and water. You can purchase dry ice from a local ice cream parlor or grocery store. Put the dry ice in a container with a tight lid. Then submerge the container in water. Warm water will produce more smoke that will disappear rapidly while colder water will produce less smoke that will last longer. You can put the cauldron at your front door or as the centerpiece on your dining room table.

Do-It-Yourself Halloween Decorations

• Safety warning: Do not touch the dry ice with your bare hands. Either use tongs or thick gloves. Make sure that children do not play with the dry ice.

Glowing ghosts
A glowing ghost is the perfect example of how simple and fun making Halloween decorations can be. Activate a mini glow stick, slip it inside a balloon, and blow up the balloon. Position the knot of the balloon at the top center and use a black marker to make a face. Use a thin or transparent white cloth to cover the balloon, cut a small hole in the cloth and push the knot through so you can tie a string to it and hang it from a tree, your door, or a lamppost in your front yard. Your glowing ghost will blow in the wind, letting all your neighbors know that Halloween has arrived.

Halloween's just around the corner. It's that time of year again when ghosts and goblins roam the streets. Here are some ideas for Halloween costumes that are easy to execute.

Do-It-Yourself Halloween Decorations

Paul Banas is a founder of GreatDad.com. Discuss about planning a baby, raising kids, activities with kids, celebrations, single parenting and other parenting related topics at his Fathers Forum section.

Why Do We Celebrate Halloween - The Spookiest Holiday Of The Year

Halloween is full of costumes and candy, trick-or-treating and terrifying haunted houses, pumpkins and black cats. But just where did Halloween come from? Why are we celebrating?

The history of Halloween goes back 2000 years. Many believe that Halloween's origins are found in the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who were located in Ireland, the UK and the northern parts of France, celebrated their New Year on the first of November. Samhain was celebrated the night before the New Year.

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The New Year, Celts believed, marked summer's end, harvest time, and the start of dark, cold winter months. Those winter months were associated with death by these people. On October 31, the night before the New Year, the Celts celebrated Samhain. This day, they believed, was when the ghosts of the deceased returned to earth because the boundaries between the living world and the dead world blurred.

Why Do We Celebrate Halloween - The Spookiest Holiday Of The Year

When we think of "Trick-Or-Treating", the origins can probably be found in the English All Souls' Day parades. During these celebrations, the poor would come out and beg for food from the more wealthy families. When the families gave them pastries called "soul cakes", they asked for the poor to pray for their relatives that had passed away.

Another possibility that may have grown into "Trick-Or-Treating" is the tradition of people leaving bowls of food in front of their homes. They did this to keep the ghosts that were wandering the earth from entering.

Dressing in costumes has a couple possible origins. European and Celtic people both felt winter was a frightening time. It was cold, it was darker, and the possibility of running out of food was great. When they reached the time when they thought the dead returned, they thought they might encounter these ghosts whenever they left their houses. The wearing of masks and costumes grew from these people donning masks so the ghosts would not recognize them!

This holiday was brought to the US by Scotch and Irish immigrants in the 1800s. At that time, much of the "spookiness" of the holiday was removed and a sense of community and fun were added. Although scary themes are still the focus of many Halloween celebrations, that scariness is done for fun, not because of actual fear.

Halloween is currently the 2nd largest commercial holiday!

Why Do We Celebrate Halloween - The Spookiest Holiday Of The Year

Nicola always enjoys celebrating Halloween with her family. Visit her Halloween site for tips and information about Homemade Halloween Costumes at http://Homemade-Halloween-Costumes.Best-Halloween.com

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Best-Halloween.com

Make Halloween Props That Will Make'Em Scream

Halloween is the second most decorated holiday of the year, people love to make props to decorate their home and garden. Some people buy all decorations and props and others make their props by hand. If you think its hard to make everything yourself you can also choose to mix bought items and home made props, this way you safe time, money and have a scary home. Here are some really fun and easy ways to create Halloween props for the entire house.

Halloween props for the front yard

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It is fun to decorate the front yard for Halloween because so many people will see it. Everyone who will walk or drive trough the street will see what you have created. You can make Halloween props yourself and you can think of items like pumpkins on the porch, a huge tarantula from large trash bags or a big spider web in the bushes. You can also create props like "old" grave stones in the yard.

Make Halloween Props That Will Make'Em Scream

The other option you have for the front yard is to see it a bit larger and rent or buy one or more professional Halloween props, these can be animated. Lights and sound are also a crucial when you want to scare people. But for the front yard you should buy outdoor lights because you never know what weather it is going to be. Buying or renting a fog machine and some sound effects for added enjoyment will certainly make people talk for a long time a bout what they experienced in your yard.

Make props for the Halloween Living Room

Decorating the living room is for your own family and your guest the place where they will spend most of their time, so this is the room where you need to put in some effort. Still the living room should not be over decorated, it also needs to stay a place where you can be yourself and relax. You can buy some Halloween stickers or hang ups for the windows and walls. A home made dish with candy or candy apples is nice for the coffee table and you can make props like figurines for special effects on the table.

Make Halloween props for the Kitchen

Just as the living room, the kitchen is a place you do not want to over decorate because you need to be able to use it for its original function. You can use Halloween dish clothes around the kitchen and create Halloween props like place mats on the table. But we would advice you to try to find a scary Halloween center piece for the kitchen table or counter top, in prop shops you have props that seem to come from the butcher that move and bleed. They are real scary and you just need one item (like the moving hand see link below) to create the most scary kitchen in the neighborhood.

Make props for the Rest of the Halloween House

The rest of the house is totally up to you, there are so many cute or scary Halloween decorations you can buy or make like Halloween bed sheets, toilet covers and towels. But also Halloween figurines for each room for the windows. For the windows that look at the front yard you can best create props that fit with your yard decoration. If you decide to make props yourself you will notice that its fun and exciting to do. But it does not matter if you buy or make Halloween props, if you store them carefully you can add something each year. In a few years you will have the best decorated home for the Halloween holiday you can dream about.

Make Halloween Props That Will Make'Em Scream

The author of this article, Kristin King, is a real Halloween lover, at here website Ahead Of Halloween. com she likes to write about scary Halloween props like for example, animated Halloween props and much more.

Make Your Halloween Party A Hit - Games For Adults

No party is complete without party games; even an adult Halloween party. The games need to be exciting and entertaining in order for you to have a successful fun filled Halloween party. A few ideas that are sure to appeal to adults of all ages are listed below.

Shooting hoop - You can not go wrong when you have this game at your Halloween party. Everyone loves to test their skill to see just how many times they can make the basket. It's fun and exhilarating.

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Pumpkin carving contest - This is a great way for your guest to test their skills against each other to see how they measure up on carving a pumpkin or jack-o-lantern.

Make Your Halloween Party A Hit - Games For Adults

Throwing darts - Throwing darts is a great game of skill. It will keep your guest busy for hours. You just want to make sure that it is located in a safe place where you won't have to worry about any accidents occurring.

Karaoke - Karaoke is a favorite of many adults. They love to show off their singing talent in front of an audience. Even if you prefer to not join in on the actually singing, who don't like listening to others perform their songs? It's very entertaining and you can even offer a prize for the one voted the best from the response of audience.

Tug of war - Tug of War is a great game of strength that is a Halloween hit. Both men and women alike love to show how tough they are. What better way to do this than by participating in a nice game of tug a war. You can have couple match or divide the men and women into two groups and have them compete against each other. The guest can form their own teams and compete against each other to see who is the strongest.

If you still feel like you need a little extra to keep your party exciting, how about a dance contest? Many couples love to show off their dancing skills and this would give them the perfect opportunity. When you include these ideas in your Halloween party you will have something for everyone to enjoy.

Make Your Halloween Party A Hit - Games For Adults

Nicola always enjoys Halloween parties with her family. Visit her Halloween site for tips and information about Easy Halloween Costumes at http://Easy-Halloween-Costumes.Best-Halloween.com

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Best-Halloween.com

Creative Ideas For Halloween Decorations

With 36.1 million trick-or-treaters visiting homes in 2006, it comes as no surprise that we all want our homes to look as "Halloweenish" as possible for the big night.

Here are some simple Halloween decorating ideas that will make your home look festive but won't break the bank.

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Orange Lights

Creative Ideas For Halloween Decorations

Change the light bulbs in your outdoor lanterns or house lights to orange lights. If you can't find orange light bulbs, you can purchase inexpensive Halloween themed string lights (like Christmas lights) and hang them around your front door.

Make Your Own Luminaries

Place homemade Halloween luminaries alongside the sidewalk or walkway up to your front door. You can make easy and inexpensive luminaries with paper lunch sacks. You can either leave them the original brown or spray paint them orange.

On each bag, lightly draw in pencil a rough outline of a pumpkin, ghost or spider. With a sharpened pencil or nail, poke holes about every inch along the outline of the design.

Fill each bag with approximately 1 ½-2 cups of sand. Place a votive candle in a glass votive holder and securely place the votive in the sand (or use glow sticks if you're leaving your home unattended). Light the votives at dusk on Halloween night and your home will have a beautiful Halloween glow.

Make Your Own Scarecrow

Using old slacks, an old flannel shirt, some hay and a straw hat, you can make your home come alive with a friendly scarecrow welcoming your trick-or-treaters.
The other supplies you'll need are twine, permanent marker, an old pillowcase and an outdoor chair.

Stuff the pants and shirt firmly with hay, leaving some of the hay sticking out from the bottom of the legs and bottom of the sleeves. Position the scarecrow's pants in the chair and shift the hay so he "sits" comfortably in the chair.

Tie the arms and legs off with twine. Stuff the old pillowcase with hay. Tie off with twine and position the pillowcase inside the shirt collar to appear as the "head" of the scarecrow. Secure the pillowcase to the shirt by tying off with twine. With the permanent marker, draw a scarecrow face and place the hat on top.

Make Your Own Pumpkin Family

By painting silly and whimsical faces on pumpkins, you can create an entire pumpkin family that can be proudly displayed on bales of hay on and around your front door.

On paper, sketch your ideas of what kind of face you'd like to put on your pumpkin. Transfer that design to a cleaned and dried pumpkin using a non-permanent marker. Paint the design using craft paints. Seal with a spray glaze or sealer.

If each member of your family (even the little ones) paints their own pumpkin design, you'll have a memorable collection of painted pumpkin decorations for your home.

Creative Ideas For Halloween Decorations

If you're looking for unique ideas for a costume this year, why not try a Lindsay Lohan or Michael Vick Halloween costume? You'll find lots more fun & unique costume ideas on the Get In Costume website.

Plus, get a free copy of my special report "The Family Guide To Halloween Safety" at http://www.getincostume.com/freereport