An Old Fashioned Halloween Party - Decoration Ideas and more...

Spooky Vintage Style Halloween Party Invitation by B.Nute productions on Etsy

Bring back the Halloween party from yesteryear-- an old fashioned Halloween party with fun games, and art project that you may have done when you were a child. You remember... bobbing for apples, carving a pumpkin, wearing that hot halloween mask! Here are some decorating ideas to throw an Old Fashioned Halloween Party.

Inspiration Board for an Old Fashioned Halloween Party

Old Fashioned Halloween Party Inspiration Board

Spooky Banner

SpookyVintage Style Halloween Banner by B.Nute productions on Etsy

Hang on your mantle, at a doorway, or by a window and greet the halloween season with spooky vintage charm. Black glitter adorns each pendant, giving it an eery sparkle on a chilly fall evening. The word “spooky” glitters over the vintage imagery of halloween children. 

A Ben Cooper Vintage Halloween Costume

Old Vintage Costumes and Masks
Scour the internet for some vintage Halloween costumes and you'll be amazed the flood of memories from your childhood that may come back when you see what's out there! Vintage masks and costumes can be hung up around the party space for great accents. Hang on a clothes line, scatter and prop masks on a buffet table... be creative. If the costumes aren't too precious, perhaps have a dress up area for guests to have fun!

A little Halloween Costume History: If you grew up in the 60's or 70's you may have had the privilege of wearing a Ben Cooper costume for Halloween. Ben Cooper was one of the biggest brands of mass-produced costumes between the 1950's- 1970's. Head down a little memory lane and check out these links:

• Ben Cooper Halloween Costume Information
• Goblin Shop with Ben Cooper Costumes
• Images of Ben Cooper Costumes

Halloween Festooning from Blumchen

Old Fashioned Halloween Garland
One of my favorite shops for old fashioned garlands, crepe paper decorations and vintage holiday decorations is D. Blumchen & Company. If you have not perused their website yet, you are in for a treat! Make sure to check out their Halloween section and all their great vintage decoration items and ideas!

Beistle Halloween Cutouts

Old Fashioned Halloween Paper Cutout Decorations
Even with the stiff competition of animatronic Halloween mummies and vampires as well as folks parking full size hearses on their lawns for Halloween, vintage-style Paper cutout Halloween decorations are making a comeback! One company, who's in been in the business for a long while, Beistle Company have even re-released some of their all time classics. Take a look at some of their cutouts and see if any remind you of when you were growing up! Here are also some more links to vintage Halloween paper decorations:

• The Vintage Halloween Store- Cutouts
• Retroween Halloween Decorations

Gothic Style Halloween Party: Decoration Ideas

Close Up from B.Nute productions Halloween Haunt Gothic Invitation on Etsy

Although Halloween seems to be a far way off, stores are brimming with great Halloween decorations! It's also never to early to be thinking about your Halloween party! This week I'm going to be featuring ideas for a frightful Halloween Haunt Gothic Style Party... I hope you enjoy!

Inspiration Board

Pre-Made Gothic Style Halloween Decorations
If you are willing to spend some money and have space to store the items, there are amazing gothic-style decorations that can be bought online. Check out this link to many inspirational decoration ideas: Gothic Halloween Decorations.

Framed Cemetery and Graveyard Pictures
Head to your local graveyard and start snapping some pictures. Try close ups, funny angles and distorted perspectives. When home, in you favorite photo program, convert the to black and white and print away. Purchase used frames, or "distressed" ornate frames and hang or place in groups around the party area. Remove all pictures of "live" people, and make sure to only feature the dead ones!

Martha Stewart.com Has Many Great Inspirational Pictures

A Spooky Mantle: Candles, Dried Roses, A Gargoyle Statue, Old Potions and More...
Imagine being in an old Victorian house that has been boarded up for years. Picture what the mantle may have looked like in the parlor, if no one had touched it in over 100 years... Candles 1/2 gone, roses dried, artwork discolored, dusty old bottles and spider webs galore. This is the perfect scene for your mantle at this party!

Cheesecloth
There's nothing better than cheesecloth to add spook to your space. Best yet, it's pretty inexpensive! I've purchased yards and yards of it and hung it up as tattered curtains in my windows and doorways.

All you need to do is tear and stretch (once hung) to give the tattered look. For also some aging, you water down some brown acrylic paint in a spray bottle. Then (before hanging) spray the cheesecloth to give it the perfect aged look.

(Also, be sure to check out this great Cheesecloth ghost decoration from Country Living.)

Photo from Country Living Website

Old White Sheets - the Abandoned House Look
There's a neighborhood near us that goes all out for Halloween! It helps that the houses are also the perfect style for Halloween, but the decorations these folks pull out are just amazing. One house in particular creates a look of an old abandoned haunted house. They drape all their furniture with old white sheets to make it look like no one has lived there for years. Although, as trick or treaters we never go in the house, as you head up to the door, you can look into their big picture windows and see the spooky set up! It's just perfect!