What’s this? What’s this? It’s Halloweenie Roast 2016 – and look, it’s a Tim Burton theme!
That was the message that started off my invitations to Halloweenie Roast this year, and the theme was one requested by my guests. I was all too happy to oblige, and I think it ended up becoming one of my favorite themes ever!
There was so much opportunity to have fun with Mr. Burton’s many movies and incorporate little touches of creative decor here and there. I had a blast dreaming up ideas for this party.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at my Tim Burton themed party, from decor to costumes and food!
Halloweenie Roast 2016
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Outdoor Decor

Welcome to Skellington Cemetery!

My dad and I made this over a series of weekends. I didn’t intend for it to be a long-standing, reusable piece, so with that in mind…I was incredibly happy with how it turned out!
Daylight gives away the hack we used to build this – boxes – but under the cover of night, it looked creepy and perfect. We also threw some battery-operated candles in those plastic pumpkin pails to give it some eerie light.

The whole idea behind Halloweenie Roast is hosting a backyard weenie roast, so I try to give my outdoor space as much personality and theme as possible.

I was SO happy with how my black and white striped trees turned out! (After overthinking it, I found an easy solution! It turned into a DIY under $10, and I’ll be sharing in on the blog later this month.)

And I was thrilled to finally find a fun use for all my Styrofoam headstones I’ve bought on the cheap or on clearance over the years. They helped the backyard feel a bit more like a cemetery.

The centerpiece of Halloweenie Roast, the fire pit!

Most of my party food stays inside, but the weenies and condiments need a spot! I loved how this table turned out with my hacked “table runner”, which was another plastic table cloth cut into strips.

This ghost has legit scared people before.

Need a bio-exorcist? Halloweenie Roast 2016 was THE place to find one!

My photo booth! I was very grateful to my friend Emily who donated that backdrop to me after it was used at her bridal shower. It was perfect!
Indoor Decor

I create my own printable items for my party each year so they have a unique touch. I wanted to work in as many Tim Burton films as possible, so I used the “eat me” and “drink me” lines from Alice in Wonderland to inspired so of my signage!


I also expanded it and created a “watch me” one for my Tim Burton movies, which I put in the living room by the TV if anyone wanted to watch one.

Here’s a close-up of my food tents, which I had my guests use to name their potluck dishes for the food contest. I made a set of four with Jack Skellington, Beetlejuice (cartoon version!), the Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands.



I fell IN LOVE with this Headless Horseman when I saw a few spooky friends post it in Instagram. It was from Marshalls/TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, and I thought for SURE I would never find one. Then I did, and I snatched it up.

I like having lots of little things to set around for decor, so I created this Sleepy Hollow Inn sign for just inside the back door. By the way, the picture frame is from a dollar store! Dollar stores are one of THE best places to score party decor.

I definitely went overboard with this display because I’m STILL eating this candy…in February.

But it was just perfect – I love when I have a vision in my head and it comes out perfectly!


The fun thing about being a bibliophile in addition to a Halloween lover? I usually have some books I can use for decor, and that’s exactly what I did with these books that are also Tim Burton films.

Contests are a BIG part of Halloweenie Roast, so I always have to set up a spot where people can drop in their voting cards.

This was the first year I did my own cards for voting rather than using strips of paper. I really love how they turned out.

My parents are gracious enough to allow me to use their home for my party since I have no outdoor space in my city dweller’s apartment. The kitchen island is always a focal point (and usually where everyone gathers around the food!), so I make it a point to make it pretty.

This guy was a happy accident. I was in Party City early in September looking at prices for party supplies, and I noticed this pumpkin reaper…thing. He was only 99 cents, and I immediately imagined him inside of this cloche as a mini pumpkin king, a la Jack Skellington!

Pinterest is one of my very favorite resources for party planning. It was there that I found the “This is Halloween” banner from Disney Family blog. I printed it out on card stock, and it was the perfect addition to the kitchen. Download for free.

I make a batch cocktail – aka witches brew – for my party each year. For my Tim Burton theme, I used two separate margarita recipes to create an awesome Beetlejuice margarita. It was GONE halfway through the night.

I’ll be sharing the recipe on the blog later this month, so keep an eye out for it!

Last year I thought it would be fun to offer up unmarked liqueurs for my guests to enjoy, just to see how brave they were. Most were able to figure out what these were (Dr. McGuillicuddy’s Intense Cherry, a coconut rum I used for a cocktail on my birthday and Blue Curacao, just for fun). Next year I’m hoping to get a bit more imaginative with these.

I set up the dining room as a space for my Tim Burton trivia, which you can download for free over here.


I like adding lots of little touches, but I think this was my very favorite. I used one of my apothecary jars and filled it with sharp knives, scissors and other pointy objects, then added my “Edward’s Salon” sign. And those mini topiary animals were probably my favorite buy for Halloweenie Roast 2016 – $2 a piece on eBay. (They are now residing on a bookshelf or two at the Spooky Little Apartment.)

And just so you know I cover ALL the bases at Halloweenie Roast…yes, I even decorated the bathroom.


The Lydia Deetz print I created was my favorite one I did for the Tim Burton theme. (And I should be clear, I pieced it together – I found the artwork online and added the quote.)

Beetles in the soap? Only at a Tim Burton-themed party!

This guy, of course, had to make his triumphant return to the back door of the bathroom to greet guests. Last year he giggled at guests, but this year the idea struck me at the 11th hour to do a skellie selfie pose.
No one mentioned it throughout the night, but it amused the heck out of me.
Food

Beetlejuice margarita, Beetlejuice margarita, Beetlejuice marga-

Megan’s brain dip was dangerously delicious.

Witch finger cookies! I can always count on my “other” mother to bring something awesome.

Suzi and Veronica brought graveyard dip that was amazing – and perfectly themed!

I could live off of Joanne’s Halloween pasta salad. I mean, how much fun is bat-shaped pasta?!

Lindsay is an excellent baker, and her Jack Skellington cupcake/cake pops were one of the best things she’s ever made.

Katie killed it her first time making seven-layer dip.

And Amanda’s guacamole container matched her costume, which I’ll show you in just a second.
We had SO many delicious things to eat! The food contest is definitely here to stay.
Costumes

As usual, my friends KILLED it with their costumes – like Luis and Mel as Beetlejuice and wedding Lydia.

The annual childhood besties photo! When Tammi told me she was going to be the mayor from “Nightmare Before Christmas”, I couldn’t WAIT to see her costume. She did an amazing job. Amanda came as a topiary, inspired by “Edward Scissorhands”, and Heather came as the Cheshire Cat. (That mouth makeup was SO good!) I have zero decent photos of me as a female Jack Skellington, but my outfit was killer.

Krystle as the witch from “Big Fish” (and her super nice boyfriend who was so awesome he didn’t need a costume). I wasn’t brave enough to look into her eye to find out how I was going to die.

All the Tim Burton girls! Katie and Mel as Lydia Deetz, Samantha as Alice in Wonderland and Lindsay – who won first place in the Tim Burton costume contest – as Sally from “Nightmare Before Christmas”.

Seriously, this girl and her creative costumes. Check out her costume from the year I did a Rocky Horror Picture Show theme.
And can I take a little credit for suggesting it? Amanda said doing something outlandish was almost harder when you’re contending with a Tim Burton theme…and then I threw out the idea of being a topiary, like in “Edward Scissorhands”. I can’t wait to see what she does next year!

You know you have fun co-workers when they’re willing to come to your crazy themed Halloween parties! From left, Suzi as Mrs. Ladybug from “James and the Giant Peach”, Emily as Barbara Maitland from “Beetlejuice” and Joanne as Willy Wonka from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (her top hat was covered in real candy and AWESOME – I’m regretting not taking detail shots) along with Lindsay (Sally) and me (Jack Skellington).

Veronica as Victor with Sparky from “Frankenweenie” and Suzi.

I’m gonna say something that will make the rest of my friends hate me: if I had to pick, Taylor and Emily would have won best Tim Burton costumes of the night. They were so simple, yet SO spot-on. My favorite Halloween costumes are the ones created from items you already own.
And that was a costume Emily threw together day-of because her original costume didn’t arrive on time! It also didn’t hurt that Taylor wandered around all night, muttering about needing to call that Beetlejuice guy on the flyers all over the party. Serious bonus points for commitment to your character, sir!


All the “Beetlejuice” costumes.
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There were SO many more fun things from this party that I never got a chance to take photos of because the night go away from me before I knew it. There’s always next year.
So what’s next year’s theme?
Well, for that you’ll have to sign up for the Treats Not Tricks newsletter. My party guests already know from the treat bags they picked up on their way out, but my newsletter subscribers will find out in the first newsletter in April! Then I’ll share it on the blog in September as I work on my final party prep.
I hope you enjoyed a peek inside my Tim Burton-themed Halloween party and can take some inspiration and ideas from it!
Just another Tim Burton lover,




Autumn
You did an amazing, Bootastic job! And your guest really did all out in their costumes! Can’t wait to see what you come out with next year!
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Their costumes were amazing! I’m so glad everyone got SO into the theme.
Debra
Awesome ideas and I loved some of your Burton themed decor! Can’t wait to see what you dig up for your next party!
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Thank you, Debra! I’m excited for my 2017 theme and already have a long list of ideas I want to execute. :)
Karen
Love all the ‘Beetlejuice’ costumes. Looks like a great Halloween party. Love your ‘Jack’ costume Miranda & your facepaint is wicked. The Tim Burton decor is perfect. Can’t wait to see what this year’s theme will be. ????
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Thank you so much Karen! :) Your emoji is pretty spot on for this year’s theme. Hehe!
Kayla (Kreepy kay)
Wow! How awesome does that look! Well done ghoul!!!
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Thank you, my dear! It was an absolute blast.
lynette wilson
This is the most amazing post I have seen for a Tim Burton Party. I am known for HUGE halloween parties topping 100+ guest. Last year was DC Comic and I did an Arkham Asylum entrance very similar to your yours. Would you be willing to share your wording on your invite and what font you used. I would be happy to share my DC comic ideas and pictures.
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Thanks Lynette! If you like throwing awesome Halloween parties, you’ll love my Killer Halloween Party course I’m about to open. :)
You can see more about how I made my invitations here. The font I used on my invitations is called Burton’s Nightmare – follow the link to download it. The wording was super simple:
“What’s this? What’s this? It’s Halloweenie Roast 2016 – and look! It’s a Tim Burton theme.”
Everything else was just the details of the party – date and time, address, costume contest details, etc. On the back of the invites, I included a full list of movies Tim Burton has written and/or directed for my guests. Hope that helps! You can find more posts from my party by searching “Tim Burton” on my site.
Tracy
Great job! You came up with a lot of awesome decorations that look good, but won’t break the bank. Genius! And who doesn’t love Tim Burton?!?! Keep those ideas coming! They are original. Love it!
Do you have any suggestions or ideas for a party for teen/young adults in a limited space? I have a tiny yard that really isn’t too usable (it’s uneven and on a slight hill). So we are pretty much stuck with being inside. I was thinking of sending them on a scavenger hunt around town, but not sure what else…. any suggestions appreciated!
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Hey Tracy! Thanks for the kind words – awesome decor on a budget is what I strive for. :)
For a teen party, I think a scavenger hunt sounds perfect! If you need ideas, I know I have a few guides saved on my Halloween Games board on Pinterest. They may also get a kick out of my Halloween music bingo game, which is a free download. I also have a few teen Halloween party ideas on this Pinterest board that might be helpful. I hope those resources get you started in the right direction! Feel free to email me or find me on social media if you need more ideas or someone to bounce ideas off of. I love planning Halloween parties and would be happy to help.