Sneak Peek: Halloweenie Roast 2018 | Monster Mash

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Tomorrow, I host my 10th annual Halloween party, Halloweenie Roast...and I still can't believe I've been at this for 10 years already!

All October posts are part of the Countdown to Halloween!

Halloweenie Roast was a part of why I started spookylittlehalloween.com. Back in 2015 I was writing a music blog called The Good Groupie, and each October I would share a series of Halloween playlists. They were always some of my least trafficked posts, which bummed me out because they were the playlists I was MOST excited to share.

And the longer I shared them, the most I found myself wanting to share party photos too. So I started thinking, “What if I started a Halloween blog? Would that be crazy?”

I kept asking myself that for about a year before I had the Pinterest overload moment I talk about over here. I ended up creating spookylittlehalloween.com in a single weekend back in September 2015 and officially launched it.

And I’ve never looked back.

Over the last three Halloween seasons, I’ve shared behind-the-scenes looks at my Witches Ball, Tim Burton and Villains-themed parties as well as a look back at my Rocky Horror Picture Show party.

And this year’s theme to celebrate 10 years?

 

Welcome to the Monster Mash!

It’s going to be a graveyard smash…

Here’s a quick peek at what I have in store for my guests:

 

Monster Mash Party Invitation

Thanks to an early suggestion from my friend Chelsea, I decided to use the lyrics of the iconic song, “Monster Mash”, to guide the creation of my invitation. This decision helped guide me towards how I decided to decorate for the party as well. If I was going to invite my friends to the Monster Mash, it only seemed appropriate to create a monster laboratory worthy of the lyrics for them.

As a result, I gave my invitation an apothecary jar label vibe. (A look I’m planning to continue using through my party signage.) I did stick with digital invites this year, but if I had gone with physical ones there are SO many cool things I could have done like tucked a rolled up invite inside of a test tube…

 

Monster Mash Party Decor

One of the challenges I faced with this theme is that a Monster Mash could quickly become a repeat of my villains’ party from last year, so I had to find a way to make it different. My idea for that came from writing down the location of my party based on the song lyrics – the laboratory in the Castle East.

Taking the mad scientist approach to my decor immediately seemed like the natural way to go and a fun new approach to take on Halloween party decor! I’m planning to turn the kitchen at my parents’ house (where I host my party because my 700-square-foot apartment is nowhere near big enough) into a creepy lab full of spider webs, creepy cloth, bubbling elixirs and more. I also love the idea of making “Beware” signs based on some of my friends’ costumes to post around the party spaces.

Sources (clockwise from top left): Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3 | Image 4

 

 

Monster Mash Food & Drinks

Of course, there is no Halloweenie Roast without a little weenie roasting around the fire. I do ask my guests to bring something to share, potluck style, and do a food contest, but I also like to contribute a few appetizers too. My coworkers have been talking nonstop about charcuterie boards this year, so I’m planning one full of monster parts! (And a second one full of friendly options for my vegan friends.) I also love that guac Bride of Frankenstein – so clever!

I was totally stumped on a cocktail for the longest time, but ultimately I ended up with my tried and true witches brew base: a margarita. My friends love them, and I found a few fall flavors I wanted to experiment with. Tomorrow I’ll be serving apple cider, cranberry and – YES, I’M GOING THERE – pumpkin spice margaritas to my party guests.

Sources (clockwise from top left): Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3 | Image 4

 

Halloween Party Activities

The last few years, I’ve spent a LOT of time trying to make sure I capture photos of my party and guests in their costume…and not as much time having fun with everyone. This year, thanks to my friend Dinah, I’m setting up a self-serve photo booth. Details on how I did this to come!

Sitting around the bonfire is always my favorite part of Halloweenie Roast, and this year will be no exception. I’m also planning to have a few black and white movies playing throughout the space. And, of course, since the Monster Mash is a graveyard smash, I’ll be turning the backyard into a spooky graveyard. I really like the additions of these lanterns to give everything a faint glow.

Sources (clockwise from top left): Image 1 Image 4

 

Monster Mash Music

At the start of the month, I shared my Monster Mash playlist which is my 2018 Halloween mix for you guys to enjoy all October! I’ve created an expanded version for my party and filled the playlist with favorite Halloween jams and monster songs. Preview it right here.

 

My Monster Mash Costume

And finally, here is the inspiration for my costume. I loved the idea of doing a feminine take on Frankenstein’s monster. I’m adding a few details to make mine more along the lines of the monster himself, and I can’t wait to share the finished product with you.

 

 

ARE YOU HOSTING A HALLOWEEN PARTY THIS YEAR?

I’d love to see your photos – tag me in them on social media. If not, well, we can change that.

Be sure to check back next week for party photos! I’ll be sharing a few blog posts of how the party turned out and everyone’s monster costumes.

 

Happy haunting,

 

Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

Miranda is the Houston-based writer, blogger, and Halloween lover behind Spooky Little Halloween, the blog celebrating October 31st all year long. Her favorite Halloween things include pumpkin guts, chocolate bars in her trick-or-treat pail, real haunted houses (including the one she lives in!), and historic cemeteries.

4 Comments

  1. Reply

    Took

    October 18, 2018

    Ok, I am starting to miss hosting Halloween parties now!!

    I’m very excited to hear about your photo booth. It sounds like a great idea.

    I have a question about hosting themed parties.

    When I used to have an annual party, I used the same party stuff and decor every year; I’d sometimes add to it or tweak it or move it around to different places, but it was mostly the same objects. And even THAT took a loot of storage space.

    I LOVE that you have different themes every year, and I love the idea of switching out the decor, signs, and other party things to match the themes. But what do you do with all the stuff when you’re done? Do you sell it and start over next year? Do you have a mega big attic with a big Spirit Halloween stuffed inside? How do you do it?

    Oh. One more thing. If you go back to your old Groupie halloween playlists and post each one on Spotify, with your other Spooky Little Halloween playlists, I will slowly listen through them, if it takes me all year. Promise! ;-)

    • Reply

      Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

      October 31, 2018

      I try to find things I can easily repurpose from year to year. For example, the apothecary jars I used for my lab are mostly items I use as year-round decor at my apartment and then I use them for Halloween. I also feel like you can accomplish changing the theme/feel with printable signs. All my signage you see I made myself. I do usually end up buying a handful of items for a theme, but I try to be smart with what I purchase, shop around for the best deal and have an idea of how to reuse the items from year to year.

  2. Reply

    Dinah

    October 18, 2018

    Yay!!! Love this theme and excited to see how it all turns out! I’m STILL trying to figure out my photo booth backdrop sitch.

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