7 Real Halloween Party Decor Ideas

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Decorating for your Halloween party doesn't have to be difficult, elaborate or expensive.

In fact, I live by the motto that if I can’t reuse a piece of decor for my home Halloween decorating OR a future party…I don’t need it.

Did I just blow your Halloween brain to smithereens with that statement? GOOD!

Living by this motto saves me from spending way too much on things I’ll never use again while trying to replicate those perfect Pinterest parties.

(Because, c’mon, who is actually throwing parties like that? I like mine a bit more realistic and achievable so you guys will actually feel empowered to do them!)

It also stops me from having buyer’s remorse as I pack it all away for next year…

But that doesn’t mean I don’t do a little something extra for my parties. Over the years, I’ve had a ton of fun customizing my party decor for my themes without blowing my budget on decor. (Want more ideas for sticking to your party budget? Read this!)

Today, I’ve rounded up seven of my favorite REAL examples from Halloweenie Roast over the years to inspire your own Halloween party decor!

 

7 Real Decor Ideas for Halloween Parties

 

Get a behind the scenes look at the decor for my 2015 Halloween party, the Halloweenie Roast Witches' Ball | spookylittlehalloween.com

1. Reuse an iconic item year after year

Say hello to Sir Clayton! These days he lives outside the front door of the Spooky Little Apartment, but starting 2012 he was my Halloweenie Roast welcome crew. I placed him by the back gate with a little sign to welcome my guests to the party. Each year I customized it based on the theme. (Check out his Rocky Horror look in this post.)

He was a fun addition to the party that my friends looked forward to seeing each year. He was retired in 2016 after I moved and he was a little too space-consuming to haul from my apartment to my parent’s house for the party, but I think he’ll be making a reappearance at this year’s series of micro parties.

 

Get a behind the scenes look at the decor for my 2015 Halloween party, the Halloweenie Roast Witches' Ball | spookylittlehalloween.com

2. Fill apothecary jars with creepy decor

This image is from my 2015 Witches Ball-themed Halloweenie Roast. I asked all my guests to make their own witch hat, a la Kentucky Derby or royal wedding, so the theme demanded some witchy decor!

As you click through Halloweenie Roast posts from the past few years, you’ll see me use these over and over again. Filling an apothecary jar with a filler and a piece of decor or two is the perfect way to get tons of use out of a simple item. The rest of the year, you’ll find these jars around the Spooky Little Apartment filled with decor.

 

Halloweenie Roast 2016 | Tim Burton Theme: Take a behind-the-scenes look at my Tim Burton-themed Halloween party! Get ideas for decor, creative costumes, party foods, playlists and more. | spookylittlehalloween.com

3. Create your own printables

This is one of my favorite ways to decorate for my Halloween parties! I create my own printable signs based on my theme, like this Lydia from my 2016 Tim Burton-themed Halloweenie Roast, print them out and put them inside frames I picked up at the dollar store. Affordable AND easy!

Because I have access to it, I use Photoshop and InDesign for my printables but a free tool like Canva will do the job just as well.

 

Halloweenie Roast 2016 | Tim Burton Theme: Take a behind-the-scenes look at my Tim Burton-themed Halloween party! Get ideas for decor, creative costumes, party foods, playlists and more. | spookylittlehalloween.com

4. Use what you already have

Think outside just your Halloween decor on this – what do you already own that you could incorporate into your theme?

Again, for my Tim Burton theme, I happened to own several of the books he’s turned into films, so I pulled them from my bookshelf and incorporated them into some of my vignettes around the party. It was a nice detail that felt over-the-top without me having to spend any extra money on it!

 

Get a behind the scenes look at the decor for my 2015 Halloween party, the Halloweenie Roast Witches' Ball | spookylittlehalloween.com

5. Create vignettes to group decor together

And speaking of vignettes, it’s one of my favorite ways to decorate with items I already have. I group together related decor, as I did for my fortune telling table in 2015, to create a little extra ambiance and point of interest.

Want to give this a try? Mixing an odd number of items of different heights, textures and colors is how to get started.

One of my other favorite vignettes I’ve created over the years is my Edward’s Salon jar – see it in this post.

 

6. Light it up!

I LOVE using all types of lights to create a mood for my parties. Often, you’ll find simple string lights draped along the back of a counter to add an eerie glow to the kitchen at Halloweenie Roast.

In 2018, I used black lights for my pseudo-laboratory feel. While they might be a small investment for a specific party theme, lights are something you can definitely use year after year!

 

7. Make a festive banner

Halloween banners are my thing. It’s rare for me not to have at least one hung at a Halloween party, and this X-ray banner I made for my 2018 Monster Mash-themed party is one of my favorites. These were taken from a book of scrapbook paper I found at Michaels. I just punched holes in the corner, strung it up and found a spot for it where it would be backlit!

This might be my one exception to my “never buy what you can’t reuse” rule – I might not hang this up every year for Halloween, but I know I’ll definitely use it again. (See how I make pennant banners.)

 

 

What Halloween party decor ideas are you looking for?

Share them in the comments or – better yet – join us over in my Killer Halloween Party Facebook group for access to nearly 1,000 Halloween party planners!

 

Looking for more party ideas? Browse the archives on the blog and follow my Halloween Party Ideas board on Pinterest.

 

READY TO HOST A KILLER HALLOWEEN PARTY?

Then you’ll definitely want to check out my e-course where I’ll help you plan EVERY detail. Whether you’ve never hosted a Halloween party in your life or you’re looking to step up your annual party, I’ve got tips, tricks and secrets galore in KHP that will help guide you through to process!

Killer Halloween Party is right for you if:

  • You want to plan a party, but you don’t know where to start
  • You want to turn your current party from annual gathering to the most anticipated soiree of the year
  • You need help staying on track and getting everything done
  • You’re looking for the BEST way to celebrate Halloween this year!

Let’s make October 31st even better and plan your killer Halloween party to celebrate the best night of the year! Get started now!

 

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.

2 Comments

  1. Reply

    Noah C.

    September 22, 2020

    I think these decorations are great

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