How to decorate for a classy Halloween party

Share Button

12197337_10153198784596658_1549440504_oWhile we only had one little turtle stop by to Trick-or-Treat, he was still adorable. Especially when after saying “Trick-or-Treat” and me taking a while to get the candy bowl, he started stepping into the house asking, “Where’s my treat?”, all while the mortified father patiently repeated, “We don’t do that buddy…we don’t walk into their house…”.

It was adorbs.

I had honestly been planning Halloween since September not really for any particular reason, but more because I just love a good project. You can find all the inspiration for my ideas and actually most of the products I used per my Pinterest board: “A Halloween Movie Scare”.

Step 1: Picking a Theme

My goal for this event was something a little formal, cute and anything but gory. I found just what I was looking for after some Pinterest Pinning, internet shopping and of course browsing for deals. Zazzle.com was my final choice for invitations mostly due to a 20% OFF sale, which they seem to have a lot of.

12170041_10153181654746658_432447381_oStep 2: Invitations

While my invitations did come with their own envelopes (which I didn’t realize when I ordered them), I wanted something a little more interesting than plain white. I came across the brown ones at Jo-Ann’s for $6 and found ideas for the spooky drawings online. After deciding not to pay $20 for 10 custom Halloween Stamps (ridiculous right?) I went with a spooky black and white stamp of Ingrid Bergman from good ‘ol USPS.com.

The attraction for this party was the 1987 horror flick: Monster Squad which meant I had to include a mini movie poster and of course Halloween Themed ticket stubs which I found on Etsy for super cheap!

Step 3: Cute Indoor Decor

Halloween decorations are usually either pretty gross or painfully cute but luckily after some consistent searching I found some more modern/classy alternatives through Zurchers and Zulilly.com. Always buy on-sale, especially paper fans – Do not pay $25 for those, seriously.

My living room is all drapes and windows so I went with hanging decorations like a paper chain, pennants, fans, etc. I love how everything turned out and I’m hoping I can at least save the fans and sparkle Halloween sign for next year. I’m afraid the paper chain might get destroyed in a box — but hey it was on sale and recyclable!

Step 4: Decorating Outside

Our Jack-O-Lanterns turned out perfectly thanks to the help of Ali, Helaman and dad. Teddy gorged himself on a few handfuls of guts and I must say that the “Pumpkin Gutter” was an excellent purchase. Ultimately it took just as long to gut the pumpkin with a power drill as by hand, but it was 10x as fun and didn’t involve me getting sticky.

Did I power drill carve that glowing pumpkin down in front? Why yes I did, and I have some quick tips for any of you out there looking to do the same next year:

  1. Be sure to charge your drill battery well in advance
  2. Your power drill will get pumpkin guts in it so plan on rinsing it off
  3. Please take the batteries out/unplug your drill before rinsing it off
  4. Try varied bit sizes for more creative designs
  5. Hand exercises at the gym are optional, but may increase your drilling resiliency

I covered my door in some paper bats and used orange lights and fall leaf garland to decorate the rail. The little cat lantern was a cute find from Walmart last year.

Window silhouettes came during a moment of weakness where honestly I could have stopped while I was ahead, but hey, Pinterest called and I had some extra paper bats and black garbage bags. I cut them out by hand — I know some of you might be hating me right now — but honestly look at them, they aren’t perfect and garbage bags are hard to trace a pattern onto. I also made a little cat silhouette, but looks like I missed a picture for that window.

Step 5: Munchies!

Everyone loves food right? Mummified Pigs in a Blanket, Gooey Monster Cookies and Candy Corn colored Veggies were our choice for the evening. The Cherry Limeade was red. Red=Blood. It works. Thanks to Rachel for the Bloody Popcorn that showed up later! I ended up using some left over orange fabric from Ali’s costume (yes I did that too, remember I like big projects) as a makeshift table cloth and found the paper products at Walmart.

Step 6: Costumes

All of our guests were required to wear costumes and while I failed at taking pictures of them I can say that we had the following in attendance:

  • Superman
  • Batgirl
  • Pirate
  • U.S. AirForce Cadet
  • 2 Rock Stars
  • Police Woman
  • Cowboy
  • The main characters of Breaking Bad
  • Skull Kid
  • Link
  • Zelda Cuckoo

The Masterson family made up the Zelda tribute which is where my first ever sewn pair of pants and a t-shirt came into play. I admit to buying mine and teddy’s costumes but a $400 Majora’s Mask was a bit of a stretch for this year’s budget 😉 😉 (had to buy those invitations didn’t I?). So I did what my mom taught me and I made one myself!

Majora’s Mask was quite the adventure and took about month to complete. The hardest part was layers upon layers of paper mache (thanks to the Universe) and the spikes (thank you YouTube!). Painting it was honestly the fun and easy part and made me appreciate my kitchen counters, because bending over at a table is murder on your back. All-in-all it’s not something that’ll last for years, but it was super fun to do and Ali was happy with the result.

Some final thoughts:

 

Did I go a little crazy with this year’s Masterson Halloween party?

-Yes.

Did I have fun planning and putting it together?

-Heck yes!

Did I save money?

-Totally!

Do you have to have a crazy detailed Halloween party too?

-Heck no!

I planned this event because I wanted to do something a little over the top this year and to get my creative juices flowing. It was super fun – which is the most important reason to throw a party and I hope everyone who made it had a good time too!

My final question — Did I succeed at throwing a cute, fun and classy Halloween party?

-That’s for you to decide, leave a comment! Tell me what you think!

Share Button

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Mark’s Morning Mourning Bash!

Share Button

BYU had some frozen rain a while back, which led to the death of Mark’s front tooth.  The evils of an icy sidewalk overcame Markus Melville III that morning on the way to school.  With just one innocent slip, he plunged headfirst into the depths of despair as the frigid concrete triumphantly took a whack at his beautiful right, front tooth.  Needless to say, Mark did not make it school that day and found himself instead, across the street, at Cougar Dental.

After reviewing the tragedy with him weeks later, I came to find that Mark’s poor tooth had suffered the ice-storm’s worst, as it was proclaimed dead at the scene.  I was crushed for our dear friend and knew that the only answer to ease his pain would have to be a funeral.  A moment where we could really share in his pain and sorrow and hopefully relive the smiles of what it was like to have Mark’s tooth alive and well just weeks before.

We gathered at the home of Sir Melville one Saturday morning at what was facebookedly proclaimed: Mark’s Morning Mourning Bash; where we discussed Jan Terry and all of our favorite teeth.  We then were graced with a beautiful poetic eulogy in honor of Mark’s tooth, written by Alexander Masterson (Stay tuned for the coming ode).

The mourning continued with a cereal bar of sorts including any and all dry cereals, complete with every percentage of milk.  Mark also displayed an artistic rendition of his beloved tooth friend in the form of a white piece of paper shaped to look just like his tooth.  All those in attendance included Markus Melville III himself, poet: Alexander Masterson, Kristen Jensen, NaTausha Kittler, Bryton Beesely, Cameron Haas, and of course yours truly.

 

Share Button

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Which “Wich” Would You Pick?

Share Button

All Christmas break Alex and I had planned on going to “Which Wich?” when we got back.  All I knew was they made sandwiches and Alex knew that sandwiches were my favorite food. –it’s cheating I know…but I can’t ever make a final decision.  So after stopping by a wedding reception (typical BYU student activity) we set on our way to “Which Wich” in Orem, Utah.

I’ve decided that it’s now one of my favorite places.  Let me take a second to explain just exactly how the place works: You turn the corner and on the wall is a menu with several different types of sandwiches: turkey, breakfast, vegetarian…and below that are brown paper bags with red sharpies.  Each bag is numbered for the general type of sandwich and below are various options of condiments and sandwich style to make your meal your own.  You could even ditch the bread if you wanted and have it put in a bowl!

I was looking for something light that evening, so I went with the Vegetarian and Hummus, then marked my additional toppings.  Alex picked Huevos Rancheros and we both got Avacado. –is it just me or is eating avacado trendy all of sudden?  Then we turned in our bags and sat down to wait for the orders. It was late in the evening, so not many people were around; but I admired the bright atmosphere, complete with flatscreen TVs and copies of the daily newspaper.  When it was time for bon appetite, I was satisfied.  –Besides the added mushiness from the guac…I guess being trendy has its downsides…

Share Button

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Monterey, C-A

Share Button

This Christmas we tried something different, we took a family trip to Monterey! I went kayaking for the first time, explored the Monterey Bay Aquarium, strolled down Cannery Row and even saw the Hobbit.  The jellyfish were my favorite, both at the aquarium and in the water just below our kayaks!  I didn’t bring my camera so you’ll have to take my word for it on the jellies in the ocean, but they were super cool!  They were sea nettle jellies and they were orange.

My favorite part of the Hobbit was how they included the same song the dwarves sing in the original cartoon version of the film.  On the trip I had my first mani-pedicure, tried grits for the first time and apple pie with cheese on top too! -It sounds gross, but I actually liked it.  It was really great spending time with my family and living in the little town of Monterey -even if it was just for a few days.  The shops are quaint and the ocean is so close.

Share Button

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Home Again

Share Button

Life in Sacramento is sweet and good.  It’s chilly but the palm trees make up for it.  Mom and I went to the mall today for some browsing fun.  Bath and Body Works almost got me to buy that $5 lotion but I didn’t give in. “Ha!”  Did I get a pair of BOBS?  Yes I did.  Love ’em or hate ’em, I don’t care.  Mine sparkle aaand they’re orange.

 

Share Button

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Thanksgiving Break: Day 1

Share Button

Yesterday I drew a turkey on the back of my script at work…it was one of those cute ones they teach you how to make in kindergarten with your hand and it said “Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!”  I tried to take a picture but it was dark in the studio and it didn’t turn out right…I’ll try to draw you another one though.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and yesterday was the first day of Thanksgiving break at BYU.  (Technically today is, but yesterday I had no classes and Kristen and I decided to party) –Partying of course meant trying to win a gift card from BYUHitlist.com for mmmm 30 minutes…and then, after discussing sauerkraut and mayonnaise, we came up with the brilliant idea of going to the movies!  We got ready and made it just in time for the 3:30pm showing of “Bourne Legacy” (at the dollar theater of course) and I’ve never been more completely satisfied with a film.  I have no idea why, but I left the theater feeling all “Rrraarrr!! That was awwesommme!” –probably the adrenaline from that sweet motorcycle chase scene.  Anyhow, I totally and completely recommend it and I’m definitely buying that one.

The original “Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!” drawing.

The rest of yesterday evening was spent eating pancakes and watching NaTausha play Lego Harry Potter until we got the bright idea to watch a Tinkerbell movie!!! I know, I know…this is all so silly, but the little flick was cute as can be and I’m totally showing it to my kids someday.   We ran over to the South End Market first to get some sodas and I bought a chocolate pie 🙂 After paying, Zach, the store owner and our awesome friend, said to us, “Let me guess…you guys are going home to watch Tangled?”  Hahahahahaha and Taush and I laughed and said “Yes…something like that”  because we felt so immature for watching Tinkerbell, but I don’t care, it was just as great.  It didn’t make me want to yell “Rrraarrr!!” afterwards, but it did get me in the mood for a restful good night’s sleep.

Ps: I had a dream last night that I moved into a house that was yellow and pink with flowers painted all over it.  It was down the street from this cool pizza restaurant and NaTausha’s parents had all my stuff in their car.

Share Button

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post