Frightfully Fun Ideas for Halloween Decorating

Halloween is now the second most decorated holiday after Christmas (according to dollars spent on decorating items). With decorations ranging from the bizarre and frightening to cute and whimsical, you can find many ways to express your inner goblin this year. Here are some easy decorating ideas:

1) Put miniature pumpkins and gourds in a large bowl or vase as a centerpiece or accent.

2) Casually scatter (that's decorating jargon for very carefully arrange but don't make it look like you did) small pie pumpkins, miniature pumpkins and gourds, and fall leaves on a mantle or table for a festive look.

3) Use a pumpkin as a vase for a fall flower arrangement. Use a smaller bowl or vase inside or just put them in the pumpkin depending how long you want the flowers to last. Be sure to scale your arrangement to the size of the pumpkin. In other words, for a big pumpkin, use lots of flowers with long stems and big blooms.

4) Drape spider webbing around a mirror and stick small spiders or bats in it. (And if you have the secret to actually make the webbing stay and separate right, let me know.)

5) Get an inexpensive fog machine and liquid to really set a scary scene. But beware ... the fog will trip off your fire alarms if you use it inside.

Along with her husband, Julie Lohmeier is the veteran of numerous home remodeling and building projects. From working hands on and doing much of the work herself to hiring contractors and construction managers, she has seen the entire spectrum of home improvement. She shares her remodeling tips, home decorating ideas, and other various rants at http://www.myhomeredux.com@copyright 2005, Julie Lohmeier, www.myhomeredux.com