“Halloween doesn’t have to be a garish stream of single use plastic, you can still make it fun for the kids and bring in some seasonal styling and traditions to your home. I’ve put together a list of 6 stylish halloween ideas to show you how.“
I love this time of year, the introduction of warmer colours and cosy textures. For me Halloween is a bit of a bookmark in the year, taking us into a new chapter of comforting foods, chunky knits and the exciting lead up to Christmas.
Similarly to Christmas, I’m always looking at sustainable and stylish ways to bring the seasons into our home. Avoiding single use plastic where possible, whilst still making it fun for our son so enjoy all of the seasonal decorations and activities, and of course including some little treats for the grown ups to enjoy too.
“I’ve created this list of 6 Stylish Halloween Ideas to help you enjoy the festivities whilst keeping your loved ones safe and maintaining social distancing.”
How to create a Halloween entrance whilst keeping it stylish.
I’m going to be knocking on the door of my Instagram pal, Jennifer aka @thehousethatjenbuilt_ for this one as our own doorstep is a real life horror show that I would not want to unleash on you until it’s finally had the overhaul on it that we’ve been promising to do since last year.
For me, this is entrance is absolutely perfect, seasonal flowers, a stunning autumn wreath that Jennifer can use year after year, a bunch of Insta worthy pumpkins (of course) in their natural state, no faffery or painting required AND this rather bootiful doormat (sorry, you know I can’t help myself).
I’ve seen a few people having a go at stenciling their own messages on their doormats and giving them a new lease of life… I am 100 percent going to be giving this a go next year when we finally spruce up our front door – it’s happening by 2021 if it’s the last thing I do, afterall, I need a place to rest my vintage broom once a year.
Jennifer has used one of my favorite autumn blooms in her entrance – chrysanthemums. They’re super cheap and easy to look after. Just set the pots in bright, indirect light and water consistently throughout the autumn. To keep them blooming (and looking neat), cut off the buds as they wilt.
Primrose, are doing an offer on six 10.5cm pots for £19.99 in a selection of autumnal colours at the moment and they deliver in 3-5 days just in time for halloween, so fill up your window boxes and give your doorsteps a treat before it’s too late.
Pumpkin Lanterns
It wouldn’t be a post about stylish halloween ideas without a trip to the pumpkin patch now would it? There is so much inspiration out there and Pinterest in bursting with ideas for pumpkin carving.
Here’s a selection of some we carved last year…I use the term ‘we’ here, but it was all down to Ross as I was doing a charity trek in the Himalayas so I sadly missed out on the Halloween festivities. I think Ross over compensated for this and went a bit crazy with the carving with not one but FOUR pumpkins. I’m not sure who had the tougher physical challenge; me, trekking up mountains, or his poor thumbs carving out four pumpkins but he did a fantastic job.
I tend to favour the classic triangle eye and zigzag mouth look. What can I say, I’m a purist. I’ve seen some great ideas using screwdrivers or a drill to poke a pattern through the pumpkin which looks pretty striking so you never know, I might just branch out from the triangles this year.
Top carving tips (from Ross)
Get yourself a carving kit, they’re not expensive and they’ll keep those little fingers and thumbs safe. You will still need to supervise younger children whilst using these tools of course as the poker and the mini saw are still pretty sharp. An ice-cream scoop and a wooden skewer work pretty well too.
Draw your design onto paper first. Stick it onto your pumpkin and then give it a poke, following the lines until you have a row of dots that you can join up using the mini saw.
And voila, place your pumpkin in front of a rustic wall with a vintage broom and boom. You’ve won at Halloween.
Eating the flesh
I’m talking about the pumpkin flesh of course. Please don’t throw it away, it’s delicious in soup, stews, bread and cakes. The seeds are so tasty roasted in the oven with a bit of olive oil and a dusting of chilli or paprika too. But if you have to throw it away, take it to the woods and leave it for the wild life to enjoy.
Don’t let those little guys that you’ve been using as a centerpiece on your table go to waste either.
I’m making a pull apart pumpkin bread with the first of our carved pumpkin innards this weekend. It’s super simple to make and the addition of the olives and toasted nigella and sesame seed top is a little nod back to my Cypriat roots, but you can leave these out if you’re not keen.
Pull Apart Pumpin Loaf
Ingredients
- 150g cooked peeled pumpkin
- 175g warm water
- 1 tsp fast-action yeast
- 100g thick natural yoghurt
- 120g pitted green olives, sliced or halved
- 400g white bread flour, extra if needed
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp salt
- olive oil for kneading
- 30g sesame seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
Method
1. Mash the pumpkin in a bowl, stir in the water then whisk in the yeast until dissolved. Mix in the yoghurt and olives, then add the flour, nutmeg, and salt and mix everything to a soft dough, adding more flour if the dough feels very sticky.
(When you have cooked or grated vegetables in bread dough, the salt will draw moisture out and the dough will get even softer as it rises, so aim for a dough that’s slightly firmer than you would normally make.)
2. Knead the dough until smooth on a floured (or oiled) surface then return it to the bowl and leave for about one hour somewhere warm until risen by half.
3. Then shape the dough into a stubby baton, brush with water, roll in the mix of seeds on a dinner plate then place on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper. Leave to rise for another hour, covered.
4. Heat the oven to 200C (fan), score the dough with a blunt knife or scraper every 2-3 centimetres into portions but leave it bunched up close so they stick, then bake for about 40 minutes until a deep golden colour.
Serve warm with lashings of butter, tear apart and have with hummus and dips or enjoy as a side with a warming winter soup. Yum.
Set the table
Table styling isn’t my strong point due to a cupboard full of inherited crockery and mismatched everything. Luckily I’m a fan of a “relaxed’ table and I don’t like things to be too matchy, matchy.
I’m hoping to become a proper grown up and do table styling better in 2021 when we’re able to invite people over for dinner again. You can read more about what I’m coveting in the Autumn Style Edit that I put together last week.
Until then I shall continue to swoon over and admire one of my favorite bloggers and stylists on Instagram, Kyla Magrath Interiors.
She effortlessly brings the seasons into her home using dried flowers such as hydrangeas, handmade wreaths and miniature pumpkins galore. The natural textures , scented candles and layering of chunky knits and sheep skins just make me want to jump right in with a spiced chai tea.
But what she is absolutely incredible at, is table styling. How wonderful is this seasonal set up? Proof that Halloween can be stylish AND not a bit of single use plastic in sight.
Something for the grown ups
Halloween isn’t just for kids, ya’ know! Halloween parties have really increased in popularity over here. Are friends in the US have been celebrating the season in style for years and it’s slowly starting to take off here too and any excuse to decorate the house and dress up gets a big thumbs up from me.
For obvious reasons we will all be keeping the celebrations to the immediate family this year but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a little tipple, so I’m adding Spooky Cocktails to my stylish Halloween ideas.
Ross and I decided to do a recce and test this one out for the team whilst at the virtual Amara interior awards ceremony this week. We put on our glad rags, slipped on some lippy (me) and a bit of velvet (him) and mixed up something boozy in Ross’ water bottle because we don’t have a cocktail mixer…I know, I know, I’m such a bad grown up. I’ll be sure to add one to my Christmas list this year – although a water bottle worked just as well.
Goulish Blackberry Coulis Cocktail
- 125 ml blackberry coulis
- 250 ml dark rum
- 60 ml Chambord
- 30 ml fresh lime juice
- gingerale to add a little fizz
- blackberries and mint leaves to garnish
Add the ice cubes to the glass. Pour the coulis, rum, Chambord and lime juice to you cocktail shaker (or water bottle). Shake!
Strain over ice and top up with a little ginger ale.
Garnish with a couple of fresh blackberry and a sprig of mint.
Enjoy with the tare and share pumkin bread and some dips…oh, and The Back Street boys (of course).
A Night at the Movies
Going to the movies is a little tricky at the moment, so why not bring the movies to you?
Creating new traditions to mark the holidays and special times of the year is such a lovely thing to do with your friends and family, and it costs next to nothing. Making memories and spending time together is what it’s all about and is worth so much more than gifts.
You don’t have to invest in an expensive projector, your regular TV will do. Make it more exciting by getting the rugs and cushions on the floor, turn off the lights and serve up your favorite movie with bowls of popcorn and treats.
If you do decide to set up your own projector at home and are lacking in the white wall department like us, we used a bit of leftover sail fabric to project onto that we already had from making our pergola shade in the garden, but a regular household sheet would do the trick just as well.
No Halloween or Bonfire Night Celebration would be complete without Toffee Apples, check out last week’s Autumn Style Edit for more seasonal inspo and tips on how we made these ones.
I hope you enjoy your Halloween celebrations and I’d love to hear if you do try any of the stylish Halloween ideas in this blog post in the comments below.
Maz x