Halloween is approaching and every year is a chance to top last year's costume.
I've seen everything from people dressed as garbage cans to credit cards. Wearing a costume is the most fun if you are attending a party. Here are 5 tips on how to throw a last minute Halloween shindig (and on a budget).
Invitation shown: Goblins and Ghosts
1. Serve colored drinks. For example, fruit punch comes in many colors (red, green, etc.) Drop in shaped ice cubes that look like eyeballs. One year at the office Katrina filled a washed latex glove with ice, so it would float in the fruit punch. Be creative with your drinks!
2. Serve food that looks disgusting but tastes great. One year Tammy in the office made pudding with gummy worms to resemble kitty litter. Other ideas are, meatballs decorated as eyes, ribs drenched in red bbq sauce and salad with creepy crawlies inside like raisins dressed up as spiders.
3. Let the music play. Haunt your guests with any spooky music you can find. Research soundtracks of scary movies for surely screeching music.
4. Decorate efficiently but effectively. Have plenty of plastic spiders on hand where your guests would never expect them like on the bathroom sink. Dress pumpkins as ghosts with a white sheet. Put red playdo in places to look like blood.
Check out our Halloween invitations for other hauntingly good ideas. Halloween parties can be pulled together on a budget and quickly, all you have to do is be creative.
The timing couldn't haven't of been more perfect for these elegant 1930's inspired invitations to land on my desk. I love the casual elegance of 
Friday night I went to see Maroon 5 play live (for the second time). We had 9th row, which made it for a very exciting evening. What a great name for a band! I love color and naming anything or anyone after a color is hip. However, is maroon really such a cool color anymore? When I was married 9 years ago, maroon was one of my wedding colors. It was a hot color back then. But I do not see it that often anymore. In my opinion, 
I think I've made it pretty clear that I am a serious fan of paper. All things that are paper make me happy. I love recycled papers, homemade papers, shimmering papers, glossy papers, fibrous papers, and more. There are very few occasions these days when we can take some time to appreciate paper. People don't even reference it in day to day life-- we text, we call, we post on facebook, but we don't pen a letter to our bff. On paper, the letters "IDK my bff Jill" look cryptic and silly, but in a text they are monumental. I've even had a friend tell me she is having a baby in a text message. 
Where do you look for bright color inspiration when you live up north and the dead of winter begins to set in? Three words; Fire and Ice. Always in style and always vibrant. With all the new intense jewel tone trends for this fall and winter, I am finding inspiration everyday here in Florida with the neon evening skies (fun) and the bright green frog that leaped in my car this morning (not fun). There is a kaleidoscope of wild animals and ocean hues. I digress. If you are planning a winter celebration and shun the natural sleepy hues of the past go with fire and ice! A key to keep it fresh and modern is to soften the punch by layering. Use bright reds and oranges with soft grey shimmering layers. Keep everything from floating away with rich charcoal tones. Whatever your event, fire and ice is sleek and visually impactful without the fuss.
