Accesorizing A Tiered Serving Tray

As I've mentioned before, I am throwing a pumpkin carving party with a sophisticated vibe (no blood and guts here!). The serving plates I am using are silver-looking fancies from the Dollar Tree (Shhh, don't tell my cheap secret! =)), and my galvanized tiered serving tray doesn't quite match, so I had to gussy it up a bit.

I started with some black crepe paper ($1 for 2 rolls at the Dollar Tree), which I secured with tape.

Next, I added a fun, sophisticated ribbon in Halloween colors.

And lastly, I added my 'TRICKS' and 'TREATS' embellishments.

Hmmm, it looks like something is missing. Oh yeah, that would be the brownies and caramel apples that will be piled high on the trays =)

Fall Leaf Wreath

Man, this whole school thing is really kickin' my butt! I've worked on several projects, but don't even have the time to post them. Sigh. This ones' a quickie though =)

I was inspired by the garland that Stephanie Lynn made, using cheap leaf bunches (.97 at Walmart). I used the orange, yellow, red, and green leaves for lots of variety.

For the frame, I used a little cheapo Christmas wreath from the Dollar Tree (Yes, they already have Christmas stuff).

I took the greenery off and strung the leaves on,  then tied the two ends with fishing line. How simple is that?!



Fall Buffet

I don't know about where you live, but it totally feels like Fall here in NJ today. It's rainy with a high of 67 degrees. I have all the windows open and the breeze is a blowin' in. LOVE.

Anyway, I've been a little busy bee decorating for Fall and making Halloween decor (see previous posts), which includes the buffet in my dining room. I'm going for a nice rustic look with pops of green.

This is my new pumpkin from Home Goods. I went there this past weekend to get out of the house, with no intention of buying anything, but this guy had to come home with me.

These are pumpkins I got on clearance last year that I painted white. I stuck them together with toothpicks. It's a little crooked, so I shall dub this the leaning tower of pumpkins =) The 'cloche' is a clock cover that I got while thrifting.

I didn't too much with my candles - just wrapped some fake gooseberry garlands around them.

P.S. That is sawdust on the picture frame - not regular old dust bunnies. Unfortunately, all my wood cutting gets done in the dining room. Not ideal, but it's the only choice I have with apartment living =/ Note to self: clean sawdust before taking pictures.



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Halloween Picture and The Whole Ensemble

Onto the last of my Halloween decor...for now. I got this picture frame from Home Goods, but the color wasn't gonna work.

So I painted it black with a gloss poly.

Then I backed it with orange and white striped paper.

Then I stamped 'OCTOBER' on some white paper then stuck it in a bookplate and attached it with some brads.

Next, I stamped a Halloween stamp on white paper then backed it with orange paper and inked the edges with black.

Then I cut '31' out of sparkly black paper.

This is what the whole ensemble looks like.

Love the old time feel this has.

There goes that crow again. He keeps popping up everywhere!

You can see how I made the 'Tricks' and 'Treats' here.

And the pumpkin pedestals can be found here.

This whole setup was very cheap to throw together and I love how it turned out!

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Halloween Pumpkin Pedestals

Here's another super simple and cheap idea for Halloween. It starts with 2 candlesticks and 2 mirrors from the Dollar Tree.

Throw in some black glossy spray paint (or follow my lead with some flat black and then glossy poly).

Then top with the mirrors and some cute beaded pumpkins, or candles.

This little guy jumped into my basket at the Dollar Tree and I just couldn't turn him down.

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Halloween Tricks & Treats

Alright, before anyone asks, I am aware that Halloween is still almost 2 months away, but I'm just so excited that I can't help myself. I'm planning on having a pumpkin carving party in mid October and I'm trying to get the decor made before I get too far into this school semester. Usually I procrastinate, but I think I've done a 180! Hehehe.

Anyway, I'm planning on a contemporary sophisticated feel for my party since it will mostly be adults. I have no idea what I will do with these 'Tricks' & 'Treats' thingamabobs, but I figured I'll think of something by the time the party rolls around.

So, I started with 2 circles cut out of white paper, and my little set of rubber stamps. I got these lil guys a few years back in the bargain section at 'Tarjay'.

One got stamped with 'Tricks' and one got 'Treats' and the edges got some black ink. Funny story, I actually had to look up the word 'treat' because after staring at it for so long, it started looking weird and I wasn't sure if I spelled it right! Oh come on, you know you've done that before too! =)

Next, I glued the white circles onto some orange circles cut a little bit bigger, and then some orange and white striped paper. I personally like to vary the widths of the layers to add more interest.

The last step was gluing some crepe paper ($1 for 2 rolls at the Dollar Tree!) on the back by ruffling it as I went. At first, I was thinking of using a hot glue gun, but I decided to use Elmer's glue which gave me some time to wiggle it into place before it dried. I bought some really cute ribbon to hang them if I decide that's what I wanna do with them. Super simple and super cheap!



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