Inspiration: Halloween Chic

Growing up, my mom always went all out with holiday decor. As an unmarried, childless adult I still want things to feel festive without being cheesy or over-the-top (as I'm sure there will be plenty of that down the road when kids enter the picture).  Here's my stab at keeping things chic when it comes to Halloween Decor. 

For those of you that don't know, let me start by saying that I live in a tiny, one bedroom bungalow. I have to be selective with holiday decor or everything just looks cluttered. My "library" is small section of the living room, just a wall, really, that includes a repurposed painter's ladder shelf and a wooden bench stacked high with books - mostly cookbooks, naturally. 


To keep things semi-neutral indoors, I bought a beautiful peach-hued fairytale pumpkin and some small cream-hued pumpkins. I love poms, especially mustard-colored ones, mostly because they seem to stay fresh forever if you change their water every couple days. I cut these poms short and stuffed them into a little Heath Ceramics bud vase, courtesy of my gal pal, Sarah, of Apples and Onions.  On a side note...have you seen the Heath winter collection? I'm so obsessed. Check it out here. OK... back to Halloween. The white ceramic owl lives in the library year-round  but I moved him down onto the  fairytale pumpkin for the month of October...it's totally his month to shine. 


On my dining room table I wanted to create a moment that felt sort of laboratory-inspired ...a modern-day nod to Frankenstein, if you will. I am displaying more mustard poms, but this time in glass beakers. Then I always love to bust out some black tapered candles for October, too...it feels uber festive and they look tres fabulous in these retro green glass candlesticks. 


And outside the kitchen door, my bathtub herb garden is transformed into a miniature pumpkin patch.


And on my front doorstep, I'v made a home for this majorly awesome pumpkin. It has green "warts" and a twisted stem. Such perfection. When the security guard in the whole food parking lot caught a glimpse of it in the trunk of my mini cooper he stopped, did a double take, and said, "Danggg girl, it looks like it has pimples. I dig it."

Why thank you Mr. Security guard. I dig it too. 


That's all for now.

More to come soon on carving and cooking with pumpkins. 

27 days and counting until Halloween!