Bloggers' Halloween tricks and treats

Echoes of Laughter: Creepy candy tray

One of my favourite ways to decorate for Halloween is to gather up some glass vases and apothecary jars from around the house and fill them with creepy treats. Use eyeballs, worms, teeth, rats, and skulls (all from the dollar store) and arrange them on a tray. Add some Halloween-themed label stickers (purchased from Michaels) to the vases and jars to finish the look for a little bit of creepy and weird for Halloween. My kids love it! Angie Pitre is a Maritime girl now living in Alberta where she loves making a home for her family. She enjoys all home-related projects including decorating, baking, and home management. Follow her blog, Echoes of Laughter, where she enjoys sharing her latest foray into making home a wonderful place to be.

The Fabulous Design File: Spooky sparkles

You really can't go wrong with sparkles in seasonal decor! Just reach for a glue gun and some sequins. I bedazzled some mini pumpkins, then put black fabric in gold frames and glued on some quirky Halloween messages. Happy Halloween!   Carissa is a stay-at-home mom who loves interior design. Her blog, The Fabulous Design File, follows her adventures in creating a stylish home, while chasing after two busy boys who enjoy colouring on walls and 'lawn-mowing' the area rug with scissors.

aDESIGNdock: Ghostly glam

Hallow's Eve home decor is given a glam update when the trad orange and black palette is replaced with a concoction of silver, cream and white. Morph a silver cake stand into a stunning centrepiecewith creamy white miniature pumpkins. Then add sparkle to the pumpkins with a translucent coat of silver paint for an almost ghost-like effect! Finally, dust the cobwebs off of tarnished, silver-toned dishes and fill with your favourite treats. Chocolate and yogurt dipped pretzels bare a surprising resemblance to carved pumpkins, making them the perfect finishing touch to your decor!   Amy Walters is a Winnipeg-based interior designer and writer. Amy can be found at aDESIGNdock [DESIGN blog], where she dishes out her thrifty approach to creating stand-out style! She can also be found right here on styleathome.com as a contributing guest blogger.

Decor Happy: Bewitching black and white

You can't go wrong with decorating with black and white at Halloween. It's spooky and chic at the same time. A black candelabra, a white pedestal plate, and these cute papier mâché pumpkins and you have a striking table display for a Halloween party. I purchased the white pumpkins at West Elmand they are part of the Aid for Artisans program which benefits artisans in third world countries. Love that!   Vanessa is an interior decorator based in Milton, Ontario who loves creating beautiful and livable spaces for her clients. Through her blog, Decor Happy, she shares her knowledge, client work, beautiful interiors, finds, and the occasional DIY. Her hope is that everyone will have a home that makes them happy!

Marcus Design: Ghoulish goodies

Putting together a fun and stylish Halloween partyis all in the details. I fell in love with these vintage-inspired Skeleton Papercones, they would add a perfect touch of sophistication and whimsy all at once! I love the nod to antique skeletal diagrams in the artwork. For a pretty (and practical) candy display, the cones can be filled with goodies and laid out on silver trays for party guests to partake in a little sweet and spooky treat.   Nancy is an aspiring decorator and design blogger who loves to chronicle her home projects and anything else glamorous. Her blog, Marcus Design, showcases exciting interiors, artwork, do-it-yourself projects, home renovations, and any other inspired work she stumbles upon.

hodge:podge: Spine-chilling cookies

Instead of going crazy with Halloween decor I like to whip up a batch of “Creepy Witch’s Finger” cookies from Canadian Livingwith my children. They always get excited (even though they are teenagers) to make these cookies. They may look gory, but they taste absolutely divine.   Barbara is a caffeine-fueled design aficionado that makes her home on Canada’s “wet” coast. She is the author of hodge:podge, a blog that showcases her frugal do-it-yourself projects, room makeovers, and interviews with fabulous Canadians, inspirational interiors and anything else that tickles her fancy.

Desire to Decorate: Scary spiders

I’m always amazed at how people ‘do’ Halloween these days. There are so many creative and creepy ideas out there, but I’m especially impressed with how stylish Halloween can be today. Our Halloween decoris still in the making - right now, we do spiders. My “trick” is to use craft and dollar store finds for the smaller items, like webs and mini spiders, and source the Halloween specialty stores for the BIG impact items. This trick is easy on the bank while still participating in all the fun.   Wendy is an interior design and home decor enthusiast who loves to share what inspires her via her design blog Desire to Decorate. Her blog gives her a way to journal her ever changing wishes for her own home while showcasing an inspiration board of pretty spaces.