I LOVE Erin Condren.  Well, I have never actually met her, but I LOVE her nonetheless.  She is clearly a creative genius and her collection of stationery is so beautiful and colorful, sometimes I just stop by her site to “window shop” her latest and greatest!

So, it SHOULD have come as no surprise when her adorable Halloween collection debuted this month and knocked my socks off.   But I was, of course, still in awe and shocked at her talent, once again.  And because Erin is not only clever, but also generous, she is happy to let me  share it all with you, beloved readers!

Now, go over to her site and order something from her cute collection right this red hot second!  And while you’re at it, you may as well  be the Plan-Ahead-Kind-of-Gal (or Guy, although I’m pretty sure most of my readers are women) that you know you are, and order your Christmas/Hanukkah gifts now too!  And, well, OK, if you MUST, yes a little something for moi would be thoughtful too…I’m just sayin’….

While balloons are not exactly my go-to for event decor, we have worked some parties where they were the perfect festive addition.  But if you are going to use balloons, you need to go BIG and numerous to really make an impact.

Check out these great Halloween balloon sculptures that definitely add a huge “WOW factor”.

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Help me…this Halloween inspired wedding is so elegant, beautiful and lovely it hurts!  I’m not crazy about themed weddings where the officiant is dressed up as Frankenstein and the Bride and Groom walk down the aisle to The Monster Mash….don’t get me wrong, personalizing your wedding is my middle name, but I prefer to save the themey affairs for the party scene.  The wedding ceremony should have more of a feeling of simple elegance and reverence. 

But a wedding IS a celebration and DOES reflect the season, the couple’s style and tastes.  That said, this inspiration board is a wonderful example of how to take even the most silly and playful of holidays and turn it into an absolutely divine celebration!

via The Finer Things

Thanks to Susan at Karisma Salon for passing along this great info about how to keep ol’ Jack free of mildew and those annoying little fruit flies a little longer!

“After you scoop out and carve your pumpkin, dip it in a large container of bleach and water (use a 1 tsp:1 gal mix).  The bleach will kill bacteria and help your pumpkin stay fresh longer.   Once completely dry, (drain upside down), add 2 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a quart of water.  Brush this solution onto your pumpkin to keep it looking fresh for weeks.”

I have actually heard of several ways to keep your Jack o’Lantern fresher longer over the years.  So I did a little research and found that the smarties over at My Science Project did a great job of finding out with method actually works.

 They did a 14 day project documenting the rate of rot and mold growth using the following popular recommended treatments:  bleach, white glue, vaseline, Pumpkin Fresh (a commercial preservative), acrylic spray and nothing at all (control group).  The verdict was that the commercial preservative worked the best, although the bleach application and just doing nothing at all were a close second in terms of longevity.  Regardless, all the pumpkins had passed their prime by 14 days. 

So, keep your pumpkins whole and uncarved until a week before Halloween and then either wash it out with bleach water or a commercial product like  Pumpkin Fresh for the best Jack O’Lantern results! 

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So fun to make, easy to get creative with and not too pricey at all for your Halloween party decor!  Fill some inexpensive mason jars with colored water and a few creepy bugs or Halloween novelties.  Gross, spooky, and reusable.  FAB-u-luss!

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Yes, you can use pumpkins to add beauty to your elegant Fall wedding (without a single jack o’lantern in site!).  Favor Ideas offers up this lovely inspiration board:

Credits, Row 1: From “Shannon & Patrick, CT“, “Jessica & James, NJ“, and “Leslie & Brandon, GA“, Brides.com. How to Make a Pumpkin Tower, BH&G. Row 2: Pumpkin party cooler from Martha Stewart. Pumpkin-style overhead lanterns and soup served in mini-pumpkins, “A Rustic Romance“, InsideWeddings. Pumpkin pillar holder, Vampywitch Fall Bio. Row 3: Mini-pumpkin entrance wreath and mini-pumpkin votives, Mrs. Kiwi’s Fall Bio Ideas. Coral rose and orange tiger lilies in pumpkin vase with mini-gourd accents, pumpkin aisle liners, Vampywitch Fall Bio. Row 4: “Thank You!” card photo, Sarah Beth Wooden. “This Way” pumpkin sign, Queen Esoterica. Table card holder, Liquid Premium. “Vicki Hearts Tom“, Youngna.

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For you crafty types who want to take your Halloween goodies just a step above the rest…now you can create true-to-life eyeballs for all your goodies!

The smarties over at the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories have cracked the opthomologic code!  The answer is gelatin capsules!  You can purchase them at many health food stores or online.   They are extremely affordable (cheap!) and pretty easy to use.  All you need to make these beady little eyes is a sharp pair of fine point scissors and some Jumbo Rainbow Nonpareils Sprinkles or grape Nerds candies (if you want darker eye color). 

Open up the sliding capsule and cut slice down the side and then across the width just a few millimeters above the domed end (just making a straight cut across will cause unsightly creasing and cracking). 

 Then choose the color of the candy “pupil” you’d like and apply the filled capsule to the food surface of your choice.  You can experiment with various surfaces, but the capsules will stick nicely in certain foods like the inside of a halved Whopper Candy.  I can already imagine the cookies, cupcakes, lollipops and more this Halloween!!

These are fun, completely edible and the opportunities are endless!  Send us your photos of what you come up with and we’ll feature them here on our Thirty Days of Halloween posts!