Countdown to Halloween

We are ready for Halloween 'round these parts!  Last year we had a handful of trick-or-treaters, maybe a dozen or so, and we shut things down once the teenagers started coming back for seconds.  I wonder if we'll get more kids this year, now that our house has been steadily occupied for 14 months...?

We don't go all-out for Halloween decorating, but we do try to make our front porch look inviting with some seasonal decorating and spooky lighting.  Just like decorating for fall inside our house, I have an aversion to spending much money on holiday-specific decor (Christmas lights exempt).  Plus, I hated scary stuff when I was a kid (I guess I still do- I can't bear to watch horror movies), so I just try to make things look harvest-y with a little spooky flair.  And I have to put very little effort into it, because the maple tree out front does a great job for me.

Thus begins a month's worth of weekends spent raking leaves.

We mostly used what we had- glass jars, old candles, watering cans.  And we spent about $20 on pumpkins, more candles, and some Halloween-colored glittery filler.  I've got a few mason jars that will light the path on Halloween night (filler plus tealights in mason jars = cheap, easy, cute).  And our front porch will be aglow as well.

House of Horrors?  Not since we started DIYing.

Here's some close-ups of the Halloweeny vibe.  Admittedly not very scary or impressive, but just wait until it's dark out and all the candles are lit.

Ignore the outlets.

I love the glittery filler.  Michael's had bags of black, silver, orange, purple, and green glitter balls on sale for super cheap, so I bought one of each.  Can't wait to see how the candlelight bounces off those babies at night!

I don't know why the watering cans go but they do!

So now our porch is ready for trick-or-treaters!  I am putting a fall wreath on my list for items to buy next year, which will hopefully hang on a new or freshly painted front door.  And can I just say how totally in love I still am with our paint choices for the exterior?  Although Martha's Flagstone tuned out more tan than I anticipated, I still dig it, especially with white trim.  Makes me eager to start some landscaping projects next spring!