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Writer's pictureErin Szoch

Halloween 2021 Szoch CarnEVIL

My favorite holiday that sits with Christmas is Halloween. I love decorating for Halloween because it allows you to create a spooky story. Last year we went with the Szoch Dead and Breakfast and this year's theme is the Szoch CarnEVIL.


I plan the theme months in advance, however, I do know the theme for 2022 already ;) Planning ahead makes for an easy and stress-free Halloween decorating strategy. I like to write and sketch out any initial ideas which include decorations and where they will go.


Keep in mind that you might have to get creative with your decorations because you may not find everything that you need. For example, I wanted a creepy carnival banner throughout so I ordered some red and white flag banners, rolled them in dirt, and splattered them with fake blood.


The main rooms that I decorate are the front yard, dining room, half bath, kitchen, breakfast room, living room, and our loft. This year we added the backyard to the list since we did our gender reveal and I added a little Halloween spice to my home office.


I go through all the decorations that I already have and then start a list of what I need.


Lighting can be such an easy and somewhat cheap way to add that Halloween wow factor.

Front Yard

My talented dad built the ticket and kissing booths out of wood pallets. We painted them with outdoor paint from Walmart. He used pipe for the bars and added lights to the booth for that nighttime glow.


The gravestones are either from my parents or from last year, so I put them out this year.


I had one skeleton from Amazon from 2020 and I bought another this year from Spirit Halloween. I bought large kid clown costumes from Walmart to dress them (only $20 each for the costume and masks). I used rebar and stakes to help keep them standing.


I made our banner from Uprinting.


I had to really get creative for the big tent and use my brain. We luckily had a big outdoor canopy tent. I ordered red and white plastic tablecloths and stapled them onto the fabric of the tent and to each other. For the top of the tent, I got wire and poked/weaved the table cloths through it. I then closed it making a circle so it could sit easily on the top of the tent, but I knew it would need to be fastened. I had Bobby help me tilt the tent down and I safety pinned it 3 times.


For the nighttime scaries, I have black lights throughout the yard and a bat light projector. I use black and green extension cords throughout. The outdoor power stake is a lifesaver along with the remote-controlled outlet set. All of my indoor and outdoor lights are connected to outlet sets so that all I have to do is push on and off buttons on the remotes.

Half Bath

It consists of 2 red light bulbs, wall tacky, streamers, and a hanging clown. This room cost me about $15.

Dining Room

I kept this room pretty simple. I started by putting a black table cloth down. For the centerpiece, I included a bloody rag strip that I had, some popcorn holders, fake popcorn, rats, and a clown mask.


The zombie clown is my parent's zombie and I just put an adult face mask on him to tie in with the theme.


Kitchen

Fake cockroaches from Amazon were added throughout on the cabinets and walls with sticky tack. I had a light strip at the top of the cabinets from Amazon and it can change colors! It is so fun, I am def keeping up for Christmas. We had put a fake rat and popcorn on the counter because the food was there and on the table underneath it.

Breakfast Room

I made this room the fortune teller area since that is my costume. The blacklights in the chandelier are from Amazon. The candle, table cloth, and tarot card banner are from Spirit Halloween while the fortune teller sign is from TJ Maxx. Although this room is pretty simple the lighting really adds to the Halloween/Theme spirit.

Living Room

The white bedsheets are from Goodwill (queen and king size) to create a spooky feel and it protects your couches if you have a party. An easy way to add a spooky factor without a lot of effort is by adding black cloths around the room. I added a black light bulb to the lamp and the ghost projector is so fun (Spirit Halloween).


The stairs consist of spider webs, flag banners, and lights. I have the banner throughout the house to keep the flow of the theme.


The black tray on the coffee table is from HomeGoods and so are the black light-up trees.

I bought three cheap frames to display last year's winner's pictures and then I put this year's trophies next to them.

For our party, the Photobooth Backdrop was planned to be outside, but since it was wet, we had it in the living room. Both the stand and the fabric backdrop are from Amazon. I plan on using this backdrop stand for all parties now, so I am excited about this purchase. Everyone always loves to take pictures with the backdrop.

Loft

Nothing fancy for this room. The lights were ones that I had. The black lightbulbs in the two lamps are from Amazon. The black pillows and haunted house pillow are from Homegoods.


Backyard:

We did not spend a lot of time in the backyard because it was CHILLY and wet out, but that is where we had the gender reveal. My dad made the gender reveal wagon.


My Little Office Setup:


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