Halloween
Halloween Trends Feature Colorful Charm and Whimsy Make Ghastly Garland
By
Sep 7, 2007, 20:22

(ARA) - Halloween has become the second most-decorated holiday of the year. Decorations for house and yard to welcome trick-or-treaters are all the rage. This year an estimated $4.96 billion will be spent on holiday decor in addition to costumes, making it the sixth largest spending holiday of the year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

Keeping up with what’s in style this Halloween season will help you have the hippest, spookiest house on the block. “Creating festive Halloween decorations can be easy and fun for the whole family, whether you’re a beginner or advanced at crafting,” says Susan Atchison, trend expert for Jo-Ann Stores. “This season, creepy, scary monsters are out. Instead, a new cast of goofy ghouls takes their place with silly expressions, crazy colors and lots of whimsical, kid-friendly charm.”

Slightly surprising colors are popping up this Halloween, bringing lots of animated personality to the color palette. Lime green, bright purple and electric blue combine with classic orange and black to create fun color combinations -- not frightening.

For a slightly more sinister Halloween atmosphere, use shades of gray and olive green paired with spicy orange, golden yellow and dusky blue. Or, the traditional colors of orange, black, brown and yellow appear in almost every possible shade and hue to recreate the simplicity and charm of a vintage Halloween.

Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or just decorating for trick-or-treaters, these easy ideas from Jo-Ann Stores will add a playful, creative touch to your not-so-scary venue:

* Give trick-or-treaters a warm welcome to your home with metal stand-up figurines in vivid colors and lively expressions.

* Dress up your table with a “Boo” table runner and candy dish, jack-o-lantern serving dishes and not-so-spooky trays and platters to add character and charm to your Halloween monster mash.

* Find partyware and décor in matching bright colors and themes to set the tone for Halloween parties at home or in the classroom.

* Display Halloween goodies with a Frankenstein and Skeleton treat bucket -- a fun way to watch even the littlest monsters scream with delight at the treats displayed at their own height.

* Deck the walls and windows with a ghastly garland of spiders, bats, monsters and pumpkins for a playful fright (see instructions). Add a strand of colorful sparkling lights to create fun shadows inside and out.

* Create a personalized treat bag, use colorful fur, felt and yarn to create a cat, a scary or funny face -- for a fun alternative to the typical plastic pumpkin treat bag.

For more ideas and a monstrous selection of the latest trends in indoor and outdoor Halloween decorating projects, visit your local Jo-Ann fabric and craft store.

Ghastly Garland

Supplies and Tools:

* String-along Poms, black
* Textured yarn: black, green multicolored, green ribbon -- 1 skein each
* 1/8 yard purple tulle
* 15 black chenille stems
* Craft foam sheets: 1 orange, 1 green, 3 purple
* Sticky-back craft foam sheets: 2 black, 1 white
* Wiggle eyes
* Scissors and pinking shears
* Purple embroidery floss, 1 skein
* Alphabet template, optional
* Tacky glue
* Hole punch
* Push pins

Directions:

1. Create ornaments:

a. Pumpkins: Cut two 5-inch orange craft foam circles. Decorate with wiggle eyes, black craft foam nose and mouth, and green craft foam stem and leaf.

b. Monsters: Cut two 5-inch flower pot shaped green craft foam pieces. Decorate with wiggle eyes, green craft foam nose, round orange craft foam cheeks, chenille stem smile and black craft foam hair. Gather 5- by 10-inch tulle, wrap short end with floss to form fan shape and glue to the back.

c. Bats: Cut seven 8-inch bat shaped purple craft foam pieces. Cut BEWARE! letters out of white craft foam then glue onto bats. Glue on wiggle eyes.

d. Spiders -- Using pinking shears, cut six 3-inch circles of black craft foam. Place eight 6-inch chenille stem legs between two circles, then glue together to form one spider. Glue eyes on both sides of spiders.

2. Attach the String-along Poms to the wall with push pins to make assembly easier.
Allow about a foot of Poms to hang down on each end.

3. Attach ornaments to Poms using chenille stems or yarn. Cut the black and green multicolored yarns together in various lengths and tie between each pom-pom. Cut green ribbon yarn and tie so the tails stick out above the garland. Do the same with scraps of purple tulle.

Approximate Crafting Time: 3 hours
Skill Level: No experience needed

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