One of my childhood friends, Tracy, had a birthday around Halloween, and I was always a little bit jealous of her for that. I mean, could there be anything better than being born close to such a fun holiday? As a kid, I guess I couldn’t think of one. When I recently put together a Halloween themed birthday party for a client, I got a little nostalgic, thinking about Tracy’s birthday parties that I attended over the years.

It’s hard to say where I started as I curated the elements I needed to create the party. It was definitely easy to get pulled in many directions. I tend to really love the traditional orange, black, and white when decorating my own home for the season. And since my client’s child was turning seven, I wanted to incorporate some spooky elements, but nothing gory.

The pastels being incorporated into fall decor this year really appeal to me, but I didn’t want to go too trendy, so I chose just a few less expensive pastel elements, leaning heavily on the traditional Halloween color scheme.

I really love vintage party fans. They pack a big punch visually, and are a cute backdrop for photos. I like the layered look, and the variety of materials and patterns.

Bee paper party decorations are a really cute alternative to balloons. I found these adorable bats to hang over the table, creating a focal point over where all the action was going to happen.

For the table cloth, I wanted something clean and crisp, creating a less busy backdrop for all the activities the children would be doing at the table.

The floral arrangements were a lot of fun to make. I started with small bushel baskets and just went for it! As long as I was staying in the “black-white-orange” color scheme, I felt like I could go a little crazy with what I added to the arrangements.

The party room was the play room, with a big blank wall, opposite the windows. I decided to hang three large dancing skeletons there. I like how they add some interest to the blank wall without taking away from the fans on the opposite window. And aren’t they just perfect with their little party hats? They remind me of that song my kids learned in preschool…. “Spooky, scary skeletons send shivers down my spine!”

Witch party hats, some adorable paper products, and some cute dessert plates for cake were the final touches to the table. That’s where I really get to have fun. I wanted every child to walk into this party room and say, “Wooowwwww!”

I think I nailed it!