I made the napkins rings using ribbon and elastic from HL and hot-glued on some antique-looking small boards that were originally a wall hanging group of 5 on a ribbon ($7.99 #TJM):


I redid my embossed silver goblets to make individual flower arrangements for each tablesetting. I couldn't find the spooky-colored greenery I wanted and ended up spray painting some black and others with a light dusting of white to give them the look I was after. I'm still not satisfied with the arrangement, and will work on them more tomorrow:

Also in our dining room is an old bookcase that holds some of my collection of antique books.I put the sweet "jill-o-lantern girl" I bought last year at HL there:

Above the bookcase hangs the painting of Santo Isidro. For Halloween, though, I covered him with another part of that door cover I bought at the DS . . . and another one of Martha's birds:

To gussie up the windows in my dining room, I added "drapes" made from black cheesecloth (3 packages @ $1 each at the DS. I topped them with three more of Martha's birds:


On the dining room table, I put this year's Halloween tree:

For dinner this evening, we had one of my typical Halloween dinners . . . one that I've had since early childhood, except without the wine ;^D : homemade beef vegetable soup, a cheese plate with apples and grapes, truffle flatbread and wine. I use these for my soups during the Halloween season:

A cute basket bowl I got several years ago, someplace:

(Sigh!) OK, that's it . . . night!
Lynn

hugs, Karen

And what about the plate you made yourself! I'm jealous! I'd like to be able to make one like this! This would prevent me from buying stuff for holidays and create myself some things of which I could be proud!

Karen is right. The individual flower arrangements are a great touch. One normally thinks they would be used for an afternoon tea or a romantic Valentine dinner. I love seeing them all spooked-up for Halloween night. Very clever indeed.

Great job, Lynn.

Oh, oh. I just noticed this is called Part #2. I have to go find Part 1 now.

Lynne

All your decorations this year have exposed the creative 'kid at heart' in you... lol
You made me smile with everything!

jane

OA, the chargers I had were some cheap WM ones that I bought on sale after Christmas last year. They're made of plastic and I just used a can of Krylon paint on mine. I've painted several different sets like this, but I'll be interested in hearing what Lynn used.

Lynn, your decorations are wonderful and I love your table. Your dishes are so cute! I think my favorite thing though is the full moon with the bats on the window with the draped ragged cloth.

One question...exactly what did you do to the plates you made with the stencil? Did you use the stencil to cut out the image and just lay it on the plate? Or is it actually painted on the plate?

Luvs

Punk

And, of course, the old Halloween postcards for napkin rings...love, love that idea! I have some of those old postcards in a book I bought. Everything, terrific & some of it, terrifying! Great combo for Halloween! Jeanne S.

Lynn, not sure I'll be able to find a door cover in clearance sales, but you've inspired me to be on the lookout for some. In case I do find some, I wondered how you attached them to your art so as not to do any damage? The one you found was sure perfect for covering your pictures and looked just like a Halloween picture! Whatever gave you the idea to do that? Very creative!

Luvs

Prosperity: Thanks! I bought those plain white bread plates at GW for 50-cents each. As for the colors, I have to credit all you here for inspiring me on that.

OA: no, I just cut up the plastic door cover/mural and taped the pieces right to the glass that is covering the paintings. Luckily all were watercolors and pastels. I used blue painters tape, but would still be afraid to tape anything directly on an oil painting :~O
As for my chargers, they're just cheap plastic ones from HL that I got on sale for $2 each several years ago. I had planned on using the spray paint made specifically for plastic, but their purple was too muddy and muted for what I wanted. To use a regular spray paint, you really need to, first lightly sand them, then use a base coat before the color coat; and finally a clear top coat so that the color doesn't scratch off.

Lynne, Jane, Punk, Jeanne & Nana: thanks!

DG: I took the sticky stencils that Luvs sent me and, first adhered them where I wanted the designs. I then used a long darning needle to peel up the middle pumpkin body part, leaving the eyes, nose and mouth on the plates. After I pounced them with black glass paint, I peeled up the adhesive eyes, etc. and there were my darling little jack-o-lanterns! (Sorry if those directions are as clear as mud; I'm still a novice at stencils!).
As for the things I used to make the napkin rings, I sewed elastic, pulled taut, to the undersides of (approx. 7"), sections of Halloween ribbon. I then hand-sewed them together to make the rings and hot glued these 4" x3" cardboard pieces to them. I bought these wall hangings at TJM back in September (for $7.99 or $5.99), to use for napkin rings. I wanted to make my own one of a kind ones. Here's how they originally came:

Luvs: thank you for the lovely compliments and for the stencils! I haven't hemmed the spiderweb tablecloth, but do plan on hemming it today before I pack it away . . . just in case.
As for the thought process behind the painting coverings, those SW paintings just took the life out of my Halloween decorated rooms, and I knew I had to cover them up with something. I first looked at wrapping paper, but the patterns were all too small and repetitious. I then looked for inexpensive posters, but these days they all seemed to be cartoons and celebrities. Finally, I ran across several door cover/murals at the DS and knew that this specific one (below) would give me the coverage, variety and semi-realism I wanted. It was only $1, too. As you can see, I pieced it to give me four covers, but needed to use the added on cardboard cut-outs ($1 for all six @ DS!!) to a few of the plainer ones (cat, owl & skull).

Well, I hope that I've answered all the questions. Now it's on to Autumn and Thanksgiving!
Lynn