An adults-only party is a great time to display some of the more intricate / fragile decor ideas that little ones might have a hard time admiring from afar, as well as any of the ideas that might prove a little too realistically spooky / scary for younger party-goers. This is an exciting opportunity to really delve into some complicated crafts for those of you who are itching to get your DIY engines revved up, but there are, of course some super simple ideas that look great too. (Regardless, one of the most fun parts of the party is getting a compliment on a piece of the decor from one of your friends and offhandedly mentioning that you made it, right?)
Sometimes just spray painting something silver, grey, or black can create an entirely different (and awesome) visual, such as these fantastic Halloween vases featured on Two Yellow Birds Decor (simply old pastel floral vases with a new black finish):
or this wonderful "spooky village" made from-- get this-- dollar store ceramic houses (again, painted grey / black) from 36th Avenue (see their tutorial here). Genius!
One of the wonderful things about Halloween decor is that it lends itself so beautifully to the juxtaposition of light and dark. With that in mind, consider some fun and / or scary lighting options, such as this super creepy "haunted dolls" display from La Llorona on Halloween Forum (using Dayglo yellow UV paint to make the eyes glow),
uplighting objects (placing lights at the base and aiming upward to create dramatic shadows) like this design on From House to Home,
"packing tape ghosts" like this one from BG Amplifier (see their how-to guide here),
or this (amazingly quick to make) glow-in-the-dark ghost from Domestic Fits:
Not all lighting elements have to be scary, however. For example, installing some "floating candles" (a-la Harry Potter) in a room or hallway for your party creates a truly stunning effect, such as these from The Sway (for their DIY written tutorial, click here and for a quick how-to video, click here):
If you're really trying to out-do yourself, you can also create a night sky ceiling tapestry like the gorgeous piece below featured on Eating Bender (inspired by the Unofficial Harry Potter Website):
And everyone loves the weird and wonderful effect black lights have (like these from Glow Party World), either as an integrated part of the decor to create a cooler temperature light or just to giggle at how it makes people's teeth and clothing glow:
Adding touches of the classic Halloween features can be fairly quick and easy but still create a great look, such as placing rats, skulls, spiders, etc. on bookshelves, the staircase, and even the food table:
or covering surfaces with fake spiderwebs that you can grab from local party supply stores, Wal-Mart, or Amazon:
(If you've never used artificial spiderwebs and think it looks too hard, check out this video from Spirit Halloween for some helpful tips.)
And if you have a fireplace or fire pit and can fit it into your budget, adding this fireproof skull is sure to make your party guests do a double-take:
With the hit TV show The Walking Dead and all of the zombie movies out there, zombie decor is almost always a hit. You can try things as simple as hanging bloody handprint window clings or zombie outbreak posters or something as complex as building a zombie pit like this from an old pallet, concrete blocks, and fake severed arms:
Regardless of whether your goal is to have your Halloween party be scary, funny, spooky, stylish, or all of the above, it's a fantastic chance to let your imagination go wild and have fun creating an environment that your friends (and you!) will enjoy all night long.