HALLOWEEN!

I love Halloween - it's probably my favourite "festival" of the year.  



Mine and Mr G's pumpkin carving efforts

For starters, for me it truly signals that it's time to get in to the festive spirit, it's then closely followed by my dad's birthday/Bonfire night and then leads nicely in to the countdown to Christmas. I like to think of it as the "Gateway to the Festive Season". 

Some pumpkin carving and testing out the spiced cider punch - dangerous!

But most importantly it's an opportunity for THEMEING!

This year, as a housewarming I wanted to host a Dia de Los Muertos party (mainly because moving house later than planned meant we couldn't go to Mexico for the festival itself but also to be a bit different to the usual party and because I'm having a love affair with margaritas at the moment!) but sadly decor in that theme is hard to come by in the UK so I switched it back to a classic Halloween party at the last minute - much to everyone's relief. It meant that fancy dress was a much easier project for all my guests! 

 



Halloween-themed food I've consumed over the past few weeks: Hallowbeanz, one of my five-a-day, a Ghost cookie (they are invisible don't you know) Dracula sweets and a Screme Egg.



I started my Halloween themeing a bit earlier than planned by accidentally going to work dressed as a pumpkin (see below) in late September. So I embraced it and went with it for a whole month. 



I accidentally dressed like a pumpkin a few weeks before Halloween. My work-inappropriate nail art!

Food, sweets, clothing, nail art, decor... The works. It all culminated in the Pumpkin Patch Party last weekend...

 

Party planning: hand-drawn pumpkin cups, my Martha Stewart shrunken apple heads for the spiced cider, my conservatory became The Pumpkin Patch and pumpkin puree for all the themed-goodies





A little bit of Strictly Come Dancing Halloween special (my fave episode of the season, and this year it widdled all over the X Factor Halloween special) the morning after helped get me through the 5.55am wake up call from my God Daughter and Mission: House Repair.

So, what now? COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS. How many sleeps? Where are my sequins? Who's got my glitter eyeliner? Can I open my advent calendar now?

Hurrah!