With the exception of Christmas, Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year. I love the colours of autumn leaves and pumpkins, I love that the weather starts to turn a little cooler (although you wouldn’t think it based on today), and I love the fact that the nights draw in and we can have a snuggle on the sofa and watch Disney films before bed.
We have a Halloween party every single year, and now that Erin is getting a bit older, we can truly embrace the tradition and play more games, go trick or treating, and I don’t have to worry quite so much about her being scared for life by a scary outfit!
Our Halloween party is on Saturday and I think truth be known, I am probably even more excited than the children!
The Outfits
This year, the girls are going as a Skeleton and a Scary Bat Witch. Neve’s outfit is from Next (last years I’m afraid) and is so cute and I wish they did a grown up version the same, as I would quite happily have worn it! Erin’s was from Asda, and comes with its very own pair of wings that attach to the back with Velcro. I really struggled with what to put Erin in this year, and I’d like to publically apologise to the 2 year old girl who Erin almost gave a breakdown when she was trying on some of the scarier adult masks for size!!! (I’ve never seen anyone look quite so scared in all my life!)
It’s not just the children dressing up! I have gone for a classic yet themed bat tshirt from Next – which I can probably get away with wearing as a normal daytime top too. I love the lacey sleeves and the subtle bat design.
Mike is wearing this amazing Virtuali-Tee from Curiscope – what looks like a fairly ‘normal’ blue skeleton, is bought to live using the Curiscope app – to reveal all the organs of the human body including a beating heart! It’s incredibly clever, and I know the kids will absolutely love scanning Mike to reveal what looks like his actual organs inside his chest!
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The Party Decorations
Party Pieces never let us down for decorations, and this year is no different. They kindly sent us a selection of their products for our party, and currently have a lot of their Halloween lines in the sale, with up to 50% off! They also offer next day delivery so if you’re having your own party this weekend there is still time to order.
With some young children coming to our party, we decided to avoid some of the ranges available that were a little more spooky, and went for the more friendly Spooky Halloween theme – with some smiling pumpkins and skull plates that wouldn’t intimidate or scaremonger!
My favourite item from the range is this awesome Inflatable Witch Drinks Cooler for keeping all the beers cool (got to keep the adults happy too!) – When I showed Erin this she found it absolutely hilarious that the wicked witch had finally met her fate! š
The Games
No party is complete without some party games, and our Halloween party is no exception. Party Pieces have a fab range of ready prepared Halloween party games, taking away the hassle of creating them myself. We have pin the smile on the skeleton (a twist on the classic pin the tail on the donkey), the inflatable witches hat ring toss (no guesses which adult will roped into wearing that on the night and having inflatable hoops thrown at my head) and Peel the Pumpkin – a mini pass the parcel game with a wealth of treats and jokes hidden inside.
I’ve also fell in love with this giant pumpkin piƱata, which I will fill with sweets and goodies (most likely the orange smarties from the orange only tubes!). I know the older children will love giving this pumpkin a good old whack whilst blindfolded. Bonus points if they can still hit the target after a few dizzy inducing spins!
The Pumpkins
So all that’s left to do is carve our pumpkins. Last year I attempted a Tinkerbell design, and although it worked, it was a little “rough around the edges”. I am going to try it again this year, as Erin really fell in love with it, and the way the candle light shines through the tiny holes was really effective. I also bought electric candles last year (as I have a bit of a nervous disposition at the thought of naked flame around dress up outfits). These are usually pretty cheap from most supermarkets and a MUCH safer option.
Are you planning a Halloween party this year?
*Disclosure – Party Pieces supplied a range of items from their Halloween range free of charge in return for my review, which will be published after the party has taken place. I have featured some of the products in this guide so that others can check out the range before the date has passed! The Curiscope tee is a press sample.*
