Halloween haunting - let's get the creep on!

Hi there Aalayam family!

Let’s get straight down to business today – the  spooktacular business of Halloween! Typically, I tend to ignore Halloween (in spite of running into a pop-up costume store at every corner this time of the year!). Halloween is smack in the middle of Dasara and Diwali festivities and I’d rather spend the one weekend in between enjoying nature’s colorful display outdoors than switching gears between festivities. 

This year, however, my maternity leave allows me a little more time (or not?!) and I figured, I’d get into the spirit of the season and create a photo booth with hints of Halloween for our family. 

I took the decorating down to our basement to amp up the creepiness! Well, the lighting is going to pose some serious challenges for photography but I’ll let the husband deal with that!

 So, here is a pretty basic, low-key vignette in Halloween staples and autumnal hues. 

Ideally, I would’ve loved to include a seasonal DIY and some handmade accessories (for that personal touch) but something’s gotta give when you have a newborn (I reasoned) and reluctantly settled for a scattering of store bought Halloween props to create this simple and inexpensive vignette. 

Now, if you are hosting a Spooky Soiree – you could create something similar and add some Halloween-esque glam to your candy or the buffet table.  If ghouls, goblins and eerie spiders are not your thing, then just stick to a seasonal color palette to bring in the Halloween flavor. Remember too, the Dollar store is a great place to shop for seasonal décor and props without breaking the bank.  Halloween allows us to escape into a world of imagination and BE A CHILD AGAIN and I hope you all pack plenty of fun into your décor this year!

And how about the costumes? 

Are you brave enough to tackle a DIY costume this Halloween? Well, my husband was and I must say I am mighty impressed with the end result! He is a HUGE Game of Thrones fan and this Halloween; he decided he wanted to be a Son of the Harpy – the masked insurgent rebelling against the queen Daenerys Targaryen (for those of you not following the popular HBO series). 

I must confess that I had my doubts about his abilities as a crafter and I argued that he was setting himself up for failure by taking on the fierce golden mask with its symbolic horns. 

But I guess nothing can stand in the way of a die-hard fan and a wannabe Westeros resident – not even the wife’s skepticism! 

 His DIY costume is the outcome of painstaking labor, single-minded focus and can-do spirit!  I guess there is something to be said about the joy of making your own costume. The whole family got to weigh in and this homemade costume was indeed a game changer for us this year making Halloween more memorable.

 So, what face are you putting on this Halloween as you step out into a dark and creepy autumn night?

Or maybe, you want to pass up on the spookiness all together and I wouldn’t blame you at all! You could still commemorate the season – the colors and the crisp evenings and honor the essence of fall via decorating your porch with nature’s bounty or taking some family portraits. Maybe  your prefer to simply relax and get used to the dawdling year-end rhythm. After all, summer is a busy time of the year for many of us and perhaps it is time to wind down and enjoy quiet evenings in the cozy comfort of home by a warm fire!

Thanks for joining us this Halloween! Next up – the Festival of Lights and our annual Diwali edition that I am so looking forward to! Join me then, won’t you ?

Now, let's dig through our archives for a throwback at our previous Halloween posts  - here and here 

Cheers!

~Deepa

p.s: All images in this post are from my home and taken by my husband and may not be used without permission.

Boo!

Halloween inspired cake from the local grocery store. Pic credits :Uj

Well, Dasara is behind us and Diwali is a few days away. I am sure most of you are scrambling to find last minute Halloween costumes for the little ones or give your home a Halloween makeover to bring in that seasonal flavor. Don’t you wish you had a magic wand? Back to back celebrations can be exhausting and yet we don’t want our kids to miss out on the fun or the learning. In a bi-cultural household like ours, it is even harder to switch gears from Dasara festivities to Halloween and then right back again to Diwali!  Supriya and I have been up to our neck with all the celebrations. Personally, I prefer the other holidays to this Pagan festival of celebrating the dead – I guess because of the eeriness that surrounds it. But looking back it is kind of fun to see my little one’s fantasies come to life via Halloween costumes each year – a treasure trove of childhood memories now resides in our picture albums and hence I celebrate!

I am popping in just to say  a quick hello and to see how your spook-tacular Halloween prep is coming along.  Have you picked out your perfect pumpkin yet?  Have you carved out that Jack-O’-lantern yet?

Please do share images from your own celebrations with us so we can collectively inspire others.  We will be glad to showcase your creativity at Aalayam. Write to us at aalayaminspiration@gmail.com

 

Here’s a Halloween picture from a few years ago. The boys partied at our home before heading out to trick or treat. 

Happy Halloween y’all!

Next up – Aalayam features inspirations for Deepavali ! Stay tuned!

Cheers!

Deepa