beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Look at this winning piece of brass.  You can say it's ugly - it won't hurt my feelings.  

I picked it up at my favorite store...Goodwill.  Who needs a fancy party decor store when you have Goodwill a few miles away, not to mention 3 other thrift stores in the same area.

Yes, the price says $49.99.  Not sure who priced this beauty at that but they were smoking something.  I could see the swan that this ugly duckling would become but I wouldn't even have paid $50.  Lucky for me it was "half off green tag" day and I picked this up for $25.  I realize some would say that is still steep but remember I saw what it could become and $25 was a steal.
It was a leap of faith though - this thing is really beat up.  The previous owner did some repair work?!?!  I'm not sure what product they used to get this piece to stick on but I have to say it looks like a wad of chewed up gum.  I have steered clear of touching this part of the candelabra - it grosses me out.
I bought a few supplies and set to working miracles on my brassy beauty.  Once can of 99 cent spray paint from Lowes.  I did a jig when I found 99 cent spray paint - the perfect price for Halloween decor since I don't need anything fancy.
$4 battery operated taper candles that flicker.  Let me tell you why I love these particular ones from Big Lots (is Big Lots a national chain?)  Most battery candles like this are a whole unit - candle and candle holder - these are separate so the candle can sit in any taper candle holder you have - like a big, ugly, shiny brass candelabra.
A couple more things about the candles...yes, I needed 14 of them that came to a total of $56. Perhaps a bit pricey but they are safe.  I could have never pulled off this Halloween prop with real candles.  They'll last forever.  Taper candles would have been less but they'd burn down and need to be replaced far more often (and like I already mentioned...unsafe, the fire department would be here shutting down my decorating)  Finally, the cost is less than a real or artificial Christmas tree which people buy every year.  It's no secret that I love Halloween so having a Halloween "tree" makes sense.  ALL my reasons make sense and hopefully my husband thinks so too when he reads this post and sees how much I spent on candles.

Back to the project.  I hit the candelabra with some black spray paint but didn't do full coverage - I just wanted to tone down the gold goodness.  After looking at these pictures I see that I need to hit it with some more paint towards the bottom - I'll get on that today.

I also added the candles, minus one - I need to fix the holder as soon as I can find some chewing gum :)
Then I grabbed one bag of Creepy Cloth, again from Big Lots.  This is the same cloth that I used on my mantle and staircase.
Drape the candelabra with the cloth - ripping , tearing and cutting where necessary.
Add some moss.  This dried moss is the perfect Halloween accessory - it makes any scene look creepy.
The finished candelabra during the day (with a pumpkin thrown in to keep the empty candle spot warm while waiting for the candle)

It's not much to look at - it's better than it was before but the daytime is not when this lady shines...

nighttime baby, that's her glory moment!

I love her!  Her Halloween glow makes me happy.  She reminds me of the candelabras that meet you in the line at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion right before you enter your Doom Buggie.

I have one more thing to add but for the most part this trash to treasure is done.  I am concerned about the empty space at the bottom of the candelabra - it needs something to ground it and make it into more of a scene but I haven't come up with any great ideas - anyone? Anyone?

light up your party

What do you think about these gothic style lanterns that I found over at Martha?  What a great addition to a Halloween party.  Change up the paper color and clip art and you could use them for a bunch of different themes.

After our move to a new home in April I had pretty much decided that a Halloween party was NOT going to be happening this year.  The move took a lot out out of me, not to mention our cash flow has taken a beating with an increased mortgage payment.  

Where do I stand now?  The thought of not having a party is killing me - Halloween is my holiday! So while I jump back and forth between the should I or shouldn't I have a party question one thing has been decided...

party or not - the yard and house will be decorated!

Hence my reason for this post.  I know that I sometimes get all caught up in the decor that I forget some of the other aspects of a party/event that can help create the mood like lighting, music, scents, etc.

Lighting and music/sound are especially helpful when creating a Halloween atmosphere and the folks over at Skull and Bone have what has become my favorite Halloween lighting tutorial.

You really need to take a minute and go HERE to check out the info and look at their diagrams to see what lighting can do for your Halloween haunt.  

Halloween not your thing?  Think about how these lighting ideas can improve your next party.  

strike

Perfect lighting for a bowling party - check it out here.

Encourage your party guests to hit the thrift stores for vintage bowling shirts.  My husband and I each have sweet bowling shirts that I found during a trip to San Francisco last year - there were bowling shirt galore in the thrift stores.

yarn yumminess

Is it bad that I want to book a flight to Paris just to go to this store?  Be still my heart - this store is amazing.

What are all those balls of happiness you ask?  Creative, beautiful balls of lights.  I love them - I want to marry them.

Can you picture a party with these?  I can and now I want to have that party.  If the party heavens are listening...please, please let me get my hands on these lights - I promise to throw a shindig that will match the splendor and glory of these balls.  Have I mentioned that I really love these?!?!?