Set Your Table With Flair--A Shockingly Manic Panic Halloween

Welcome, spooks and specters!!  Thank you for visiting my blog!  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, bar none, right behind Christmas!  I absolutely love it!

If you have been here before, you are aware that I am a Music Manic Fanatic.  I also am a firm believer that music unites and brings people together.  I have always been a person who appreciates people of all different kinds and from all walks of life; with music being a strong contributing factor of how I connect with those people.  Whether if it was discussing composers with band friends, or dancing the night away to Cumbia, Rock en Espanol, Reggae-Ton, or even BANDA! in my twenties with gal-pals, or taking in a show of a local rock, punk, or ska band, I have always enjoyed it! This was especially true in my youth; I was much less serious and much more carefree.  I was heavy into the music scene, and I especially loved (and still love) alternative rock. 

When I was younger, being an alt-rock goddess meant sometimes you might dye your hair different colors if you wanted to make a bold statement.  One color I had always admired then but never had the guts to try was Manic Panic's Shocking Blue.  If you are a rocker or even a savvy stylist, you know that Manic Panic is the authority on awesomely alternative hair color. 

Here is a peek.  Sooo gorgeous!!!  This one is a classic.  You can order it via their site here.

I only went as far as a purpley-burgundy, because I was a little too chicken quite frankly to push the limit (and test my mother's patience) more than I already had, lol. So glad I've outgrown those days...but I've never outgrown the whimsical idealism of youth, especially during the holidays.

My favorite type of Halloween décor usually includes some sort of gothic or Victorian element, and when I was perusing the internet, I came across this fabulous damask fabric.   Isn't it beautiful!!?  It's also quite close to Manic Panic's Shocking Blue.  This wonderful damask fabric has now become the perfect topper for a gothy-themed tablescape!

For this year's Halloween, I thought it might be fun to pay homage to this amazing color.  Blue has always been my favorite color, so why not a blue Halloween!!?  I hope you enjoy the post!

I placed these midnight blue chargers to begin the plate stack.

The chargers were followed by these fantastic melamine (shhhh, don't tell) plates.

Super cool!

 

Large smoky goblets, blue flutes, and skully mugs were added for spooky spirits,

and to complete the setting, black napkins held with sparkly skulls and silver flatware.

If you would like to view the tutorial to make these sparkly skully napkin rings, you may visit the post on my blog The Crafting Table here (this photo was snapped with my IPad, and doesn't showcase the true color of the topper or napkin rings, however, it does show the detail of the sparkly skulls).

A more accurate depiction of the color:

To add dimension and a bit of victorian elegance, black candelabras outfitted with elegant blue tapers were placed at either side of the table.

Aren't these gothy-good!!?

I also added silver candlesticks with black tapers at either side of the table setting.

For a spooky-inspired siorée, you can never have enough candlelit romance!!  A centerpiece made of more candles, a silver dish, and an abundance of black and blue prettiness brings all the elements of the setting together and completes the tablescape.

 

Closeup.

Completed Tablescape.

Tablescape details.

Place setting.

This setting works just as well in the outdoors, and here are a few examples:

For a little more spooky charm, I added these standing wrought iron elements to either side of the table, also outfitted with flowers and candles.

What a SHOCKING scene!

I used this fabulous batty stand to set my delicious cauldron cakes upon:

Love it!!

If you would like to view the recipe for my Bubbling Brew Cauldron Cakes, you may do so on my blog Parsimonious Pabulum here.  These are such a fun baking activity for kiddos, my girls loved making them!

 

No Halloween party would be complete without spooky sips shared between friends.  My Manic Panic Shocking Blue Toxic Punch is a great beverage to serve this Halloween, and is also kiddo-friendly!

 

If you would like to view that recipe, it is on Parsimonious Pabulum here.

 

You can view my tablescape with all of these elements added alongside the wonderful music of Bach on my Instagram feed here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYt-qdxg_rh/?taken-by=parsimoniousdecordarling

I feel that Toccata and Fugue in D Minor sets just the right atmosphere for Halloween!  It's a classic.  If you are looking for music inspiration, have no fear.  I have comprised a list of fabulously frightful favorites of mine for this Halloween, and you can pin it if you like as well!  This is a completely comprehensive list with a little bit for everyone!!  I hope you enjoy it!

 

I hope you are cozy, warm, and due to the events everywhere across the United States and its territories, SAFE wherever you are.  Remember, enjoy the playfulness of Halloween, and never be afraid to let your frightfully fabulous freak flag fly!!

Until next we meet--

From my collection:

Blue chargers, generic, CV Linens

Skull "Dead Earth" melamine plates, custom made for Zazzle by Spooky Things

Black candelabras, found on Amazon

Silver dish used in centerpiece, Wallace Silversmiths Baroque Collection, Local Antique

Silver flatware, Wallace Silversmiths Antique Baroque Collection, Horchow/Neiman Marcus

Smoky crystal goblets, Shannon Crystal Collection by Godinger

Black Skull mugs, Williams-Sonoma

Cobalt blue flutes, generic

Batty Cake Stand, HomeGoods

Black napkins, generic, HomeGoods

Wrought iron outdoor candelabras, Ross Stores

Blue floral, all, Walmart

All candles with the exception of the black tapers were ordered from Amazon.  The black tapers are from Hobby Lobby.

Please feel free to join me and other FABULOUS bloggers as we Happily Halloween HOP along with Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home !  Such a fun party full of fantastic Halloween inspiration, and I hope you'll join us!

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,  

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤

Set Your Table With Flair--Host a Dark Tea For Halloween

Hello, my friends!  Halloween is almost here, how fun!

If you've read my posts, you know I adore tea, and it is pretty much my beverage of choice.  In honor of the spooky season, I thought it might be fun to host a Dark Tea.  I hope you enjoy the post.

Gathering your ghouls
When planning a party, of course you must begin with the invites.  Don't get me wrong, I love Evites just as much as the next girl....it is very convenient.  I still appreciate a good old-fashioned mailed invitation as well.  I also adore handmade invitations.  It makes me feel that the host took time and spent energy to create something extra-special for their guests.  Here is my version of a spooky boxed invitation.  To view the tutorial, you may visit the post on my blog The Crafting Table by clicking here.

 


Planning your menu
Spooky eats and treats are a must when planning this sort of sioree.  A great go-to resource is MarthaStewart.com!  There are so many great ideas.  Choosing macabre-looking food is a kitschy and fun way to spice up your dark event.  Here are a couple of ideas I've come up with myself.

Vette's Vampy Tea

The blood-red color of this tea fits perfectly in my theme!  To view the recipe, please visit the post on my other blog Parsimonious Pabulum by clicking here.

 

Super-easy Poison Apples

Don't these look naughty (but nice)?  These creepy apples are great for the Fall season, and are incredibly easy to make.  To view the recipe, visit the post here on my blog Parsimonious Pabulum.

Gifts for guests
It is always nice to provide a small trinket or gift for your guests to take away from your party.  I decided little sachets with tea inside would be a darling gift for tea party guests.  They are inexpensive, and so simple!  To see the tutorial, visit the post on The Crafting Table here.

For proper attire to this dark tea, guests are asked to please don a mini Victorian top hat.  These little hats are also a great gift for friends to take away.  To see the tutorial, visit the post on The Crafting Table here. 

Who is this daffy gal?  Why, it is the lady of the manor!  ;)

Setting the Table

Finally, before guests arrive, it's time for my favorite part....setting the table.  For a dark or goth tea, color choice is imperative.  Dark red, black, royal purple, and shocking blue are great colors!  My personal preference is setting a table in dark reds or plum and black with Victorian elements. 

I began by setting this red tablecloth on the round table in my foyer.  I also added my wrought iron candle holder with a red candle inside. 

To make it appear like a darker red, and to provide a spooky element, I placed my spider web cloth directly over the red cloth.

Next, my Reed and Barton silver punch bowl and cups to give it old-world charm (even though Reed and Barton is American, I thought it was fitting).  I filled the bowl with some of Vette's Vampy tea, and also prepared several cups so they would be ready.

Closer shot.  I love the way the dark red plays against the silver!

Next, I placed these skull candle holders and red candles inside.

A dark red charger,

filled with Poison Apples came next.

A black charger,

and premade sachets sat next to the apples.

 

I browsed my library in search of books with dark-colored bindings....The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Works of H G Wells worked nicely.  I added them and one more book to create a stand on which to set my mirror.

 

The final touch.....spooky black netting over one side of the mirror.

Here are a few shots.

I wasn't sure if I liked it set up there, so I also set it up next to my ballerina table both with and without the mirror.  I bought red roses a couple of days ago with this post in mind.  The roses were wilting beautifully into a dark burgundy.  I placed a few of the roses on the ballerina table.

In place of the mirror, here I have set one of the skull candle holders.  Here are a couple shots of the setting.  I also added some of the roses to table.

Here are a few more shots. 

Without mirror

With mirror

Which do you prefer?

Closeups

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤