Easy and Inexpensive Halloween Table setting

A Halloween table setting can be fun, easy, and inexpensive to put together. It does not have to be scary, ghoulish, and gory to put everyone in the Halloween mood. Do away with the cobwebs, skeletons, and monsters that will scare the daylights out of you and the little ones.

I will show you how I created a not-so-scary Halloween table setting with free Halloween printables from the internet. These delightful paper cut outs can be used to decorate just about anything you already own and are guaranteed to elicit smiles on everyone's faces.

Make this a family affair and let your imagination create the magic.

All photos were taken by Bakerwoman. All Rights Reserved.

The vinyl table covering came in two pieces - a solid purple base layer and a semi-translucent top layer with the spiderweb design. This was an eBay find for $8 (including shipping) which came in the 102-inch length that I needed. The cool thing is that the bottom sheet can be changed to a different color.

All of these Halloween cutouts came from one website. Most of these characters have a front and back to be pasted together, except for the witch on a broom. The black cat, mischievous bats and the ghost look more scared than being scary. These can also be used to create a Halloween mobile or glued to popsicle sticks as part of the table decoration.

Free printable templates were uploaded from this website

I glued salvaged ribbons from past holiday gifts between the front and the back cutouts of the bats. Ribbons were cut to two varying lengths to create the illusion of flight. These bats will be used to hang them on the chandelier to make their presence known.

I was never fond of this chandelier that came with this house but it seems to repurpose itself every Halloween. It has a somber Gothic charm and the bats are ready to make a claim to it.

These not-so-blood-thirsty bats are a delight to look at. The front and the back of the bat cutouts do not match up perfectly as shown by the white outlines. But I chose to leave them that way to give the paper bats some dimension.

A small care package for your friends

A dozen of these party favor baskets cost $1.00 at the local dollar store. These are folded flat and can easily be assembled with some volunteers from the family. Roomy, sturdy and so versatile, these boxes measure 3 in. x 3 in. and can accommodate cookies and sweets for your guests.

I used Powerpoint to create and print out my guests' names. I tried to match the Halloween cutout character to each of my friend's personality.

I filled each party favor basket with an assortment of chocolate Kisses wrapped in Fall colors. The place holder baskets will welcome your guests to their seats at the table and will serve as a sweet ending to a memorable party.

Set the table with white plates, silverware, long stems and Fall-themed cotton napkins. Elegance with a touch of whimsy and humor always make a get-together more fun and memorable.

Add elegance with a sense of warmth

These are the same votive candle holders that I have been using for Thanksgiving and Christmas table settings. Real candles were wonderful with the flickering flames and the awesome scents. Except, for the last four years, I have opted to use LED tealights instead for my table décor. There were just too many times in the past where I had forgotten to put out the candles and for my own peace of mind, LED tealights were the only way to go.

Set the mood without the hazards of causing a fire

These LED tealight are readily available in hobby stores, Amazon, eBay, and local drugstores and just everywhere on the internet. These are popular because they are flameless, smokeless, yet flicker like the real candles and perfect for every event and especially around small children. LED tealights are battery-operated and have an on/off switch and last up to 10 hours. I have used these same set for the last 3 years for Thanksgiving and Christimas dinners.

See the warm glow cast by the flameless LED tealights. There is no heat to melt those chocolate Kisses in the party favor baskets.

LED tealights come in all colors to set the mood of your party or event. Some are rechargeable so you do not have to worry about replacing them, some float and can be submerged in water.

Three black cat witches by Annalee take center stage at the table flanked by a bottle of sparkling apple cider and merlot dressed up with Halloween witch cutouts. The subtle flicker of the LED tealights add to the celebratory mood.

All Annalee dolls have handpainted faces and the arms and legs can be posed to different positions. Make them sit, stand, wave or send you a flying kiss. How cool is that. It is no wonder Annalee dolls are sought after by collectors because each one is unique.

Here is the finished product of a great teamwork. Not the over-the-top Halloween décor, but definitely puts one in a celebratory mood. There will very little to cleanup as the guests will take the party favor baskets with them. The vinyl tablecloth and the hanging bats will be stored and be reused for next year's Halloween. And the votive LED tealights will be back for Thanksgiving.

Isn't this an easy and inexpensive way to put together a not-so-scary Halloween table setting?