Decorating for Halloween

Halloween has all the makings of a really fun celebration--from ghosts and witches to gruesome monsters and frightening sounds, it's a great theme for decorating. Here are some creative ideas for this frightful time of year:

• An odd-shaped silhouette in the window might seem like a drapery but it's actually a ghost cut from white cotton fabric taped to the glass (figure A).

• The appearance of years of aging and decay are evident in the remains of drapery blowing woefully from the cold draft of broken (OK, slightly open) windows (figure C).

• Usually warm and inviting, the flickering flames of several candle groupings create quivering shadows. Position them far from any blowing draperies and on top of tin foil disguised with black stones and gravel. They shouldn't be left unattended and in a haunted house, that's never a problem!

• Furniture covered in a messy fashion with white sheets makes any house look as if it was abandoned years ago.

• Display a witch's spell book (use a large old book and be sure it's not a first edition). Gently rip and char the edges of additional sheets of fiber or parchment paper using a charcoal-colored marker. Use a calligraphy pen to create a fabulously ghastly formula that will turn your guests' stomachs (Putrid Ditch Water, perhaps?). Use double-stick tape to secure the pages to the middle of the open book. Add a leather or velvet bookmark as a final accent and prop it up on a book or plate stand. Perch the witch's pet raven at the ready to pluck off a bit of flesh from one who gets too inquisitive (figure F).