My Elegantly Spooky Halloween Decor

*This post is sponsored by Balsam Hill. 

Every year, on Halloween Night, we have a party. My kids' friends and their parents gather in our home for dinner, drinks and Trick or Treating. It's one of our favorite days of the year, so I usually go "all out" when it comes to decorations.  I got a head start this year thanks to my friends at Balsam Hill who invited me to join their Tricks and Treats Blog Hop.  

This year, my goal was to keep the look fun and whimsical and to capture the spooky essence of the season. But, I wanted to do it in an enchanting and elegant way. I wanted my Halloween decor to complement our everyday home decor. In other words, I was going for a look that appealed to me as much as it does the kids. "Elegantly Spooky" is what I call this years' theme. I brought in some beautiful foliage, candles and decor from Balsam Hill to capture this look in a few areas of my home. 

On the Mantel...

I began in the Living Room on the mantel. I often joke that ever since I painted my fireplace black, it lives for Halloween decor. The Halloween Night Wreath and Swag from Balsam Hill's new line of foliage was the perfect adornment and proved this theory true. This lightly flocked, blossoming foliage features large, black, dahlias and magnolias against dark needles and twigs. Entwined throughout the swag and the wreath are warm, glowing, orange, battery operated lights that create a magical ambience at night. The lights happen to be my kids favorite feature. 

To hold the swag in place while our house is rocking with 30+ kids, I anchored it with some antler stocking holders from my Christmas stash. Antlers are often found around here in the fall, so I figured they "worked" with my theme and also lent a little whimsy. I loved the way the white antlers popped against the black foliage so much that I took the look a little further and added some white pumpkins. To soften the high contrast palette and to give the mantle some of that "pretty factor", I added a large bow and loops made from decorators wire ribbon to the swag and the wreath. The gray tone of the ribbon picks up on the gray leaves found in the swag and wreath. The graphic pattern complements my living room rug and other room decor.

I removed the glass globes and white candles that usually rest on my iron sconces and replaced them with Halloween Night Candle Rings from Balsam Hill that coordinate with the Swag and Wreath. I finished the look off with chalky, black, Balsam Hill Miracle Flame LED Wax Fall Candles. 

In addition to being the perfect companions to the black foliage, these candles feature a no-worry, battery operated LED flame. This will allow us to enjoy the warm glow and flicker of candles without the worry of having real flames so close to the pretty foliage. 

On the Coffee Table...

During our annual party, we use the coffee table to serve snacks to our guests. I thought it would be nice to add something pretty here, but didn't want to take up any valuable serving space. When I saw these Halloween Glitter Globes, I knew they'd be perfect. Nothing says "Elegantly Spooky" like a black cat, a haunted house and a raven being swirled in black glitter. These globes are pretty enough to be in the center of the room, tall enough to command attention, but slim enough that they still leave plenty of room for a big bowl of cheese puffs. 

In the Breakfast Nook...

Speaking of snacks, we have a tradition in our home during the Halloween season of making our favorite Peanut Butter Cupcakes and keeping them by the dozens in the freezer (I'll be sharing the recipe with you in just a moment). This year these yummy treats are moving up in ranks, they're coming out of the freezer to be featured in a table centerpiece. 

I'm placing the cupcakes on a pretty cake plate covered with a vintage bird cage along with a stack party supplies and Balsam Hill Miracle Flame Fall Candles surrounded by their Halloween Nights Candle Rings on the table top.

These Miracle Flam LED Candles have become a family favorite in our home. My kids love them, because they look so real, it gives them a chance to fake out their friends. My husband loves them because they come with a remote control (which is extremely handy, I must also admit). The remote allows you to control the brightness and flicker speed of the flame! You certainly can't do that with a real candle. I love them mostly because they give me freedom to decorate with candles wherever I want, whenever I want, with no worries. 

Skeleton cupcake foils gave our Peanut Butter Cupcakes whimsical Halloween flavor, while my transfer ware dishes, carved wooden chargers and pretty table linens will keep the table styling classy and sophisticated. 

I love the way the candle and candle ring look perched on the gray cake plate next to my bird cage cupcake centerpiece. One of my favorite things to collect are cake plates and serving pieces. Not only do they come in handy while entertaining, but they are also fun to decorate with. I find a lot of cake plates at thrift shops and discount home stores. I keep them stacked in my ladder shelf where they are easily accessible. 

In The Powder Room...

 In our Powder Room, the paint color is dark which naturally gives it a moody feel. I'm playing that up this year by turning off the lights and adding a warm, dark, enchanting glow with candles placed inside these Black Pumpkin Halloween Luminaries. These luminaries work great outside, as well as indoors. I placed some on our Front Porch steps as well as here, in our Powder Room.  

On The Porch...

The last stop in my "Elegantly Spooky" Halloween tour is our front porch. I wanted to show how cool these Pumpkin Luminaries look at night...

These guys look so cool with the warm glow of a real candle or an LED battery operated candle. The outside is black and the inside is orange, the contrast is amplified once they are lit. 

What I really love about them is they are nice and substantial. They are much more practical than a light weight, paper bag luminary. They can withstand the elements on our Michigan porch much better. The only one in our home who is a little unsure of these is Murphie. He keeps a good eye on them. 

Now, as promised, I'm going to share our top secret cupcake recipe. First, I need to warn you that these cupcakes may be the most amazing thing you've ever tasted. I came about this recipe years ago, completely by experimentation one day while baking with my young nephew.  Ever since that magical day, we've kept this recipe close to the chest. I decided after many years of keeping it a secret that I should share it here on the blog so you can enjoy these little pieces of Heaven also. 

Here's what you will need:

1 Yellow Box Cake Mix
1 Can of Vanilla Frosting
Smooth Peanut Butter

The first step is to prepare the cake mix as directed on the box. Before pouring the batter into your cupcake tins, add a blog glop of Creamy Peanut Butter to the batter and mix well. (We determined a "big glop" is approximately the equivalent of 1/3 cup). Bake the Cupcakes as directed on the cake mix packaging and allow them to cool in the pan. Before frosting them, add a medium glop of Peanut Butter to the can of frosting and stir well. (A "medium glop" is approximately 1/4 cup).

 Once you have the cupcakes frosted, place the entire pan of cupcakes into the freezer and allow them to sit for a few hours, until frozen. Once they have hardened, you can then remove them from the pan and toss them in a freezer zip lock bag where you will be storing them in the freezer until it's time to enjoy them.

The reason for freezing these cupcakes is two fold. First, the obvious, freezing them allows you to plan way ahead. You can make them when you have time, keep them fresh in the freezer and pull them out just before a party. The second reason I freeze these cupcakes is to make them stiff enough to toss in my kids lunch bag. By the time lunch rolls around, they are thawed out perfectly for eating, but not so soft that they've been smooshed in their backpacks. 

Thanks for stopping by today. For more elegantly spooky decor ideas shown in "real home" settings, (using gorgeous Balsam Hill decor), check out French Country Cottage, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia,  Simply Designing and The Balsam Hill Blog. 

For gorgeous Holiday Decor ideas for any season, be sure to stop by the Balsam Hill Blog. 

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*This post is sponsored by Balsam Hill.