October Favorites {Give-Away}, Halloween Party edition

I don't know if I can commit to what I'm about to say because Christmas is so very, very huge, but Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year! It embraces and heightens every good thing that I love about the Autumn season: dark, blustery nights, warm, flickering candlelight, heady spices and sweet treats and mystery and magic. Here are some of my favorites this month; they'd make the cutest little Halloween party!

1. favorite spooky decor DIY: Paper Spider Webs from Studio DIY for This Heart of Mine

These are like the Halloween version of that perennial winter favorite, the paper snowflake! So easy and so cute, with just a pinch of spookiness! {photo from Kelly of Studio DIY for This Heart of Mine}

2. favorite spooky treat that I want to eat a million of: Halloween cake pops from Bakerella
I hope you've all had cake pops by now people. Cake pops are literally everywhere these days (Starbucks anyone?), thanks to the adorable creations of the queen of cake pops, Bakerella. If you haven't had a Bakerella cake pop, you. are. missing. out. They are so over-the-top delicious, it's ridiculous! And how cute are these ghosts?! {photo from Bakerella}

3. favorite cute party favors (that you could probably figure out how to DIY): Williams-Sonoma Halloween Candies
I don't think there are many things that wouldn't look adorable in a tiny jar with a cork in the top and an old-timey label on the front. And I'm a sucker for sour gummy pumpkins! {photo from Williams-Sonoma}

4. favorite cutest way I've seen to carve a pumpkin: Lantern Pumpkins from Country Living

I tend to get really impatient when I carve pumpkins and end up slopping on a plain old classic (and boring) jack-o-lantern face: triangle eyes and nose, big smile with a couple of buck teeth--nothing even remotely creative. These cute pumpkins take the "lantern" in jack-o-lantern literally, with sweet, old-fashioned lamps and lanterns painted on the outside of the pumpkins and warm, flickering candlelight shining through the cut-outs. I'm actually looking forward to carving pumpkins this year! {photo from Country Living}

5. favorite way to display your Halloween cake (see #8): Spider Cake Plate from Glitterville

Confession: I've wanted this cake plate for a really, really long time. *sigh* I can just imagine all of the delicious Halloween treats I'd display on it. I might have to wait until I have an entire room just for cake plate storage! Seriously, that's in the works. {photo from Glitterville}

6. favorite bit of Halloween happiness sitting on the back of my piano right now: DIY Painted Argyle Pumpkins

Many moons ago, I visited my little sister just before Halloween and spotted some argyle pumpkins that I knew I'd never be able to fit in my suitcase. So I put on my DIY thinking-cap when I got home and made one! And it is still one of my favorite Halloween decorations. It is preppy and bright and bold.

7. favorite cute way to eat all of that yummy party food: Halloween Party Spoons from Sucre Shop
I'm a little bit addicted to wooden utensils right now, and Sucre Shop's printed spoons and forks are the cutest I've seen. Scallops, chevron, polka dots, stripes, ombre, metallic, cute messages--you can find an adorable set of utensils for any party theme! {photo from Sucre Shop}

8. favorite fall cake: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake from Country Living
I just love how this cake looks! I think it is beautiful and simple, and somehow rustic and graphic at the same time. And I bet is tastes awesome, which is a plus for a cake, right?! {photo from Country Living}

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The give-away is now closed and the winner has been contacted by email. Thanks to everyone who visited!!

Give-away time! Sucre Shop is generously donating a set of 20 Halloween forks or ice cream spoons to the winner of our give-away this month! Many thanks to Brooke of Sucre Shop for making that happen. And to go with your cute wooden Halloween party utensils, you'll get a surprise box of Halloween party supplies from me! Who knows what spooky-yet-delightful treasures you'll receive!

To enter to win a mystery box of Halloween party goodies including 20 Halloween party forks or spoons from Sucre Shop, leave a comment on this post. The give-away will be open to US residents only and will end Monday night, October 8th, at midnight. The winner will be chosen at random using random.org, and will be notified by email (so I better be able to find your email!).

Good luck, and Happy Halloween!