My 2018 Monster Mash Bash!

This year’s Monster Mash Bash was a hit and a scary good time was had by all! I appreciated everyone’s compliments towards my creepy castle – some guests assumed it was just to liven up the party but I had to divulge, this creepy castle gets creeped out on Sept. 1 every year. The only way I know to enjoy Halloween decor and hoarding habits is to display it sooner and longer!

Keep reading to see some photos of my guests and their costumes and to get some inspiration for your upcoming or next Halloween shindig.

Nothing is more important than the food and booze (or is it boos??) at a Halloween party. I try to keep lots of options for every kind of snack preference – but sweets are definitely my weakness if you can’t tell.

I picked up napkins, plates, and table covers and the Dollar Tree during my first Halloween Dollar Tree haul of the season. If you do not get your party accessories as soon as they are available (in about August or so), it seems that the Dollar Tree always runs low as October draws nearer. Be sure to get it early on if you plan to host a party. The sparkly over-sized confetti is from Walmart. I have been quite impressed with their selection and pricing this fall on party accessories as well.

The menu included:

• Popcorn
• Chex Mix
• Pillsbury pumpkin sugar cookies
• Hummus, carrots and sweet peppers
• Scary skeleton cupcakes (I found the sugar skull accents at Michael’s – they have an awesome variety of frightful additions for your confections!)
• Strawberries and apples
• Cheese, crackers (some GF and vegan crackers too) and pepperonis
• Creepy crawly spider cookies

And some items that did not get photographed that were also on the menu:

• Scary mac and cheese (I used spooky pasta shapes from World Market)
• BBQ weenies

One of my favorite party pieces my husband and I created was our pumpkin beer cooler. I found the biggest pumpkin I could at Walmart (they went on sale for $2.79 this week so that saved me a trip to Aldi) and somehow lugged it home.

We gutted the giant and I used one of my biggest mixing bowls to place inside. If you plan to do this yourself, use the top of the bowl you place inside your pumpkin as a guide for how much of the top you need to cut off.

It held about eight 12oz cans of beer (you’ll have to replenish it from time to time, but it sure looked cool).

After the party, the pumpkin went to good use as a snack for my parents five chickens (they love to eat pumpkin like a basic girl loves a PSL from Starbucks!).

Here’s my husband…(errr,my Tina Belcher?) posing with our creation.

We also served:

• Apple cider (with a selection to spike it with spiced rum or vodka)
• A friend brought some homemade mulled wine (tasted like Christmas!)
• Soda

Now for the costume parade! Our spoiled pup, Ramona was a happy walrus!  I found her costume at Michael’s this year (they have some great pet costumes and always have coupons available too).  She had the most fun at the party because she loves people and believes they only exist to give her pets and play the “pull-it” game.

My husband (Scott) and I are huge Bob’s Burgers fans and it was such a surprise when two of our guests came as Bob and Linda.  Scott was struggling with costume ideas this year (he has been Rick from Rick and Morty the past few years) and I was surprised when he stated “I’m gonna be Tina!”.

He ordered his prescription glasses in a bulky Tina Belcher-esque frame from my favorite glasses vendor, Zenni. I scored him the perfect navy blue skirt at the thrift store and the wig was $5 from Walmart to help him pull off the look.

Our costume contest winner was this sweet little Ewok and her galaxy defending parents, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

In my opinion, this Samara/Grudge character was the most frightening of the night. Thank goodness her husband was not afraid of no ghost!

If some prehistoric creatures were amidst us, I would not fret because we had Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellis Sattler from Jurassic Park in the house.

I really enjoyed some of our guests wise, witty and funny ensembles such as “Fantasy Football” which you see above.

And for you Star Trek fans, I give you “Corporate Picard.”

Scott and I have seem to have grown out of the “couples costumes” phase of our relationship (that’s what over five years of marriage will do I suppose) – or we’re just embracing our independence by both cross dressing this year. Although, we don’t match this Halloween, I still think we make a darn good couple! If you want to become Ash Williams, I’ve written a post just for you so you can recreate the look.

I had some tables set up around the house with games and activities. My friend Yui gave me my first Tarot card reading last year which inspired me to buy my own set of cards. I was sure to set out the mystical deck and guests quickly flocked to have their fortunes told by Yui.

I also got two bags of mini pumpkins from Walmart ($2.68 a bag!) and created a pumpkin decorating station with permanent markers, stickers and washi tape for guests to take home a gorgeous gourd.

We ended up playing lots games – the N64 and Switch both made an appearance which is always a crowd pleaser.

I truly enjoyed this fantastic party with my friends and can’t wait to celebrate the best holiday of all with them again next year!