2013 Halloween Party Recap!

Our spooktacular Halloween bash was last weekend and as usual, we had a heck of a party!  So before we all move on to fall crafts and décor and Thanksgiving menus here is a recap of the festivities!

Guests were invited to join us in “raising the dead” this Halloween in typical Guthrie fashion, with a haunted Masquerade Ball!

Revelers were greeted at dusk by the house lit with tons of twinkling orange and white lights, along with candles and torches to light the path to the porch:

A row of jack-o-lanterns lit the steps next to the graveyard.

The graveyard, bordered by a dilapidated gate, was haunted by ghouls, a black cat and bony remains.

Up on the porch, our traditional pumpkin topiaries flank the door and my new PB look-alike lanterns light up the steps.  (I got these on Amazon from a warehouse dealer in “used-like new” condition and they are fabulous!  And affordable!) I love them!!  The smaller lanterns are from Joann’s.

Our giant spider has taken up residence on the other side of the porch where she stands guard over her human prey.

The inside of the Guthrie Estate was decked out to the max with no detail omitted. 

The graveyard wall returned this year behind a black draped couch and spooky branches hanging from the ceiling. 

The mantel was draped with a rotted topper and the gold mirror reflected candlelight onto skulls and pumpkins.  The walls and ceiling were infested with bats and spiders!

And over in the library, dinner was set with all our party favorites and some new dishes, too!  A coffin stood nearby with its epitaph written out in lights. 

Our dinner buffet included buffalo maggot dip, deviled raven eggs, mummy dogs, putrid brains of cheese, ground tripe balls, and pustulent peppers, among other delicacies.

In the kitchen, our traditional orange punch was served from a silver punch bowl. 

And for our undead friends of the night with unusual nutritional requirements, we had Tru Blood.  Friends don’t let friends drink friends!

(Tru Blood labels can be found here – we used root beer bottles for our Tru Blood)

The “formidable feasting” continued in the dining room with a taco bar and appetizers as well as the dessert buffet including chocolate cake, mini cheesecakes, and of course, CANDY! 

The parlor was set for dining and pool playing.  And this room also contained our new “cabinet of curiosities” which I enjoyed so much!  

I set up a little “witches corner” with a bewitching chair and some hats.  The witches broom and her black cat complete the scene.  (The bewitching pillow is from Michael’s… isn’t it cute?!)

The opposite corner featured our new Halloween painting.  It was left behind at the opera company where I work and they were getting rid of it.  I was too happy to take it off their hands.  What a score!  It was spooky and freaky and a big hit with our guests!

Beneath the painted lady (as I like to call her) was the adventure table complete with our map of the estate.

We shredded a couple of old lampshades for our party decor this year, too.  That was fun and we are saving them to use again next year!

After guests had sufficiently feasted, chatted and played some pool, I rounded them up for the scavenger hunt.  We had eight teams hunting this year and of course, the kids won first place!  They were running to every clue, so no one stood a chance of beating them! 

The clues ranged from outdoor “wonders” of the Guthrie Estate to indoor Halloween decor, art, knick knacks, books and more!  Nothing was safe if I could fit a clue in it, on it, or under it!  I had such a blast writing the clues.  Here’s a taste:

and

Can you find them?  These are some of the easy ones, but there were plenty of difficult ones, too!  But I’m not spoiling those since I might use some of them again next year! ;)

All of our guests had a blast hunting down clues in the dark and running around the house looking for their destinations. 

And I had so much fun watching everyone hunt and hearing all the chatter as they discussed their possible locations. :)  At the end they were rewarded with a gift card (for top finishers) or a giant box of candy!

After eating and hunting we retired to the firepit for some s’mores with the kids and a graveyard tour.

The kids were especially entranced by the spider’s prey “mummy” on the porch.

And we had to go check out the creepy guy in the upstairs window.

He’s watching.

At the end of the night I gave out prize ribbons for the best costumes.  Most Spooky was Kayla in her spider get-up, Most Crafty was Caroline as a minion, Most Hilarious was Nelson as a bee sting victim (the bees were inside his beekeeper hood) and Most Original was Molly as a mime!

In addition I am also awarding an assortment of superlatives this year.  And in no particular order, they are:

Michael and Sarah are “Best Dressed” as a gangster and a flapper:

“Most likely to make you walk the plank” goes to Abby, the littlest pirate:

and her dad, John the biggest pirate:

Hannah, Josh and Ruger were voted “Most out of this world” for their portrayal of The Jetsons!

Allan was voted “Most Grit” for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn.  He is pictured with his family Zach, a gangster and Ann as Poison Ivy!

Molly was also voted “Most likely to be stuck in a box” for her original costume of a mime!

and last but not least, Nelson, Debbie and Lily are awarded “Most Creative” for their portrayal of beekeepers and their Queen Bee!

Mama and Papa also get an honorable mention for their costumes as Indiana Jones and Pam from True Blood.  They are the “Least likely TV characters to ever be a couple”.  :)

So it goes, another party in the books!  Looking forward to next year, but until then, this flapper has plenty more projects and parties to plan!

Stay tuned!