The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current, October 02, 2023, Page 15, Image 15

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    October 2, 2023
U.S.A.
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 15
Halloween decorations get gory, and some prefer to dial it down
By Kim Cook
or some people, the scarier the better when it
comes to Halloween decorations. A zombie girl
with glowing eyes who rips the head off her teddy
bear? OK. A 6-foot-tall, chainsaw-wielding hulk who
emits bloodcurdling screams and buzzing? Trick or treat!
Decorating with scary stuff can be part of the fun.
But other people, including those with little kids, find
the aesthetic disturbing, and prefer their Halloween
without the gore.
“I want to preserve my little ones’ innocence as long as
possible, and the creepy, mischievous, evil side of
Halloween brings up topics I don’t want my child to know
about until they’re old enough to understand it’s fake,”
says Jamie Morrissey, who has three children under 3 in
suburban New York.
For those after a more dialed-down but still spooky and
dramatic look, there are plenty of decorations and themes.
Some play off of old science and wizardry, with celestial
illustrations and apothecary elements. Some take a
playfully gothic turn. There’s the traditional
orange-and-black color scheme, but no reason to stick only
to that.
(Note: As for fake cobwebs and dangling lights, wildlife
experts urge people not to put them up. Animals can get
tangled and trapped in them, leading to injury or death.)
Basic black. or a Halloween rainbow
Jessica Dodell-Feder, HGTV Magazine’s executive
editor, bleeds the color from her decorations.
“I love keeping everything black and white, then using
natural elements that have a little bit of a creepy factor
like bats, snakes, bugs, or Venus fly traps,” she says.
“Think black-painted branches sticking out of an urn;
framed faux moth specimens; black-painted faux snakes
‘crawling’ across the center of a table like a runner.”
At the other end of the spectrum, if you want to take
your Halloween a little bit ’90s, a little bit Barbiecore,
then professional crafter Kara Whitten of Austin, Texas,
has some zingy, rainbow-hued, Halloween-themed ideas
at her site, akailochiclife. She offers garlands of
multicolored pumpkins or phrases, like “Hocus Pocus” or
“I Put a Spell on You.” She has instructions for
spatter-painting faux pumpkins in day-glo colors.
F
Another craft idea that kids and adults can do together:
Submerge a few white tapers in warm water until
they’re soft enough to bend into curvy shapes. Then with a
permanent marker add facial features. Once they’ve
cooled and hardened again, you’ve got some candle ghosts
for the table. There’s a DIY video on Whitten’s blog.
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living’s senior homes
and features editor, favors fall colors.
“I’m not huge on Halloween, so I love leaning into the
season’s abundance of natural colors instead: sage greens,
burnt oranges, golden yellows, and chocolate browns,” she
says.
“Plus, when you skip the zombies in favor of fall color,
you can enjoy your decorations from the start of the season
through Thanksgiving.”
Ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, and other stalwarts
But Watson acknowledges it’s no fun to be a Halloween
HALLOWEEN IDEAS. This photo provided by Balsam Hill shows
their glitter starburst light set. The warm orange glow could set a Hallow-
een scene at an entryway or anywhere indoors. For some people, the
scarier the better when it comes to Halloween decorations. But other peo-
ple, including those with little kids, find the aesthetic disturbing, and pre-
fer their Halloween without the gore. (Balsam Hill via AP)
Scrooge, either.
She finds the handmade ghosts from Mollie Jenkins
Pottery “just the right mix of sweet and spooky.”
Jenkins is a Columbus, Georgia, ceramic artist who
found herself with a little extra white clay one fall
semester while pursuing her B.F.A. at Auburn
University.
“My mom’s always loved decorating for the holidays,
and growing up we had spooky Halloween candlesticks
along with big terracotta jack-o’-lanterns. I took a spin off
of those, creating my whimsical ghost,” she said.
Her little specters have developed a following, and sell
out every year on her site.
Decorating for a party
Inviting some friends over for a spooky soiree?
For a Hogwarts feel, hang some of Balsam Hill’s
battery-operated “floating candles” over a party table or
entry. The retailer also has stacked black pumpkin lights
with cat faces, and glittery black twig trees.
Crate & Barrel’s got a twiggy, matte-black wreath for a
mantel or door. Or create a modern Halloween village
with a few of their matte-black haunted houses.
Lauren McIntosh, an artist in Berkeley, California, has
created a collection of glassware and napkins for
Anthropologie
with
illustrations
including
a
fortune-teller’s palm, ravens, night-blooming flowers, and
mystical moon and star patterns. Also for Anthropologie,
London ceramicist Francesca Kaye has an endearing
array of bats, cats, owls, and ravens on trays, mugs,
lanterns, and a candelabra.
Dodell-Felder shares a party idea connected to the
movie Beetlejuice, which gets a new installment as early
as next year.
“I’m a huge fan of Tim Burton, and recently ended up
purely by accident at a Beetlejuice-themed bar. It had
black-and-white striped décor with neon green elements.
The drinks were served on dry ice, and they had old-timey
Continued on page 16
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