photo Courtesy of Susan V. Philips

It’s always at the last minute that I decide to join in on Halloween festivities. As one of my co-workers pointed out, it is the only day of the year when it’s not only acceptable, but generally encouraged to dress up.  Just in case you were wondering, there’s a Superman, Ugly Betty, Han Solo, and Lady Deathstrike roaming around the office today.

In case you are less inclined to don a disguise this eve, perhaps you would prefer to dress up your home.  Smaller more intimate home Halloween parties are a fun way to showcase your creativity with freaky finger foods or charming crafts.

Maybe you are full of imagination and handy to boot.  For most of us, googling tips on line is the way to go.  Or, if you happen to have access to professional advice, all the better.  I’m happy to share some ideas from Susan Philips, a professional interior decorator who runs her own business, Spotlight on Decor, and also teaches a Real Estate license accredited home-staging course. Ms. Philips put together an impressive Halloween stage together last year for Ottawa’s City Hall.  She offers a couple of uncomplicated crafts for the home hobbyist to make and use to dress up the home.

Perhaps it’s the nostalgic factor that’s really the big draw; memories of decorating your grade school classroom, chomping on candy apples, pumpkin carving with one of those safety knives and scooping out sticky, stringy pumpkin flesh, then eating the baked seeds - Enjoy!

Photo from The Globe and Mail website