foodie fridays: easy and elegant halloween table

{Guest post today. Please welcome Geri Wurth. Enjoy!}

Halloween has my heart.

Maybe it’s because my birthday is October 28th. But for decades now, when October rolls around, the spirit of Halloween grabs me by the throat and throttles me fully until I am under its spell of creating an easy and elegant Halloween table.

Putting up orange and purple lights in all the trees. Spearheading the St. Patrick’s School Elementary spook-house, screaming, “It’ll never be dark enough in this gym!” Sewing up an E.T. costume, complete with a red bicycle reflector for the “I’ll be right here” heart-spot. I inhaled shots of Halloween.

For 2011, however, I’m taking it easy.

The easy way out and cheap! But elegant. I still plan to create a meanish, Halloweenish table for dinner.

For this semi-macabre table, we’re going to go with black and green, with a hint of orange. The theme is for a luxe Halloween dinner table using whatever you have you around, plus a few pumpkins.

Items Needed:
– Tablecloth
– Black lace
– Black napkins
– Your own necklaces and jewelry box
– Any silver pieces you have
– One bag of Spanish moss,
– Mini-pumpkins
– Black fringe
*A chef to cook dinner

Step One:  Grab your table linens and some black lace cloth. You could purchase a yard or two of black lace (which is what I did a few throttled-throat Halloweens back) or use a black shawl that you have. (Draw the line at your lingerie).

Layer the linens. I put down an avocado green tablecloth with the black lace on top. A plain white tablecloth underneath would work equally as well.

Step Two:  Add your plates, silverware, and wine glasses. I used some green-rimmed china I have. You could use white plates or turquoise, any color that ‘sparks’ with orange.

Step Three:  Add black napkins for the creep element. I formed my black napkins into bats. Fold the napkins into a triangle, then bring the middle together with a pinch. Tie a black ribbon or bias type or yarn around the center. Viola! Les bats!

Step Four:  Go get your jewelry box. If you don’t have a jewelry box, go find any kind of hinged box. Pull out some pieces of your nicer, or at least sparklier, necklaces. Put the jewelry box in the center and fill the box with creepy Spanish moss. Add moss under your candles and around your candlesticks. Add any silver pieces you might have, such as candle holders, small vases, bowls, or trophies.

Step Five:  Arrange some min-pumpkins inside the jewelry box and around the table. I purchased these little guys at two for a dollar a week before Halloween.

Step Six:  Hang some black fringe overhead. I cut this fringe off a $3 pillow I bought at the D.A.V. It doesn’t have to look perfect.

And that’s the Six Steps to an Easy, Elegant, and Cheap Halloween Table…half the Twelve Steps necessary to recovery from a Halloween addiction!

Happy Halloween!

Geri Wurth

Conclusion: Conclude your preparations with an easy and elegant Halloween table, creating an inviting atmosphere for a spooktacular celebration.