Simple and Fun Halloween Entryway

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I’m crossing my fingers in the hope that fall has really finally arrived in Texas.

Last week it was 97 degrees one day.  Yep, that’s not a typo, 97 degrees!

Over the weekend the temperature dropped though and the weatherman smiles and says each morning the cooler weather should be here to stay.  I sure do hope he is being genuine.

Whether it has felt like it outside or not though, fall decor season is in full swing.  I love the idea of taking over my entire front entryway each fall with piles of hay bales, pumpkins, and giant mums, but I don’t love the idea of dropping a few hundred dollars on seasonal decor that will go the wayside in a month.  So my frugality wins out over my decorative dream each fall . . .

This year though I did give in a little and decided to put up a few Halloween decorations.  I typically don’t decorate for Halloween–outside of the typical jack-o-lantern–mainly because I think most of the stuff they have for sale out there is, well, kinda tacky.

But my middle son loves to embrace every holiday fully, so when he saw skeletons and gravestones in our neighbor’s yard a few weeks ago, the daily “Mom can we decorate outside for Halloween?” began.

So with all of that said, here were my goals for our front entryway for the fall and Halloween season:

1. Spend as little $$ as possible
2. Have decor that is simple and classic
3. Avoid gore and scary Halloween things (I have another one who is terrified of all things “spooky”)

Here is what I came up with:

 

 

A little color, and little height, and a little seasonal flair.

I have been wanting corn stalks for several years now (remember my decorative dream of going all out?) but have struggled to find any that weren’t $$.  This big batch of stalks was $14 at my local nursery, and while I still consider that a splurge, I had the money available and I decided this was the year to go for it.

 

 

I love how they make the doorway a bigger focal point and also draw your eyes up to the height of our entryway. I like too how they mimic the sound of rustling leaves, which helps it feel a little more like fall since we have no real leaves actually rustling or falling yet 🙂 And if I really really try, I think I might even be able to find a place in my garage to store them so I can re-use them next year.

A few pansies in my pots along with one $4 mum and two $1 plantings of liriope make up my planters.

 

 

And for the Halloween flair, my son helped me drape over our entryway the fake spiderwebbing.

 

 

Despite what I said above about how I usually feel about Halloween decor, I actually really like this stuff!  It’s inexpensive, really easy to work with, and neutral. It adds some “spookiness” without any over-the-top colors or neon-ness.

We tossed in some orange lighting around the doorway and this cute little paper bat as a final touch.

 

 

I wedged a branch I found in the yard into one of the stalks of corn so Mr. Bat could have his own “spooky” branch to hang from.

And my wreath is the one I made last year, so there was no extra cost there (click here to see how I made it).

 

 

So all 3 goals achieved!  I think I spent about $38 for everything (and that includes my $14’s of cornstalks), there’s no gore, and it’s simple.  Plus my son is now satisfied that we are keeping up with the neighbors in our festiveness.

What are your thoughts on Halloween decor?  I would love to hear.