As October 1st nears, my son’s pleas to put up the Halloween decorations reaches a fevered pitch.  He becomes more excited about Halloween with every passing year, and I’m more than happy to encourage his excitement.  He’s been counting down the days to this weekend, so I thought a little decorating plan was in order.  We have to find a way to merge my “pretty” with his “scary”- he is a 5-year old boy, after all!

We’ll get the decorating finished (started?) this weekend, but here’s some inspiration showing the way we’re headed. I’ve decided on a spooky theme this year.

What’s your Halloween decorating inspiration? Do you go for cute? Gory? Haunted?  What’s your poison?

Photo credits: #1, #4, #6 – Martha Stewart; #2 – Pottery Barn; #3, #5 – Better Homes and Gardens.

P.S. Together with Elmer’s, I’m throwing a Craft and Tell party for friends and local readers on Friday, October 7th.  We’ll be decorating craft pumpkins, and everyone will get to take home a gift pack of Elmer’s and X-Acto products!  If you are local (I live in a “pfun” location, just outside of Austin, Texas) and would like to attend, let me know in a comment and I’ll send you the Evite.  There’s not a ton of room left, so I apologize in advance if I’m not able to include you this time!

I have a running joke (with myself) that when I introduce a new piece of furniture or accessory into my home, it’s really there to audition for a role. Sometimes, the pillows just aren’t what I’m looking for or an accent chair has the wrong accent, and they don’t land the part. Other times, a table works great with the rest of the cast and gets the role immediately.

My bedroom has recently held auditions for the nightstand on my side of the bed. Before auditions took place, I had a very nice wooden nightstand with a drawer and a shelf. It is amazing quality and even has a little “touch” strip on the back, so all I have to do is touch it to turn my lamp on and off.

My original thought was to paint the nightstand black and add a new knob, since obviously it didn’t work in its brown tone.  The more I considered my options, the more I realized that this nightstand needed to find a new home in my guest bedroom.  In this particular space, I decided that it was too boxy and heavy next to the large headboard and tall yellow dresser.  It created a tight corner, and it made me feel slightly claustrophobic.

I set out to find a new nightstand, and I was looking for an actor who had two qualifications.  First, I wanted it to be round so that it would be a better balance between the straight lines of the bed, dresser, and chevrons that are painted on two walls.  I also thought it would be nice to have some glass components to give it both a modern and a lighter feel.

Okay, I guess there were three qualifications, because I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on it, either.

I spent a while looking at thrift stores, but I was never able to find anything that fit my qualifications.  About that time, I received the new Ikea catalog, and I saw a side table that could possibly work.  I brought it home to audition in the space under my window.

I found that it was too anemic for that big window and too small for my big lamp.  What if I moved it over closer to the bed?

Negatory.  It actually looks a little bit better off center like that, but it’s still not quite right.  I thanked it for it’s time and took it back to Ikea, where it will likely land a role in someone else’s home.

Several days went by, and I still couldn’t locate exactly what I needed in that space.  Round.  Glass.  Inexpensive.  Then, it hit me.  What I really needed was a vintage bar cart/tea cart.  I found a few at antique shops around town, but none of them really met the inexpensive qualification.  I finally found one that was reasonably priced, and I’m so glad that I continued to shop around until I found it.

Ding! Ding! Ding!  This bar cart absolutely perfect for this space, and I love the idea of having a nightstand that’s not really a nightstand.  It may look fragile and delicate, but this is a mid-century piece that’s very solid.  The casters and handle are a lot of fun, and there is great brass detailing underneath the rounded glass.

My only question now is what to do about her appearance.  Do I let her play her role as is since she’s a vintage mid-century modern piece?  Or, do I ask her to get a fresh cut and color (ie – a new coat of paint) for her role?  I’m considering changing the brass to a silver tone and painting the brown wooden legs a shade of dark grey or black.  What are your thoughts?

Do you ever hold furniture and accessory auditions in your home?