Sick of the common Halloween designs this year? Try out one of these three unique ways to get your property shaped up in time for the 31st - no pumpkins or cobwebs in sight!
1) Scare up the family portraits
This one tends to be a little more subtle than most Halloween decorations; but sometimes that's exactly what your Halloween party needs! Try cutting out some vampire fangs or affix some paper warts to your family portraits - on the outside of the glass frame, of course.
It's a simple way to frighten up a little bit of the Halloween spirit, and is completely temporary - perfect if you're in rental accommodation rather than your own home, or just don't want to go all out with the skulls and pumpkins this year.
2) Handmake a rustic banner
Not every Halloween decoration has to involve orange hues and skeletons. Halloween is traditionally an autumnal festival, a time to celebrate the harvest. It might be more of a summer affair here in New Zealand, but you can still get into the rustic spirit with a banner made of burlap strips.
They are easy enough to make; try heading to your local crafts store for a bolt of burlap or jute, summon up your latent creativity and start stencilling out some holiday messages with black fabric pen - even a Sharpie might do in a pinch!
3) Forget the pumpkin; go tropical
The United States is the king of Halloween, there's no doubt and that results in some complications for us here in Aotearoa. Specifically, our access to the quintessential Halloween prop: Orange pumpkins. They can be quite difficult to find, but Kiwis are well-known for their ingenuity and wry sense of humour. Take note of the latest trend: Try carving a pineapple instead of a pumpkin this Halloween!
The tough exterior and soft inner fruit makes a pineapple a perfect pumpkin replacement, and adds a Pacific twist to an Atlantic holiday. Give it a go - it'll get a laugh out of your guests if nothing else.
These are just a few of the unique ways to spook up your decor this Halloween. But if the biggest fright you've been getting this season is your mortgage repayments, make sure you get in touch with the mortgage advice team here at Squirrel!