Hosting a Halloween party

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Halloween is just days away, but Andrea Goodwin has been prepping her home since Oct. 1.

"I've been decorating like a fiend," said Goodwin, a Sterling Ridge resident in The Woodlands. "It's my favorite holiday. When I was little, it was a happy memory of being able to dress up for that one day, be whatever you want to be, get creative and use your imagination. As we get older, we kind of lose that. I don't want to lose that."

Décor on a dime
Goodwin has some great ideas for decorating on a budget.

"I create a bat wall," she said. "Get some black construction paper and cut out bats; it's less expensive than buying pre-made shapes. I also create spiders crawling up the wall.

Here's another tip. You know you see the hologram, scary old pictures at the dollar store in a cheesy frame? I pull the hologram out and then I frame it in a black frame, and I create a collage on the wall with all the holograms and creepy pictures, so it looks like you're looking at a family in this house.

Use cheese cloth to make webs. You can reuse it every year. I like to string it up and put my hands through it to make it look like something's trying to get out of it. If you have any old pictures from your childhood, like from back in the day of black and white or sepia, create holes in the cloth and put the pictures in. It creates a creepy, haunted house effect."

Delicious drinks
Jason Mandeville, lead bartender at The Woodlands Resort shared a cocktail that is "wickedly delicious."

The Robard's Monster Mash is a playful twist on a bourbon smash, he said.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz bulleit bourbon
• 1/2 oz cointreau
• Teaspoon black cherry preserves
• basil leaf
• Splash orange juice
• Splash ginger beer

"Creating a themed cocktail is about illustrating an event or holiday with the right colors and flavors," Mandeville said. "Trial and error is the best method in my opinion. Just get creative and have fun."

Tasty treats
Halloween cupcakes and cookies begin with a fairly simple recipe that most folks can handle. It's what on top that makes the difference.

Jennifer Boudreaux of Over the Top Cake Supplies said the most common question they get this time of year is how to pull off an authentic black or orange icing.

"Our tip is to make frosting a few days ahead of time so the color has time to develop," she said.

For black frosting, begin with a chocolate icing before adding black food coloring – but not the runny, liquid food coloring you find at the grocery store. Opt for a gel-based liquid instead.

For orange frosting, begin with vanilla icing. For an authentic pumpkin color, Boudreaux recommends adding a drop of red coloring and a drop of orange.

And don't be afraid to top those cupcakes with trinkets such as plastic ring toppers, holiday-themed sprinkles, candy in the shape of skeletons and such.

Take it outside
If you'd rather enjoy Halloween outside, there are plenty of options in The Woodlands, including pumpkin patches, Trick or Treat trails, haunted paths and more. You can find it all on the Woodlands Online Halloween Guide.

Whatever you choose to do, just remember this.

"Have fun with it," Goodwin said. "Halloween is about having a good time, getting together and celebrating life."

#HalloweenParty

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