Better Home & Gardens Halloween Decoration Ideas

from the editor

TREAT YOURSELF! We're ready to embrace the spooky time of year more than ever! Whether you want to deck out your kids in cleverly crafted costumes, page 46, or carve (or paint!) the best pumpkins on the block, we have the latest ideas for you. Take notes from homeowners who go all out to capture the frightfully fun season for their families. Check out thrifty outdoor decor ideas, page 38, that will please your neighbors—and fit your budget. Indulge your artistic senses by building your own Halloween gingerbread house, page 22, complete with twisted trees and flying cookie bats. These pages are packed with ideas for decorating, food, parties, and more. So mix up one of our sinister cocktails, page 56, then sit back and enjoy the tricks and treats of the season! EDITOR…

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modern masterpieces

WHIMSICAL CHARM Capture a tidbit of Henri Matisse's brilliant palette. Tissue paper cutouts in a mix of bright colors and abstract shapes, opposite, create an energetic stained-glass effect. To get the look, start with a white pumpkin (natural or painted). Cut a variety of large geometric shapes—don't worry about perfection. Paint the pumpkin with a 2 to 1 blend of Mod Podge decoupage medium and water; apply tissue paper shapes so they are close but don't overlap. STRIPE CONTRAST The juxtaposition of curves and straight lines is a modern art staple. Tidy ribbons of color, above left, contrast the pumpkin's irregular contours. Trace around a bowl for the circle and use electrical tape to block out stripes to paint. MARBLED BUBBLES Give a bubble-painted gourd a marbled effect, left. Delicate bubbles stick to a white-painted…

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