Usually, Halloween decorating isn’t typically my style. The usual Halloween decor of black and orange hasn’t appealed to me, but in recent years, we have seen retailers come up with colorful ways to celebrate this candy-filled milestone. I’ve never owned black dishes and when I found this set from Target for only $6 a dinner plate I thought I’d give it a try. Black is versatile, so I can mix the look with other seasonal colors like brown and green for fall or red and black for Valentine’s Day.

Click the pic to shop .

I set the scene with black and white buffalo check placemats, white napkins with black trim, black plates, and faux bamboo flatware (I adore this flatware because it goes with everything). Then I started looking around my cupboards for color.  A few years ago I purchased a few sets of similar glasses here when I visited my sister in New Mexico – water and margarita glasses. I grabbed them from the shelves and filled the margarita glass with Brachs Fall Harvest Mix. Here’s a funny story – when I was little I’d bite the white tip of the candy corn and try to fool my mother into thinking I’d lost a tooth.  She fell for it every time – or at least she pretended to. Try mixing it into a bowl with salted peanuts and it tastes just like a Baby Ruth candy bar.

I already had the pumpkin salad plates in my party pantry, I think I got them at the Dollar Store, but these ghost appetizer plates from Target are adorable, too. I tied the napkins with black, gross-grain ribbon I had in my gift wrap closet. Then, I hand-wrote my name with a gold paint pen on these fabulous lucite place cardholders.  I made a slit in a cream pumpkin and popped the place card inside.

Bats seem to be this fall’s latest trend. This package of plastic bats comes with adhesive dots so you can stick them everywhere. I placed one on a dinner fork and next to my place card inside the dish of candy. Try sticking them on the door or a mirror; they are fun,

What’s your favorite candy, and do you buy more candy than you really need so you can eat the leftovers?