Halloween is in the air! Your favorite magazines are probably filled with lots of great ideas right now. Here are some great Halloween decor ideas & tips that are simple to do and easy on the budget. Sprinkle Halloween touches throughout your home, or choose a specific theme to decorate around, such as Gothic, zombie party, monster mash or Nightmare Before Christmas. A few pumpkins on the porch and some spiderwebs in the living room are an easy, cost effective way to set the right mood

Gothic Look – Go for a Gothic look by using lots of black tablecloths, dead flowers, candelabras with black candles with lots of wax drippings, and some black birds perched on frames and light fixtures. Look to Martha Stewart Halloween magazines for more ideas on decorating in a Gothic style. You can pick up lots of items at a thrift store that will enhance your theme. Be on the lookout for things like black sheets and tablecloths, vases, candelabras and even Halloween decorations.

Scary Graveyard – A graveyard set up in your front yard sets a great tone to your party as guests arrive. Make Styrofoam headstones, a cardboard coffin and a fog machine if you can get your hands on one. You can make your own gravestones with Styrofoam and spray paint from a craft store. You could also hang a stuffed body from a tree to add to the spooky effect.

Thrift Store Delights – Head to your local thrift store to pick up lots of decorations on the cheap. Black sheets, candelabras, and assorted items can be spray painted black to give it a spooky look. You might find lots of great Halloween decorations and props at a thrift store during October. If you are short on storage space, just donate everything back to the thrift store after Halloween!

Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas – The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite themes for Halloween. If you feel the characters are too limited, you could expand the concept and encourage your guests to come as their favorite Disney character. This idea works great for couples too, as there are lots of fun Disney couples to dress up as. Mickey & Minnie Mouse Costume, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, and of course Jack Skellington and Sally.

Use these ideas to spark your own imagination. Most important of all, get your costume in time for your party. There isn’t much time left, so order your Mouse Costume, Minnie Mouse Costume or choose from thousands of others at the largest online Halloween store. Halloween’s coming, so be ready!