Celebrations

First, you have to buy or make some fake blood, of course. We trust you don't have plans to use the real thing!

There are dozens of recipes for making your own inexpensive version of fake blood. One ultra-simple recipe uses a tablespoon of water added to 3 tablespoons of corn syrup. That will serve as a good base. Then add red food coloring for bright, fresh-looking blood. For an aged or deep cut look, add a bit of blue. This type will work well on fake facial or arm cuts.

Decoration Props

Decoration props sit, hang or otherwise remain stationary. They can decorate inside or outside the home.

Standard round gravestones make for a great prop to use for a front yard cemetery. But even cooler are the centuries-old Saxon Cross tombstones that really add a sense of style. Anything that evokes a time long gone by fits right in with Halloween, which had its origins in the Middle Ages.

Which makes for the best Halloween mask may be a matter of personal taste. But the following categories keep coming back year after year.

Superheroes and Villains

Whether it's the Joker thanks to a recent Batman movie or the latest TV show, superheroes and the villains they conquer are always near the top of any list.

It's not just the associations with popular characters that does the trick, though. Just think of all the cool makeup possibilities with someone like the Joker. He's gone through several variations from TV and films from the past 50 years. Superhero masks offer an outstanding way to avoid that trouble, though. Pop it on and you're ready to party.

Thanks to the Internet, you have hundreds of Halloween sound effects at your disposal. You can download MP3s, wav files and more that cover the entire range of options.

Suppose you plan to build a graveyard scene in your front yard. You've lit the scene and now you're ready for the final touch. Just think of all those camp horror movies with the about-to-be victims skulking through a darkened cemetery. What do they play in the background? A loop of ghoulish organ music would be the perfect choice.

Miniature Coffins

As tiny props around the candy bowl, hung on the front door frame or sitting in a window sill, coffins only six inches long makes a great decoration. They can be filled with flowers, candy or dolls to complete the picture.

They're also super easy to make. Just use your favorite drawing program on the computer and make the classic coffin shape. This is the 'toe pincher' style in which the overall shape narrows at the bottom and top, with a wider section in the middle.

Halloween is more fun than ever.

The baby shower date has finally arrived! So much has already been accomplished, yet there is still so much to be done. By now, the guest list should be stable, the location should definitely be confirmed, and the food, shower decorations, baby shower favors and cake should have already been purchased or at least ordered