Homegrown Curiosities: Party at the Bat Cave

AKA Martha Stewart on a budget

I wanted to throw a Halloween party. Maybe its because the Oct 31st of my childhoods were suppressed and ignored or if I was allowed to go door to door, it was to collect money for the church mission fund sans costumes (soooo embarrassing, I mean, c'mon, at least give me a costume that covers my face so when I'm offered candy I can hide while politely declining, saying "No, I want your money, thanks"), or maybe its the change in weather. Either way, as an adult I get an itch every year at this time to celebrate. Having just had a child put a lid on our "fun money" jar but I was determined to throw a bash even if it meant total DIY. Or in my case DIM (do it myself).

We live in a garden level condo, a fancy term for dark half basement. It was natural to think cave. Cave. Halloween. Bats. Pumpkin carving. (Not that bats necessarily carve in their caves but it seemed like a good activity in lieu of filling the place with guano.)

White christmas lights in glass vases wrapped in writing paper with cardstock cutouts.
Warning: Paper got quite warm to the touch, I wouldn't leave it on and leave the house unless you don't like your place and want to start over.

Evite was sent out, budget was set and as it turns out I could have stuck closer to it because we currently have enough salsa to take a bath in. The gamble with parties is that you never know how many are actually going to show, no matter how many respond or don't respond to your evite. You win some, you lose some and then you have chips and salsa for every meal for the next 3 days. Lesson learned. You want to learn how to get creative with chips and salsa? Call me. We'll talk.