# 2010 Romp in the Swamp - Louisiana Theme



## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

One of my resolutions this year is to create and stick to a realistic budget for my party, so I'm trying to accomplish that through a lot of organization and pre-planning. In the past I've spent a lot of money on things that inspired me, but didn't end up coming to fruition or being a big part of the final party, so I hope to change that. 

This is the thread I'm hoping to keep going with all of my ideas and updates this year. I plan to "borrow" heavily from those of you who did "Voodoo on the Bayou" and similar parties in the past 

This year's theme will be Louisiana based - I'm looking to incorporate a few different aspects:

-Mardi Gras 
-Voo Doo
-Vampires/True Blood (huge fan, had to work that in for my friends who all gather to watch it together, but didn't want to be too limiting for those who don't watch it)
-Swamp/Alligators/backwoods

I'm doing different rooms in these different themes, and since Mardi Gras is coming up I'm hoping to snag some great stuff on clearance. Turns out, the scene setters I was looking at from M&NInternational (which also does business under a thousand other names) are 40% off THIS week - I'm trying to decide if I should buy them or not. I looked at them at Party City last night, and can't decide. Anybody used them? I've had mixed results with plastic sheeting in the past, the rolls worked great, but anything folded was much more finicky.


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## mr_synical (Jul 24, 2007)

Check out some of my posts from last year. I did a similar theme. Feel free to "steal" whatever. I saw you did Alice last year, which is weird, since there's a pretty good chance I'll be doing that one this year.


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## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

I would buy lots of mardi gras beads from Party City after Mardi Gras cus they mark them down a lot. Get one of those cheap nature cds from Walmart with natural sounds from a swamp and out it on a loop. those are two cheap ideas for your party. the beads go for a bout a dollar a dozen and the cd is like $4.


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## Yubney (Sep 14, 2009)

Maybe chew on this I made on a whim with some Bag Of Bones... 

Halloween Forum - Yubney's Album: Yubney - New projects started for H10

As I was making it I thought it could go either way from my witches scene or with a voodoo. Heck maybe she will evolve into a voodoo witch? I'm going to make something similar as a purch for my owl in her shack. I was also thinking it could be used to hold tiki torch (minus the top of course).


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Great party title, Romp in the Swamp. You're off to a good start.

I've bought scene setters and some other brand of scenery before and they're okay. Most of my stuff is in the roll format which still has folds. If lighting is low you don't notice the folds and seams as much. Could you link to what in particular you were thinking of using? BTW I've used most of this stuff outside attached to fences and outdoor walls, so not sure how well it works with the recommended sticky tack indoors. You might experiment with using a hair dryer on a warm setting to see if you can release some of the folds and wrinkles before applying the tape. BTW Shindigz is a good place to look for scenery and party items.

Here's some ideas that may or may not be what you are looking for: 

Thinking of keeping the budget low, you could see how tea-stained or green-dyed cheese cloth works for you if you want to add some Spanish Moss-type hanging elements from your ceiling, lamp shades, etc. Maybe add some Great Stuff or glued on cotton balls material for some texture. Before putting it on something test it to make sure the color doesn't transfer.

If your party scene is an abandoned haunted Southern Mansion you could cover all the furniture with white sheets and use candles (real or battery powered) for lighting. If you use some lamps inside maybe connect them to an F/X lighting box so that the lamps can be dimmed and flicker. 

Cob webbing is pretty inexpensive--don't forget doorways, hallways, around mirrors. 

I always associate fine old New Orleans mansions with beveled glass windows and items like silver candlabras and cut crystal (search out resale shops like Goodwill for bargains on this kind of stuff)--just an air of elegance. 

For food in the mansion area you could always serve tea sandwiches to help stretch your food budget.

You can cheaply make some family portraits by printing out photographs, age them with a tea, and throw them in frames from places like Dollar Tree or resale shops.

Look online for some inexpensive rubber alligators. Maybe one in your kitchen sink, in the refrigerator or in a bathtub would be a fun element of surprise. Of course one coming up from a toilet would be sure to get some reaction from people--you'll definitely need another bathroom for them to use of course. And I'd probably put a sign on the raised toilet lid saying "out of order" just to be safe from drunk and oblivious party goers who really have to go. 

Back in 2005 I saw the movie THE SKELETON KEY with Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt and Peter Sarsgaard and would _highly_ recommend watching it for ideas for your party. It's set outside of New Orleans in an old run-down mansion near the swamp and hoodoo plays a big part in the movie. It's a great thriller. I picked up a copy of it at ROSS DRESS FOR LESS or BIG LOTS a number of months ago so know it's still out there being sold. You can always rent it too. Here's a link to it over at IMDB: The Skeleton Key (2005) I jumped a few times in my seat during this one  so hope you enjoy it.

BTW Yubney, the face you are making is terrific. I assume it's paper mache? That's a great, inexpensive material to learn to work with and it's amazing the kinds of things I've seen people on this forum make with it.


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## Dungeon Keeper (Jan 15, 2010)

Check oriental trading, they have lots of Mardi Gras stuff. 

How about making some blair witch creepy twig sculptures. Just some branches and twine, virtually free and a bit creepy.


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## LV Scott T (Aug 14, 2007)

Every Voo Doo Queen needs Shrunken Heads! I just posted a How-To in the Tutorials section.


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## moocheex55 (May 8, 2009)

I'm glad that Voodoo on the Bayou is "living" on!

another cheap suggestion, and what I did to get the most swampy feel but on the cheap, was dollar store leaf/lawn trashbags...cut down one side and the bottom, and then shredded and cut...throw them over thread or fishing line and they make for cool, room-darkening, stuff for folks to walk and look through...

They worked great for me and I liked the look...got lots of complements on how easy/cheap but great looking and effective my ideas were.

I also knew I needed some "real" looking plantlife around as well...watch Hobby Lobby for half off sales on floral....you can really really clean up there and get some cool branches, leaves, moss, foam, or even cattails that way!


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Love the ideas! Thanks everybody  Keep them coming!

My frustration with scene setters last year was also the folds - I ended up using table cloth rolls which worked GREAT, but fighting the folds in the actual scene setters (which were way more expensive) was too much to bear and I abandoned it. However I'm liking these sets for Mardi Gras:
http://www.partycheap.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/mgmural70.jpg
I think I might go ahead and get them, and since I'm starting early I can always roll them to store more flat for the next many months, or "press" them or something if they're really wrinkled. 

The shrunken heads will be EXCELLENT for my voo doo shop, and I never thought of moss, great idea! I don't know that I have the patience to make props like Yubney, but hopefully I can accomplish some smaller scale oddities. 

Sadly, we don't have Hobby Lobby in MN, but I've been eyeing some greenery at Michaels I might start acquiring with my 40% off card (BEST DEAL EVER - if you they ever offer the rewards card again, totally jump on it! I've gotten hundreds in free gift cards back). 

I'm hoping to start my first craft project for 2010 soon, I scooped up 4 ornate oval frames at the Goodwill, about 1' tall, just $3.99 each. I'm hoping to remove the boring farm house photo and replace them with something eerie, like Spookie was discussing  I also got a bunch of "grow animals" - those gummy things that swell up in water - I plan to put them in glass jars on the walls of the voo doo shop. $0.99 section at Michaels, I bought out all their alligators and a few other strange looking sea creatures. My family is all on the case of saving glass jars and boxes for "potions" and "ingredients"


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## Yubney (Sep 14, 2009)

HeatherEve1234 said:


> My frustration with scene setters last year was also the folds - I ended up using table cloth rolls which worked GREAT, but fighting the folds in the actual scene setters (which were way more expensive) was too much to bear and I abandoned it.


Thansk for the kudos. 

I've not used scene setters, but if they are simple paper I would suggest a can of the spray adhesive similar to the 3-M mounting junk (I think it was made by 3-M too). Once dry it makes the back tacky but not permenent. Like a giant Post-it Note.


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## alucard (Dec 1, 2008)

You can't have Voodoo without some old chicken bones for necklaces and charms, so start saving up those hot wing bones!


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## moocheex55 (May 8, 2009)

alucard said:


> You can't have Voodoo without some old chicken bones for necklaces and charms, so start saving up those hot wing bones!


oh, funny story about this!

I had been saving chicken bones from several chicken dinners throughout the summer. I would put them in a pot with water and boil them until the flesh was gone and all of the yuck had fallen off...however, one time I did this, I forgot it was on the stove...until I smelled burning chicken coming from the kitchen...as I ran to the stove, I could hear hissing and popping...well, the chicken had pretty well adhered itself to the bottom of the pot and all of the water had evaporated away...I had to throw the entire pot away...it just wasn't worth trying to scrape it off the bottom and the smell was pretty gross...

So, word to the wise - watch your chicken! LOL

I do highly recommened using real chicken bones either in jars or tied together into crosses or hanging from strings from maybe a lightfixture or something...this got a lot of comments from guests and they all gave me that "who is this person and why do I know them?" looks...PRICELESS!


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## Monroe58 (Sep 13, 2009)

I hope you don't mind, HeatherEve, but I'm doing something similar this year! We visited New Orleans last summer, my hubby grew up there, and The Princess and the Frog just inspired me more! I may be on this thread posting ideas for yours and 'stealing' some for mine!


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

The more the scarrier


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## Junit (Sep 1, 2008)

I love your title for your party. You've got a lot of good ideas already.

Chicken feet-
If you have the time and financial ability you could make a copy of Marie Laveau's grave...
Voodoo dolls can be sewn together by hand out of some cheap fabric
I like the already mentioned tying twigs or other natural things together.
Gris-gris, small pouches that are ment to have herbs or personal things like hair and nails
I heard before that things are supposed to be kept in unven numbers? Not sure if that has any truth to it or not.
Lots of bottles full of potions and mystery herbs
Shrunken heads
Dishes of things like sharks teeth and various claws
You could hang netting covered in moss over doorways or over the ceiling. mache some swamp trees...
Cob Webs, Cheese cloth, and candles are always inexpensive ways to spook your place up a bit. Someone in the craft section of the forum was just postin ghow they added mini skeletons to a mirror, that's a good idea to look into as well.


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## Monroe58 (Sep 13, 2009)

Friends,

I'm doing a similar theme (not sure of the name yet). We usually play movies in the guest room throughout our parties to give people a bit of a break and more of a quiet space. For this year's theme, we plan on: 

Interview With a Vampire
The Skeleton Key
The Princess and the Frog (early on in the night in case anyone brings their kids)

Any other ideas that are 'scary' movies based in NOLA?

Thanks!


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

True Blood! Takes place in small town of "Bon Temps", LA. Season I is on DVD now. 

One of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies has a voo doo subplot with some cool visuals. 

Deliverance is technically Georgia, but it has a creepy swamp/backwoods vibe that I think transfers to this theme


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Okay, 6 months out now, I kept thinking I'd have so much more done by now but the year has crept by. I've yet to start any decor projects, but I have been corresponding with a bunch of psychics this week to get quotes and I think I've settled on one. My plan is to have her do palmistry and tarot in the "voodoo shop", formerly our guest bedroom. It's a little quieter and out of the way, and people can wander in and out, probably in groups so they can get readings and listen to others. 

Has anyone hired a "professional" psychic before? 

I just want to make sure 1. she shows up, since it would be a huge disappointment otherwise, and 2. I don't get robbed. I've never had "talent" perform in my home before, how do I protect myself from being ripped off? I've been looking only at people with decent websites and a history of performing at corporate parties, as that gives some appearance of professionalism.


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## FracturedDS (Sep 24, 2009)

We had a Swamp and a Shack at ours last year.

FracturedDS Pirate Party Pics 2009


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

That is AMAZING. Where did you get your green camo netting stuff? we have zero foliage in our yard (and in MN it's often snowing), I'm looking for the most economical yet cool way to bring a swampy/overgrown feel indoors


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## BadTableManor (Sep 8, 2007)

The first year that I did a theme was New Orleans Voodoo. It remains, to this day, my favorite theme. Sadly, I took no pics. Here are a couple of my favorite things from it:

Made a 4 foot tall voodoo doll, made of pvc frame, wrapped in different-colored fabrics, with doo-dads, feathers, buttons, etc., sewn on. The best part was the 2 foot long wooden dowel stuck in it, made to look like a pin.

Photocopied tarot cards, strung them up individually with fishing line from the ceiling. In the dim lighting, they appeared to be floating. A big crowd fave.

To all who were willing, they randomly picked a tarot card from my hand. Next, they went upstairs, to the curtained-off hallway, where Madame Leota (well, her head at least) awaited them on a table, along with the usual fortune teller stuff, and again, hanging from fishing line, were enlarged versions of the cards, each with an explanation of what that particular card meant on the back. I made sure to leave out any "negative" cards.**

We served red beans and rice, cornbread, Hurricanes and Dixie Beer. Generally, spicy food of the region.

Yes, rent SKELTON KEY!!! The soundtrack, if you can find it, has a song called, "Conjure of Sacrifice" that's pretty chilling. Just a fantastic movie, with a great soundtrack. Also, for some strange reason, Edith Piaf's song "La Vie En Rose" had a great effect as well.

Have fun, and keep us posted! 

**Sadly, many of my guests didn't like the tarot card idea, and refused to participate. It conflicted with their religious beliefs. *sigh*.


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## bobzilla (Nov 15, 2008)

How about some creepy hanging vines ?
http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/88425-creepy-hanging-vines.html

Or Mardi Gras ?
http://www.halloweenforum.com/off-topic-stuff/88363-mardi-gras-2010-a.html


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## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

You need a big aligator prop, lots of voodoo dolls, shrunkin heads, bones, and lots of vines, I love the idea of this theme.


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## BadTableManor (Sep 8, 2007)

bobzilla said:


> How about some creepy hanging vines ?
> http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/88425-creepy-hanging-vines.html
> 
> bob, I have this tut permanently in my Favorites. LOVE it!


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## Lea32R (Oct 16, 2008)

Yay, I'm so glad I found this thread! I had several ideas for themes (Arachnaphobia, Creepy Dolls, Pirates) but my boyfriend liked a Voodoo theme best, so that's what we'll be doing. I've got plenty of time to prepare at least...and I'll be watching this thread for ideas!

I want my party to have a really creepy, old abandoned, haunted Bayou sort of feel. My living room will be the 'Voodoo Lounge'. I'm thinking of buying fake plants (long grasses) and using those, and sticking some vines to the walls, and maybe using a green lightbulb to give a sort of 'underwater' feel. I'm going to have pictures of Voodoo Loa (spirits) and offerings to them. I've started making some Voodoo dolls already. I want to get a couple of tiki-type lanterns too.

My bathroom theme will be 'The Bloody Bayou'. I'm turning my bathtub into a mini-swamp (with mud, grasses, an alligator, and hopefully a dead body!)

My kitchen will be the 'Mambo's Kitchen' (Mambo being a voodoo priestess). It will have shrunken heads, potions (including some authentic Voodoo potions, like Four Thieves' Vinegar) bones and other creepy things.

Really excited to see what other people come up with for this theme


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## Lea32R (Oct 16, 2008)

Another good film to watch for inspiration for this theme is a zombie movie called 'Venom' in which the heroine is a voodoo priestess


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## FracturedDS (Sep 24, 2009)

HeatherEve1234 said:


> That is AMAZING. Where did you get your green camo netting stuff? we have zero foliage in our yard (and in MN it's often snowing), I'm looking for the most economical yet cool way to bring a swampy/overgrown feel indoors


The Camo and fish net we used was from Vermont's Barre Army Navy and the Swedish Military Net which makes up the majority was from Command Post but they seem to be out of it.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

I hired my psychic!


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## mr_synical (Jul 24, 2007)

HeatherEve1234 said:


> I hired my psychic!


Awesome! We were gonna do that, but figured it wasn't worth the effort. I'd like to see how it turns out for you.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

My guests always ask me for costume ideas, so last year (Wonderland) I started doing some blog posts with various photos rounded up from across the web for inspiration. I just posted a preliminary brainstormed list for this year's theme (plan to do more on specific characters as the event nears, but this is to get people thinking). You can see it here:

http://www.heatherscreativelife.com/2010/04/romp-in-swamp-lousiana-theme-costume.html


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## obcessedwithit (Jul 13, 2009)

Awesome job on the witch, has she considered a boob job...lol (just kidding) Love it


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

*Invitation...*

I invite you to stop by my photo albums and look for the one referencing 
Mardi Gras/New Orleans, etc. I took a a few photos when we were stranded in the Big Easy this past January/February that may or may not give you some ideas. 
It was a blast to be there for the Saints parades and the shops that feature Voo-Doo items were to die for!! LOL Good luck and be sure to post pics as you pull it all together! Laissez le Bon Temps Roulez!! and BOO!


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Holy cow, how is Halloween this close already?!?!? I had planned to have all sorts of things done by this time (Last year I already had decorations going up), but this pregnancy has thrown a bit more of a wrench in my plans than I expected. 

I finally got started on my invitations - I went with little voodoo dolls made from felt, not very "authentic" but more of what I see a voodoo doll as in my head. I will post the photos in my forum album tomorrow (hopefully) - somehow only one will go up right now. 

I ended up using a gingerbread cookie cutter as a pattern (Wilton, 3"-4" tall), a chunk of black felt from Michaels (under $2 after my coupon) and some $0.29 felt sheets in various colors for the details. The eyes are tiny buttons from Michael's (found in the quilting dept, $2.29 & $1.99 per pack). I used old thread from some ancient sewing kit I had laying around to whip stitch the pieces together, and fabric glue for the face/button eyes/hearts. The stuffing is from an old pillow I saved, so total cost of 30 dolls has been about $7 out of pocket. 

For the "text" I made a set of cards through HeritageMakers.com (I'm a rep, so I get a discount and already had the credits). The're the size of playing cards and glossy, with a photo of a swamp on one side (pilfered from the internet - you can find it on my blog too, upper right corner) with the party title added in Powerpoint, and the reverse has the party details. I plan to stitch them loosely to the dolls, and send in 1/2 page mailing envelopes I already had. 

Next up I'm planning to make a little "sheath" of pins with flags or labels on them to use for the "voodoo" - love, pain, luck, death, etc. The sheath is necessary as my sample doll with pins stuck in it poked me about a million times already  People can assemble their own voodoo 

For addressing, I found a cute icon of a voodoo doll online:
http://www.cherrytreejewellery.co.uk/Images/Photos/Voodoo Dolls/VOodoo Doll.jpg
and printed labels using that and a creepy distressed font (Mom's typewriter - it was free somewhere, just beware that there is no "1" character, you have to use a lower case L in it's place). I'll end up hand delivering most to save postage, but still want them presented in the envelopes. 

Hopefully I'm on a roll now, lots more plans and projects to come! I'll try to get the pics up into my album soon, hope to send the invites out around the end of the month (already have a facebook save-the-date).


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Invite photos in my member album (they're in reverse order, but I can't seem to figure out how to fix them. It's early  

http://www.halloweenforum.com/members/heathereve1234-albums-2010-romp-swamp.html


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## JUSTTINK (Sep 12, 2010)

i just saw this thread and read through it. if i hadnt decided to do a dance of the dead prom type party i would so do this.
I love your ideas. and i looked through your pictures. those vodoo dolls are too cute. i have been looking at the tut on how to make the ones outta twine but still need to figure it out. 
I may try for this theme next year.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Just put in my order for Mardi Gras scene setters & accessories! I feel relieved to finally have one room started  

I got everything on this page:
http://www.giantpartystore.com/Mard...CatID/48738/blnFromPackView/0/iParentId/20934
and a few other pieces. These will all go in the living room, the first room you enter when you come in the house, which has one long wall I'm putting the scene setters on. 

I also got a couple rolls of gossamer for the vampire area - planning to do a "Fangtasia" set up at our bar downstairs, which already looks a little creepy with it's strange rock wall and archways


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Now I'm in a panic after getting NOTHING done for another weekend - only a month to go now?!?!? Being tired & pregnant has totally thrown me off my game, but I'm kicking it up a notch now and getting down to brass tacks - today I:

Ordered a red maternity dress for my costume (I'm kinda wimping out, I have a crab hat & claws, I'm going as seafood. I might add some BP oil slick to it if I end up having time/energy, but right now I'm broke and compromising. Something has to give - no need to make a costume from scratch every year - plus I'll hopefully be able to wear the dress over the holidays too, so I'm stretching my $$$). 

Bought a fun apothecary jar to be "Talbot" from True Blood - going to fill with some sort of chunky red liquid. (look here - http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/14500000/Russell-Edgington-true-blood-14587357-656-620.jpg - Talbot is the red goo in the jar, formerly a vampire). Not sure what, but I definitely want people to eat Talbot 

Called a cajun restaurant about some take out catering - I'm too pregnant and scared of seafood & spices to cook any of this.  I'm trying to narrow down a menu and thinking either a gumbo or jambalaya, hush puppies, boudin balls, and then pralines, & beignets. From the caterer. None of this works for my vegetarian friends, but I'm kind of at a loss there...

On my own I'm thinking of making andouille sausage in cajun BBQ sauce, bananas foster, and an assortment of sweets like cupcakes, cookies, fruit kabobs, etc. I want to do some of the food myself, but I just know I won't have the energy or time for the baking I've done in previous years. 

The invitations are almost done - all the voodoo dolls are made and the cards are folded, just need to finish the pins and stuff all the envelopes. I really hope to get that done tonight, and start delivering tomorrow (going to hand deliver some to save $$ - especially since the envelopes are oversized & puffy). 

My mardi gras decor and gossamer all came this weekend, and since I finished painting the nursery (for the baby, not halloween) that room is finally clear to start on the voodoo shop/psychic's reading area (I also checked in with her recently to make sure she's still alive, in business, and planning on showing up). 

Will I be able to pull this off after all?!?!?


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## pres6pak (Sep 21, 2010)

moocheex55 said:


> I'm glad that Voodoo on the Bayou is "living" on!
> 
> another cheap suggestion, and what I did to get the most swampy feel but on the cheap, was dollar store leaf/lawn trashbags...cut down one side and the bottom, and then shredded and cut...throw them over thread or fishing line and they make for cool, room-darkening, stuff for folks to walk and look through...
> 
> ...


love, love, love it!!


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## airmanjerm (Sep 8, 2009)

*Voodoo/Louisiana Theme*

Hi all, my wife and I are doing the "Voodoo on the Bayou" theme this year also. We did a "generic" theme last year, so this year having an actual theme took a little more planning. Here's what we've come up with though, and seems to be going well so far.

For the living room, we want a "bayou" setting. We went to the 99-Cent Stores and bought up tons of green and black plastic tablecloths (they're huge and you don't have to deal with cutting them). We covered the living room walls with the light green, and then over the top of that went one of the scene setters. Next, over that, is all the green creepy cloth we could find (this gives it texture). We got a couple green light bulbs at Wal-Mart, and brought in the 4 fake trees we have in the garage. Finally the fog machine and a 9:59-minute swamp sound (looped over and over) that I got on iTunes for 99 cents. Two tea-stained bed sheets from the 99-Cent Store over the two couches, some fake moss on the fireplace brick, and that's it. Total cost for the living room: $32.

For the kitchen, we wanted a rustic setting, which was kinda hard to figure out. What we ended up with seems to be a success so far: we blacked out the walls using the black tablecloths. Over the top of that I bought a gigantic roll of jute netting at an irrigation supply store (4 feet wide, roll is 250 feet long - $49. More expensive than I like, but we can use it for years. If you've got the cash and can find it, it's much less expensive than the horribly over-priced netting you get at the Halloween stores...at least, for what you get). We're using a couple blacklights and a few strands of purple "Christmas" lights to give the room a dingy but not-too-dark-that-you-can't-see lighting. My wife got clever and decided to hang tarot cards from the ceiling using fishing line so the look to be floating. We're making about 40 (cheap!) voodoo dolls - one for each person we've invited - and attaching a semi-humorous "spell" to it, matching the spell to guests and such. (Nothing evil, mostly just humorous.) We'll hang the dolls on the jute netting on one wall as a removable decoration. Aside from the jute netting, total cost for the kitchen was $28: tarot cards were about $14, voodoo doll supplies were about $8, tablecloths were $6. 

Rest of the house is just standard/generic decorations. My wife was a caterer in southern MS for nearly 10 years, so we've got the southern food down. Still deciding on a signature cocktail, but I'm thinking something like a spiked lemonade. (It's the South, yall! lol).

OK enough of reading my crap here...lol. Just some ideas, please steal away! I'm gonna peruse this thread again for more ideas!


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## Twynlyn (Oct 12, 2010)

*Voodoo on the Bayou True Blood style!!*

I'll also be borrowing the Voodoo on the Bayou theme for Halloween with a True Blood twist. I just love the show and was so lucky to have won a grand prize earlier this year where me and guest got to fly to Los Angeles and attend the True Blood Season 3 premiere and after party at Boulevard 3. It was AWESOME and meeting the cast was unbelievable!!!

Anyways...I love all the ideas on here...you guys/gals are great!! Some ideas that I have for my Halloween party are:

I'm gonna have the walkway from the garage and leading to the front porch decorated with pallets like walking on a dock. Inside the pallets I'm running strands of green lights to look like a swamp underneath. I will have green floodlights above and replace the bulbs on my porch with green ones. My wood deck wraps around the front of the house so there is lots of area to cover for my bayou/swamp scene. I've ordered 16 pounds of long draping spanish moss which I have hanging down from the covered porch and everywhere else I can put it  I also have lots of branches and weeping I'll willows branches with leaves that will decorate the porch. 

There is a pond down the street (I live in the country) that has a lake with lots and lots of cattails. I'll be transplanting a bunch of them into the rock bed along the house. 

There is going to be a cemetery scene with tombstones that pay tribute to the departed on True Blood (i.e. Franklin Mott, Talbot, etc.) and a ground fogger against green lights to really set it off. 

I'm covering the windows with green cellophane to make it even more "swampy" 

On the porch I'm making my own fireflies by hanging mason jars with wire, battery operated twinkle lights and moss inside. 

I'll also have "hillbilly" windchimes made from budweiser cans. 

Music playing will be bayou nature sounds. I'm covering a kiddie pool with black garbage bags and filling it with water. A plastic alligator will be floating inside, and the outside with be decorated with moss, twigs, rocks etc. A small fountain pump inside will keep it bubbling. 

I've made a bunch of fake wood signs by cutting out carboard and painting it to look like wood. On them I've got sayings like "alligator crossing", "bayou shack" "ice cold beer", "swamp tours" "fishing bait/tackle", etc. and a huge one to hang over the door that reads "Welcome to Bon Temps" Lots of plastic spiders and bugs hanging from netting on the walls and snakes wrapped around the deck railings.

Inside I'm turning the living room into Fangtasia. The doorway going into the livingroom will be covered with red fringe and a Fangtasia sign made out of foam core board hanging above. Red fabric over the couches, windows etc. and red lights in the lamps. Red candles on glass trays with red marbles. I'll have True blood episodes playing quietly on the television as background noise. 

The kitchen/dining room will be turned into Merlotte's with deer antlers etc. around. The chandelier will be replaced with black lights and the kitchen lights will be dimmed. I've made a giant Merlotte's sign to hang over the entrance from the livingroom. The bar will be set up with pilsner beer glasses with Merlotte's stickers on them, and bottles of True Blood both real ones and ones that I used True Blood replica stickers on Jones soda bottles. Also making "True Blood Margaritas." Food will be southern and making red velvet cupcakes and mississippi mudcake in the crockpot. Music playing will be Blues and soundtracks like "Black Snake Moan." 

In the hallway I will have a table set up as a voodoo alter with skulls around the mirror and candles, gris gris bags, mardi gras beads, feathers, chicken bones, homemade voodoo dolls and rubber chicken feet. On the mirror it will read "Beyond here lies nothing" for the True Blood fans. 

The bathroom will be mostly plain except a few halloween props which I'm not sure of yet and pieces of paper on the walls with quotes from the show. 


And more stuff to come...


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

True Blood is a huge part of why I picked this theme! Too bad I'm so jealous of your prize, otherwise we could probably be friends 

Our "Fangtasia" will be in the basement, where we have a a weird gothic finish on the walls already and some strange archways, along with a wet bar that's all done in black vinyl. I'm using red gossamer to cover the walls, and borrowed some red lights to string around behind it. Also printed a bunch of cast photos & the like to hang all over the walls, for example a big photo of Ginger with "Employee of the Month", Pam as "Manager on Duty" and Erik as "Proprietor" or something. I got a big glass apothecary jar to fill with strawberry or raspberry compote - the jar is getting a "Talbot" tag and the topping will go on cheesecake and pound cake. If I have enough time, I'm hoping to make a "scarecrow" of the burned up Russell out of a foam head & stuffed clothes, and chaining him with silver to one of the posts in the basement. 

Front yard will be Bon Temps Cemetary - I'm repurposing a Halloween arch into the cemetary gate by adding a sign to the top of the arch, and repurposing old tombstones with names of characters who have died (Eggs, The Compton Family, Renee, etc). I keep tossing around the idea of a fairy pond, but we'll have to see. Being 7 months pregnant has cut down the amount of projects I can get done


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

I think I've finally narrowed down my menu, and assuming that it all works and I can stay awake long enough to pull it off (7 months pregnant, remember), here are my preliminary menu plans:


"REAL" Food: 

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

Crawfish Gumbo

Cajun pork sandwiches

Hush puppies

Cajun potato wedges*

Confetti rice* 

Cheddar biscuits*

Veggies & creole mustard dip*

denotes vegetarian dish

And the SWEETS: 

Bananas foster & Strawberry compote, to serve over 
Mini cheesecakes, Pound cake, and Vanilla ice cream
Mardi gras cupcakes
Sweet potato pie
Pralines
Beignets


What do you think? It will be partially catered, and partially prepped by my loving hands, and of course subject to vetoes and adjustments as the party nears, but I think I have a pretty good spread going! Two things I've tried to improve on each year are: 

#1 focusing more on food than sweets, though everyone loves the sweets and I feel more confident making them, it's the non-sugary dishes that really go first, 

and

#2 really spending time crafting the menu according to the theme. This was a little scary with Cajun cuisine, which I don't think I've ever tasted, but I think this could work! And I even managed to find some good vegetarian options for my meat-challenged friends!  

Check another big item off my planning list!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

I think it sounds absolutely yummy! and I'm sure no one will go home hungry. 

Not that you need it but if you decided to add an appetizer you could do chicken cubes on picks with a dip and call them "Gator Bites". 

If you're going to serve coffee, you might want to see if you can find coffee with chickory. When we were in New Orleans chickory coffee was served in a lot of places. If you have trouble finding it locally, there are a number of places that sell it online. BTW chickory alone does not have any caffeine in it.


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## bettyboop (Jul 24, 2010)

Mardigrasoutlet.com is a great website for less expensive Mardi Gras items. I'm doing a "Ghoulish Mardi Gras" this year and I purchased 35 lbs of beads (a h... of alot of beads) for $40 bucks. I don't know what I am going to do with all of them. 
On another note, apparently my guests are having a hard time with costumes.


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## Twynlyn (Oct 12, 2010)

Awwww..I'm sure we could be friends anyways being that we are both such huge True Blood fans!!  LOVE your Talbot dessert ideas, that's gonna be a bit hit! Also the pictures of cast members around the room. I thought of a fairy pond idea too, but already have waaaay too much to plan as well. Maybe if you have a guest bathroom with a tub that guests will be using, you could turn the bathroom into a fairy scene by filling the bathtub and tinting the water a blue or green color. Have floating candles lit in the tub and some kind of "lilly pad" things floating as well. Dim the bathroom and put up twinkle lights. Some fake greenery and vines around the room would be great too. Possibly some of those fake fairly wings you can buy in the costume dept. hanging on the walls, or make your own by shaping pipe cleaners into wings and cover with green cellophane and glitter glue for detail? 

I'm looking to make an arched Bon Temps Cemetery sign too for my grave yard, as well as the names of departed cast members. 

Great ideas girl!!  The food sounds awesome too!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

"Bon Temps Cemetary", love the name! I'd love to see a pic of your sign when you finish it.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Bettyboop, you can send your guests to my blog for costume ideas - on the right hand side I have links to all my posts on Louisiana-inspired costumes (and I'm adding more all the time). 

http://www.heatherscreativelife.com


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Started my shopping! 

Got all my mixers (coke 2 ltrs on sale for $1 at Target this week, Pepsi are $1 at Cub, in case anyone else is cheap like I am and trying to catch the best deals , some of the dry ingredients, and ordered the catered items that I'm too scared to cook. The goal this weekend is to get the Mardi Gras decor up in the living room, and clear out the basement so I can start working on Fangtasia!


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## bettyboop (Jul 24, 2010)

You were a wealth of information, HeatherEve1234.
Thanks so much for sharing your blog with me. I will pass along to my friends. My husband and I are going as King and Queen of the Dead at our Ghoulish Mardi Gras party.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Today I spent 9 1/2 hours decorating one room - the living room/Mardi Gras scene. I'm EXHAUSTED, and I know I'll regret it tomorrow, but I'm so glad I got as much done as I did...now if only I had a few more weekends before Halloween!

If anyone is thinking of doing the Mardi Gras scene setters, 

http://www.giantpartystore.com/Mard...CatID/48738/blnFromPackView/0/iParentId/20934

I think they worked really well. I did both of the giant background rolls and all 3 of the accessory kits. For the background rolls I used blue painter's tape and things seem to be holding well - the static cling helps too 

I hadn't read the fine print, so I was expecting the accessories to be die cut, but they are not - they're printed on large clear sheets of plastic and you have to cut each one apart. It's time consuming, but not awful. the static cling actually lets you sort of try out hanging them on the backdrops, and when I was sure of where they'd go I used double sided tape to affix them to the scenes.

My favorite by far are the "revelers" set - drunken frat boys hanging off the balconies, adorable!


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## Twynlyn (Oct 12, 2010)

Wow Heather!! Where do you get all the energy??? Your menu sounds really yummmmmmy! I've decided on a much smaller menu since guests will also be bringing side dishes and desserts.

My menu is:
Mini Grilled Shrimp Po'Boy Sandwiches
Andouille Sausage Jambalaya
Chicken and Okra Gumbo
Salad
Olive and cheese tray

Mississippi Crockpot Mud Pie
Red Velvet Cupcakes

For the drinkers....
True Blood Margaritas
Green Candy Apple Martinis
Beer/Wine/Jones Sodas

















HeatherEve1234 said:


> I think I've finally narrowed down my menu, and assuming that it all works and I can stay awake long enough to pull it off (7 months pregnant, remember), here are my preliminary menu plans:
> 
> 
> "REAL" Food:
> ...


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## Twynlyn (Oct 12, 2010)

I'll be posting pics after the party 




Ghost of Spookie said:


> "Bon Temps Cemetary", love the name! I'd love to see a pic of your sign when you finish it.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

I'm not doing it all myself this year - I'm 7 months pregnant and just don't have the energy, nor do I have a lot of know how with cajun food, so I found a caterer and outsourced the jambalaya, gumbo, pralines, beignets, and hush puppies. HUGE load off my shoulders


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Wow, Heather, I am impressed. I can't imagine having to pay a caterer, too.


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## Twynlyn (Oct 12, 2010)

That's awesome you found a caterer. I don't think I could find one in my area that knows how to make cajun food. Thank goodness for Zatarains!! Hehehehe 





HeatherEve1234 said:


> I'm not doing it all myself this year - I'm 7 months pregnant and just don't have the energy, nor do I have a lot of know how with cajun food, so I found a caterer and outsourced the jambalaya, gumbo, pralines, beignets, and hush puppies. HUGE load off my shoulders


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## jujomax (Oct 1, 2009)

Ugh!! Now I have a craving for hush puppies!!! Lol!!


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

I'm pretty officially freaking out now, having SO MUCH that I know will not get done that I had high hopes for (not that my guests will ever know, but still). I worked my @$$ off this weekend and definitely have the living/dining room (Mardi Gras) area done, which is the first/main room of the party, and the nursery is now a voodoo shop where our psychic will be doing readings. The hall, bathroom, and kitchen may or may not get decorated this year - the first year they were not, but last year they were, so of course my standards are higher each year...but my pregnant body can't keep up 

The food is all ordered or planned, with all the pre-shopping done and a comprehensive list for Thursday's perishables. I have friday off work to bake & clean, the goal for the next 3 weeknights is to finish the basement and front yard (though it's supposed to rain/snow all week! aack!) and maybe put in a little time on my costume. 

I attempted to work on my basement yesterday during my 7am - 10pm marathon work day, only to find I was out of staples. Regular plain staples I needed, and couldn't find. So instead I slapped together my costume awards - 

http://www.heatherscreativelife.com/2010/10/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccc.html

I made small voodoo dolls for the invites, and went with these larger (14") ones for the awards. I didn't have to make them from scratch, they were muslin doll bases from Michaels, found in the clearance bin for $2.99 each. I adorned them with button eyes, felt and string hair, stitched and glued some rudimentary "clothes" and then stabbed them with bright colored pins. For the couple/group I stitched the two dolls together and dressed them as if Siamese twins. The sashes are just ribbon, and I printed the words on my labelmaker and slapped the title on each. Not my best work, but I think it gets the point across  Also they were cheap, and I knocked them out in a few hours, so another big thing off my list. 

I'm feeling MEGA guilty about not doing goodie bags this year, but I just don't have the time and money. Last year these were a major focus and I baked for DAYS to fill them with homemade treats...oh well. Times change


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Whew! I survived my party, and though we always have things that we wanted to do but didn't get to, I'm still happy with how everything turned out. 

- We had more guests than ever - 40 this year (in my tiny 1940's house), and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. 

- I totally blew my budget by almost 70% over (oops). Breaking it down, I did okay on decorations, entertainment, and invites, but I spent more than 3X what I intended on food. In the end though, we didn't have that much left over, so portion wise I'm getting better (I just chose way more expensive food this year, and had a lot of it made by catering places due to my "situation" 

- At 7 1/2 months pregnant, I'm pretty proud of what I pulled off - I'm just starting to do the recaps on my blog, starting with my costume saga:

http://www.heatherscreativelife.com/2010/11/romp-in-swamp-louisiana-halloween-party.html

I'll be adding a post daily for the next few weeks, including photos of our amazing guest costumes, our voodoo doll invitations, the food (including some recipes), and the decor in each of our areas - Mardi Gras, Gator Farm, VooDoo Shop, and Fangtasia Vampire Bar.


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

I will be checking your blog for more photos. I am so amazed that you did all this so late in your pregnancy. Sounds like a great time!


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Thanks everyone! Today I posted about the decor in our main bathroom. I actually traded some items with another forum member who did bayou last year and was going to do Wonderland this year, so the blow up gators are from mr_synical. I printed the signs at work, used $10 in burlap, $3 in growing alligators and $3 in gator heads, scooped up the rope lights when they were on sale at Menards for $4.99 last week, and the green bulbs I think are around $5 a piece (I use them year after year). I had some trouble with 3M hooks popping off the walls when we got a cold snap (first time I've really had trouble, I use them for everything else) so I ended up putting in a few thumb tacks at the last minute. It was a pretty effective and fun room for under $50! 

http://www.heatherscreativelife.com/2010/11/romp-in-swamp-louisiana-halloween-party_03.html


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## mr_synical (Jul 24, 2007)

Glad I was able to help. We used some of the stuff you sent us as well, which you may be able to see in the pics I posted. Mainly some of the teacups/pots, some of the hang-y things & the flamingoes. got a ton of compliments about the teacups/pots, which we totally credited to you. Thanks again.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

I'm a little behind in my posts about this year's party (keep having one tech problem after another) but I'm working on them! Today I got up some recipes for Louisiana-themed dishes:

http://www.heatherscreativelife.com/2010/11/romp-in-swamp-louisiana-halloween-party_16.html

and earlier this week I posted some of the guest costumes with Mardi Gras themes:
http://www.heatherscreativelife.com/2010/11/romp-in-swamp-louisiana-halloween-party_10.html

If you click on the "NOLA" tag you can see all the posts related to this year's party, and I promise I'm working on more so you can see the rest of the decor and awesome costumes.


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

Took me way too long (got distracted by giving birth) but I finally finished writing up the details of my party on my blog - list of posts (all hyperlinked) are in the upper right of the blog, there are photos in each post, a few recipes, etc.

http://www.heatherscreativelife.com


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