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Pink adults Halloween party drinks tray styling

Styling an adults-only Halloween party with Sainsbury’s Home

October 18, 2018

I admit it: since having children I haven’t been a huge fan of Halloween. Why? Let me present to you some of my with-kids Halloween moments from the past 8 years: 

  • Creating the world’s most reluctant pumpkin – my baby screamed from the second I dressed him in his ‘cute’ pumpkin outfit to the moment I removed him from the party

  • Coercing a trick-or-treating four-year-old to tell a joke in a stranger’s front room, only for him to burst into tears and scream, ‘I hate you all!’

  • Following his crying/shade-throwing, my offspring grabs handfuls of chocolate skulls before legging it at a speed impossible to match while dressed as an unraveling mummy

  • Bobbing for apples results in near-drowning

  • Man dressed as a ghost jumping out from behind a hedge is so scary I have to spend the rest of Halloween singing Christmas songs to calm my toddler down

  • The annual horror show resulting from two kids having eaten their body weight in sugar in approximately 10 minutes

How I sometimes feel about my kids on Halloween

How I sometimes feel about my kids on Halloween

This year, however, I’m determined to reclaim Halloween: why should the kids have all the fun? So instead of worrying about what outfits to dress them in, working out which houses are most likely to dole out spider-shaped Haribo, or wondering which apple variety is easiest to pick up with your teeth, I’ve teamed up with Sainsbury’s Home and used their excellent Halloween décor range to help me style up a scary drinks party at The Pink House, with absolutely NO kids allowed.

See bottom of the post for my Halloween party styling tips, plus click-through credits for the spooky Sainsbury’s Home stuff…Only here for the BOOS (as my black martini glass says, below)? You’ve come to the right Pink House…

Photos by Megan Taylor; pumpkin crafting by Martha Roberts

Sainsbury's Tu Pink witch costume and 'Only here for the Boo's' cocktail glass
Halloween drinks party with Sainsbury's styled in The Pink House
Glamorous Halloween party styling
Pink House Halloween drinks party
Halloween styled fireplace with pumpkins
Sainsbury's Halloween crow and pumpkins
Glamorous Halloween party styling with Sainsbury's Home
Glamorous Halloween party styling with Sainsbury's Home
Orange candles and black Sainsbury's candelabra for Halloween
No cats on this sofa at Halloween
White pumpkin with pink washi tape as a flower vase
Halloween drinks tray styling
Eat drink and be scary Halloween napkins from Sainsbury's Home
Sainsbury's Home bat chandelier mobile
Pink House Halloween
Painted multicoloured striped pumpkins
Stripy painted pumpkins in pink, orange and yellow
Emily Murray from The Pink House in a Sainsbury's Tu pink witch Halloween costume
Boo door decoration from Sainsbury's Home Halloween range
Farrow & Ball Nancy's Blushed pink front door with Beware sign
Sainsbury's Halloween cat decoration and studded pumpkin

My top 10 tips, tricks and treats for styling Halloween in YOUR home:

  1. Dress for the occasion – this will get you in the mood for some seriously scary fun – I couldn’t resist this pink sparkly witch outfit, accessorized with pink furry trick-or-treat bag in place of a handbag. The cat basket you see on my doorstep would happily hold your mobile for the evening too 

  2. Scare-way to Halloween heaven – prepare guests for their terrifying night ahead by hanging a hot pink ‘Beware’ door sign and another saying ‘Boo’, complete with gold glitter spider

  3. Create a frighteningly fabulous focal point – mine is the fireplace, which I festooned with glitter skulls and a glitter pumpkin. Add a spooky candelabra centerpiece filled with tea lights 

  4. Turn off your regular lights – and replace them with seasonal illuminations, such as the BOO lamp I styled alongside the BOOze selection (ha!), or a string of pumpkin lights . My central pendant lamp then became a place to hang this brilliant bat mobile (bat mobile! geddit!).

  5. Get some ghoulish glassware – I love these ‘I’m here for the BOOs’ cocktail glasses and these skull goblets

  6. Dress up your drinks tray – stripy straws, a pink flower-filled pumpkin (who says you can’t have a pink Halloween?) and some creepy coasters and you’re good to ghoul

  7. Choose wicked booze – my Halloween drinks selection includes a pumpkin-orange liqueur; a be-tentacled dark rum and blood-red port which guests spill on my Christopher Farr-upholstered sofa on pain of death

  8. Creepify your cushions – and petrify your prints; twist the words you see around you. My ‘Ain’t nobody got time for BAT’ cushion and ‘I think you are HORRIBLE’ perverted print help set the scary scene with just a black marker pen and a bit of tape

  9. Pimp those pumpkins – click HERE for more info on how the pumpkins you see here in The Pink House were created, and HERE for a pumpkin carving kit. Big thanks to my crafty friend Martha Roberts for all her help 

  10. Add after-dark animals – Sainsbury’s Home has a brilliant selection of creepy creatures. This large spider was too much for an arachnophobe like me, but I love the naughty tinsel cat (which paid no heed to my ‘No cats…’ cushion), and these small and large ravens. And don’t forget a glittery ghost – every good Halloween home should have one.

So there you have it – a haunted house perfect for a kid-free Halloween party!

This post was sponsored by Sainsbury’s Home - but as always, all opinions, thoughts, ideas and urges to drink blood orange martinis from glasses saying ‘I’m here for the BOOs’ are entirely my own.

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In Inside The Pink House, Living Rooms Tags Halloween, Seasonal, Not for kids, Bar, Drinks tray, Sainsbury's Home, Style it dark
← Pink House Helps...in the bathroomThe Pink House X hush →
Amara Interior Blog Awards IBA16 Best Newcomer winner The Pink House
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"Fabulous family living!"

Emily Murray founder of The Pink House Living

"Hello! I’m Emily Murray, founder and editor of The Pink House. I’m a lifestyle journalist who has written and edited for loads of different publications, including Stylist, The Guardian, Grazia, Cosmopolitan, Conde Nast Traveller, Brides, and Mother & Baby. Here I am in the bricks-and-mortar Pink House in South East London, where I live with the Pink House Husband (PHH) and our two small, semi-feral boys. Our fabulous Christopher Farr sofa is covered in marker pen and chocolate, and the Eames rocker has a few suspicious stains. Come in and make yourself at home. No need to take your shoes off." 

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Bringing your first book home to show your parents is a bit like introducing them to your new boyfriend:
😅Will they like it/him? 😅Are they just being polite? 😅Does it/he look comfortable in its/his new surroundings? 😅Will it/he stand up to scrutiny?
😅What are the chances of them flicking through it/him when you’re not looking...😳
Luckily, the first meeting of Pink House Living (the book) with the Pink House Grandparents has been a success so far. Not only did the book make itself at home on the pinkest thing in the house (this chaise in the garden room), but my dad was heard to make a number of enthusiastic-sounding noises before opining: “This one’s a keeper*” 💖
*He didn’t exactly say this, but I thought it would be a fitting conclusion to the book/boyfriend analogy. 
OVER ON STORIES: A mini tour of my rug-mad mother’s super-stylish Edinburgh home, plus her verdict on her aesthetic vs mine 😒. #meettheparents #sorryabouttheswearing #lookatthespineonthat #sexybook
A few days ago the Pink House Husband and I agreed we’d postpone Valentine’s Day until next Thursday 💝🚫. As well as the fact that this tedious lurgy should have buggered off by then, it makes lots of sense from a restaurant-finding, bouquet-pricing, babysitter-booking perspective to make February 21st our own personal V-Day. I’m thinking I might apply the same principle to Christmas - just add a couple of weeks and your present budget will stretch a LOT further 🎁💯. Anyhow, this week is exciting enough without a posh dinner and some pink (never red) roses...because this week my kitchen was included in interior gurus @apartmenttherapy ‘s feature entitled These Are Our Favorite Kitchens Ever 😊. I’ve added the link in my bio if you want to check it out. This kitchen here, which belongs to @kipandco founder Alex McCabe, was also featured. Actually, sod PHH; I think Alex’s kitchen can be my Valentine - pink, gold and gorgeous: what more could you want from a life partner?🥰.
📷: @nikoleramsay #cheatingonPHHwithfurniture
Gutted. Tonight I was supposed to be heading to a glorious Galentine’s evening at the gorgeous @whitecityhouse with top gal pal @katefaithfullwilliams to listen to @bowelbabe talk about dildos with @cherryhealey as part of a @thehotbedcollective live podcast recording 🍆. Perfect night, right? Except I’ve got girl flu which means that instead I’ve got a date with my sofa and some Vicks Vaporub 😳. To cheer me up, Emma from my fave florist @hayfordandrhodesflowers showed up with this stunner of a love-wreath for my front door (#gift). It’s for all of you, too - my little Galentine’s gift to anyone in need of a bit of love 💗. Swipe for wreath close-up 😍. Right: better get into the Lemsip before my chat runs out...🤒
It’s like @houseofhackney read my mind sometimes 👩🏻‍🎤💭. There I am, trying to find a cool, jungle-with-a-twist wallpaper for my 9yo son’s bedroom when WHAM! the kings of maximalism serve up these rolls of dino-design deliciousness 🦕🦖 - swipe for the Ecru colourway. Obviously I prefer the pink but I don’t think the progeny is going to go for it 🙄. Hell, I might just paper the walls of the kitchen with it instead! PHH is going to be absolutely THRILLED! 😃💖😃
#pinkisforpeople
[AD] What an INCREDIBLE holiday. The main aim of this, our first ever family skiing trip, was to introduce the kids to a sport me and PHH both love with a passion, and show them how much fun it could be. Mission accomplished ⛷ 😍. And that’s thanks to: excellent ski instructors (St Gervais ski school 🙌🏻); wonderful weather (loads of snow, blue skies nearly every day); and, of course, @chalet_mirabelle, which has taken what is a potentially fraught situation (first time away skiing with two young kids) and turned it into a truly magical experience for every single one of us. Yes, this is an AD, but don’t for one second think I wouldn’t have written exactly the same thing had we been paying full price. And yes, I fully intend to book the chalet for next year, no AD required. 
p.s. That is a cup of tea I’m holding #rocknroll 
OVER ON STORIES: PHH jumping out of the hot tub into piles of snow. There are other Stories but they pale in comparison. 💖
#familyskitrip #stgervais #montblanc #hottub #thepinkhouse
[AD - #guest] This seriously stylish ski lodge comes with a serious story...As a result of @chalet_mirabelle owner/designer Jacqueline’s cancer diagnosis at the start of the chalet’s build (she has thankfully now been given the all clear), wellness played a huge part in its design. From the products - which are all sustainable, recyclable and eco-friendly - to the catering, with its emphasis on local, organic and seasonal ingredients, Chalet Mirabelle is full of thoughtful touches, with the well-being of its inhabitants and the planet in mind. But that’s not where the story ends...
Having survived the c-bomb (and the chalet build) Jacqueline pledged to give back, especially to cancer and family trauma support areas. And so she has committed to giving 2 weeks’ free stay per year at Chalet Mirabelle to charitable causes, starting with the chalet as an auction lot for @maggiescentres ‘Secret Garden Party’ this March. 
It’s been an honour to stay at @chalet_mirabelle - not only because it has provided the venue for our family’s best EVER holiday ⛷🕺🏼🌭🥂 (and we still have 2 whole days left!), but also because of what it gives back to the world, in so many senses. 
Photo: @susielowephoto 💖 SEE STORIES FOR: The 9yo’s reaction to apres ski | What kids can learn after 3 ski lessons | Ski style in the 1980s 💖
It’s been a brilliant, beautiful bluebird day up here in the French Alps above St Gervais 💙. But there’s no doubt that skiing - and especially skiing with kids - involves rather a large amount of faff. Is it worth it? YOU BETCHA! Especially if you’re staying at @chalet_mirabelle [AD - #guest], where they have genuinely thought of everything when it comes to ensuring all members of the family have the best possible skiing holiday. So for anyone who’s considering hitting the piste avec progeny, once I’m back from this snowy paradise I’ll be writing a blog post sharing my dos and don’ts of a successful family skiing holiday. Speaking of which, I’m just off for a sauna before I finish the champagne I started in the hot tub earlier 🥂. The kids? Oh they’re playing with the mountains of Lego and watching Netflix in the gorgeous playroom (pic to follow soon). Haven’t seen them for hours 🙌🏻. OVER ON STORIES: Me making an apres ski tit of myself as per 🕺🏼 | Lunch with a view | The 6yo ready to ski | Sauna @chalet_mirabelle
❄️ #skiingwithkids #bluebird #stgervais #ihavethisthingwithpink #ontopoftheworld #thepinkhouse #pinkhouseliving
Life’s pretty full on right now and I have a sneaking suspicion I may have taken on too much (ground floor renovation and wall knock-through; bathroom extension building; kids bedrooms renovation; blog relaunch; book launch; kids to keep alive; Pink House Husband to entertain...etc). But I refuse to be beaten. And I refuse to be one of those constantly busy people who are always rushing around saying how busy they are (I have been guilty of this on a number of occasions). Because, as The Beatles remind us, life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans. So to ensure I enjoy the life I’m living right now, as well as the life I’m planning for, I’m currently doing the following things:
* Listening to my favourite musical soundtracks (today was West Side Story and Crazy For You)
* Dancing to said musical soundtracks in the kitchen and imagining I’m on a West End stage until someone shouts they can smell burnt fish fingers
* Buying and appreciating lots of pink tulips (see Stories for the most amazing pink-and-yellow beauties)
* Gazed at these glazed breakfast bar tiles (@bertandmay Siham tiles) which are just the perfect shade of pink and one of my favourite parts of The Pink House
* Lapping up (not literally 😳) the hilarious memes involving #fyrefestival ‘s ‘take one for the team’ boss Andy King (see Stories) 🍆
What about you? What’s giving you life this week? 
#cheatingonfashionwithfurniture #pinkhouseliving
This where I’ll be having breakfast on Sunday morning 🥐. And for the next 6 mornings after that 🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐. Except the view from the beautiful @chalet_mirabelle doesn’t look like this right now. Because the mountains around St Gervais in the French Alps are COVERED IN SNOW! ⛷☃️ Yup - me and the Pink House Husband are taking the kids skiing for the very first time, and we couldn’t be staying in a more beautiful, or more family-friendly place 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦✅. If you’ve ever thought about taking your kids skiing but were worried it would all end in tears (yup 🙋🏼‍♀️), Chalet Mirabelle could very well be the answer. I’ll be reporting from the slopes, sofa and sauna next week (I know; tough job) so you can see how we get on ⛷🛋😅
FULL DISCLAIMER: My family and I will be staying at Chalet Mirabelle as Jacqueline’s guests. Jacqueline followed me on Instagram and asked if I would be interested in staying in her brand new chalet in return for Instagram coverage and a blog post, as she thought you, my style-savvy Pink House Guests, would appreciate the place (spoiler: it’s completely gorgeous.) Even better, when Jacqueline was looking for an interiors photographer to photograph her beautiful new chalet she decided to ask The Pink House’s very own @susielowephoto out to the Chalet in the summer, so I have Susie’s beautiful interior shots to share with you, which will be interspersed by some snowy scenes when we actually arrive. I’m so excited I might cry; though it’s been 11 years since I last went skiing so let’s hope the crying isn’t as a result of a downhill race against PHH that goes badly wrong... #guest

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