Indoor Halloween ZSHUZSH !!! (Can it be tasteful and not tacky?)

I still have two small children at home, so there is always a battle with them to make our house festive for Halloween...but not too bloody and gross and scary...and, MOST important, NOT ridiculously tacky.

So...can Halloween decor be tasteful and NOT tacky?  That is always the question that pops into my head every October.  Below is my attempt at tasteful Halloween decorating...

In my foyer,  I added a spider my son made in preschool to the lampshade and a pumpkin painted on a small canvas by my daughter in Kindergarten.

Also in the foyer, I added a smallish white ghost candle given to me years ago by a student...simple.

Next to my kitchen table, I pieced together this Halloween inspired wreath.  This wreath has been everywhere in my house...most recently on my front door with a 4th of July ribbon.  I brought it inside...added a glittery spider and a polka dotted ribbon to hang in between my windows.  Easy and REpurposed.

In the family room, I added this simple twig pumpkin I bought at Home Goods.  Again, I zshuzshed it up by adding a burlap ribbon that has spider webs embroidered on it.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's all in the details and finishing touches.

In my dining room, I added these three silver pumpkins on my sideboard.  Scary?  Nah.  Cute?  Yah.

Apple green adds a punch of color with this glass hurricane filled with Granny Smith apples.

Another spider hanging from a lamp shade in my living room...this one was made by my daughter in preschool.

Decoupaged plastic pumpkin made in Kindergarten at the school party...not terribly gaudy, but borderline.

Green glass pumpkin placed in my living room as a subtle touch of FALL...

This spider was hung by my son as his touch on Halloween.  I couldn't deny his attempt of "decorating"-- it warmed my heart...I'm such a sucker for a little zshuzshing.

Kitchen zshuzh included glittery skulls buried in mini pumpkins and spiders all set in an antique bread bowl.  This is one of my son's favorites, of course.  Almost scary...but not.

Another favorite of his, glittery skull surrounded by spider and bat rings placed in a cake dome.  Eeek!

I think everyone should have a FABULOUS candy bowl.  I got this glittery number at The White Rabbit a few years back.

 I added this witch hat I used to wear at Halloween for my students to zshuzsh it up a bit more...

A few more glittery skulls were added to this antique silver platter that always sits on my coffee table in my living room.  It usually holds this fleur de lis finial, green moss balls, cream pillar candles, and mother of pearl buttons...I just switch out a few of the items for the upcoming holiday.  

This console table in my family room holds all of the keepsake items my kids have made for me over the years that I have not (stealthy) thrown away.  I affectionately call it "The Grave Yard"--fitting title for Halloween, eh?

Front to back:  Day of the Dead inspired clay skeleton standing in a glittery Coke can bottom, scary coffin with red glitter glue as blood, white pumpkin stem tree landscape art, brown paper bag twisted tree, and the painted and super stuffed paper bag pumpkin.  Sentimental, I know.

And, of course, the creme de la creme...the traditional plug in PLASTIC lighted pumpkin.  Everyone MUST have one of these!!!  Tacky, but a tradition.

Go ahead and zshuzsh something this weekend.  You'll feel so much better.  Promise.