Can't Trick or Treat? Make a Halloween Party Table!

It’s getting late and close to Halloween but here is a Halloween tutorial!  Two little Halloween party tables.  Many years ago I used to make and sell miniature party tables.  These were small occasional-size tables with themed party items on the top.  I would sell them at a miniatures shop – “Through the Keyhole” in Dallas (before Ebay, before Etsy…).  The owners, Gayle and Dorothy Harrison (mother and daughter) owned the shop which was housed in a very unique rustic, even Hippie-type indoor craft mall called “Olla Podrida” (old rotten pot?) in Dallas.

I miss those days and that wonderful shop.  But before I get to the Halloween tables, here are a few of my original (1980s era) party tables.  Note that the first picture below was taken probably with an old camera with 110 type film (grainy and you can’t see details).  I loved putting lots of little details on the tables -- there are tiny rhinestone rings in the center of the birthday tables!  I also used a lot of glitter.  This was before we all had cameras in our phones – and actually before anyone had a cell phone!! (I’m showing my age!)

Here are a few more taken when I had a better camera (but still a camera, not a PHONE camera!)

But – on to the tutorial…
To make the basic skirted table, you can download these instructions.

For the Halloween decorations on each of the tables, see instructions below.

Table #1 (purple overskirt and orange underskirt)

Jack-o-lantern on a pedestal – this was a “Christmas Village / Halloween Village” resin Jack-o-lantern (not lit).  I added some details with paint and two seed bead eyes so they would “pop out”.  I added some leaves to the stem and moss to the base and a few candy sprinkle orange balls.  The pedestal is a metal miniatures item, #441 (fruit bowl and stand).  I painted it a tan color.

Cake – this was a purchased cake sitting on a pedestal made from a cardboard circle and a bead cap for the base.

Witch’s Hat – I don’t have a pattern for this.  I just rolled up a small square of giftwrap paper in a cone shape to the size I wanted and cut it off straight at the bottom.  I glued it to a circle of black painted index card then wrapped a piece of green silk ribbon around the base.  I topped it off with a silk ribbon bow and a gold oval doll buckle.  Don’t use construction paper – it does not age well and will fade in a year or two!!

Jar of eyes – this is a small vial (maybe a canning jar – Farrow Industries?).  The lid is a Halloween scrapbooking brad with the long tabs cut off.  The eyes are white seed beads with small black glass no-hole beads glued into the holes.

Candy cups and banner – see pdf file attached HERE – you can download and print the designs for the candy cups and flag banner.  The candy cups have thread handles (purple and orange thread twisted together) and are filled with Fimo lollipops, Fimo candy sticks and orange and yellow candy (cake decorating) sprinkles.  The sprinkles and Fimo candy are all sealed with a Fimo sealer but you can also use clear nail polish.  This protects the candy sprinkles from attracting insects.

Note that there is an extra pattern on the pdf file that was not used on either of these tables.  But it would make a cute bag of candy with a Halloween label – foldover type label.

Table #2 – Green top
Table Runner – instead of a square tablecloth I made a table runner for this one.  I cut a green fabric strip about 1-1/4 inch wide by about 4 inches long and cut it to a point at both ends.  I glued it on the tablecloth then trimmed the sides with silk ribbon and the front with some “buds and bows” type trim (sometimes called “rococo” ribbon trim) – look on Etsy or Ebay (see photo of trims below).  I put an orange silk ribbon bow at the bottom point.

Table #2 Trims

Jack-o-lantern on a pedestal – Same as above but I used some different looped ribbon trim (see photo above) and a silk ribbon bow inside the jack-o-lantern top and a pedestal made from beads and bead caps then painted black and white.  I also used the looped ribbon trim around the base of the pumpkin (with some added moss and punched paper leaves).

Witch’s Hat – This was the same as the one described for Table #1 above except for a small paper punched flower replacing the buckle.  I used some tiny red railroad fruit (Woodland Scenics is one brand) for the center of the flower.

Spider in Jar – this is a small glass vial (Hobby Lobby bottle earring?).  The lid is made from jewelry findings painted with green and purple metallic craft paint and topped with a seed bead and no-hole bead.  Inside the jar is a spider made from a tiny craft pom-pom with thread legs.  He is sitting on a paper-punched orange fall maple leaf.

Hope you can find something here to work on in case you (or your kiddies) can't Trick or Treat OR in case you need something to do because you HAVE no Trick-or-Treaters this year!  Keep Safe and Happy Halloween!