My son is always pulling my arm to buy frightening-looking Halloween decor, but since we have a sweet little princess at home, we try to ease up on the spooky and keep it cute. I enjoy creating displays, so I look for areas in my home that I can quickly decorate with several small items.

Our sideboard in the dining room gives me a blank canvas to play with, so I enjoy changing up its look, seasonally. For fall and Halloween, I added a buffalo plaid table runner. This particular one was purchased at Hobby Lobby, at 40% off.

I already owned a tall framed blackboard, which served as the perfect spot to hang a cute Halloween sign from. I purchased the one pictured above from the Dollar Tree, as well as the 'Come in for a Spell' sign, which I leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the furniture piece. $2.00 for two cute signs! What a deal! Now, here's a tip- I don't just buy 'anything' when I purchase decor, no matter how cheap it is. I look for pieces that will tie in with the look I'm going for. Be intentional about what you purchase- it'll definitely save you from impulse purchases and that 'what am I going to do with this?' feeling of frustration.

I purchase various garlands throughout the year, typically when seasonal decor clearances are going on. I like to use garlands around my home, again- each with a specific purpose and place in mind. I added beautiful garland with fall leaves in fall colors across the sideboard. I also wove a strand of battery operated orange lights in and out of the garland. I love the orange glow it gives off in the evenings.

While I wanted to add a Halloween tree to my display, I didn't want to pay $20.00 for a cheap looking black mini tree. Instead, I achieved the look I wanted by purchasing a black branch spray from Michael's craft store for under $3.00. I also found an adorable set of six mini black and white farmhouse style Halloween ornaments for under $3.00. I placed the branch spray in my decanter, and then added the ornaments to the spray for a creative farmhouse style Halloween tree.

Adding pumpkins is a given- all throughout the fall season! I collect pumpkins like I do garland, and pick them up when they go on sale. A velvet orange medium pumpkin and buffalo plaid pumpkin are perfect additions to this display for fall. On the opposite side of the decanter is a small white ceramic pitcher, filled with two small fall picks from Hobby Lobby. I would venture to say that they each cost around $2.00. I pulled a red jarred candle out of my candle cabinet and placed it on the sideboard to complete the look.

I have a love/hate relationship with the spiderweb stuff. My kids love it, and as long as we can figure out a way to use it tastefully, I don't usually mind it. It is, however, quite messy, and will take over your house if you're not careful with it! Don't let your kiddos have free reign unless you're cool with picking this stuff out of the laundry for the next several months. We do plan to wrap our columns in the webs, and add bats and spiders for even more spooky fun! Dollar Tree has cute little clip in/on bats and of course, lots of spooky spiders!

I'll take you on a little tour of what we're doing outside next time! I'll give you a hint as to what's in store- I bought three giant pumpkin pails for a Halloween decor project that I can't wait to share with you!