Holidays: Halloween, Tropical Style!

Let’s celebrate Halloween Tropical Style!  Just put a beachy twist on Halloween stand-by’s, and turn your Halloween into a spooky, fun, seaside-inspired celebration. 

Pumpkins are a Halloween requirement.  Use one of these clever twists to give ol’ Jack a tropical makeover.

• Carve a grouping of pumpkins with understated sea life for a classy look, like these at Coastal Living.
• A glowing tropical sunset right on a pumpkin, like the one at  Beach Bliss Living.
• Tacky lawn flamingo meets pumpkin in the genius mash-up at Paper & Fox.
• Give a pineapple the jack-o-lantern treatment for a whimsical, glowing character (above)
• Take your pumpkin carving to the next level with an underwater pumpkin carving contest (via people)!  
 

 

 

 



Costumes with a beachy twist are nothing but fun.

• A hula girl – grass skirt, coconut shells and a flower lei – bam.  For an elaborate twist – this hula girl in a snow globe is too fun. 
• A fun group costume: the characters of LOST.
• Surfer dude – floppy bleached hair, puka shells, sunglasses, baggy shorts, and a board!  Attach a stuffed shark, just for kicks. 
• Tropical bird – start with intricately made up eyes, add colorful feathers and wings (look at these gorgeous eyes from Maryam Maquillage).
• Pirate – Arrr, the classic villain of the Caribbean is a Halloween favorite.  Get a group of swashbucklers together for a great group costume.  
• Carmen Miranda – attach plastic fruit to a turban, don a vividly colored ruffled skirt and top, and samba the night away. 

Cocktails, the Tropics and Halloween: a fabulous (and slightly dangerous) combination.

• TheZombie is a classic umbrella drink whose fruity flavor belies its wicked punch.
• Tropical Kamikaze Shooters are bound to get the party started! (via Cooking Channel)
• BloodOrange Margaritas: bloody, refreshing (via Delish).
• Witch’sBrew is a citrusy green concoction...complete with floating eyeballs (via sheknows).

Spending Halloween at the beach?  Lucky you!  Make it extra special with some spooky, sandy activities. 

• Gather seashells, spookify them with some paint and even glitter.  This pumpkin (via Completely Coastal) is adorable, or maybe a ghost?
• Sandcastles become jack-o-lanterns with some sand sculpting skills (via Corona Del Mar homes). 
• For a simpler approach, draw a pumpkin shape in the sand, and decorate it with beachcombed objects like shells, seaweed and driftwood.
• For a kid friendly activity, give classic sandcastle building a Halloween twist by use an orange pail, and adorn it with spiders and other creepy crawlies (see above photo).

  

Decorate your Halloween home with a tropical, beachy vibe.

• Put a dome on it.  Inside a domed cake stand, add touches of the sea such as shells, starfish, driftwood and coral and some Halloween elements like pumpkins (see a great example at Completely Coastal).  Leave it there for a classy Fall look, or take it in a scary direction with the addition of bats, skeletons and creepy cobwebs.
• Fill a large vase with sand, seashells and miniature pumpkins - look at the pretty example at anythingology.  If your Halloween décor leans to the yukky side, add some plastic rats and flies!
• Prop up a few starfish in a tray of sand, then add tiny witches hats and brooms.  A miniature cauldron completes the look (photo above).
• Skeletal Lawn Flamingos.  Tacky, spooky, fabulous.  Find them at Amazon and beyond.
• Turn a starfish into a spiderweb with some string and black spray paint.  See the tutorial at The Artful Life.

  

How will you give your Halloween a tropical twist?