Planning Your Pumpkin Party

Let's Throw A Pumpkin Party!

During years of working as a stylist, I have created Fall parties for many magazines and have thrown quite a few of my own.
                    

One personal favorite is this pumpkin party designed for Better Homes and Gardens in Vermont.  It's full of great ideas that you can use to add flair to your own gathering-of-friends this Fall season!

While scouting through Vermont, I found this location through my good friend, Joanne Palmisano, of Salvage Secrets. Joanne's friend, Holly, owns this fabulous farmhouse  framed by a pumpkin patch which grows around the porch.  

I scouted the house and proposed the idea to Better Homes and Gardens, and voila! The next thing I knew I was on my way back to Vermont with photographer, Helen Norman, to create the perfect pumpkin party. I hired Joanne to help and of course,!

We picked up hay bails, dozens of pumpkins, bought the food, and made all of our decorations. Then the guests arrived including Joanne and her family!

 Dress Up The Door

Grouping pumpkins by the front door is a natural. You can add fall color by 

pushing the stem of tall maples leaves into holes cut into pumpkin top.

Set The Table

If the weather cooperates, bring a table and chairs outdoors 

and set with pumpkins down the center. Place pumpkins generously around to set a mood.

 

Use a large pumpkin as a container for the apple cider by scooping out all the

seeds until clean. Now, add the cider.  Have extra apples on hand to set the stage.
Canning jars with cinnamon sticks make great glasses.

Entertaining The Kids: 1. Set up bails of hay and place small pumpkins all around. The kids will entertain themselves on a grassy area while painting the pumpkins.

2. Have extra tee-shirts in a basket to protect clothing.

3. Fill muffin tins with a few colors of craft paints; fill large garden baskets for water; provide small buckets to hold paint brushes.

At the end of the day a bonfire is the best part. Here is an idea! Make your bonfire from pumpkins carved with flames. Stack inside a ring of logs.  Ive come up with  a lot of pumpkin ideas over the years but this one received the most oohh's and ahhh's.

Keep a basket of blankets outside for the fall chill.

Better Homes and Gardens magazine  has great ideas for fall entertaining.  You can see this full article in the Better Homes and Gardens Oct. 2010 issue.