What’s spooky season without a table piled high with yummy treats and spooktacular theming? I mean, really. Even if you’re not throwing a shindig, it can be fun to piece together a small buffet table for your family. Recently, I planned a small get together with our family and wanted to create a simple and spooky Halloween buffet table that would look cute and also be inviting to little hands.
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A lot of this table came together by pure accident as I was picking up “this and that” over the last couple months. A majority of the ghoulish goods seen here came from discount stores and I found a few pieces from Party City. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised how well my hodgepodge items ended up blending together to create this simple and spooky Halloween buffet table!
Halloween Buffet Table: Color Theming
Whenever I put together a buffet table, I start by selecting a color theme. This might be a combination of two or three colors that I use as my palette for the rest of the look. Halloween is usually a pretty standard black and orange (I’ll throw in purple, of course) – but get creative, there are no rules, here (I mean, some people might say there are rules — but to that I say *BAH!* — do what you want and feel good about it)!
Simple but Spooky: Layering
Start from the bottom and work your way up! Choose a table covering (or two) that will act as a backdrop to your table magic! I found a set of two table cloths from the Dollar Store that I layered (kind of by accident because my table ended up being longer than the cloths…so I had to improvise…I actually prefer how it turned out and it was something I wouldn’t have tried otherwise).
Speaking of layering, I like to use serving platters and bowls of different shapes and heights, too. Think of this like a high school group photo — tall kids in the back and short kids kneeling in the front (I was always in the back, of course, being the stork that I am). I ordered a bulk set of cauldrons from Walmart for a variety that I ended up using for gift bags, games, and table decoration. Adding a tiered platter is another way to increase those layers.
Halloween Buffet Table: Spooky Accents
Once you’ve decided on your theming and layer it all up, put the finishing touches on your look by sprinkling in spooky accents throughout. For this table, I used a bulk package of plastic spiders that came along with some of my webbing. Try using a couple pairs of skeleton tongs for serving a snack mix or simply stick them out of a bowl to up the spook level. Creepy cloth is also an easy accent over the top of the table or as a piece to hang as a backdrop.
I had a BOO of a good time creating this little table for our Halloween shindig! Using the cauldrons as snack bowls was my personal favorite for this look – one that I’ll recycle in future years, I’m sure. Did you notice I tried to balance out the sugary snacks with a cauldron full of “poison” apples? Yeah, no one ate any of the apples. Go figure. Enjoy creating a little spooky magic this season, my ghouls! Until next time, peace, love, & light (after coffee)!
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