Monster mashup
Summerween is upon us. Here are tips for throwing your own ghoulish gathering
Once stores start putting out their Halloween displays in July and August, it's time to celebrate "summerween" — a mashup of Halloween festivities and summer fun.
Here are some budget-friendly ideas for throwing a festive summerween party, culled from Reddit:
Pick a spirited theme
Consider one of these ideas for your summerween gathering:
■ Send summer camp invites: Encourage guests to come as summer camp counselors, either before or after a slasher attack (a la "Friday the 13th"). This party benefits from scary s'mores and a campfire.
■ Invite the undead: Guests can come as zombie tourists in tropical shirts and dresses, zombie surfers or zombie lifeguards. In other words, wear summer clothes plus face paint.
■ Host a murder mystery: Let guests assume roles and track down the murderer. Kits are available to help you run this show for less than the cost of a paperback book.
7 decor and snack ideas
You can make a big splash with simple supplies from a discount or craft supply store, or by repurposing things from other holidays.
1 Make fruit-o'-lanterns: Skip the hunt for pumpkins (they're not in season yet) and make silly faces out of watermelons or pineapples. Bonus: You can eat whatever you scoop out.
2 Put up creepy flamingos: Pick up some inexpensive plastic lawn flamingos and spraypaint them black, then use white paint to add skeleton bones. (Look up instructions online if needed.)
3 Buy one-color decor: Search for discount black, purple or orange party supplies, like plates, cups and napkins. You can always use extras for other events.
4 Prep a drinks skeleton: Arrange a skeleton decoration in your cooler before filling it with ice (like he's in a pool), or beside your cooler with sunglasses and an umbrella drink in his hand. If you don't have a life-size skeleton in your Halloween closet (or budget), a smaller skeleton can create the same effect.
5 Serve "blood" punch: Mix a batch of red sangria. You can use inexpensive red wine, orange juice and chopped-up summer fruit. Or make an alcohol-free punch with cranberry or pomegranate juice, fruit punch frozen concentrate and lemon-lime soda. For extra fun, float some gummy worms in the bowl.
6 Make "mummy" dogs: For the price of a pack of hot dogs and a tube of crescent roll dough, you can wrap thin strips around the hot dogs to create mummifiied snacks.
7 Create orange soda floats: Use store brand orange soda and vanilla ice cream to create a Summerween float that tastes like a creamsicle.
Easy party activities
Keep the eerie fun going with these activities that require minimal equipment:
■ Ghost-style tie-dye: Ask guests to bring a black T-shirt and use a mix of household bleach and water to make tie-dye designs. You only need bleach, rubber bands and plastic bowls.
■ Sing "scaryoke": That's karaoke with a playlist limited to spooky or dramatic songs.
■ Tell ghost stories: Work the summer camp vibe with a bonfire and scary stories. Extra points for holding a flashlight under your chin.
■ Watch a scary movie: Hang a sheet (or use the side of your house or a garage door) and project a horror flick outside. You can stream a recent release or go for a classic.
