Haul-oween: Hauls from the past

There's absolutely no doubt that Halloween is my favorite celebration -and I dare call it season- on the planet. I love everything about it: the color palettes mixing orange, green, purple and the classic black & white, the spooky and eerie ambiance, all the ghost and monster stories that come alive, dressing up in creepy costumes, and of course, decorating my home from top to bottom with Halloween ornaments. If it were up to me, I'd have my home Halloween-themed 24/7 and throughout the 365 days of the year.

Given that my love for this October celebration is too broad to measure, it's really hard for me not to melt away at the sight of Halloween decor. I admit it's always been one of my weak points, and I'm  even prone to purchase spooky knick knacks at any time of the year. So, I've decided to make a series of Halloween Haul videos on YouTube to share all the decor that we've gathered and continue to add to our collection. I really hope these videos inspire you and give you some ideas for decorating your home, or simply entertain you if you're not that into decorating.

You can find the first video on the series below, or by following this direct link to YouTube. Enjoy!

Follow me on social media to keep yourself updated on my video tutorials, blog posts, photos, and more! 

Instagram: @edu_and_joy

YouTube: Joy Casas

Pinterest: Joycasas

Twitter: @joycasas

Facebook: Joy's Paradise Cove

New YouTube series: Party decorations (DIY)

It's taken me almost two weeks to get back posting here, since I've been super busy organizing and classifying stuff stashed in different rooms in our apartment. But here I am! So, the good news is that I recently made a new video (available here on YouTube), which is the first of many from my new series: "Party decorations (DIY)". This series is intended for people who love to throw parties or meetings and enjoy setting the scene with cool and creative DIY decorations, literally taking matters into their own hands.

The idea came from the moment when I started planning our civil wedding reception; a small BBQ celebration inside a brick gazebo. We had to diagram and design several decorations to embellish the scene, so we chose different models to create and use for our ornamentation project. This first video shows how to make lovely strings of hanging hearts and confetti.

More DIY decoration videos are on the way for my YouTube channel, as well as other tentative video series. Stick around for cool updates! 

Halloween party decorations (2016 edition)

Last weekend we had a blast celebrating Halloween with our traditional gathering near October 31st. This year my mom allowed me (finally!) to decorate way beforehand; with almost two weeks of spare time before the party date. Usually I can only decorate one or two days prior, so I was in awe because I started to breathe my beloved Halloween air before even choosing my costume.

I really wanted to invade my home with Halloween supplies, gadgets and decorations, so I went on a shopping spree to a local store that had amazing discounts and low prices on their Halloween stock. I was lucky enough to get there on their first day of spooky findings without even knowing; but just so you get an idea: when I got in, it was pretty full of Halloween merchandise. After I made a really long line to pay and got ready to leave with my three bags, there was practically nothing left!

Among the settings that I created this year, there was a science lab, a pirate locker, a zombie zone and a graveyard. Some of my decorations are from Dollar Tree, where it's incredible to get fantastic objects to decorate in Halloween; I recommend it 100%.

My husband and I prepared a Mexican taco self-serve bar for our friends, which was a huge hit! As a desert, we baked and decorated Halloween-motif cupcakes. We also had some snacks and sangria to spend the night.

Meat and chicken tacos for our guests

Super cute cupcake liners, decorations and colorful frosting! 

Stay tuned to watch my "2016 Halloween Haul" video to find out everything that I got this year for Halloween. I will also be posting past year hauls to show off my entire Halloween decorations collection.

Remember to follow me in social media and may it always be Halloween in our hearts!