With Halloween a little over two weeks away this is the last in a series of three party ideas for Halloween this year.  If you are looking for ideas for an intimate seated dinner party this is for you!  After the kids have taken the last piece of candy, sit down with friends and enjoy a gourmet meal.  Use this opportunity to put together an elegant table with a scary twist. 

Special Delivery

Since Halloween is around the corner, and this party is all about keeping the guest list small, hand delivering an invitation can be doable.  Create a nest in a small craft box and place a small black raven inside.  Attach a quote from the poem the Raven by the famous Edgar Allen Poe.

Shopping list: 

Black Raven, $2.50, from Display and Costume (11201 Roosevelt Way NE; 206.362.4810; displayandcostume.com)

New or Vintage?

To create a table that feels as though you stumbled upon it as you were walking through a haunted mansion the table covering needs to feel a bit old and ragged.  To generate that sensibility place an inexpensive lace fabric in a sink with tea bags.  Tea stain the lace and let dry.  Once the fabric is dry, tear the linen in a variety of places.  Place the tea stained and torn lace over a black table linen. 

Shopping list:

Lace Table Cloth, $8, from Goodwill (1400 S Lane St, 206.329.1000)

Black Tea, $2.85, from Safeway (1410 E John St; 206.323.4988; safeway.com)

Easy Centerpiece

In lieu of flowers, put together a ghostly centerpiece.  Stack vintage books in the center of the table creating the base, and place a “Ghost” candelabra on top with candlesticks that bleed when you light them.  If you can’t find the “Ghost” candelabra then clear glass will do.  The objective is to use clear glass that you can see through as you would a ghost. 

Shopping list:
Bleeding Candles, $8.95, from UMA (314.241.9990; iloveuma.com)

Ghost Candelabra, $80, from Retrofit Home (1419 12th Ave; 206.568.4663; retrofithome.com)

Old Vintage Books, from Half Price Books (4709 Roosevelt Way NE; 206.547.7859; halfpricebooks.com)

Bring the Theme to the Glassware and Dishware

This is the time to bring out your china.  The elegance of the china with the mix of the tea stained lace overlay creates the sense of walking in to a dining room in an old mansion.  Bring out gold chargers and layer your favorite china.  Add a black salad plate that infuses a bit of the theme in to the tabletop by painting the seven deadly sins on each plate.  Use gloss enamel paint, let dry, and bake each plate in the oven to cure.  Add a champagne flute cuffed in a skeletons hand, and a wine or water glass in blood red. 

Shopping list: 

Red and Gold China, from Macy’s (3rd Ave & Pine St; 206.506.6000; macys.com)

Gloss Enamel, $2.16, from Artist and Craftsman Supply (4350 8th Ave NE; 206.545.0091; artistcraftman.com)

Black Plates, $11.95 a piece, from Crate and Barrel (2680 NE 49th St; 206.937.9939; crateandbarrel.com)

Skeleton champagne flutes, $5.99, from Display and Costume (11201 Roosevelt Way NE; 206.362.4810; displaycostume.com)

Glassy baby water glasses, $40-60 apiece, from Glassy Baby (3406 East Union Street; 98122; 206.568.7368; glassybaby.com)

The Kiss of Death

Send guests home with something they can enjoy later.  Vampire Wine is reasonably priced and out of California.  To package the wine, tie on a tag created from a copy of an old horror movie poster with wax vampire fangs attached.

Shopping list:

Vampire Wine, $11, from Metropolitan Market (1908 Queen Anne Ave N; 206) 285-3474; metropolitan-market.com)