Most of us grew up using jack-o’-lanterns to decorate for fall. Some of us did it with our parents, others at school, some with paint or craving, but they were there. Now at college, it’s a bit hard to decorate with them without having to worry about them going bad. In fact, that goes for many types of falls and Halloween decorations, especially in crowded spaces.
Jack-o’-lanterns. Build-A-Bear came up with an amazing solution. The Pumpkin Glow Bear. The body is a bear, the face is a Jack-o’-lantern and the head, when prompted by pressing a button in its paw, mimics a flame inside a jack-o’-lantern. It is topped with a tiny leaf on its head. What surprised me most about this item was the fact that it is incredibly soft. I expected a hard shell for the head but, in Build-A-Bear fashion, it is soft and easy to cuddle. The light is orange-yellow and is bright enough for mood lighting for a scary story or watching a horror movie but soft. The light isn’t constant and runs for about 45 seconds before turning off. You have to press the button on its paw to restart the lights. You can also turn it off by pressing the button. It is an easy way to decorate your dorm room. If you really want to level it up, you can put the bear or almost any stuffed animal into a pumpkin costume.
Target has faux pumpkins that you can place throughout your room as well. These are easy to paint so you can customize them such as putting you and your roommate’s names or painting anything. The great thing about faux pumpkins is that they can easily be used until Thanksgiving. For five bucks it makes a great personal touch.
To add to the spookiness you need some cobwebs. I hope you didn’t save any from moving in because you can get White Stretchy Spiderweb Halloween Decorative Prop from Target’s Hyde loop& EEK! Boutique. We all know this is a classic Halloween decoration. The fact that it is four bucks makes it well within a college student’s budget.
Lastly, string lights. Target has a variety of string lights including 350-count incandescent purple, 100-count neon green as well as a 100-count orange lights. You can use them alone or together. They are $15, $5, and 3.50 dollars respectively making it easy to fit in a budget.
I love to have a focus and create around that. In this case, if you keep the glow bear on the bed in a corner you can then stretch the cobweb around the web and on the wall and as well as put lights up there. You can also put the bear on your desk, with two faux pumpkins on either side, run the string lights around the outside of the desk, and the stretchy cobweb on top of your desk or over the faux pumpkins.
If you want to level up the ambiance, add a little scent. I know what you’re thinking: we can’t light candles! Well, some candles have very poignant scents, without a single flame. It also depends on how sensitive you may or may not be to smells. Pumpkin spice is everywhere, so if you want to stand out, try a different scent such as Sugar Snickerdoodle from Bath and Body Works or Sugared Cinnamon Apple from Yankee Candle.
I hope I gave you some ideas on how to make your dorm room more festive for the Halloween season.