A boo-tiful party is at your fingertips (assuming they're still attached to your hand) when you let your inner child take over the decorating.

Just pull out all the plastic pumpkins you've collected from Halloweens past, throw in a few black cats, skeletons and eyeballs, garnish with candy and treats and sprinkle in spider webs, ghosts and goblins.

Grandin Road (ENLARGE)
Prelighted pumpkins, $159 for set of three, from Grandinroad. www.grandinroad.com.
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You can't go wrong with traditional Halloween symbols — witches, skeletons, cats and pumpkins— to make a spooky statement. Window silhouette, $26, and hanging ghosts, $29 each, from www.martha stewart.com/shop.
Photos by SARA HOPKINS / Special (ENLARGE)
Floating eyeballs, 6 cents each, from Party City, and pumpkin candles, $6 for set of six, from Illuminations.
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Pumpkins aren't just for jack-o'-lanterns. This one holds the Halloween treats.
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A ghoulish place setting (above). Wax Frankenstein candle, $8. Flying witch candles, $15. All from Illuminations.
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Design students Marty Arnold and Vicki Bolick capture the spirit with a skeleton, $149, from www.marthastewart.com/shop.

Watch your guests shriek with delight.

Marty Arnold and Vicki Bolick, design students at the Vanguard School of Interior Design in downtown Atlanta, gave a kitchen and eating area a spooktacular makeover in a matter of hours. Check out their tips on how to decorate for the most frightening day of the year:

More is better: Put all things ghoulish in rooms where the party and games will take place so guests have a real sense of fright night.

Choose your colors: Orange and black are to Halloween what red and green are to Christmas. But don't be afraid to add yellow, gold or purple to the mix.

Layer it on: Double up on tablecloths in contrasting colors that blend with the decor. Put pumpkins (real or faux) on cabinet tops or counters, place streamers over curtain rods and pantry doors. Scatter plastic spiders on tabletops. Place Halloween candles in areas where they can burn safely.

Get spooked: Have a little fun with the decor by floating eyeballs in water colored blood red with food color. Lay plastic fingers in unlikely places. Let a skeleton greet visitors when they open the coat closet.

Be creative: Hang gauze or torn sheets from the ceiling to look like ghosts. Spray paint fresh kale, withered roses or carnations black for a creepy, festive look.

Gloomy lighting: Replace light bulbs with black lights or colored bulbs, such as red or yellow.

Did someone say party?

Whether the gathering is for kids, grown-ups or the immediate family, games are in order. Consider something simple and fun such as:

Best costume: Let guests decide categories such as "most original" or "scariest" costume. Give out novelty prizes purchased from a dollar store.

Pin the nose on the pumpkin: This works better with pliable pumpkins that a stick pin will easily go into.

Mummy wrap: Pair guests in teams of two. Have one person wrap another from head-to-toe with a roll of toilet paper. The first team to finish the roll wins.

Name that body part: With eyes covered, have guests stick their hands in a large bowl or jar and name the items that they feel. For example: use cooked spaghetti as intestines; peeled grapes for eyeballs; and cooked broccoli for brains.

Pumpkin tips

Choose pumpkins with flat bottoms, smooth contours and green stems.

To keep them from shriveling after being carved, smooth a layer of petroleum jelly on all cut surfaces.

Make the most out of one pumpkin. Cut the top off and hollow out the inside. Place a glass bowl in cavity. Use it as an ice bucket (during a party); put trick-or-treat candy in it on Halloween; and fill with black roses for a centerpiece.