Retailers increasingly are lining their aisles with decorations for both inside and outside the home. But as an alternative to the growing retail hoopla, more people also are opting to make, rather than buy, their own decorations and costumes. The wide availability of quick, easy craft projects and a renewed emphasis on the comforts of home seem to have fueled interest in creating unique takes on good old-fashioned fright night fun. The renewed popularity of all types of crafts is part of a larger trend toward home decorating with a personal touch, Barber says. Families are choosing to devote more time to being at home and therefore are willing to spend more time and money to create the perfect environment, she says.
People view their home as a sanctuary, a place to get away from it all.
Decorating for holidays like Halloween is a big part of that. Home decor magazines like Country Living and Martha Stewart Living published Halloween issues this year crammed with tips on how to carve the perfect pumpkin, transform a home into a haunted house, and create a costume worthy of a double take. Kathy Jones, manager of Marasco's Craft King in Brookfield, says she receives constant calls for materials to make projects featured in the new magazines and books. Jones, who has worked at the craft supply store for eight years, says the Halloween-crafts fervor increases each autumn. A lot of the projects are really easy to do.