This post is part of our ongoing promotion with Oriental Trading Company. All photographs and opinions are my own.

I’ve always wanted to put up a photo backdrop for our annual Halloween party, but I just never got around to it. Until this year, of course, when I had the help of the Ghastly Decorations pack from Oriental Trading Company; as soon as I saw it I knew it’d be perfect and I’m happy to say I was right! I mean, who wouldn’t want this charmer in their selfie?!

We have a door that separates the front and back halls (what used to be the main house and back porch, respectively) but we leave it open all the time. It creates a wide angle between the hallway opening and my office door, and I thought it would be just the spot to set up our photo backdrop.

I had this black linen in my fabric stash, but you could use a large table cloth or buy a couple yards of fabric from the remnant table in a pinch. I draped it over the open door and secured it to the edge of the opposite door frame with some push pins. In the absence of a convenient door, a PVC frame could be easily constructed, or even a tension rod if you have some angles to wedge it between.

The 3 printed decorations came on one large sheet of plastic that, I suppose, you could use as is for a quick scene setter, but wasn’t quite right for this space; I cut them apart to better arrange them. I placed the window decorations fairly high–just a few inches below the top of the backdrop, so that our taller guests wouldn’t be fully blocking it. Plus, we have pretty tall ceilings, so no need to stay low.

Since this is meant to be a temporary decoration, I opted to use straight pins to secure the plastic decorations to my backdrop. You could also use safety pins or even some temporary adhesive. Just keep whatever you use tucked discretely inside the printed design so it blends in best. I did the same thing with pile of bones near the bottom of the backdrop, then added some more creepy cloth to the top and a grungy prop chain along the side of the frame. Just something to dress things up.

Of course, what photo booth or backdrop is complete without some props! I raided my old costume stash and commandeered some of the more amusing hats from Todd’s collection and put them all in a tote to keep nearby. This way even our un-costumed guests can get in on the fun!

 And while I’m sure 99% of our guests will have their cell phones at the read, across from the photo backdrop I’ve hung a bit of garland and my small point-and-shoot camera for anyone who wants to take a picture for me!

I couldn’t resist giving it a try!

But what happened to the skeleton that was part of the wall decor set? Oh, he’s just hanging around the library…

Cobwebs are an easy way to spook-ify a space, especially bookcases with their plethora of sharp edges.

Oh, and for anyone curious about how the hallway mural came about, I put together a short video on the subject. Check it out here: Halloween Mural Process Video