Spook-tacular! From decorating your pumpkin with FAKE NAILS to cooking up a fiendishly tasty feast, MARTHA STEWART shares her tips for hosting a perfectly horrifying Halloween

Who needs a knife! Rather than using traditional carving techniques, Martha suggests painting on a fun face design using a stencil

Jack be Nimble: Learn my tried-and-true carving techniques for transforming a humble pumpkin into a swashbuckling one-eyed Jack or goofy-grinned-o’lantern, and more. 

All you need is a pumpkin, basic tools, and our mix-and-match templates to make a funny face! 

Nailed it: If you want to add some fang-tastic teeth to your design, Martha says using false nails will work perfectly - and can be glued straight onto your pumpkin

Show some fang: Short on time but still want to scare up a spooky display? Inexpensive acrylic nails give gourds a sinister smirk in minutes! 

And for less mess, I prefer artificial, carvable pumpkins made of foam. Simply poke the bases of the nails into the carved mouth. 

(For natural pumpkins, hot-glue a toothpick to the back of each nail for easier insertion.) Paint your gourds and play with a mix of nail colors. 

Easy peasy: If you are left with limited time and don't fancy getting too crafty, why not use lacy stockings to add a bit of pizzazz to your pumpkin? 

Jack be Quick: I have even more smart tricks up my sleeve for last-minute pumpkin decor. This idea takes 15 minutes, no carving required. 

Create an instant, intricate design with lacy stockings and a can of spray paint. Tightly pull a cut section from sheer-to-waist stockings around pumpkin. Cinch and knot excess at top and bottom; wrap with masking tape to shield stem from paint (as shown). 

In a well-ventilated area, spray-paint top half of pumpkin with 1 to 2 coats; let dry. Turn pumpkin over and repeat on bottom. Once dry, remove stockings. Presto change-o! 

Shine bright: Although these glittery decorations look incredibly detailed, Martha says they are incredibly easy to whip up at home

Create a macabre mood: Glittered skulls, bones, and bugs are an eerie but elegant decoration for Halloween. 

Working over a sheet of newspaper, use a craft brush to apply glue to half of the object’s surface. Hold object over a large shallow bowl or tray. 

Spoon ultrafine opaque glitter over glued surface, making certain the glitter falls into all the crevices and sockets. 

Place on a tray; let dry for an hour. Tap or brush off any excess glitter. Repeat gluing and glittering process on uncoated surface of each piece; check to see if areas require touch-up. 

Boo! Another incredibly easy-to-make decoration is this hanging ghost design, which are crafted from copy paper

Ghoulish Behavior: Display these easy-to-make ghosts to create a haunting Halloween scene. 

Start by using a fringe cutter on the entire length of a sheet of 8½-by-11-inch or 11-by-17-inch copy paper. Fold sheet over itself at every four-to-nine-strip interval, depending on desired width. 

Next, join the two ends with double-sided tape; round corners of unfringed edge with scissors to create top of ghost. Draw a face with black marker. Open ghost up to a cylinder with one end fringed. 

Cut a 2-by-½-inch strip from a new sheet of paper; secure strip across top of ghost head with double-sided tape to create a loop. Thread string through loop—it’s ready to hang (and haunt)!

Sweet treats! Candy isn't just for eating this Halloween - in fact it can be turned into a beautiful wreath for your front foor

Candy Wreath: This wreath might be too tempting to goblins to remain intact for long. Tie the center of the thread to the form, leaving two ends of equal length. 

Hold the form between your knees (as shown above), and make a loose knot on the outside of the form. Place ends of three wrappers through loop; cinch the knot, and knot again. 

Tie another knot to the form, thus securing the candies to it, then gently position them side by side. Once candies are tied all around the form, hang it from a ribbon. 

Seedy snacks: Don't throw away any pumpkin seeds leftover after your decorative efforts - use them to make tasty treats instead with a very simple recipe 

Save the Seeds: Pumpkin seeds make tasty, nutritious snacks and are a crunchy addition to salads and soups. After scooping the seeds from your pumpkin, place them in a colander; rinse thoroughly. 

Use your fingers to remove clinging pulp. Then lay the wet seeds on several paper towels to absorb excess moisture. 

One of my favorite flavor combinations is a savory blend of olive oil, dried rosemary, and salt, roasted in a 350 degree F oven for about 10-12 minutes. 

As with all seeds and nuts, pumpkin seeds stay fresh longest when kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Stored properly, they should keep for several months. 

Do things a bit differently: You don't have to come up with new recipes to keep things interesting - just put an exciting spin on an old favorite like caramel corn or caramel apples

Get the party poppin’ with a fresh twist on an old autumn stand-by: Drizzle caramel corn with melted white chocolate and use cashews instead of peanuts for a devilishly addictive nibble. Perfect to serve at your harvest hoedown or monster mash bash! 

Upgrade a caramel classic: My version of the caramel apple – swapping in daintier lady apples - is ideal for children because it's sized just right! 

Sweet treat: Not all snacks this Halloween need to be full of artificial colorings and flavors; these apple chips are an incredibly delicious and natural way to get that sugar fix

Stay sweet this fall, naturally: Thinly sliced apple chips need a couple of hours in a low oven to dry out and firm up, but it's mostly hands-off - just flip them halfway through. 

Using it all up: Ditch semi-sweet chocolate chips in favor of chopped-up leftover candy to fill your cookies with this Halloween

Candy cookies: Looking for ways to reuse the remaining Halloween haul? 

Swap chopped-up candy for semi-sweet chips in your favorite chocolate-chip-cookie recipe. 

Since candy tends to be sweeter than chips, reduce the sugar in the dough by a few tablespoons and omit vanilla. 

A bloody good drink: Your guests will really sink their teeth into these cocktails. 

Cloaked in black like Count Dracula, this Bloody Mary will inspire fear — and smiles — among all who imbibe. Simply open a square cocktail napkin, and re­fold it diagonally. 

Then wrap it around a glass, tie the ends, and shape the top point to resemble the collar of a cape. 

Drink up! Even your cocktails get a Halloween spin this holiday season, thanks to Martha's spook-tacular Bloody Mary recipe (left) and her Eyeball Highball (right)

Eyeball Highball: Make it a double! 

Create creepy ice cubes that appear to contain eyeballs - ideal for a macabre martini on the rocks or in a ghastly glass of flavored seltzer for young ghouls-in-training. Trim the stem and root ends of a radish (make sure it's small enough to fit the individual section of an ice-cube tray). Use a paring knife to scrape off the red skin. 

Leave just enough red to give the radish a veined appearance. Rinse the radish off. Use a small melon baller to cut 1/2-inch-diameter hole into the radish. 

Fit an olive, cut side out, into the hole, and place the radish in the ice-cube tray. Repeat this process until the tray is full, then pour water over the eyeballs, and freeze. 

Double bubble... This non-alcoholic witch's brew is perfect for the whole family

Concoct a witch's brew: For a non-alcoholic (though no less magical) potion, hot, cinnamon-y Mauled Apple Cider will be appreciated by all your guests – including those driving the broomstick home post-festivities.