I have lights outside and a lot of décor up outside even before the big day. I don't put my graveyard up until Halloween Day because here in Colorado the wind would take my gravestones and heck, it could snow... yes really SNOW!
But I am getting ahead of myself.
So Halloween. To quote 'The Sound of Music', "Let's start at the very beginning, a very fine place to start.. when you read you begin with A, B, C when you decorate for Halloween you begin with Man-tle"... LOL isn't that how the song goes?! (so how many of you sung that as you read? Be honest..)
I have done mantles in the past with logs and sticks and all other kinds of things. Here is the evolution of my Halloween mantles.
2015
2014
2013
Seems I've done a lot of sticks on the mantles in the past. Can anyone say obsession?
This year I was going to do black and white. I was all about the black and white on my mantle. If you read my last post you'll see I even pinned a lot of black and white inspiration. Well reality check I actually don't have a lot of black and white things for Halloween. I've got a lot of pumpkins, Jack-O-Lanterns and Orange and black.
I don't know about you but I don't have a hundred or so dollars to go out and get all new black and white décor even for my 2nd favorite holiday. So I need to work with what I have. So while I'm lovin' the black and white I need to be realistic...
SO
This years mantle went a bit more relaxed, simple.
Maybe I'm just use to seeing all the dead branches... IDK.
I usually get inspiration at 2am so we'll see if I sleep on it for a few days what comes to me. Does anyone else get that kind of midnight inspiration or is it just me?
If you looked at prior years you'll see I went through what I lovingly refer to as a 'dead branch' phase. I don't know if I'm out of it yet because Halloween just screams "Use dead branches Woman!!!" at least to me. So I think I'll bring in the dead stuff in the dinning room.. I'm thinking of hanging them from the chandelier and putting spider webs on them and hanging crows off them... I can hear my husband now, "Oh great more dead things." Though he'll go out and cut them down for me...LOL but more on that next week!
Back to the mantle...
A mantle can dictate the theme of a room, just like a front door. My theme is Jack-O-Lanterns.
Here is my coffee table - I got the silver Jack-O-Lantern at Home Goods last year. I put a plastic chain and a bag of bones I got at Home Depot last year around him.
And on my fireplace hearth is this cute little guy I got at Gordman's a few years ago. He is metal... AND as a special bonus you can put tea lights in his head and in his Jack-O-Lantern he is carrying.
LOVE!
When you come in my front door I've got my last year's Christmas present, this adorable entry table... (from Kirkland's and they still stock it!). On it I put several light up Jack-O-Lantern's that I've collected over the years...
And this guy...
Can you say... "LOVE" He is from my childhood and I've had him since the 1970's. I always remember that this was practically the only decoration we had up on Halloween. I grew up pretty rural in Maryland and we didn't get Trick-Or-Treaters down our dark dirt road but my Mom always had this guy. LOVE...
Okay, on to the couch, cause I skipped that. We have a small house but cute and I love it. So our small living room has a love seat in it... to get furniture I had to compromise.. so we have leather but tan and fluffy... I got this cute pillow last year at Kirkland's
Let's take a step outside shall we....
As I said earlier, I decorate outside for Halloween.. a lot. Next to Christmas it is my most decorative holiday. So I've got lights on the house and our front tree. I also decorate the front porch.
The 'Boo' sign I made last year...BOO Sign
The 'haunted tree' is from Target years (I mean 10+ years) ago. The eyes light up.
The Witch and ghost 'totem' I made myself probably 15 years ago when I was really into making things out of wood but I still love it! (NOTE - don't be fooled I am still into making things out of scrap wood).
The skull wreath is a PB knock off..
I really made it for a fraction of the original cost and hey I like mine better!
I hung some dollar store glow-in-the-dark skeletons from our front tree along with some ghost wind chimes I got at Gordman's years ago.
Then I put a spider in one of my bushes for 'effect.' And yes I still have flowers blooming here in October in Colorado.. That purple flower there is a Dahlia.
I hung some tattered sheeting and a skeleton up in front of what is my kitchen window.
This is what it will be outside until Halloween Day when I will put out the fog machine and the graveyard and the graveyard fencing ad a few other things including my Jack-O-Lantern totems that I made last year..
Do you go all out for Halloween? I'd love to see your décor! Please share! If you have any questions or have suggestions PLEASE reach out! I respond same day.
Thanks so much for stopping by and seeing what I've got for Halloween so far and looking back on Halloween craft and décor of the past.
In the next few week's I'll share my dinning room and my décor I received for my Instagram #HalloweenHappenings2016 swap! My new friend, @2bluikiddo's sent me some great items that I've used in my décor.. see the bright orange Jack-O-Lantern on my mantle for starters! She is such a great new forever friend. Her Instagram is awesome.. you should follow her!
Follow me on Instagram @Vicdenni
I appreciate you reading along!
Victoria
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I'm on FB also but only post once a week when I post a blog...
See you next week!
I also have the lighted Jack o lantern man, but I got him in the late 60's I think! I still love him!!!
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