It's that time of year again!!! Pumpkin flavored everything and mums have been out for a good month now, it's starting to get cool...finally (well, in the south at least), and it's just feeling like fall! So what better time to put out my Halloween/Fall decor! Some of this stuff I've made over the past few years, some I made this year, some I've bought, but regardless it's on my mantle, walls and tables!
I know that I have at least 15 posts that I haven't had time to make yet, but it's OCTOBER!!! What good is OCTOBER without HALLOWEEN???.....
1st on my list is hats!!! Hats. hats, hats!!! Over the past few years I've bought a few super cute hats at TJ Maxx to wear while passing out candy, working at the bar, etc. I NEVER know where to put them, and I always end up moving them from tables, etc, so this year I decided to put them on the wall! Command Hooks are my best friend with seasonal decor! (Sometimes permanent too!) Sometimes the initial hook & adhesive combo can be upwards of $5 for like 3, but once you have your supply of hooks you're good to go! The refill adhesive is always less than $5 for an assortment pack.
If you are currently hat-less, then you can always visit the costume section of Target or Wal-Mart...Target usually has some cute ones in the "dollar isle". They may not be big enough for you to wear, but they'd make super cute wall hangings! Especially for around $3 you can't beat it! If you've got kids, totally raid their costume stash! Get creative! Hang them on top of mirrors, or in empty picture frames... I didn't have any empty picture frames big enough for my hats and I am currently cute mirror-less, so just plain on the wall they go!
Next up is my super awesome (well I think so at least,) skull jars!!
I found a bag of skulls at the evil Wal-Mart (I avoid going just because I can NEVER leave with JUST what I came for...yesterday it was pictures and I left with skulls, candles & Pumpkin Spice flavored Candy Corn (which is pretty good BTW if you're a pumpkin spice kinda person, which I am). At any rate, a bag of these little beauties was less than $4. I had my mind set on plastic spiders, but they did not have ANY! I was rather upset. They had all different kinds of colored webbing, but none of the little black plastic spiders to put in the webbing....so I ended up with skulls! (BTW if you're like me and can never go in Wal-Mart without leaving with just what you came for, any of those TRUE $1 stores are great for this kind of stuff...I just was trying to take advantage of the "one-stop-shop".) If you're also like me, you save glass candle jars. I re-purpose them a LOT. Once they're almost dead I pour out the hot wax and pull out the metal wicks and in the dishwasher they go! They're great to use to hold things like cotton balls, cotton swabs, bath salts and in this instance my skulls!!! Only this time I didn't pour out the wax or pull the wicks.
I simply lit this candle and let the wax melt just enough on the surface to where I could strategically place my skulls! I had some really cool colors to use. I had purple & orange...I really wanted to use the green one in my bathroom, but it's still too full, so purple & orange it is! The purple had enough life left to light and let melt. I wasn't so lucky with the orange one. I had to pour a little hot water in the top and swirl it around enough to melt some wax. Then I put my skulls in and let the wax harden again. Once it did that I poured out the excess water. Easy-peasy! Although, Once I placed my skulls in the purple one, I was really regretting not cleaning the glass jar first! It was full of wax built up and gunk from the candle. But a sanitizing wipe & a little elbow grease did the trick!
I originally was going to fill it up with skulls, but when I did, it didn't look right to me, so I removed a few and was happy with my end result. You can also paint the jar lid...Mine were silver, so they still look cool, but I may paint them later...if I ever find the time BEFORE Halloween is over. If not, I'll do it next year......now I just have to find a place to put them. I do have a white candle that's on it's way out & is calling my little black spiders' names! If I ever find the little buggers I'll post a pic!
Printables, printables, printables!!!I found these freebies on Ella Claire Inspired. Thanks Ella! They are awesome! Check them out on my mantle :) [In TRUE $1 Store spray painted frames of course] and with my normal LED candle decor for ambiance... now I'm just missing my cup of Pumpkin flavored hot beverage!
.....and on my sofa table.... some real goodies!
[P.S. in real life my husband's "pocket basket" on the end next to the mirror...it's where he empties his pockets when he comes home. Before the "pocket basket" he had a "pocket table". It's one of the few things that I've implemented that he actually uses!]
And for my buffet decor, I clearance watched after Halloween a few years ago at Hobby Lobby until this beautiful $30 pumpkin was around $6! I was very patient and went back every week, sometimes more than once a week...(needless to say I didn't have a job at the time). My patience paid off and I got this awesome ceramic pumpkin for like 80% off! Of course they were out of the vinyl letters that go on them, but I didn't care! I rocked that baby through Turkey Day on my mantle and the next year I went back around September and there was my vinyl "N". Of course I used a 40% off coupon.
I also added a few other things to my normal decor. There is usually a candle where my pumpkin is now, and I just added a ribbon to the glass pedestal, then stacked some left over Styrofoam gourds & pumpkins (from making wreaths) on top of my normal wine corks. Eventually I'll find a cute, fall table runner for my buffet, but until I find one that I like, on clearance, it stays the same.
I LOVE these DIY Potion Bottles! They're fabulous, but I'm running out of space to put things, so I've decided to gift them to my Grandma. Plus, what a great way to get rid of some of the wine & liquor bottles you've been hoarding in your garage because you've "got something in mind" for them...or you're like me and hate to chunk them (our city doesn't recycle glass). I drink enough wine at home to have a plentiful stash, but when I bartend, I see some really cool liquor bottles & if they're empty I grab them! Especially if they have neat corks in them. I've actually asked bartenders at other bars/restaurants for their empty bottles too if I see one that strikes my fancy. They just shrug & give it to me...usually. I got the inspiration from something I had seen online or in a store display that was just not in my budget. I did these last year, before this blog, so no step by step pics, but they're super simple! You can even scan the mighty Pinterest, and find some printable labels for them, or just do what I did & print some out on regular paper in a super cool font & stain them with tea :) While they were still wet (that's important, otherwise your cool tea stained label that you just spent 20 minutes finding the right font for ends up in ashes) I held them over the sink (because my luck I would totally catch something on fire) and took a lighter and just lightly singed the edges. Then I stuck them on the bottles with double sided tape (after they dried) & popped a cork back in them! Super easy! For the "Witch's Brew" I had a green bottle, but for the "Vampire Blood" I had a clear bottle and just poured some water & red food coloring (with a few drops of blue) in it and it turned out great! I had cornstarch in it last year, but after being packed away all year it settled to the bottom, so I went back to the basic colored water!
Now what fun is Halloween if it's not visible from outside?
There will be pumpkins beside the mums on the ground, however when I went to the farmer's market they didn't have any out. I'm a big believer in buying local, plus it's usually so much cheaper and they last a lot longer! I can usually keep my pumpkins on my front patio for a good 2 months or so. (Longer if the birds, chipmunks & squirrels leave them alone.) [P.S. Please ignore my unpainted doors...they will get painted one day!]
Here's a closer look at my wreath. It was SUPER SIMPLE to make. Just a wire wreath frame (from the floral department, I got mine at Hobby Lobby, of course with my 40% off coupon), black boas (I think I used 2), orange ribbon from my stash, the cute center ornament & colorful spiders & ghosts I found at various places, and of course HOT GLUE! All in all I know I spent less than $20 on it. It's been a few years ago, but I'm actually thinking it was more like $10-$15. Of course everything was on sale, clearance or I had a coupon for.
I really like this wreath. However, my neighbor hung a pretty bright mesh one that made me almost want to make another one. Hmm....maybe when everything goes on clearance :) I have to have a step by step tutorial for the sake of ye' ole blog right?
I hope you're feeling inspired!!! What kind of decorations have you come up with? Please share!!!
Hope you have a SPOOK-TACULAR Halloween!
