Usually I like to decorate for Halloween while my kids are at school so that they come home to a surprise. I love to hear their ooos and ahhhs when they see new decorations up. I have all boys, so getting a reaction from them is super satisfying.
However, this year since my kids are home doing virtual school, I just had to start decorating with them around. To my surprise, not one of my boys paid any attention to what I was doing. Haha!! I actually had to tell them to come look at my decorations.
I sought out to decorate in such a way that would get a reaction out of my middle schooler. He is not so easily impressed, and so this was my challenge. My first mantel design, my middle schooler literally said…”eh.” Dang it! He was not impressed. But my younger kids thought it was spooky! What do you think?
Floating Branch Mantel
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I found this branch in our backyard and loved the shape of it. I love foraging my yard for decor! This branch had some leaves attached to it and I wondered if the leaves would stay if I spray painted the branch and leaves black? To my surprise, the leaves are still intact after being on our wall for 2 weeks! Then while the branch was wet I shook black glitter on top. With fishing line I attached it to a hook above our mantel. By using fishing line it gave the illusion that the branch is floating…spooky!
This brick wall fireplace is so BIG that it is sometimes hard to know what to put there. Do you have a big blank wall or space like this in your home, that is always difficult to decorate? I love how the branch takes up so much of this negative space and draws the eye down to the fireplace. And most of all, I love that this project was so affordable! Under $20 for spray paint and glitter!
Another fun way to add a touch of spooky to a mantel is by using black cheese cloth (aka creepy cloth). I found this pair at the dollar store! Then I simply strung some battery operated fairy lights through the cheese cloth to create a little Halloween glam.
Finally, complete the look with black taper candles.
Silhouette Mantel
I have to admit, this was super easy and FUN to create! I didn’t have any artwork or mirrors that I thought were fun for Halloween, so I created my own!
I love this barnwood frame that I inherited, it is the perfect amount of rustic for this mantel. So I painted a house silhouette with black paint and threw a window candle behind it. Then, I piled on the pumpkins around it. (My favorite place to find faux pumpkins is in store Walmart & Michaels)
When I showed this look to my middle school boy…he said “that’s really cool!” YES! My mission was complete! I had impressed the middle school boy!
The fun thing about this is that the light changes in the window of the house during the day…it is so fun to watch throughout the day! Check out this photo of it in the evening…
BONUS
I saw these flickering lightbulbs on Amazon and had to give them a try…
Such a fun and unexpected touch for Halloween decorating!
Disclaimer: I love these bulbs for ambiance, however just be aware that these bulbs don’t really give off light and are not dimmable.
