Make it Scary, Easily: cute and quick Halloween craft ideas from Sweet Paul

FREE IMAGES I love Sweet Paul, and these ideas are so simple but still dramatic. I might even try them and I am the laziest Holiday decorator ever. Seriously - I don't vacuum the corners of my ceiling for a month and voila - spooky spider webs as my Halloween decorations.

Paint a funkin or pumpkin in a very matte black paint.

To make these spooky skeleton cards, Paul just:

1.bought a bunch of these old photographs at a flea market.
2.Printed out the skulls from online, google old skulls.
3.Cut them out and simply glued them on top of their faces.

Make a scary vignette - the entry or foyer table is a great place to do this. Paul says "By painting some objects in a flat paint they become all of a sudden really spooky. The candlestick is painted, www.momastore.org and the bottle has dripping paint on the inside."

Another great option for the entry way or foyer.. Paul says:  1.Simply trace the lathers to a fabric and sew with white embroidery thread. 2.Frame in old frames and hang.

all images via Sweet Paul

More Halloween Black Birds...

FREE IMAGES How is it possible that October is nearly over and Halloween is in 2 days? 

Seriously??

I feel like it's about September 3rd and I'm still 25, obviously I've fallen behind somewhere along the way. ;) 

Anywho, I'm sure you all remember my cute little Dollar Store black birds that I used on my Halloween mantel HERE.  I mean, how could you forget them, right?  wink, wink

Well, I got them some black bird friends in the form of pillows and a plate, I'm sure they really appreciate it. (they didn't even say thank you!)

I came across these pillows at where else, TJ Maxx, for super cheap and couldn't pass them up (especially since I had  a gift card, it was like they were free!) 

Don't mind that the black bird on the pillow looks more like a cute little bird than a Halloween black bird, just go with it, mmmmm-K?

One for the couch and one for my boy's favorite chair (which really I should just say it's for the floor because that's where it ends up all day long, the boys do not like mommy's froofy pillows in their favorite chair).

I also threw together this little kid friendly coffee table centerpiece using stuff I already had.  It had to be kid friendly because the coffee table is also a train table and/or race track depending on the day.  It had to be able to be knocked over wthout breaking. 

I used a simple candle pedastel and an old wreath and stuck our "electric" jack-o-lantern on it with a battery powered tea-light inside.  I removed the electric cord by unscrewing it from the bottom, easy-peasy.

I picked up the orange zebra table runner at TJ's at the end of summer for $2, I thought it would be perfect for Halloween!

I also picked up a cheap black bird plate at Hob Lob 50% off, it was $3 (and it's not even plastic!).  Since it was so cheap I can leave it low and hope the boys don't break it but if they do I'm only out $3.  Thankfully they actually are really good about not messing with my decorations, they haven't been trained not to, they just don't.  (unless it's on their favorite chair or on their race track,train table/coffee table and I'm fine with that. ;) 

We'll be enjoying this look for a few more days ...

and then my mind will be turning to...

don' say it... it can't be that time of year already...

Christmas! GASP!!



Easy Halloween Ghost Cloches... Boo!!

FREE IMAGES Happy fall weekend, friends!  Halloween is fast approaching so it is high-time I shared some of my spooky ghost cloches with you.  This was another cheap and easy decoration if you have a cloche(s) already.

These were so super easy.  I already had the cloches and pedastels so it was really inexpensive too! 

I picked up some black cardstock paper at Wal-Mart for $3.47 but I would've used black construction paper if my kiddos would've had some in their art supplies.  I already had a bag of poly-fil pillow stuffing that can also be found for about $3 bucks at Wally-World. 

I used my fancy-schmancy and cheap cutting machine, scissors.   I cut out rather sloppy looking ovals because I couldn't find a good oval to trace.

I stuck the ovals to the cloches with sticky tack but you could easily use double-sided tape.  I used my creepy fabic "table runner" from the dollar store last year and picked up some spider webs for a buck.  I already had the pumpkins too. 

I also added a silvery-grey feather wreath from Joann's Fabric that I got for 70% off.  It is so fabulous I want to hang it up all year long... going to have to think about that one.

I want to thank The Diary of Dave's Wife for giving me the inspiration for this vignette.  Ingenious!!

My ghost cloche vignette:

I think they are a scream. ;)

Linking:  I Heart Nap Time, Under the Table and Dreaming, Between Naps on the Front Porch, Tatertots & Jello

Halloween Mantel... is for the Birds, Take 2

FREE IMAGES

Well, hello there. 

Can you believe that Halloween is 2 weeks from tomorrow?!  2 weeks!! 

It will be here before we know it which makes me a little sad.  My favorite season is just about over by the time Halloween arrives.  Boo to winter weather. 

Since fall seems to fly by and I do a lot of different decorating "stages" in order to cover all of the holidays that seem to run together, I try to make it so that some of my fall decor is interchangeable.

Wait, what am I talking about?


Here goes...

For fall I do 3 stages of decor:

First, I bust out the pumpkins and colorful leaves on September 1 or a few days after.  At that point it is usually still 90 degrees and there is no way I can even think about getting out my Halloween stuff, it's hard enough to drag out the pumpkins while I'm sweating. 

Second, I bust out the Halloween decor around the last week of September and/or first week of October. This part seems to go the fastest... I drag out the Halloween stuff and then "BAM!" it's over.

Finally, after Halloween I like to have fall leaves and pumpkins (and maybe one random turkey) out for Thanksgiving for the first couple of weeks of November.  Lately, I've been getting the Christmas decor out before Thanksgiving so we have more time to enjoy it so this part is crazy short. 

Because of all the fall decor switcheroo-ing going on, I am always looking for ways to make the fall stuff work for Halloween too and vice-versa.  Obviously,  I can't leave out spooky ghosts all season but the leaves and pumpkins go all the way to Thanksgiving.

This year I thought I'd do a big spooky mantel.  Then, when I got home from Vegas 6 days into October (my Halloween stuff will only be out 3 weeks, dang it!) and was feeling kind of lazy creative about my Halloween decorations, I realized that I could make a Halloween mantel out of my fall leaves and pumpkins.

I busted out my awesome little dollar store black birds to save the day.  The fall pumpkins and leaves mantel would become a spooky (kind of) Halloween mantel just by inserting a few black birds.  Then, when Halloween is over in 2 weeks, I take out the black birds and "Waa-La!" Thanksgiving mantel!  It's so easy!

So here it is, my repurposed Fall Mantel turns lazy Blackbird Halloween Mantel!  I was going to add fake creepy cobwebs but that would've required me to go to the store.

Last year the blackbirds saved the day for my Halloween Mantel too, check it out here!

Come back soon to see my less lazy Halloween decor. :)

Linking: Under the Table and Dreaming, Craftomaniac Monday, Metamorphisis Monday, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Blue Cricket Design