{Halloween} Spooktacular Mantel

Happy Monday to you all! Did you enjoy a glorious Fall weekend? Our pool has dipped below 70-degrees, so it's finally time to let go of Summer, and fully embrace Fall. The mantel is always an easy place to show off a new season, and now that my fireplace is painted and has a new mirror, it's ready to be spooked!

As much as I love Halloween, I don't love blood, guts and evil stuff. So I decided to use more natural elements and give the mantel a deserted feel.

The crystal and brass candlesticks have an old haunted house feel, so they stayed. I stacked some mini-pumpkins atop more brass candlesticks, and added the sisal pumpkin for texture. Mini skull heads are sprinkled throughout, while the googly eyes (left over from my Mummy Lights) give the impression that you're being watched.

The glass votives were transformed with strips of lace ribbon.

I clipped some black birds to the stems and arranged them in my burlap vase. The other vase contains a candle and pinecone filler, and the pumpkin tied with jute ribbon adds more color and texture.

The jute string from the skeleton garland was my inspiration for using natural, textural elements. Who knew you could find inspiration at the Dollar Store!?

The mirrored bats and spider decals add 'life' among the 'dead.' And come November, I can take them and the skeletons down, and will be left with a Fall mantelscape.

Eeek! Spiders crawling up the brick and on the pumpkins, too!

The black mantel is perfect for Halloween, right?!

Picnik has some great Halloween effects, so I'm able to show you how the house will reeeeeeaaaally look on Hallow's Eve!

The Halloween frenzy is underway here, how about your house?


** Linking up to Home Stories A to Z, Tip Junkie, Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, The Shabby Nest, The DIY Showoff, TaterTots & Jello and Thrifty Decor Chick**