Release the Cracken!!!!

So our household is now in the grips of preparing for Christmas decorating. I love decorating for it but it is completely overwhelming. For example here is the contents of our attic that have to come up and down, packed and unpacked all in 30 days. There have to be something like 30 boxes. We also have 4 trees up there. When the decorating is finished it all feels worth it, but gheesh is it time consuming. Who else goes completely overboard for Christmas? 

Thanksgiving decorating

How else do you decorate for Thanksgiving other than grouping different vegetables together? I tried using a glass hurricane from Pier 1. 

 

Here are some pictures of the Thanksgiving mantel I set up. The kerosene lamps smell great when lit. Most of the decorations are from Hobby Lobby. 

Halloween Mad Scientist mantle display

This is the display I created for the top mantle in our all purpose room. I was going for a kind of mad scientist vibe. Looking at it now its kind of busy, there is a lot to look at. But I still like it.

I used several glass jars with green spider-webbing to look like potion spilling out.  The labels are from Target as is the blue jar in the background. The pumpkin is fake, I carved it using a scalpel and a pattern from Pumpkin Masters. That awesome old jar is an actual apothecary jug I found at a Salvation Arny and bought for 3 dollars! The green skeleton hands are the perfect accent and were from Target as well. The 2 black outlines are 

The glass tube in the back is filled with popcorn balls. I believe much like in artwork there has to be visual interest to carry the eye around. This tall container serves that purpose of breaking up the flat plane of view. I layered the balls back and forth in a pattern that also had a type of Jacobs Ladder effect, another call to the mad scientist theme.  

Target Halloween decorating

Halloween decorating Target style!!! I love most of Targets holiday themed items. And I also love a good bargain. So you will often find me cruising their side isles right after the holidays for 50-70% off their prices. I have to wait until the next year to display it but its worth it! 


Look how beautiful these items turned out. I added this metal Halloween wreath behind a light sconce and it cast the perfect eerie shadow.


Last year when I saw these metal monsters I had to have them. They are just awesome! So this year they got displayed on some instrument cases with green spider webs. I added 2 glitter spiders, its more of a Day of the Dead feeling. What you cant see is I changed the light bulbs in the lamp to black lights. At night this arrangement had the perfect eerie glow. 

Carving Pumpkins

There is nothing more Halloween then carving jack o'lanterns.  To me it doesn't feel like October until I've done so. The guy I carved this year I named "chompers" and he looks like he might have to take short bus to school. But man is he cute. 


My brother opted for a more traditional scary face pumpkin but they both look great. We accented them on our front porch with a green pot light that cast a eerie glow. 


Quick Tip: After you've carved your pumpkin sprinkle a large amount of cinnamon on the roof. Then when you light it and the inside heats up it smells like pumpkin pie!