Halloween Mantel Makeover

I am so excited to be today’s guest on the Eighteen25 Spooktacular September BlogHop.  I’m in such great company over there with too many amazing crafters to name.  Who would of thunk a lil’ ole’ crafty girl from Austin, TX with a Halloween obsession would be sharing her mantel with the world.

So here it is…my Halloween mantel…ta-da.  Over on the Eighteen25 Blog I am sharing how I was inspired by a Dallas group called The Color Condition to create this amazing fireplace screen.  Guess what cheap party supply I used to make it?  I think it looks pretty swanky with my Treetopia Tuxedo Black Garland (have you entered to win your own), vintage Halloween noise maker collection, Beistle cut-outs, new sexy leg lamps I grabbed at the flea market last weekend, swarm of bats (Did you see my Candy Corn Tree?  2015 is the year of the bat apparently) AND the painting above the mantel that I painted and lit.  Yup, let’s talk about that painting some more.

There was already a lot of light action going on with my Halloween mantel.  More is always better, I don’t care what those tiny house people say.  I added orange bulbs to my leg lamps, the garland came with lights, but somehow my thrift store painting begged for something more.

Here is the painting as I found it.  I bought it to add to the embarrassing collection of thrift store art I have growing in my garage.  I knew it would come in handy at some point.  I might be a hoarder, but I do eventually use what I hoard. 

I had to take the cool mellow 70’s vibe of this painting down a few notches which meant bringing out the black paint and sparkly bakers twine.  Make sure this is not a Picasso before you do this.  For Halloween I have revamped several pieces of thrift store art making medusa, adding felt masks and converting silhouettes into skeletons.

Next using an awl or on my case a ball point pen because it was closer, poke small holes in your canvas and insert battery operated LED twinkle lights.  How far apart your holes are depends on your string of lights.  I also used a squirt of hot glue on the back of the canvas to hold the lights in their holes.

Go ahead and add a bat (or two) paint some orange in there to kick it up a Halloween notch – it’s your painting do whatcha wanna do.  I realize not everyone can find this exact painting at their local thrift store, but I promise you there is some homely landscape there begging for a spooky lit up makeover.  Maybe you could add glowing eyes to a giant picture of your kids?  Paint glow in the dark ghost sheets on a painting of strangers?  One man’s trash is another man’s haunted treasure.  Please don’t forget to stop by the Eighteen25 blog and tell the girls I sent ya.

Posted September 24, 2015 & filed under Halloween, Holidays.