~ Halloween Decor :: Vintage & Elegant :: Black & White with Mercury Glass :: Entry Table 2013

Entry ~ Halloween 2013

The entry table is another favorite place to decorate for the holidays.  I shared photos highlighting some of the different elements that are shown here in  previous posts that can bee seen by clicking here:  Details of My Velvet Pumpkin,  The Monogram Pumpkin with Paper Butterflies

The Mercury glass pumpkins and gourds are a really wonderful addition to Fall and Halloween since they add a touch of elegance and reflective light. And if you have come by in years past, you know those little silver crowns get used as often as possible when a little bit of silver is sure to add a sparkle.

The foyer table is black marble and has a simple burlap runner on the top for  texture and feeling of Fall. To complement the other black elements, there is  a tall black urn holding one of the painted white pumpkins. The pumpkins were painted a couple of years ago with ASCP and simple white paint as well. The pumpkin on the antique books and the one on the vintage silver piece are both velvet pumpkins which are newly made this year. I showed how I made mine HERE.  The small black pumpkin is a faux pumpkin that was painted a few years ago with spray paint. Look for the kind that will work on plastic, like Fusion and Universal. Both will give you nice coverage. Of course if you have some black Chalk Paint it will work too.

 Ravens wear collars, and the spiders wear glitter.

 

Antique books and a garden urn with a Mercury glass gourd on top,

with a Mercury glass pumpkin sitting on a black and white pinwheel made of wired ribbon.

A little silver crown and antique skeleton keys round out the display.

 The other raven wears a fun harlequin collar.

 The vintage mirror is lightly wrapped with white web while glittered spiders climb to the top.

 And Velvet Pumpkins add another little touch of elegance and texture.

Black and White Paper Butterflies and Spiders, too. 

These Velvet Pumpkins have real (dried) pumpkins stems. 

See Y'All Soon~

Halloween Decorating ~ Black and White Elegant Fun

Those silly crows certainly enjoy a Halloween gathering. Give them a few minutes to roam freely and they are all dressed up with hats and collars, too. I think they are imitating the art of my little witch Izabella  decked out in a snazzy black hat!  For the entry table, I made a tall pumpkin topiary with white pumpkins and a more traditional orange one in the center. This way I can have some Fall color by leaving it as is when Halloween is done.

On the mantel is another (faux - foam) pumpkin painted with Annie Sloan Chalk paint. Why? I just like the way the paint looks, it covers over orange very well, and I already had it on hand. Another crow with her party hat a few spiders, and a mercury glass gourd makes a fun arrangement. 

A sister crow sits on top of a small rattan chest along with a beautiful antique vellum book and a sweet little plush velvet pumpkin with a paper clay stem. 

DIY Ideas in the post for you to try:

1. Painted foam pumpkins. Any good paint will work. You might have to use one with a primer in it to cover up the really strong orange ones. But if you have some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, it works very well. 

2. Make some little hats and collars for your crows. Really simple to do, the hats are just a cone and a circle of black construction paper. Cut a hole in the center of the circle and attach to the cone. 

For a quick collar, you can use a cupcake paper liner or weave a wire through some vintage (or new) lace and make a circle out of it. Or you can use wired ribbon, cut off one side, and pull the wire on the other side to gather it into a circle to put around the neck. 

3. Make your own plush velvet pumpkins. 

And fill with your own style and imagination! 
 

See Y'All Soon~

Perfect Weather for a Broom Ride! Halloween Decorating

I'm enjoying the fall pictures from north of us, which is just about everywhere here in the states! Even though it still feels like Summer for us, it's time for a little Fall decorating.  This is my favorite kind of decorating ... making use of what I already had and adding nothing new! Oh, I did drag that branch in from outside, but that was free.  Hope you enjoy a quick peek of a little Halloween fun.

See Y'All Soon!

Black and White for Halloween, Elegant and Whimsical.

As the cooler Fall weather finally reaches us, I usually get a burst of energy and a desire to get some projects done. This year we have been hard at work for a couple of months already. So it feels more like time to sit back with a good book or great movie. Although I'm not doing as much Halloween decorating this year, I have noticed there is no need to add pretend spider webs or dust to make things look scary. It feels like a layer of dust is on everything!

We're working on the den/family room. We found some damage in there, and I thought we should tear somethings apart before hiring anyone, so we would know exactly what we were going to be dealing with. Like the ol' days, it turned out to be the first step in just doing the work ourselves, even though I swore those days were gone. After the demolition, things have gone very well, slowly without rush, just getting it done. We have a lot to do yet. Somehow "re"modeling and working around older construction always takes twice as much effort and time. 

Now if I can just get a magic broom to go sweep up the dust bunnies, I think I could continue reading a good book and enjoy the show. I hope you are all enjoying your season of Autumn.

~ Fall Decorating ~ Get Ready for Halloween

I love the fact that so many people still find fun and joy in Halloween. The days seem to have suddenly grown shorter, even though the cooler weather hasn't found us yet. It will soon
enough, so there is no complaining here. I am sure that Halloween will still be lot of black and
 white for me, and the Mercury glass pumpkins and the velvet pumpkins are still  favorites.

Beau Bunny and his friends are decked out in Halloween attire in the shop and available now. 

Emily Grace likes to pose with her sweet black kitty and Raven, too.

See Y'All Soon~

Happy Halloween! from The Decorated House

Wishing You a Happy Halloween Weekend!

See Y'All Soon~

Halloween Entry Table ~ Black and White Decor

The Snickers and other chocolate bars are ready for the big night,  and the crows are still in a party mood and ready as well.  I remember one year trying to chose some kind of healthier snack for trick or treat, and the kids look at me like I was from another planet. Probably boxed raisins or something like that. Not what the little monsters wanted on Halloween that was for sure. Of course I have really fond memories of the candy we used to haul home when we were kids. I seldom had candy at home during the rest of the year, so it was tough not to be selfish and hide your own stash from other siblings. Today, maybe one little snickers, and that will take care of it for me. But I can't keep them in the house or one might not settle the craving.

I use this nice size urn all year long. For now it supports 3 pumpkins in a topiary style. Since I have so little color in any of the decorations, I chose to use a more traditional color pumpkin for the center. The table will remain much the same for the rest of Fall except for the obvious Halloween decor. I wanted a little touch of traditional fall color and the pumpkin does that very well, and will be perfect for a Fall looking arrangement. 

See Y'All Soon~

Halloween Mantel ~ Elegant and Whimsical ~ Black and White Halloween Decor

Even those who love mostly soft and neutral decorating, sometimes crave a bit of contrast or a splash of color. Especially this time of year. You can add a touch of elegance to your Halloween decor by simply playing with the time tested combination of black and white. Add some warm tones of gold and the sparkle of silver and you have a more grown up version of Halloween decorating.. 

The mantel this year is dressed in black and white again. Whatever your own favorite colors,  you can certainly decorate even for Fall and Halloween with the the colors you love. Even if that happens to be without the strong orange or red of the season. You might enjoy the stunning display of the turning of the leaves outside but still like a more neutral look inside. Give it some contrast like black and white, or keep it monochromatic. It can still be very festive and fun!

I'm fortunate to have a few pretty black and white artworks to display this time of year. On the mantel this time is a print of my own art, The Wizard. It was done many years ago, and although  I consider it to be simply fantasy art, it makes  a great addition for Halloween when everyone thinks of magic.

The MacKenzie-Childs star ornament is nice for Halloween, even though I usually bring it out for Christmas and New Year's decorating.  It adds another element of black and white and silver, and repeats the the harlequin design as well.

 The crows are merry and in a party mood with little witchy hats and decorative collars. This one is sitting on top of a faux (foam) pumpkin painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint. The mercury glass pumpkin and gourd sparkle and reflect light, with one perched atop a cute harlequin patterned urn. A few spiders complete the whimsical feeling. They are only invited inside this time of year, and only if they aren't real!

See Y'All Soon~

October ~ October, the Halloween Month!

It's October! A month that seems very special to a lot of people just because it means Fall is here for sure. The temperatures for us are actually going to be only in the 80's. Big Chill! I don't get in a big hurry for the really cold days, but the crisp Fall nights are a treat. 

So speaking of treats, it will soon be the big Trick or Treat day. You know how I love decorating for Halloween. It's time to find out what the crows and ravens did with their hats and collars, round up all the pumpkins and see which of the little witches and bunny goblins art prints will be a part of decorating this year. I think all the Halloween Art Prints are in the shop now. 

Hope you have a great weekend.

See Y'All Soon~

~ Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween

from our home to yours.

See Y'all Soon ~

~ Halloween Mantel 2014 -The Decorated House - Elegant Black and White Decorating

Instead of all the spooky stuff, you can choose to enchant with a more elegant style when decorating for this fun packed holiday! It's almost Halloween time again, and that means it is a perfect time for adding some elegant black back into the decorating mix. Black and white has always been such a classic combination. I like to add Vintage Silver and Mercury glass, and Old Books ... along with a tiny bit of spookiness. The only really spooky thing is those spiders! Spiders are not one of my favorite guys outside, but

~ Halloween Decor in Black and White - Entry Table

Halloween may be the time of joy for children, but it is also a wonderful time to bring a little different twist to your own decor. This is one of the times of year when black and white is so perfect for changing the look of your home and celebrating this fun holiday as well, although it may not be the wise choice to get your own favorite candy to give out. 

~ Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Pumpkins - Black & White with Silver Halloween Decorating!

Halloween Decorating at The Decorated House
Halloween 2012:
Come take a look at how I used some decorative goodies to decorate
our entry table for Halloween with elements
 that you probably already have!

~ Over 50 Fabulous Black & White Halloween Decor Ideas

Some great ideas for last minute decorating or filing away for next year.  

Click on Picture above to see over 50 Halloween Decor ideas. 

Click on each picture on Pinterest to go to the source site.

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ Halloween Decorating - Mercury Glass with Black & White

I hope you had a  wonderful weekend.  If you have missed the Halloween Decorating around here during the last week, here is a little recap. You can find the posts and pictures at each link beginning  with The Pumpkin Topiary  and The Monogram Pumpkin with Paper Butterflies and Details of The Entry Table featuring My Velvet Pumpkin and the last post was of the Halloween Mantel Decorated for 2013.

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ Halloween Decorating - Black, White & Silver

Adding a few vintage elements always seems to bring that special feeling of age and beauty to Fall and Halloween Decorating. The entry table is dressed in a little bit more black this year and Emily Grace is wearing her special hat for the occasion as she awaits the big day with her black kitty and  rave, along with her favorite jack o' lantern. (The Little Victorian Witch Art Print, Emily Grace,  is available HERE.)

The pretty velvet pumpkins that I made this year for Fall and Halloween add a lovely soft texture to complement the sparkle of the Mercury glass pumpkins and gourds. Its a wonderful combination. The velvet pumpkins have  a very subtle texture and soft coloring that makes them feel a bit vintage,  even if you know they are new.

While unpacking the seasonal goods, I found some black and gold frames which were waiting to be painted in lighter color. For Halloween they are perfect the way they are. I might have to keep a couple the way they are and pack them away with the Halloween things.

The stack of books starts with an antique Italian vellum book from the 1600's which I use all year around. The vintage book stack is topped with a white garden urn holding a mercury glass gourd. Sitting on the edge of the books is a paper and velum butterfly.

The ravens got a little dressed up this year as well. One wears a handmade lace color, while the one in the top photo chose a black and white harlequin collar. That one was made from a wired ribbon. Cut off one side making it the width you need, and pull the wire in your cut piece to make the ruffled collar.

 

Rounding out the display for the entry table is a tall black urn that was also tucked away and mostly forgotten. Now it is the perfect place to have another white pumpkin. This one is a ceramic one painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Old White and Pure White) but a foam pumpkin would work was well.

Come back soon to see more Halloween Decorating for 2013.

See Y'All Soon~

~ Halloween Decor - Pumpkins - Butterflies - Spiders! Oh Yes!

What a funny and strange sounding combination. Pumpkins with spiders and butterflies, and a crown or two of course. This weekend seems like the perfect time to get out all the Halloween goodies and get decorating. Each year I wish I had started sooner so I could enjoy it all for a few weeks before Halloween. This year I'm actually going to do it.

The monogram pumpkin is still one of my favorite things. So simple to add a design of some kind after you paint one of the faux pumpkins white.  Each year I get questions about it, but it really is simple. This is a design that I created using a vintage letter, then it was printed out on my inkjet, cut out closely to the image, and glued on the pumpkin. For this I used Golden's Gel Medium, but you could use Modpodge as well.

In this little area the pumpkins are the large white painted pumpkin with a sculpted stem from paper clay, a small black painted pumpkin with a faux stem, and a cream colored velvet pumpkin with a real pumpkin stem.  Add some glittered spider and velum paper butterflies and it's a fun start to the entry table this year.

You can click HERE to see last year's entry table. It was just what I wanted so it was a little hard changing it up this year. But once I brought out  that large urn you can almost see in the background, everything began to take shape. Kind of the same, and a bit different.  Come back soon to see more clips of Halloween decorating, and then a post of all the elements of the whole holiday decor.

The shop is full of fanciful ~ whimsical ~ fun
Halloween Art Prints featuring Beau Bunny and Friends.
All orders are sent out quickly and 2 or more prints
are mail via Priority for an extra speedy delivery!

Have a Great Weekend!
See Y'All Soon~

Linking up with My Romantic Home this week.

~ Hello October ~ Countdown to Halloween! Pumpkin Topiary

It is the joyful month of October! One of the fun things I've seen around Blogland in the last few years is  the different inventive kinds of a count down "clock" for kids to count the days until  Halloween. I wish someone had thought of that when I was young. It would have made this fun Holiday last longer. Even if there is no count down clock around here we are still on Halloween watch anyway. And the fun is just about to begin. With just one little project at a time. 

For the last few years there has been a pumpkin topiary somewhere in the decor. I like the combination of the black and white with a little soft pumpkin color too. The light streaming in through the window bounces playfully around the silver pieces and actually makes the matte black pumpkin a bit shinier looking in the photo. This year I made the topiary in a Mercury glass goblet.  The Mercury pumpkins are a delightful addition again this year. The fun reflective sparkle certainly brightens the mood Fall, and adding more Mercury glass pieces just adds to the reflective light.

You can make a topiary of your own out of faux pumpkins that you can keep and rearrange year after year. The bottom white pumpkin and the top peachy gourd are both ceramic, but you can easily use foam ones instead. It best to use a foam one for the middle, and maybe the top as well, because you might need to poke a hole in the bottom if the pumpkin below it has a stem that you want to hide. I used some sticky putty to keep the top one in place since I could not poke a hole in the ceramic gourd.

The pumpkins started out that ugly orange color that most inexpensive faux pumpkins are born with. For the white pumpkin and soft pumpkin colored gourd I started out with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. The white one was then dry brushed with some Pure White. The gourd was painted with Old White mixed with red and yellow to get the soft pumpkin color, then dry brushed with Old White. The black pumpkin was spray painted with either Fusion or Universal black paint.  Both spray paints are very good for painting the foam. Of course you can also use a liquid latex although you may have to touch them up over the years if you don't use a primer.

Come back soon to see more clips of Halloween decorating, and then a post of all the elements of the whole holiday decor.

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ The Decorated House Halloween Decor - Mantel 2013

You can hear it all throughout Blogland right now, almost everyone loves this time of year. As I've said before, I am no exception.  For me it is another reason to be joyful and celebrate everyday. And to at last cool down a little bit and open the windows. And ..... to decorate the mantel for Halloween!
This I totally love doing. It's a chance to embrace magic and whimsy and just remember the fun of being a kid this time of year.

~ Halloween Decorating. Black & White, A Little More

 The only room that really gets any Halloween decorating is the living room area. A while back I thought I would stop decorating inside or outside, except maybe a Jack O Lantern. Our own daughter is grown, and there seems to be fewer kids coming out for trick or treat now. Then a couple years ago, when I opened the door for a few kids trick or treating, a little girl about 3 just came running right in the door. She stopped and looked around and smiled. Her mom was trying to catch her, but this little one was quick. It wasn't that I had done anything especially great. She just appreciated even the little things.  She reminded me of that special wonder that children have and that we often lose along the way. Doing even a small amount of decorating for Halloween keeps us in the spirit of Fall and the upcoming holidays.

The pillows with the black and white stripe trim were a part of the decor around here for several years. They have changed slightly as my color choices have changed.  Even though this is a very common toile, I happen to love toiles and this one is just fine with me. When I first made these I was mimicking some quite expensive pillows I had seen and the outside toile area was golden yellow. I  used fabric medium and paint on my fabric to get the same look that I had seen, and the gold was part of my colors. Since then that area has been painted a greige color. For  a while they have been in the closet because I was not using any black. This year I remembered I still had them and they were just what I needed to dress the sofa a bit differently and complement the Halloween decor which is black, white & silver.

I also kept the black and white transferware pieces from years ago and used one of the covered vases on the side table. These pieces look great with the seasonal decor as well. Funny how if you have things put away for awhile, sometimes they look fresh and new again. But not always... I know. There are many more things that went out the door in the last few years that are not missed at all.

Lots of us love white pumpkins. Here is another one I painted sitting on a harlequin plate along with some very old books from the mid 1800's, a quartz crystal sphere, a skeleton key and a spider just for the fun of it. The book was destined to be a book of spells, and still might get some more work next year. Since I love old and rustic books, it is perfect for the holiday.

See Y'All Soon~

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Click on any of the pictures below to shop the art from The Decorated House!