Fall Mantle

I just LOVE Fall!! It's my favorite season of the year!  Partly because my birthday falls in this season, but also because the weather cools off, the leaves change and I can wear clothes that will cover up my body more and hide all the weight I gain from the Summer cook outs. I mean, let's be clear! :)

To celebrate this wonderful time of year, I have started to decorate our home! AND since our New Home has a beautiful fireplace!! I can decorate the mantle!! I searched Pinterest over and over (as any great decorator does) for ideas and finally came up with this!!

 

Isn't it adorable! I of course don't have a lot of money to spend on decorating, but wanted to be festive, so here's how I did it!! This entire mantle cost me only $20!!! I know what you're thinking...HOW?! Well, let me tell you

 

I picked up the old window at a garage sale for $8, bought a dollar store grapevine wreath for $1 and some leaves/berries at Wal Mart for $0.97 each (2 bunches).  The cute sunflower I got on sale at Hobby Lobby for $1.  (I know, fall hasn't even begun yet and they have stuff on sale) All this = $12, clearly the most expensive stuff on my mantle. :)

 

 

To make the wreath, I just pushed the leaves and berries into the grapevine wreath to make it a little more full and voila...an adorable mantle-sized wreath. No hot glue needed. I then embellished it with the bling sunflower! Gotta have some bling somewhere in this all boy house! :) To attach it to the window, I just took some twine I had and taped it to the other side of the window.  You could also use ribbon if you prefer.

 

 

The candle sticks I had, but got the leaves that are laying on the mantle and pumpkins/gourds from my sister who is living with us.  I bought this for her as a birthday gift one year.  I also got these on after the season clearance for something REALLY cheap...sorry sis. :) Also, accompanying the mantle foliage are 2 more bunches of $0.97 flowers from Wal Mart.

 

 

On the other side of the mantle, I picked up these candle holders at Target just a week or so ago on clearance for $3 each! I originally got them to stuff Christmas ornaments in for the upcoming Christmas season, but couldn't wait to use them.

 

 

I stuffed the bottoms with left over leaves from the bunches and some acorns from our front yard.  The acorns were supposed to go all the way around the candles, but they and the candles are too big, so I had to settle for what I could see from the front. :)

 

Now my favorite part! M and I went walking with G on our way to school yesterday and found so many sticks on our way.  I needed some height to the mantle, so find an empty vase and there you go! This will also transition really well into my Halloween mantle that will debut next month!!

 

 

The Fall Banner, I made out of stuff I already had: scrapbook paper, ribbon, tape and contact paper. I just thought the mantle needed a little more warmth.

 

 

So, breakdown:

Window - 8

Wreath - 1

Leaves/Berries for Wreath - 2

Sunflower - 1

Candle holders - 6

Mantle Flowers - 2

Acorns - FREE

Sticks - FREE

Vase - FREE

Fall Banner - FREE

 

Total cost of Mantle Decor = $20

 

Cost of enjoying a season of festiveness = PRICELESS! :)

 

 

 

Want to know how to make the cute Fall Banner?! Click here!!

 

 

 

Pumpkin Topiaries

Yay!!  It's September and that means Fall is just around the corner!!  I'm so excited because that means I can finally decorate my house with pumpkins, leaves and all the great fall decor!! To celebrate I made these cute pumpkin topiaries this afternoon!  Check them out!

 

They were so easy to make too!

 

Supplies:

6 foam pumpkins (you can get all the same color, or mix and match)

Silk fall leaves

Hot Glue

Wire Cutters or Scissors

 

I picked some pumpkins from the section where you can add to wreaths and garland, so my pumpkins have little sticks on the bottom of them.  This is not a problem.

 

How To:

Remove the pumpkin stems from only 4 of the pumpkins. 

If you have the sticks on the pumpkins like me, remove those from all of them.

I just tugged really hard and they pulled out. 

 

Hot glue the 2 upper pumpkins to the bottom pumpkin. 

 

This is what it looks like all stacked and glued:  

 

Next, cut the leaves apart from each other with the wire cutters.  Cut all the way to the fabric of the leaf.  You don't need any stem and it will affect the way your pumpkin will sit if you leave a long stem.

Then hot glue the leaves to the bottom of the pumpkin stack

 

 



 And there you have it, beautiful pumpkin topiaries!

 

 

I placed mine outside on tall candlesticks.  They are meant for pillar candles, so they had a little spike that helped me attach the topiaries very well and they won't fall down!  I think they look great by my front door! I can't wait to put up all the other pumpkins by the door!