October 14, 2015
Adding Fall Elements To The Fireplace Mantel
The Halloween decor on the fireplace mantel began to take shape. Using the same base elements from the spring mantel makeover, fall elements are added.
Of course, the black ravens were added after taking away the ceramic birds. The rust-colored glass pumpkins are added for a touch of autumn. A little bit of dark gold glitter on them echoed the brass of the candlesticks, the urn, and the brass and gold on the clock.
The brass urn is filled with an autumn mix of colorful leaves and berries. It is actually a silk floral candle ring, which is pliable so it is easily shaped into an oval to fit perfectly around the top edge of the urn.
As I stepped back and looked at the display, I knew I had to do something with the orchids, which had lost their flowers. I love orchids! These were flowering for many weeks, but ultimately, they lose their flowers. They will bloom again as long as they are watered each week, but they are not so aesthetically pleasing. Trying to decide what to fill the vases with, I considered chrysanthemums. I think chrysanthemums would be too heavy…Then,
I thought about buying another set of live orchids. The store doesn’t have rust or orange-colored orchids.
Halloween Decor Inspiration Hits
On a trip to Michael’s with Sophie, looking for flowers for her fairy costume this year, I happened to notice some silk orchids. Then, I had a sudden epiphany! Instead of buying another set of live orchids, I can just add a couple of silk orchid stems to the pots! Upon further investigation, I found a stem of orange-colored orchids! The stems and flowers seemed a little too large for my display, but it gave me hope that I could find orchid stems in autumn color at another store.
Hobby Lobby had the burnt orange colored stems you see in the picture above. They were fifty percent off the regular price! I bought four stems for six dollars! Don’t you think they look great?
Manipulate The Flower Stems
The key to making silk flowers look real is bending the stems into a more believable natural shape. Straight from the craft store, they are usually straight and stiff! As you bend them into a more natural organic shape, they begin to look more realistic.
Do you have some silk flowers in your home right now that need this? You’ll be amazed at how much more realistic the stems look after a little bit of manipulation.
Halloween Decor Color Distribution
After the colorful burnt orange orchids were in place, it was obvious that the orange color was also needed on the right side of the hearth. Even though the baskets and the pumpkin look heavy on the right side, the chair on the left balances the weight. Remove the skull and the little vintage pumpkin on a pedestal adds the bit of orange the left side needs.
Standing back, I knew that those colorful stems were the finishing touch to the mantel! Achieve this Halloween mantel decor by using a perfect cheat!
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