In the past two weeks, I’ve fixed up two pieces, one dresser and one campaign desk, and both had brass hardware I wanted to reuse.  One set of hardware was real brass, the other brass plate, and both needed a good polish.

Over the last year, I’ve also narrowed down two great substitutes for faking the patina with other hardware that you want to give a golden glow.  If you’re curious how to tell the difference between real brass and brass plate, how to polish unlacquered brass, or how to fake the look of antique brass hardware, here’s how I do it.

Real brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and if it’s not lacquered, will tarnish with exposure to air over time.  There are two methods I use to bring back the mellow antiqued patina, one is Brasso if I have it on hand and the other is natural lemon juice and salt paste mixture.

But first, before you polish, you should know whether your hardware is real brass or brass plate.  Here’s the simple way to tell the difference.  Take a household magnet and see if it will stick to the piece, if it won’t that means the hardware is real brass, like these campaign pulls.

However, if the magnet picks up the hardware, then it’s brass plated (with steel or iron as its base).

Good old fashioned Brasso works well for cleaning off the tarnish, and I usually soak for about 20 to 30 minutes.

With real brass, I use a rag or extra fine steel wool to remove the tarnish.

You can also use a mixture of salt and lemon juice as a natural polish, use approximately ¼ cup of salt per squeeze of ½ lemon to make a paste.

Either one works great on either brass plate or real brass, just be sure to use a soft rag or soft toothbrush with brass plate and not steel wool, it can scratch the thin brass plating.

Lemon juice is acidic, so be sure to fully rinse and buff your brass hardware, and I’ve read that using a little olive oil on top will prolong the periods between polishing.

I find brass plated hardware is more stubborn for some reason and usually takes repeat soaks to bring it back to life but it can be done.

But if your brass plate doesn’t come back to life because it’s too corroded or you want to give it the patina of unlacquered brass, there are two products that will do just that.

Rub N’ Buff is a waxy metallic finish that comes in several golden shades such as Gold Leaf (depicted), but also look for Antique Gold and European Gold.  Krylon’s ‘Gold Leaf’ is the best metallic gold spray paint I’ve found to date to mimic brass or give you a warm golden glow on your hardware.

As you can see, both the Rub n’ Buff and Gold Leaf spray paint are pretty darn close to the real thing!

What about you?  Have you noticed the popularity of brass hardware on furniture lately?  Are you liking its resurgence?  Know any other natural formulas or products that are great for cleaning brass?  Do share!

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Ooh, rich bluey-turquoise . . .

Make the gold hardware pop, yes that’s a must!

Yes, me likey colors of the ocean, thanks for reading my mind Andrea.

Amen sister, peacock is da bomb. 

So I busted out of my ‘just paint my furniture white’ box I fit so nicely into, and pulled off a bold shade of glossy peacock blue.  You saw the faux bamboo chest a few days ago that I dragged home from a thrift store. 

Check out this hottie now:

Now that’s what I’m talking about!

I love it, don’t you? 

From the start, this find required some minor repairs.   First, there was the chipping veneer around the top that I peeled off, then patched with some wood filler.

Next came the broken leg, with a piece of bamboo falling off.  Some wood glue and something heavy on top (two cans of primer) while the glue dried saved the day.

Now it looks like something you’d pay top dollar for on 1st Dibs (double fist bump to the chest, followed up by peace sign to the crowd):

Paisley print panels in vivid shades of teal, lime green and soft yellow found on sale at Pier One.

The genie lamp was also a Pier One find, on sale and very pretty in brushed nickel, but given a coat of gold leaf spray paint, it plays off those awesome campaign pulls. 

Bowl from Marshalls ($3 dolla, holla!), the vintage framed partridge bird patches also found thrifting last weekend, funny how they fit right in, I LOVE them.  That vase was on a clearance rack at Michaels for $5 bucks and since I collect white ceramics in all shapes that are priced under $10 I just had to have it.  Collecting simple white modern ceramics in all sizes is an addiction of mine because they’re just so darn versatile and look good anywhere from tabletop to bookcase to mantel.  Those fat jungle leaf clippings are from my royal empress tree in my backyard, yo. 

After all these years of teaching myself how to refinish furniture and working with all sorts of paints and products, I still believe if you choose to spray paint a piece of furniture, you can achieve a really nice look if you follow certain steps.  

Here are the ones I followed for this faux bamboo chest:

Remove all hardware and/or hinges. 1) Clean off any debris, fill holes and make repairs (mentioned above, and here); then coat your furniture with a bonding primer;  2) when dry, lightly sand with a fine grit sanding wedge to remove any drips or residue; 3) wipe down any dust with a cloth; 4) freshen the hardware with metallic spray paint (I used ‘Gold Leaf’ by Krylon); 5) apply two light coats of paint with two cans of Rust-Oleum spray paint in ‘Night Tide’ gloss allowing to dry in between coats 6) when dry, wipe down any residue with cloth; 7) apply protective coat to seal and protect. 

Tip #1:  when spray painting furniture, especially drawer or door fronts, it is best to apply the spray paint when the surface of the door or drawer is facing up, meaning don’t paint where it naturally sits in place.  Remove the drawer or door and and lay it down on a painter’s tarp so that the surface you’re about to paint is facing the sky.  I find that makes for more even application and reduces the potential for drips. 

Tip #2: often with spray paint, along long surfaces especially on furniture you will see  a splotchy finish, which I mentioned in this article about spray paint FAQs.  This is frustrating because in any light, the color is even, but the finish is not.  I’ve grown increasingly bothered by this, which is why I often turn to a safe bet: painting a piece with a roller/brush combo and latex paint.  However, there is an appeal to knocking out a quick paint job on a small piece of furniture with a few cans of spray paint, so I’ve been experimenting to get rid of the potential for a splotchy finish.  I think I found the solution. 

The best way to get rid of a splotchy surface that results along long flat surfaces from spray paint is to coat it with one of these protective brush-on formulas with a cheapo sponge brush.  Either one works great (Varathane or Minwax Polycrylic).  They are both water based, and they can both be applied to fully cured oil based completely dry  spray painted surfaces.

Don’t worry that they look milky in the can, they always dry clear.  Choose satin or gloss depending on your preference, and be sure to work with them when the temperature is between 60 and 75 degrees because they dry fast, and even faster in really warm weather. 

To appease both myself and my friend JJ, I chose a gloss finish:

And that, my friends, is how this funky faux bamboo chest . . .

. . . turned into this fabulous accent piece. 

K8 I hope I’ve convinced you:

I spent $25 on this chest, and $8 bucks on spray paint.  By the way, Rust-Oleum’s Night Tide is the perfect shade of peacock blue, I’ve used it here and here in the past and I find it at Lowe’s and Orchard Supply Hardware, but all stores vary their selection.

The rest of the supplies I had on hand, so this is a $33 dollar investment for me and I couldn’t be more thrilled!  What I mostly love is the statement in now makes in the guest room.  Lesson learned: as tempting and lovely as it is, don’t always play it safe with white, black or gray.  Every room needs a pop of color so why not make it a piece of furniture?  We should all push ourselves to embrace bold colors to bring personality to our spaces. 

Now it’s your turn, so go on.  Paint something blue or pink or green or yellow or red.  It will make you feel really really good.

Thanks so much to Apartment Therapy for this feature!

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Case in point.  I’ve had a 5’ x 7’ outdoor rug for a few years, and the original border used to be deep red.  You’ll spy it in this porch scene and this one too from last year.  

I was over the dark red, and feeling something new, so I perused my spray paint collection and came up with a can of ‘Green Apple’ spray paint leftover from these painted pots, and my old rug was reborn. 

The last time I spray painted the border of this rug, I didn’t use primer, but this time, it was necessary.  I tried to straight up spray paint the border green, but it looked muddy on top of the red.  Primer to the rescue!  I taped off the edge, then rolled a quick coat of Kilz low odor mildew resistant primer.  When dry, I finished it off with RustOleum’s ‘Green Apple’ spray paint. 

Here’s another trick I use a lot with spray paint, I call it ‘The Cap Trick’.  It’s a very advanced concept, I’m a little nervous about sharing it, but here goes. 

If you ever spray paint something, and end up with spots that are uneven or areas that need touched up afterward, fear not.  Simply spray a small amount of the paint into the cap, then use a small paintbrush to touch up imperfections.  Hence the title: ‘The Cap Trick’.  Guaranteed to impress your friends at parties.   

I planned to do an entire grid pattern all over the rug with the paint, but then I got lazy and decided the outer stripe was enough, and went inside to read this Larsson sequel. I’m completely engrossed and it’s affecting both my patience with projects and the cleanliness of my house ~ funny how a great book does that to your life. 

DIY chalkboard pots mentioned here. 

How pretty are cosmos?  They seem to know it too, with the way they parade their petals in the sunshine.  How can you blame them. 

Then there’s blue delphinium, (or ‘larkspur’) standing tall and proud, practically shouting “Look at me!”  Delphiniums are showy perennials, but I love them for their sassy attitude.  If you treat them right (meaning give them water and don’t kill them with too much sun), they will bloom for you again and again, year after year. 

Now I know why Claude Monet said, “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”

I’m just going to come right out and say it, I have some of the prettiest hydrangea plants on the block.  These plants are ten years old and oh so happy where they live.  Soft morning sun + evening shade = gorgeous blooms every year.   

People keep telling me to change their color to blue by adding aluminum to the soil, but I really like them pink, so I don’t listen.   

I find contentment in living with things just as they are.  

If something is beautiful as it is, don’t mess with it. 

If you want to change it, then do that.

Sometimes it just takes a simple stripe of paint to give you a fresh perspective. 

Want to hear more ideas for adding curb appeal to your home? 

I’m talking about just that today over at…

Stop by for Eight Weekend Projects for Your Home’s Exterior, and say hello! 

P.S.  Those outdoor pillows on the porch are two years old.  Medallion print pillows from OSH, apple green geometric from Tar-jay.  Wish I had a link for ya, sadly I don’t. 

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I’ve often said, I’ll spray paint anything that stands still, cause so often I fall in love with the shape of something, but not the color or finish, and my mind instantly thinks, “Nothing a little spray paint can’t fix!”   I’m like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding who was convinced Windex was the cure for every ailment.  For me, it be spray paint. 

Exhibit A: I found this tin container in my garage, I don’t recall where I picked it up.  A craft store?  Yard sale?  No matter, it was the perfect candidate for an indoor planter.

I pounded a few holes in the bottom with a nail, spray painted the front green and let it dry.  I placed some chipboard letters on top, then spray painted it again with RustOleum’s ‘Heirloom White’ which left green font underneath.  So cute!  

My indoor herb garden is back baby, back!  Complete with my five culinary favorites: sage, thyme, basil, cilantro, and parsley. 

I like to grow even more basil outside in the summertime, but the petite plants do make a pretty scene in our kitchen window.

Exhibit B:  Here’s another ‘Heirloom White’ quick fix.  For the longest time, I’ve been sooooo completely over the the light fixtures in my family room and adjacent dining room, they were dark brown with amber fluted shades, not my style anymore. 

Purchasing five new sconces and a new chandelier to replace them all was a figure that added up way too fast and was waaaay more than I wanted to spend.  I thought and thought, and then realized if I could rework the sconces, and make them a little fresher with new glass shades and paint, that would justify a reasonably priced new chandy in the dining space. 

I bought 5 clear glass shades for $5 each and raided my spray paint cabinet for some frosted spray paint.  (I couldn’t leave them clear because you can see the standard bulb socket underneath and it isn’t pretty).  The sconces got a fresh coat of ‘Heirloom White’ and the clear glass shades got a coat of frosted spray paint on the inside of the glass. 

My five dolla (new glass shade + spray paint) fix for my family room wall sconces.

Since I saved some cash on reworking the sconces, I ordered this Mariestad chandy from Ballard for the dining space.  Classic shape and a neutral gray finish = perfect !

Out with the old . . .

. . . in with the new fixture and “new” sconces:

Simple + elegant, and suspended much lower than before for added drama.

For those of you considering this fixture, buyer beware.  While the fixture itself is a nice taupe/gray color, the electrical cord that comes with it is black (huh?) and not so pretty (Ballard fix that please) so I had to stitch up a fabric slipcover to hide it.  Just thought all you potential buyers should know.  Despite the dark electrical cord, I still think it looks very pretty in this space, and complements the style of our home. 

Thank you ‘Heirloom White’ for the sweet herb planter and “new” sconces.  Are you a spray paint newbie?  Take a peek at this past article on spray paint FAQs. 

Linking up to Sarah’s Spray Paint Party!

The ‘Outdoor Ideas’ Party is on Thursday, right here, so bring your posts, new and old, on anything related to outdoor sprucing!   I’ve got a little something planned too. 

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Last weekend, I made these sweet little dessert stands for displaying spring and summertime treats when guests come over.  They’re frugal, festive, and fabulous ~ my kind of project!

Pretty Dessert Stands from Goodwill Plates & Glasses:

What You’ll Need:  Miscellaneous stemware and dessert plates; household silicone sealant (the kind used for aquariums); frosted glass spray paint; colored spray paint; paper doilies.

First, make a stop at your local Goodwill or thrift store.  There are always plenty of glasses and miscellaneous plates for sale.  Often, you can find matching sets, but among those sets are the equal amounts of hodge podge and mismatched stemware.  Grab a few of those,  the ones with no mates.  They’re the cheapest, always less than a buck.  This is a great way to repurpose your chipped china too (like the one below).

Old fashioned (wide bottom) champagne glasses and martini glasses work well, but go crazy!  Pick whatever you like.  The more variety in shapes and heights, the better!

Remove any price tags and clean your stemware and plates.  Center your stemware on top of your plate.  You can use spray paint designed for glass, but some are not designed for it (or at least they don’t say ‘can be used on glass’ on the can).  The way to use any color spray paint you want, even those not designed for glass, is to first ‘prime’ your glass with frosted spray paint.  It dries in less than 10 minutes.

Give each side of your plates and stemware a good coat, both tops and bottoms.  Make sure you don’t bump your stemware, you need a clean ring for your silicone.  [I chose to paint first to use the ring as my guide, and also because paint doesn’t stick to silicone and you’ll have a slight residue, see below.]

Next, spray paint away, two to three light coats for the best most even coverage.  Never spray painted before?  Check out this article on spray paint FAQs.  For these two dessert stands, I used Rust-Oleum’s ‘Painters Touch’ in Real Orange and Berry Pink. 

Once your paint is fully dry (at least a few hours) it’s time for the silicone sealant.  Use the ring where there is no paint as your guide, and apply a good layer of adhesive sealant around the edge.  Lay the rim of the stemware right on top of your ring of silicone.  There may be a slight amount of residue around the outside as you press down.  It’s your choice whether to scrape it off, but because it’s hidden underneath, I left mine thick for the best grip between the glass and the plate.  It takes about 12 hours or more for the silicone sealant to fully cure, but read the package.

Once your silicone sealant is fully cured, you can do this! 

Yes, your stands are completely hand washable!

Sorry hot glue, silicone’s got ya beat there.

Be sure to use layers of paper doilies, parchment paper, or other food safe papers to display your edibles.  Direct contact between food and spray paint, even why dry, is not recommended.

I made both of these plates for under $10 dollars total, including the cost of the spray paint and glassware.  I had the silicone and frosted spray paint on hand, but you’ll pay an extra few dollars for them at the hardware store. 

I’m thinking you could make tiered versions too.  Wouldn’t a series of these dessert stands be perfect for a whimsical cupcake party?  Or a bridal shower?  Or for little trinkets or favors on display?  Great for jewelry or business cards too!  

If you want the recipe for my orange cake, you’ll have to wait!  Sorry, I’m such a tease. 

The marvelous Ms. Layla has an upcoming Spring eZine all about color inspiration, so you’ll see it appear there next month. 

That fabulous fabric is from my patchwork picnic blanket, I found it at Joann’s, but the receipt doesn’t show the maker or name of the pattern*.  I’m off to the fabric store tomorrow, so I’ll update the post with the name of it when I find it. 

‘Till then, toodeloo! 

I can’t believe I just said that. 

** Thank you Elz for finding the fabric!  It’s the Fresh Fusion Large Spring Floral by Legacy Studio.

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I happen to love rich dark wood, and often I hesitate to paint it.  But since this was no antique, rather a mass produced piece from a decade ago, I turned to spray primer and spray paint to give it a fresh modern look.  Now I’m loving the gray with white trim!

Step one was to give it a coat of spray primer.  You know I love the brush on version of Zinsser’s oil based primer, but for smaller pieces of furniture you can go right ahead and prime with a spray can, it works great ! 

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Next came two thin coats of RustOleum’s ‘Winter Gray’, a beautiful medium hue in gloss finish.  RustOleum has several colors in their ‘Painter’s Touch’ line that are not the saturated colors you expect from spray paints, but rather muted colors that appeal to more modern tastes. 

Once the gray was dry, I used painter’s tape to mask of the raised trim which to me was just screaming to be painted a contrasting white.  Two coats of white paint applied by hand was all it took. 

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I also spray painted the hardware white and simply reused it. 

I even painted the interior too, for a complete look.

One of the quickest and easiest makeovers this gal has ever done!

For more tips on spray painting, take a peek at this article: Spray Paint FAQs.

I prettied up the top with a simple silver dish I found at a thrift store years ago. 

Also on top is the jewelry tree I made out of a branch back in 2009.

I’m a lover of chandeliers, so this is where I like to keep them!

I’ve always been a big fan of RustOleum products, and this is yet another example of how their spray paints really can work to give smaller pieces of furniture a brand new look. 

Lucky for me, tomorrow I’m off to attend a RustOleum conference in New Orleans to talk about some of their newer products, I’m very excited!  Can’t wait to report back !

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There’s just no place like home!  

Terri asked a great question yesterday on my Facebook page:

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Terri, I get a little nervous when my paint supplies dwindle so I keep several types of primer, paint and protectant around at all times. 

1)  I always have oil based primer on hand, especially for laminate surfaces like floating wall shelves or for covering wood like this oak mantel.  No sanding required!  Spray paint formulas are faster, but thinner in coverage.  I like brush on formulas for surfaces that will get a lot of wear and tear.  If you’re bored or curious, awhile back, I wrote up a few tips on refinishing with oil based primer and paint. 

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2) I keep two kinds of water based primer around, basic white for wall projects like priming our wainscoting, and deep tint gray for painting darker pieces like this blue chalkboard table. 

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3)  .I love white paint in all finishes, so I keep several shades of basic white in my garage cabinets, including flat finish for ceilings, eggshell finish for walls or furniture, and semi gloss for trim and cabinets.  I also have clearly labeled all the different paint colors in my house. 

I keep an unhealthy amount of spray paint in my DIY cabinet.  It’s an addiction and I’m not embarrassed to talk about it.   You never know when the mood will strike to change the color of a picture frame to make a jewelry holder, or transform a free brassy chandelier.  I follow the Boy Scout motto: “Be prepared to spray paint”.     

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4)  I’m still working with high quality brushes since I haven’t decided which kind of professional sprayer to purchase.  As a result, paint conditioners are key for me for refinishing cabinets and furniture.  Penetrol is for oil based (alkyd) primers and paints.  I used it to refinish my kitchen island and the finish is so smooth, you simply cannot tell it was painted with a brush.   Trust CG on this one.  Floetrol is for latex paints and I used it on the gray blue dresser in my foyer. 

These two favorites are not paint thinners, they are conditioning additives available at larger home improvement stores in the paint department.  They practically eliminate brush strokes and drag in your paint, plus they lengthen your drying time just long enough to get a smooth finish.  I love these conditioners, and won’t paint furniture with a brush without them anymore.

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5) Polycrylic is a great protective finish for painted pieces like this dresser, this credenza, or even this lamp covered in silver leaf. 

Finally, I do keep an extremely large stash of acrylic artist and craft paints lying around as well, just in case the ‘so you think you can paint’ mood strikes, like last weekend when I fancied myself an artist and mixed a bunch of paints to begin a large abstract. 

If only I could get the actual painting to look as good as the palette . . . 

Hope this answers your question Terri!  

Now I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again, oh babe I hate to gooooooo….  Thank you Nashville for showing this California girl a good time, and John Denver for your addicting lyrics.

Cleared for takeoff,

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There was a bare unused patch of wall in there, so over the weekend I created a little art desk and wall gallery for my daughter.  Art is her most favorite activity ~ drawing or painting is the first thing she wants to do when she wakes up, and the big excuse she uses to wiggle out of her looming homework.   I decided to encourage her talents and dedicate a little station to my budding artist. 

Her older sister gave her the desk from her bedroom, so that meant I didn’t have to buy one!  Yeehaw, gotta love shopping your house for the perfect solution!  I gave it some grosgrain ribbon trim around the edges for a fun pop of color.

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I had a glass top made for the small desk at a local shop, then to add a fun pattern, I layered a simple cotton print fabric underneath the glass ~ it’s stapled underneath so it will stay in place.

The small lamp is from Target, I added some fun ribbon to the shade with hot glue.

I thought about taking a trip to IKEA for some floating wall shelves, but then luckily I found some laminate ones on clearance at my nearby Target.  I primed them with oil based primer, then gave them a quick coat of white paint!   

No one has to know they were two different colors before ! 

Most of the picture frames are Goodwill finds, or found on discount at either Michaels or Target.  RustOleum has a fun line of ‘Painter’s Touch’ colors like ‘Aqua’ and ‘Green Apple’ ~ they make it easy to change a frame’s color with just a can of paint. 

Together, my girl and I went through her stack of her drawings and paintings, and she picked a few recent favorites to frame.

The nice thing about a gallery like this is she can change out her drawings so easily.

Here’s a peek at the other walls in their play area.  Here is the TV/storage wall and the laminate media center I painted last year. 

On the other side of the media center is the sofa with a giant map behind it.  This wall map is from National Geographic and comes in three vertical sections.  It’s easy to get up on the wall ~ I used a staple gun to attach it to the wall and double sided tape to keep the seams together.  To create the frame, I trimmed it with MDF chair rail after I spray painted it espresso brown.  The map can be purchased here. 

Opposite the new art desk and gallery is this window wall, above it is the wood cornice I built last summer.  The rug is from Rugs USA, available here. 

This bonus room downstairs is a great play space for art, games, movies and entertaining their friends, and we think a much wiser use of square footage than a formal dining room.  And my daughter just loves her new art gallery wall!

I’ve got another fun project to feature later in the week, but today I’m packing my luggage.  Yep, it’s another airplane trip, this time I’m headed to the Blissdom conference in Nashville.  I’m very excited to meet up with so many of my home blogger friends who inspire me greatly. 

What DIY projects do you have in the works right now? 

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I’m working my way through my list of holiday crafts, and I finished up one half of a project today!   We’re not hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I am helping with the table setting, so here’s one of my contributions: glitter leaf hurricanes!  Or should I say hurricane singular . . .  I still have to finish the second one, but no worries.  This is such a simple and quick project anyone can finish in under an hour.

What you’ll need:  pattern or design of choice; glass candle holder or vase; spray paint; glitter; adhesive vinyl; cutting board; box cutter or X-acto knife; cotton swabs; mineral spirits or paint thinner (for cleaning up with spray paint).

I was all set to use my Silhouette craft cutter, but then I couldn’t find the little blade cutters, grrrr.  I had to cut out my pattern the old fashioned way, which takes about ten times as long, but it also works if you cut slowly and carefully.  Make sure you use a cutting board underneath!

I used a leaf pattern from my Silhouette library, then placed in directly on top of the sheet of adhesive vinyl and secured it with tape.  You can use any clip art shape you find online, simply print it out in the size you need.

I was going to use the negative space created with the vinyl, but then realized the adhesive backing was stickier, so I used that instead.  In hindsight, I’m realizing the vinyl may have clinged better around the edges, so I may use that instead on the second hurricane.

You can spray paint so many things, including glass, so I used that as my base to get the glitter to stick.  I sprayed a tiny bit of paint into the cap, then use a paintbrush to dab it on the glass.  After I applied the paint, I sprinkled it with glitter.  I repeated several times to get a thick application and design.

I used Krylon’s ‘Caramel Latte’ but any color close to your glitter will work.  The glitter is Martha’s ‘Bronze’ from her line of craft supplies.  Allow to dry, then peel off your adhesive. 

Clean up any ‘bleeding’ of your paint outside the lines with a cotton swab dipped in mineral spirits or paint thinner.

Here’s how it looks when you’re done!  

Anything’s possible for your holiday table with glass, be it a candle holder or a vase.  Snowflake designs would look so pretty with silver or white glitter.  And it doesn’t need to be permanent.  Whenever you tire of your design, mineral spirits or paint thinner will remove the paint and glitter from your hurricane and return it to clear glass.   Just in time for you to cover it with hearts for Valentines Day, right?

I decided to spook up the mantel while they were at school and then tell them our house was haunted with a ghost.  They totally bought it.  Meet our latest visitor ~ this mysterious spirit that now dwells among us.

Making a ghost on the mirror is created with inexpensive washable tempera paint available at any craft store.  It will wipe right off with a wet rag when we decide to exorcise our home.  Great for adding haunted friends to either mirrors or windows this time of year.

The black twig trees were created with broom shaped craft twigs found at Michaels.  I took the brooms apart, stabilized them in floral foam in dollar terra cotta pots, then spray painted them black.

They’re super spooky in black, but if painted white, they’d make great ‘trees’ for your holiday mantel too!  The chains are plastic but look so cool!  Also found on sale at Michaels. 

I borrowed the cobweb candlesticks with cheesecloth idea from Martha.  I loved bringing out the tarnished silver like you’d see in a haunted mansion.  Our tarantula in residence is under glass.

These two creepy busts I also found at Michaels on clearance for a dollar each.  They remind me of a Dickens character (Jacob Marley perhaps?) or a resident at Disneyland’s Haunted House.  I spray painted them with gray primer then dusted them with a mist of white for that perfect graveyard color.  Great faces!

There’s a ghost haunting our house!  I hope he’s friendly.

Now we just need to give him a name, what should it be?

Want more Halloween mantel inspiration?

Hop over to Beth’s link party to get spooked!

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