Halloween 2011 - The Foyer

Just kidding. I don't really call it the foyer because it's small and that sounds kind of pretentious to me when really it's just a small entryway. I'm glad to have it though because in all of our apartments we had we just a front door that opened into the living room. That's no fun! Now I have a little place for a table and a mirror and a small coat rack by the door.

It's nice. :)

Of course, that table is a flat surface which means it just begs to be decorated, am I right?

Some of this stuff is new this year, and some of it is repurposed from my mantel last year.

Tell me you don't love that mini bunting under the lip of the table. Details, man. Details!

This little guy is new. I picked him up at HomeGoods for seven bucks! I love his little cat balloon. I've always been drawn to these vintage looking figurines for Halloween. I've never bought one before this year, but I think I may start to collect them now. Shh, don't tell my husband! HA! He needed a little more height to balance out the table, which is where my faux vintage box from yesterday came in. The little pumpkin is from Hobby Lobby. It looks real, but it's just one of those resin ones. I like that I can reuse it year after year - no waste!

This was a burst of last minute inspiration. I had an empty space to fill here, but no clue what I wanted to put there. I didn't want to put just another pumpkin, because that would be sort of overkill. I wanted something a bit rustic/vintage looking. It couldn't be too big, and it couldn't cost too much. The solution? A $1.49 frame from Goodwill spray painted with a coat of black and a coat of oil rubbed bronze paint. I cut a scrap from a canvas drop cloth I had laying around (from the chair I was going to slipcover but decided I liked better as-is) and sketched a little picture on it. Some embroidery thread later, I was in business! I framed it a little crooked (okay, I sewed it a little crooked too) but I think that adds to the primitive charm. That's what I'm saying at least.

In the center of the table I have the lovely black amethyst glass bowl I found last year filled with glittered skulls. (confession - I saw some on Eddie Ross's blog and was immediately smitten so I started stalking eBay immediately) I was going to mix mini pumpkins in there like I did last year too, but again, pumpkin overkill! I perched the bowl on top of a leatherbound copy of Edgar Allen Poe's stories, and topped the skulls with a Dollar Tree crow.

The bowl is flanked by a pair of taper candles in black amethyst glass candle holders. I know that when I see a piece of black glass that is pressed in the same shapes in which I've seen milk glass pressed, it's time to hold it up to the light. I was so excited when I walked into my neighborhood Goodwill and saw these sitting on a table up in front last July. I quickly grabbed one, held it up to the light, and was rewarded by a deep purple glow shining through the glass. It was $1.50 for the pair - SCORE!

The tapers are plain white tapers I grabbed at the Dollar Tree for fifty cents each. I also grabbed a red one, with the plan being to melt the red wax over the white tapers so they looked like they were dripping blood. Um... word to the wise? If you decide to try that, check to make sure your red candle is truly a red candle, and not a white freaking candle painted red. ARGH!!! I managed to melt the outside of my red candle onto these, but with the soot it created and the lack of red wax they came out more burgundy than red. Live and learn.

I saved the vinyl from this pumpkin's face that I stuck there last year to re-use. Yeah... that doesn't really work. It already fell off. Whoops! The cheese dome cloche holds another resin pumpkin, along with a new fall berry pick from Hobby Lobby bent around it. The runner under everything was found at Goodwill a few months back. I think I paid three dollars for it. It's exactly as wide as the table... meant to be!

I hung my BOO letters on the wall above the table. They're just wooden Provo Craft letters that I covered with patterned paper and embellished with various scrapbooking stuff. They've been around for a few years.

I also hung the little banner on the mirror. I made this last year, and actually found a second one in the box with my fall decor. I made a few extras to sell last year and I guess I missed that one. If you'd like to buy it, send me an email. $20 and it's yours!

Next I'm going to work on the front patio/entry outside. I have this insane desire for mums...