Hantle vs. Fantle

Back in this post, I made a Halloween mood board for my makeshift mantle in the living room.

Just to refresh your memory (and also for those lazy bums who don't want to click the link), here is the mood board I made:

And here is what the mantle actually ended up looking like:

Pretty cute, right?

Let's look at it a little closer.

I originally had the Witch Parking Only sign on the bottom two books, Ghostly Adventures and A Ghostly Cry.  My mom sent up a Halloween care package because she's awesome like that, and included the two porcelain books on top.  They worked well with the parking sign and also gave it a little more height.  Win!

I knew almost from the start that I wanted to have a pumpkin on a candlestick.  I had seen that idea floating around the Internet and loved it.  After searching for the issy-bissy pumpkins in grocery stores to use, I remembered I had this guy from last year and he fit perfectly on the candle holder I had, which also looks like pumpkins!  Another win.

Got this at Target for $1.  There is another sign on the back of this one, but I liked this sign better.

I bought this bowl at Kroger, also for $1.  They have seasonal bowls like this every year, so I bought the Halloween one this year.  I love the gate, trees, and bats.

And of course, candy corn.  Didn't make a garland like I had originally planned, but just having in on the mantle added something.

 

Got the little tombstone at the Dollar Tree.  Why not?

This adorable little folding sign was also bought at Target in the dollar section.

So that was the Hantle in the title (which is Halloween mantle, you understand).  Now onto the Fantle!

My Fantle is a little more uniform than the Hantle was.

For this one, everything that got used was something I already had.

These tiles were purchased at a charming little place called A Day in the Country, over in Hendersonville, NC.  My mother and I made a trip out there around this time last year.

My mother gave me this harvest angel.  She always makes an appearance somewhere during November.  She has such a sweet disposition, and I love her cornucopia and her coloring.

I was lucky enough to not only have a fall wedding, but also get to keep all the decorations from it to use later!  Those little pumpkin gems were sprinkled on all the reception tables, and the twig decorations were stuck in the centerpieces.  That holder used to be a Glade candle until I scooped out the bottom wax and wick holder.

Speaking of weddings, our cake-cutting photo also made an appearance on the Fantle.  Hey, I had a fall wedding, remember?  It's totally not cheating. ;)  Fun Fact: For some reason, our wedding photographer didn't capture us actually cutting the cake.  He got us preparing to cut it, and feeding it to each other, he even got our hands cutting it, but not us!  So, this picture is actually a screen cap from the wedding video that I printed out and framed.  Nothing like resourcefulness!

So there you have it.  What do you think of my little makeshift mantlescapes?  I'm a fan, and I always enjoy how the mantle looks different every time.

PS - Speaking of weddings (again), Justin and I are headed out this morning for our anniversary vacation!  This year, we're heading to Asheville to tour the Biltmore House!  I'm pretty stoked.  You'll hear about it next week since we're not getting back in til Saturday.  Have a great weekend!