Marbled Skull Canvas Art DIY

Haven't blogged for awhile, oh well! Not going to get into it. 

Halloween is my favorite holiday. And though I set the boundary for decorating and wait until the 1st of October, that doesn't mean I can't prepare.

I found this felt decoration at the dollar tree and knowing I had a blank canvas at home, this is what I came up with. I have a picture ledge above the bed that I like to redecorate occasionally so once I give myself permission, that's where it can go. 

You'll need:

• Canvas size 18x24
• Felt decoration
• Nail polish in colors of your choice
• Water and container big enough for canvas to lie in

The totals cost of this for me was $1 since I had everything else on hand. Depending on if you need to buy a canvas and nail polish or not, I'd say it might range from $5-$10. Get your Michaels coupon for the canvas :)

To do the marbling effect I used this tutorial. 

I want to stress three important things when using this method:

1. Use gloves! Otherwise you WILL get nail polish all over your hand. 
2. Use a disposable container, or one you don't care about. It will get dirty.  
3. Once you start pouring the colors, I would pour, then swirl, pour then swirl etc. I poured all my colors at once, and when I went to swirl, they had already set. I liked what came out anyways, but it could have been even more swirly than this. 

After doing the marbling, I let it dry overnight. I tried every combo on the skull overtop the design before glueing down, trying to line it up so the design would be able to show through the teeth and eyes in the best way.

After adding glue to the entire backside, I placed it down as centered as I could, and gently rubbed into place.

A very easy project, and a cool modern halloween vibe. Now to wait for October 1st!

Quick & Easy Halloween Decor Tips

      Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. So why did it take me half the month to finally decorate? I think with the colder weather my hibernation habits are kicking in. Sleeping in is my vice and I cannot kick it. Anyways, I didn't buy anything new this year, other than a hanging paper bat. So I tried being creative and walked around the apartment to try and come up with something. Here's the before of my stairway mantel. 

And here is the after. 

      Though I do have a box of Halloween goodies I can dig out every year, there are a bunch of things I added that weren't strictly  'Halloween items'.

      I scanned my bookshelf's for creepy looking covers and titles, found a good selection, and then stacked them according to size. If you're not like me, and don't have the beginnings of a personal library to work with, you can easily run to a thrift store and pick up some books on the cheap. 

      The David Bowie skull is a DIY I did just for fun earlier in the year, and decided he could share in the holiday spirt. DIY from A Beautiful Mess here.  

     The 5-headed dragon is an incense holder that was living on a bookshelf. After grabbing him, I also scattered some rubber dragons I had gotten for a photo project around the area. If you have some old melted candles, they can add a spooky mood to the setting, so don't chuck them, save them in your Halloween stash. The goblin mask was from a Halloween costume a few years ago. 

      That extra large pumpkin bucket is one of my favorite finds. He was at Target last year, but I didn't see them bring him back for this season. The sneaky mouse in the corner was also a bookshelf find. 

As for the rest of the stairwell/hallway, I filled it with the extra decorations in my stash, as well as some baby pumpkins. Those are a great, cheap way to fill in space and create a great autumn vibe. 

      If you have any great photos that fit the theme in anyway, nows the time to show them off. If you can, choose a frame that compliments a certain color found in the photo. 

      And don't forget the dollar store is a great place to score things. The vase and the black rose both came from there. And another Nightmare before Christmas character joins the other side of the windows. 

      That's what I managed to throw together this year. With more time and effort, I'd really go the extra mile and make my entire space feel spooky and festive. I'm sure we all feel that way. I hope this inspires any last minute decorations for those who need a little push! Happy Hauntings!