Project: Ghost Tree and Old Dusty Mantle

We were walking to the "park in the woods" -as my children call it-  the other day and I was noticing all of the branches lying on the ground.  It really is a park in the woods.  We have lots of those, woods that is, in good old Illinois.  I was thinking of how all these trees will soon shed their leaves and go from gorgeous to barren and my mind started working.  Think of all the things that could be done with those discarded branches!  Well, I'm starting with Halloween :0)

So, naturally, on the way home we gathered a few

 I arranged them in a tall vase on my mantle.....and I made some little ghosts.

 They are super super easy. Just cut a square of material.  The larger the square, the larger the ghost.

 Wad up a ball of either tin foil or plastic wrap.  I used plastic wrap because my fabric was so thin.

 Scrunch the fabric around the ball and tie a ribbon around the neck.

 Hot glue a little piece of ribbon to the back of the head and draw a little face.  Depending on your fabric a marker may bleed (mine did a bit).  You could paint them just as easily.

 Hang those cute little ghosts on your branches and you have a haunted tree on your mantle!  I added some marbles to the base to weigh it down a little bit and hold the branches in place.  Notice how the bottom edges of the ghosts are pointy?  If you want them flowy cut circles instead of squares.

Now Halloween is one of those holidays that just calls for a highly decorated mantle.  They just kinda go together!  So, having an extreme lack of decorations I headed to Goodwill and the dollar store.

 I spent around $12 then added some black spray paint.....And some candles :)  Then I copied Jana's "If the Shoe Fits" project and I LOVE it!!

 And I have a gaudy mantle full of drippy candles that just has old dusty house written all over it.

Halloween is just so much fun!