This year I decided it was finally time to start decorating our fireplace mantle for Halloween. To accomplish this we bought a few news things, reused something old, and made something new – the spooky Halloween banner.
When decorating I always try to add some homemade touches to things found in stores. And when buying from the store I strive to buy quality made things that will last year after year, becoming traditions of the season.
For the banner I started by cutting sponges into the shapes of a ghost, a bat and two pumpkins. As an alternative to sponges, potatoes are a more natural approach for making stamps. But they are difficult to cut so I took the easier route this time. My four-year-old did the sponge painting onto the fabric. {See all photos below}
On a separate green note, the pie tins we used to the hold the paint were saved and reused from previously enjoyed pies. We used acrylic paint so I just left the paint in the tins to dry and we’ll reuse them again for more painting later.
For the banner fabric that we used to stamp the sponge prints onto, I chose tan linen because I wanted it to stand out against our white brick fireplace. Plus I like the ways the edges naturally frayed on the linen, leaving them just so. Once the paint was dry the fabric pieces were sewn onto the black ribbon.
To get accurate measurements for how long to make the banner I started by measuring the length of our fireplace. Then in a very non-scientific way, I took my black ribbon (a spool with three yards of ribbon on it) and laid it out on the floor. I used tape to mark off the 82 inches matching the length of the fireplace, marking the middle of the entire ribbon first, then the ends. I left the excess length past the 82 inches in either direction to tie the finished banner to the mantle. I spaced out my rectangular pieces of fabric sitting on the floor, pinned them into place and then sewed them.
Not a sewer? This project would work with glue too, or iron on Heat’N’Bond adhesive. But for the best longterm results, sewing is always best.
To hang our spooky banner I used the handy hooks from our Christmas stockings, which remain tucked up and out of sight all year long.
