Learn how to decorate your mantel with old fashioned Halloween decorations. Get that Cottagecore vibe on your fireplace with a Beistle Halloween inspired man in the moon face, vintage decor and a Halloween printable quote.
One night while I was sleeping an elf, my daughter Hannah, starting playing with our old fashioned Halloween decorations on the mantle. When I woke up I saw this Beistle Halloween inspired piece of art, the man in the moon face, staring at me as I stood there with my bedhead self.
I will be honest. I whispered all by myself, “whoa, that is so cool.”
The decorations were not finished so together we completed the Cottagecore Halloween mantle look and couldn't wait to walk you through how to decorate your fireplace for Halloween with vintage decorations and all.
I am so excited so let's get started!!!
Old Fashioned Halloween Mantle Decorating
The best way I can describe how to make this Cottagecore Halloween scene is with layering. Layering big and small pieces is the key to making this fireplace design.
We are going to start with the back and work our way forward. If you are not the best at creating balance and design follow along, piece by piece to create your mantle. If you have a good sense of design then you can adjust accordingly. So let's begin with the larger piece of art in the middle.
Halloween Printable Wall Art
In the very center, you want to hang a piece of art like this Halloween printable sign. Festive Halloween signs are a great way to decorate for Halloween.
This quote really captures the essence of the Cottagecore Halloween mantle. It says, “When witches go riding and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers 'tis near Halloween.” Isn't that the perfect quote for a Cottagecore mantle?
You can find this Halloween printable and more in our Etsy shop. There are detailed instructions on how you can print it and where we printed ours in one day. And you can find even more printable Halloween decorations in this post.
We placed our printable on top of the mirror that was already sitting here. It is good to make use of what you have instead of buying something new.
Once you have that large piece in the middle it is time to go to the next layer and which is something smaller on the right and the left.
Layer Halloween Art on Mantle
The next layer on your Halloween mantle is something a little smaller but still eye-catching. Remember these three pieces are the centerpiece of your mantle. This is where the “man in the moon” face came in. This guy is inspired by Beistle Halloween not so spooky decor paper decoration.
He is one of many retro Halloween decorations. Other favorites are classic black cats and witches with hats. I love their designs. They make cute vintage Halloween cards.
This winking smiling moon unique vintage look grabs your attention when you walk into the living room. Going with a large full moon made the whole mantle.
What is Beistle Halloween decorations?
Beistle Halloween decorations come from the 1920s from a party supplies company. These vintage Halloween decorations helped to make Halloween popular in the United States. The Beistle Company is the oldest continuing party supply company in the USA today.
Sit your man in the moon face on one side, a mirror or something on the other side, and include a small piece of art too. You can get the moon faces on Etsy also. They come in many different facial expressions.
The small piece of art of an old house helps create the vibe of Cottagecore. Cottagecore is all about a feeling. Of creating a stage of the story. If you want to learn more about Cottagecore and how to decorate in this style try my Cottagecore decor ideas post.
Decorating the Mantle Shelf
Now it is time for smaller items on the mantle shelf. Here is another spot you will do layering except for this time your layering will be vertical and horizontal. Start with the ends and stack books and make them old-fashioned-looking books.
Turn the books around so you see the pages and not the binding. This really lends to a more creepy Halloween decoration.
Next start sitting candlesticks, and apothecary jars on top of the books and all along the mantle shelf.
Let the candles in the jars drip down on the bottles if you have some in bottles. You can add food coloring to the water in some bottles, put Epson salt in others, or even dirt. This will make the jars looks like they belong in a witch's den or a mad scientist's laboratory.
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Next, add some dollar store bright colored jack o' lanterns like ours or even fancier ones like these from Pottery Barn. We painted our jack o lanterns with white Dixie Belle chalk paint, then painted the black areas with black and then brushed brown wax in the grooves to give it an antique Halloween unique decoration look.
Adding the finish gave them a little bit of a worn look and made them a spooky jack and baby jack. LOL!
Add battery-powered candles inside to give them a mysterious glow. Toss in a few mini pumpkins to finish the shelf. Little pumpkins are a fall and Halloween staple. They make the best fillers. I have a whole post on how to decorate with small pumpkins.
Halloween Garland Mantle Decor
Now to polish the fireplace mantle Halloween design let's add a leafy cute garland pop of color like this one from Hearth and Hand. We nailed our garland features in with teeny tiny nails. You can actually see how if you go back to the photo of the books.
We also tossed in a sprig of fall foliage in between the small house art and man in the moon. I found these in the dollar spot and Hearth and Hand section at Target.
Decorating your Hearth for Halloween
Last, always consider something for the hearth. We already had these crocks so we tossed in some pumpkins and then made this witches broom from what we had laying around the house and yard.
This witch broom was so easy to make and it only took us an hour. We have directions on how to make a witch broom in another post.
After you sit your broom on the crock add some mini battery-powered lights to it letting the battery box sit inside of the crock. We also added a cinnamon broom down inside to give the whole mantle the scent of autumn.
This mantle would be perfect in a haunted house design or for a Halloween bash. Your party guests will get a good laugh at the large eyes smiling face greeting them. Well, guess what? You are all finished!!!
Conclusion
Are you starting to see the story that was created from the Halloween mantle idea? We didn't plan it this way — it just happened but we thought it is the perfect Halloween witch's fireplace.
You see this Witchcore story is about a nice little witch who likes to be helpful to others. She lives in the tiny little cottage in the countryside with the man in the moon. The quote on the mantle describes her favorite coming holiday. She has all her remedies on the mantle, and candles to work by. And of course, her flying broom is propped on her crocks for when she heads out on Halloween night.
Halloween is so fun to decorate for. My mom used to love to decorate our yard and porch and watch the kids come for candy with giggles. I guess you might say like mother like daughter, and apparently, the Halloween bug has passed on to my daughter, Hannah, too.
If you love this Halloween idea check out my DIY dollar store Halloween decoration idea using the same Jack-o'-lanterns on the mantle.
Happy Decorating or maybe I should say Happy Halloween!
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