ShareThisBy SHARI HILLER
Sunday, October 22, 2006
I can't deny it. I'm hooked on holiday decorating. It starts early in the year with Valentine's Day. Excitement builds as I approach Easter, but I try to practice a bit of restraint over the summer months. I confine myself to a few patriotic accessories for the Fourth of July so that I'm well rested for the holiday marathon that begins in early October and ends on New Years Day.
This year I was ready to begin that decorating marathon. Fortified by candy corn and chocolate, I felt strong and confident.
I got the Halloween boxes out of the storage closet and unpacked all my ghoulish treasures. After carefully placing all the spooky Halloween accessories, I made a horrible discovery: There was no place left in the living room, dining room, family room or kitchen for any more Halloween decorations.
My decorating partner, Matt Fox, warmed me that this would someday happen, but I still wasn't prepared for the shock. Every year it seems that I find some new decoration that just screams my name. What's a girl to do?
As I explored the house searching for just one more space, I had a sudden inspiration: Why not decorate the guest bath?
The guest bath is really the perfect spot for holiday decorations. Most guest baths are relatively small, so accessories won't cost an arm and a leg. While most of us don't typically use a color palette of orange and black, orange and black Halloween decorations can make a guest bath more interesting and fun.
What a relief! I could still make my annual trip to find that perfect addition to my Halloween collection. I was amazed by the selection of Halloween bath products. There were towels, soaps, soap dishes and dispensers, candles and bubble bath in Halloween shapes.
Since this is the last area I have left to decorate, I decided to limit myself to some fingertip towels. That way, I can continue to add accessories over the next few years. I choose orange and black towels because they would provide a punch of color when placed on top of white hand towels, but I still needed some wall art.
Although I found some darling framed Halloween art, I decided I would rather make something myself. I settled on a Halloween wreath. I had so much fun making this project I think you might enjoy it, too.
My first stop was the local craft store. I decided to use a 12-inch grapevine wreath as my base. I found a great wreath. Instead of being perfectly shaped, it was surrounded with curly tendrils of dried leaves and vines.
I wanted to include the many symbols of Halloween on my wreath, so I purchased a package of flat wooden disks ranging in size from one inch to three inches. I also purchased three yards of orange and black checked ribbon that was two inches wide.
I made a list of the designs I wanted to include on the wreath. I decided on a jack-o-lantern, witch, black cat, ghost and a piece of candy corn. I also included two phrases _ Happy Hauntings! And BOO!
The wooden disks were slightly rough around the edges, so the first step was to lightly sand the pieces. Next, I decided which symbols I wanted to really stand out on my wreath. Using acrylic paints, I painted the three largest disks orange. After allowing them to dry, I drew a witch, a jack-o-lantern and the phrase Happy Hauntings! onto the orange disks.
I painted the three medium sized disks black. Once they had dried, I drew a piece of candy corn, a ghost and the phrase BOO! I used one small disk and painted it a ghastly green. Once it had dried, I drew a black cat in front of a yellow moon.
Once all my drawings were complete, I painted in all the details. After allowing them to dry, I sealed the surfaces with a decoupage sealer. After some experimentation, the disks were hot glued into place. The orange and black checked bow completed the project.
I am delighted with the results. The project transformed an ordinary guest bath into a Halloween treat for family and friends alike.
(Matt Fox and Shari Hiller, authors of "Matt and Shari's Great Weekend Projects (DRG Publishers), also appear together frequently on HGTV. For more on Matt Fox & Shari Hiller, visit www.hgtv.com or www.mattandshari.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
