Giant Googly Eye Halloween Wreath + Fun Halloween Mantel #spookyspaces

Today’s post is brought to you by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, who believe handmade touches are what make each holiday truly special. All opinions are entirely my own.

If you’ve loved the googly eye trend for Halloween this year, my fun Halloween mantel might be right up your alley! With a giant googly eye wreath taking center stage, this is a Halloween display that delights, not frights. Let me show you all of the playful details in this kid-friendly Halloween display, including how to easily make a giant googly eye Halloween wreath of your own.

It was rainy and cool this weekend, so this was the perfect time for my kids and I to set to work getting our living room all ready for Halloween. I along with some other terrific bloggers have teamed up with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores for Celebrate the Season, which will run now through December to keep you inspired with fun craft ideas all holiday season long. The theme for October is Spooky Spaces, and I think our whimsical Halloween mantel hits all the right kid-friendly notes.

Have you noticed all of the adorable googly eye projects for Halloween this year? I love that trend, and the kids and I decided to use it here! At center stage is a giant googly eye wreath (be sure to check out the project tutorial below) flanked by some felt spider webs from my Halloween stash. My glittered Halloween tree that I picked up at Jo-Ann last year looks right at home here!

A darling garland made with ribbon scraps and googly eye embellishments is a fun project suitable for kids of all ages. I’ll be sharing the full details for this project tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Craft paint and washi taped helped my girls and I turn some plain-Jane paper mache pumpkins into cute Halloween decor.

To make the pumpkins, paint the outside of a paper mache pumpkin with orange acrylic paint using a foam brush and allow to dry completely before wrapping green washi tape around the stem. Finish by creating a chevron or herringbone pattern with small pieces of washi tape.

I rounded out the display with some natural pumpkins and cute beaded spiders that I made for my 2012 Halloween mantel.

This was such a fun mantel to put together, and I love that my children were all able to play such a big role in the process. They are so happy with how it turned out! 🙂

Giant Googly Eye Wreath Project Instructions

To make a giant googly eye wreath, you will need…

• 1 roll of 21-inch-wide deco mesh ribbon
• 1 (18-inch) wire wreath form
• Floral wire
• 2 jumbo googly eyes
• Orange ribbon
• Hot glue

Instructions

• Use the deco mesh ribbon to cover the wreath form. To do so, pinch the end of the mesh roll to gather it, and then secure it to the wreath for with a short section of the floral wire. From the point where the mesh is secure to the wreath, skip about 12 inches before pinching and gathering in a similar fashion. Secure this gathered section to the wreath with another section of floral wire right next to the point where you secured the previous section so that a large tuft of mesh is created. Continue this process until the entire wreath is covered. (You might have some mesh left on the roll when you are finished.)
• Affix the eyes and ribbon to the wreath. Use hot glue to affix each of the giant googly eyes to the wreath. Tie a small bow of orange ribbon, and affix it with hot glue.

And while you’re in a Halloween mode, be sure to check out my 2012 Halloween Mantel…

…and this terrific round-up of 40+ kid-friendly Halloween ideas!