DIY halloween mantle

i'm not sure how much of a DIY post this is, but we'll call it that anyways.

what i really want to talk about is why Hobby Lobby closes at 8 PM IN A COLLEGE TOWN.

dumbos.

here's the story:

i've been wanting a mantle for a long time. i feel like most real homes (which we will probably never have until we're like 50) have a beautiful mantle above a cozy fireplace in their living room. which we have none of. i saw a beautiful black mantle at Hobby Lobby last saturday, and i was dying to have it. i finally decided to take the plunge and invest in a mantle, but when i drove to Hobby Lobby last night at 8:30, they were closed.

talk about disappointing.

i went to Michael's thinking for some reason that they might sell something similar, and then i found an unfinished wood one.

it was about 30 dollars cheaper than buying the finished mantle at H.B., so i decided to go for it.

i already had black spray paint so it quickly became

CRAFT TIME in the ping ping household.

poor christian, it was 11 p.m. before i even started putting the mantle up.

here's what i did/used:

1 wooden mantle from Michael's

black matte finish spray paint (i put 2 coats on)

for my decorations:

i used a carafe and a mason jar filled with caramel and original candy corn. i tied them with festive ribbon and put on restickable  halloween labels. 

 a little black crow found at the dollar store last halloween, and decorative mini pumpkins found at our local grocery store.

 my mother-in-law sent us the cute sequiny witch, and i put all of these together, and voila!

 a lot bit cheaper than buying a finished mantle, and a little bit more festive in the Pingree household today.