at home with Ashley

a home decor blog, making it pretty one space at a time

Spooky and Sweet Halloween Porch

spooky and sweet Halloween porch. Are you looking for DIY ideas to make your porch awesome and scary this fall? I share the decorations I used- like a witch, skeleton, and raven and how I made a cute trick or treat sign. Your little ones will love this!

Halloween is right around the corner! I looooove this time of year! My little sister has a Halloween birthday so growing up, this was a very festive holiday. What better way to celebrate than decorating my newly finished porch with some spooky decor?! I am so excited to partner with the Home Depot to create this fun space!

sweet and spooky halloween porch

spooky and sweet Halloween porch. Are you looking for DIY ideas to make your porch awesome and scary this fall? I share the decorations I used- like a witch, skeleton, and raven and how I made a cute trick or treat sign. Your little ones will love this!

I wanted to create a scene that was a little scary, but not too over the top since I have a three year old. The Home Depot has a TON of really fun Halloween decor! The witches who talk and move (!!!) caught my eye first! Then I decided to add some other items like a skeleton, bats, a talking raven, stackable pumpkins, and a cat skeleton to round out the fun.spooky and sweet Halloween porch. Are you looking for DIY ideas to make your porch awesome and scary this fall? I share the decorations I used- like a witch, skeleton, and raven and how I made a cute trick or treat sign. Your little ones will love this!

I bought a few packages of cheese cloth for a few dollars from the Home Depot and cut them up to look like spider webs. Bats were hung in front of them. They move in the wind which makes them look like they’re flying! These details added a lot of texture and movement to the porch in an affordable way.spooky and sweet Halloween porch. Are you looking for DIY ideas to make your porch awesome and scary this fall? I share the decorations I used- like a witch, skeleton, and raven and how I made a cute trick or treat sign. Your little ones will love this!

I hand painted a little trick or treat wood sign that I made with lumber from the Home Depot. Now I want to make one of these cute porch signs for each holidays!spooky and sweet Halloween porch. Are you looking for DIY ideas to make your porch awesome and scary this fall? I share the decorations I used- like a witch, skeleton, and raven and how I made a cute trick or treat sign. Your little ones will love this!

This is our first Halloween in this house. I can’t wait to actually host trick or treaters here and share the fun little scene we created! The cat, skeleton, raven, and witches are all motion activated so they’re extra fun in person!

For more details and pictures of my sweet and spooky Halloween porch, head over to the Home Depot blog! Happy Halloween!

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Thank you to the Home Depot for sponsoring this blog post! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Want to remember this? Pin this to your favorite Pinterest board!spooky and sweet Halloween porch. Are you looking for DIY ideas to make your porch awesome and scary this fall? I share the decorations I used- like a witch, skeleton, and raven and how I made a cute trick or treat sign. Your little ones will love this!

Front Porch Makeover

front porch makeover ideas. I redid my porch adding trim to the columns and decor to create Victorian curb appeal. Planters on either side of the pink door and fun decorations add to the overall look. Click through for ideas for how to redo your porch!For the first time in my life, I have a big porch to decorate for the holidays! Plus a son that is the perfect age (3) to get involved too. But our porch was a little lackluster. We have a 1905 Victorian home, but somehow, had a porch without any charm. I recently did a front porch makeover with the help of The Home Depot. [Read more…]

One Room Challenge Week 3

I am at the nitty gritty part of my room makeover- the demo on my master bedroom is done, rebuilding has begun, but the progress is slow and the to do list is long. I like the fun part of decorating at the end. But until we get there, I’m going to celebrate every movement forward! In case you’ve missed any of the past weeks, you can catch up here:

week 1 / week 2 / week 3

master bedroom progress

One Room Challenge Week 3

Drywall is up on the short wall- the bed will go on this wall. Once the wall is mudded, I’ll give it a coat of paint and then I can wallpaper it!One Room Challenge Week 3

The most exciting progress this week is that the new closet has been framed and drywalled! This wall will get wallpapered soon too. The door is a $20 vintage find from Habitat for Humanity. I love adding in older pieces to keep the soul of this 1905 building intact.One Room Challenge Week 3

More cosmetic work is needed on these walls- see what I mean by the nitty gritty?! The trim on the floor is begging to go up! I can’t wait for these finishing touches- it’ll get much prettier soon!

diy german smearHow to use the german smear technique on an interior brick fireplace. This DIY was made popular on Fixer Upper houses. I love that it fixed my brick cracked and made them pretty too. How to use the german smear technique on an interior brick fireplace. This DIY was made popular on Fixer Upper houses. I love that it fixed my brick cracked and made them pretty too.

When we exposed the brick on the original fireplace, we found some badly damaged brick. Big cracks, huge holes in the motar. The chimney is crazy crooked. But still, I want to make it work. When I shared it on Instagram stories and asked if I should keep it, my favorite response is that “crooked is character, not cookie cutter.” Most people voted to keep it.

But how to make it work? And then I remembered the German smear technique! I’d seen it on Fixer Upper and love the idea because basically, you add white motar to the top of your brick. You can leave some of the brick exposed or fully cover it. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone with this method by making the brick prettier while fixing the flaws.

Yield: 1 Fireplace

DIY German Smear

Cover your brick with motar or grout to add age and character to your brick.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Active Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cleanup Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Difficulty Medium
Estimated Cost $35

Materials

Tools

Instructions

  1. Begin by mixing a bucket of grout. You want the consistency to be thinner than peanut butter but thicker than honey
  2. Apply the grout to the brick by using a trowel. Make sure to wear gloves as this is a messy project! Because I had so much to cover and didn't like the color of the bricks, I thickly covered the brick.
  3. If you'd like to see the original brick, scrape the grout off while it is still wet.
  4. When the grout dries, sand off any jagged edges.

Notes

Note, I covered the bottom of the chimney more thinly than the rest because it will be covered with a fireplace. I used one box of grout, but I'd guess that most fireplaces are bigger so you'll probably need 2 boxes of grout.

© ashleywilson7@hotmail.com
Category: DIY

fireplace afterHow to use the german smear technique on an interior brick fireplace. This DIY was made popular on Fixer Upper houses. I love that it fixed my brick cracked and made them pretty too.

On the top of the chimney, we found a square of galvanized tin. I wanted to cover it, but didn’t want to hang something so high on the chimney (I’d prefer to hang it lower, at a normal point). So I decided to buy a center onlay and make a decoration out of it. I might paint it a creamier color to match the chimney.

On either side of the fireplace, I’m planning on a built in bookcase. From last week, you might remember my plans for a rainbow bookcase. Items are starting to arrive for it, so I gathered a few of them and set them out. Guys, this is the part I am excited for!

One Room Challenge Week 3. Rainbow bookcase with colorful accessories and art. DIY gold shelves IKEA hack

pink door art / poodle / you are my sunshine art / yellow pot / green leaf art / green and yellow pot / mint pineapple / Charleston map art / purple doll art / mural / shelves

The art is from Minted and accessories are from Overstock. This is a small sampling of what I’ll be doing, but I hope you’re as excited for the master bedroom shelves as I am!

As a reminder, here is the mood board for the room:moon art / rug / bed / floor / planters / ottoman / lamps / night stand / chair / table / art / shiplap / wallpaper

Next week I’m hoping to have some of the wallpaper up, so definitely check back for that! Until then, make sure to see what the other One Room Challenge designers have been up to!

At Home with Ashley | Brepurposed | Dabito | The English Room | Erin Kestenbaum

Harlow & Thistle | House of Brinson | J & J Design | Kelly Golightly | Linda Holt

Megan Bachmann | Michelle Gage | Mimosa Lane | Murphy Deesign | Vestige Home

Old Home Love | SG Style | Shay Geyer | Sita Montgomery | SMP Living

Media Partner Better Homes & Gardens | TM by ORC

Master Bedroom Vanity and Chair

master bedroom vanity and chair- the prettiest combinations! Do you need ideas for a cute spot for doing your makeup? I have modern, boho, and vintage desks, chairs, and mirrors. Perfect for a small room, a teen, or a large bedroom decorIn my younger years, I did my makeup sitting on the floor in front of a floor length mirror. My husband and I were renting at the time and I totally burnt a spot in the carpet from my curling iron- oops!

I decided that it was time to invest in a vanity and chair. I spent around $200 and fell in LOVE with the luxury of being able to do my hair and makeup sitting in a little spot designed to get ready. That vanity lasted 10 years (that’s it in the picture above!)- I used that little desk everyday until we moved and I accidentally broke the glass on the top. [Read more…]

How to Have Sconces without Power or Cords

Hi friends! This morning I’m going to talk about a super popular project I shared over on my Instagram stories- how to have sconces without power or plugs.

Let’s back up, when I put up the sconces in my kitchen, I wasn’t sure what to do with the cords (they were such an eyesight!). I got a TON of recommendations to check out “The Magic Light Trick” from Nesting with Grace.how to have sconces without power or plugs. These wall fixtures would be perfect in a bedroom, living room, hallway, bathroom, dining room, kitchen or stairway. I included some fun styles like farmhouse, rustic, and modern. This DIY will solve all of your lighting problems! Click through for this magic light trick! [Read more…]