I Made the Fall Mantel of My Dreams with $10 in Dollar Store Finds
One of my favorite things about seasonal decorating is finding ways to create something unique and festive without breaking the bank, which is why I love taking items from Dollar Tree and elevating them. When I saw the fun wooden ornament shapes they had for Halloween this year, I knew they would make the perfect cute, minimal decor — perfect for my home, since I’m not a fan of scary Halloween decor.
Here’s exactly what I bought and how I put it together. Let me walk you through the steps so you can make one for yourself. It’s frightfully easy!
What I Bought from Dollar Tree
First, I picked up a variety of wooden ornament shapes — pumpkins, witches’ hats, ghosts, and cats. I ended up using one pack of each for this project. I also bought one garland of round wood beads and one garland of square wood beads, which I unstrung so that I could use the beads individually. My total cost at Dollar Tree was under $10. Not bad!
The other crucial supplies for this project are some kind of string (I used cotton cord) as well as a hot glue gun and glue.
How I Made My Garland
To give the garland some dimension, I layered the shapes to create a 3D effect. The process is super simple: Take two wooden ornaments and lay them side by side. Add a dab of hot glue to the top of one ornament, and press a square bead onto it. Once that’s dry, apply a bit more hot glue on top of the bead and place the second ornament on top to create a “bead sandwich.” Let it dry before moving on. I made 13 of these 3D shapes — four pumpkins, three witches’ hats, three ghosts, and three cats — but you can mix and match based on what you like best.
Next, I tied a loop at one end of my cotton cord to make sure that my beads didn’t slip off. To make it easy to string the beads on the cord, I always wrap the cut end in a small piece of tape so it doesn’t unravel.
I added 10 small round wooden beads to start, then strung on my first wooden shape, followed by another 10 beads and another wooden shape. I repeated this pattern until all of my wooden pieces were strung, and finished it off with another loop at the end of the cord. And just like that, I had a fun DIY Halloween garland ready to hang!
Above, it’s shown hung across my mirror, but it really shines when strung across my mantel, like you can see in my video below.
Other Ideas for Personalizing
I kept mine simple, but these wooden shapes would look amazing painted or dusted with a little glitter for extra flair. If you’re feeling festive, grab some black, orange, or metallic paints to pump up your Halloween theme. And don’t be afraid to make it your own!
Here’s a fun bonus: I spotted similar wooden shapes in Dollar Tree’s Christmas section, so you can bet another holiday garland project is coming soon!
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
