The Painted Squirrel: A Gruesome Centerpiece!

http://missmustardseed.com/2011/02/staging-my-homefor-me/

About a month ago, I found this tablescape on a blog called Miss Mustard Seed (http://missmustardseed.com/). Not only did I think it was beautiful, but I realized I also had very similar glassware and could do something like it in my dining room.

Here is what I did in my room. I used shells and coral instead of the greenery and birds, but I really liked it (my photo of it isn't great, but it looks very pretty in my sunny dining room)

Now it is Halloween time and I thought I could try and do something special with it for these next few weeks of October...something a little creepy...a little unexpected...and of course not spend alot of money.

I wanted to make it look like it is a completely normal arrangement, keeping the light colors, sparkly glass and doily, but on closer inspection the realization dawns that the little old lady that resides in this home is totally twisted!

Let me show you what's for dinner...

A little appetizer anyone? These eyeballs are made from golf balls. I just used craft paint which will wash off when I'm done with them.

A jar of mummy's heads. I tore off strips of an old sheet that I've been using as a dropcloth and wrapped them around potatos, leaving a little space for either one or two eyes. I used double sided tape to tape on the googly eyes (use the tape you find in the sewing department, it's much stronger than the office supply type) and filled the jar with them all. Googly eyes can be found in all sizes at your craft store.

The creepy spider eating it's prey... The spider is of course a rubber one we've had for years. I lined the bottom of the glass with fake web that you can buy in a bag, set the spider on it, then wrapped a rubber mouse in the fake spider web and added a touch of red food color..

For the last plate, I drew a blank. I looked around the house for something gross or eerie to put under the cloche but was out of ideas. Then I had an inspiration - make it look like something had escaped! I printed the little sign on the computer, crumpled it and dipped it in some coffee to age it a bit, added some grass, stones and a few dead heads and from my flowers outside and bwahahaha! An ESCAPEE!!

Look around your home and see what you have that could make for a scary and unusual centerpiece. I can see a large jar containing a butcher knife and red food coloring smeared on the edge of it and inside the glass...a plate of press on fingernails, how about just a doll head?...too twisted? If you have nothing, hit the computer and make up tags such as the one I made above, then set up the table as if everything had escaped!

Here are some other centerpieces that may inspire you!