Please Welcome: Michael from Inspired by Charm

Hi, everyone! Michael here from Inspired by Charm. I can't tell you how excited I am to be writing this post. Year after year I look forward to Eighteen25's Spooktacular September. To my delight and surprise, I received an email from these lovely gals inviting me to contribute to this year’s festivities! After regaining my composure, I replied yes, and here we are!

Today, I wanted to share a little Halloween decorating I did in my dining room. While I love pumpkins, spiders, and ghosts, I decided to take a slightly less traditional approach this year.

For inspiration, I turned to one of my all-time favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz. You see, I've had a love for this movie for quite some time. I played the scarecrow in my grade-school musical, and don't even get me started on Wicked! Love it!

Anyway, a couple months ago I hung some new shelves in my dining room. I wanted a little area that I could decorate seasonally with the things I love. This summer I created a Lemonade Stand and a Coffee Bar.

So, I cleared my shelves and got to work. Except for some green vases I picked up at Goodwill for a few dollars, I created my Ode to Oz with items I already had on hand. Let's follow the yellow brick road and see what I created.

Pretty fabulous, right?

Are you seeing any Oz-inspired items? Let’s take a closer look.

A diploma (an old book page wrapped with a ribbon) and a crow represent the Scarecrow, while funnels and a heart on the print in the background stand for the Tin Man.

For the print, I found a black and white image of a farmhouse online and just printed it out on my printer.

The Lion makes his appearance in a crown and an actual gold lion I found at Pier1 a few months ago.

The green vases that I picked up at Goodwill along with a green Ball jar create the Emerald City.

While this display is lacking ruby slippers, some red roses and votive candle holders add color and sparkle. A piece of blue-and-white checked fabric tied onto a bucket (perfect for throwing water on witches) screams Dorothy.

Speaking of witches, I included some brooms, a few winged monkeys (that look a little like bats), and an apple, perhaps from an enchanted talking tree.

Even Glinda makes an appearance with some silver wand-like picks mixed with Indian corn.

To finish everything off, I added a few more flowers - yellow daisies. Follow the yellow brick road!

That’s it! My fall/Halloween Ode to Oz display! What do you think? Regardless of your knowledge of The Wizard of Oz, I think this display is festive, colorful, happy, and a whole lot of fun!

Clearly, I had a hard time containing my own excitement as I’m photo bombing my own photo.

I hope all of you enjoyed my display and are feeling a little more inspired. If you are not a fan of The Wizard of Oz, feel free to use this idea for any of your favorite movies!