Top Decoration

I had only one objective for this years Living Room Christmas Mantel...

keep the grapevine garland that I used for my Thanksgiving Mantel up on the fireplace, and incorporate it into the design.

That's it.

For one, I like it there. I like that it gives a whole new dimension to the fireplace, on top of being natural and rustic. But my other reason (which is probably the real reason) is that it was such a pain to get up there in the first place that I need to keep it up as long as I can and make all of the effort that Owen and I put into getting it to stay in place, worth it!

Luckily, it was easy to incorporate, and I think it worked out wonderfully...

The grapevine garland was the perfect (and obvious) place to hang Christmas balls - in red and silver to match our Christmas tree on the other side of the room...


The rest of the mantle came together easily, using just a few simple items:


a recycled glass bowl to hold red glass balls and pinecones...

large lanterns to hold red candles and a bit of faux snow...

(the best faux snow I have found, in fact!)

another swag of cedar garland (see, I told you I couldn't resist!) and some twinkling lights...

a basket of cozy blankets, which are a must in our house...

my birch logs...

an inexpensive cedar wreath (just $8 - seriously!) hung with some sturdy indoor/outdoor ribbon...

and the "Christmas" sign that I made a few years back...

...was all it took to create this Christmas mantel.

The ottoman sitting in front of the fireplace came with our sectional that we purchased for the Family Room this past summer, but I'm not big on "sets" and like to break them up as much as I can. So the ottoman sits here. Unfortunately, we don't ever use this fireplace - it has a glass front that gets really, really hot and with three kids and a puppy running around, I'd rather not take the chance at someone brushing against it and getting burned.

But this way actually works out quite well. The ottoman gets used in the Living Room, in that spot, way more than I thought it would, which is great...

...but I'm thinking this just might be the perfect perch for the kids...

it's time to snap some Christmas pictures!

:)



Happy Holidays!





P.S. I am posting this at:

Layla's Holiday Home Mantel Party, Today's Creative Blog, The DIY Show Off, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond The Picket Fence, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots and Jello, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, The Shabby Nest, Finding Fabulous,

The goal this year was:

1. Use what I have (as much as possible).

2. Keep it fun, colorful, and whimsical for the kids.

3. Make it glow.

4. Bring the outdoors in.



Did I achieve all of my goals?


I think so! And I love it.

And so do the kids, which is what really makes me happy!


I started with cedar garland. I cannot resist cedar at Christmas time. Cannot. It makes its way into our home every holiday season. I love how it looks, how it smells and how it ages over the month of December.
(Live greenery can be such a mess, but in my opinion, cedar is one of the least messy of all the evergreens!)

I buy it at Costco or at Fred Meyer, which sells 15' lengths for $14.99.

(This was my one purchase for this mantel. A must-have at a darn good price, if you ask me!)


Then I added a single strand of C-7 Christmas lights.

Want your mantel to glow? Use C-7's. You will not be disappointed!

Then I added some bead garland to add more pops of red into the overall look...


I bought this Advent Calendar last year at one of our local Holiday Bazaar's. It is made to stand on a table, but I wanted it to stay out of reach from little hands, so I added a sawtooth hanger on the back and hung it up here...


Next...the hanging ornaments.

My absolute favorite part!

I just used thin gift wrapping ribbon, looped through the top of each ornament. Then I used small, white thumbtacks to secure the ribbon to the ceiling...


The ornaments are shatterproof (ie: plastic), so if something should happen and they were to fall, I don't have to worry about broken glass across the hearth and wood floor...


I finished it off with my ribbon wrapped candles, and the J O Y sign that I made last year, to sneak in a little bit of that fresh lime green color...

and last, but certainly not least, our spot for the kids to put their letters to Santa...

My mother-in-law made our stockings for us year's ago, and as we added kids, she made more stockings. They are the perfect colors and fit in beautifully every Christmas...

The kids were in charge of the tree in the Family Room this year, and I love how it all looks together...

Our inexpensive-use-what-you've-got-colorful-whimsical-glowing-cedar-loving-Christmas mantel.

Whew!


Now...time to sit down on our cozy couch with a mug of hot chocolate and a magazine, and enjoy it.



Happy Holidays!




P.S. I am posting this at:

Layla's Holiday Home Mantel Party, Today's Creative Blog, The DIY Show Off, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond The Picket Fence, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots and Jello, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, The Shabby Nest, Finding Fabulous,

This year's Thanksgiving mantel is all about Giving Thanks. Spelled out in fun, pretty, white letters it is a constant reminder to be mindful of all that we have...

I made the sign out of leftover cedar planks that I used to make our friends' wedding sign back in July. Four planks, a little wood glue, two strips of wood for the back of the sign, and two nails for each plank was all it took. Then I used hemp rope and punch-out cardboard letters that I then spray painted Heirloom White...

Since the letters are only attached to the rope, it leaves me free to change out the sign to say whatever I please. And I like having the option to change my mind!

:)

On the mantel I tried to stay as close to nature as possible - both real and faux.

Real moss, faux acorns, real Indian Corn, faux moss balls, real wheat and pumpkins. It all works together to create a natural mantel scape...

The real moss is a bit messy, but I absolutely love it! It is the exact color of green that I was looking for and it is so pretty and delicate...

While browsing for inspiration, I found a beautifully decorated mantle and hearth that had a chest sitting in front of it. I loved how it brought the whole theme together and kept the mantle from feeling like it was floating. Since our fireplace sticks out so far from the wall and does not have a raised hearth, it sometimes feels like the decor is floating at eye level.

Coincidentally, I still have this ochre colored chest that was left here by the previous owners. I love the color this time of year and it was the perfect width to hold a couple of medium sized pumpkins, a bundle of birch logs and some Indian corn...

But my absolute favorite part of this year's mantel is the Thankful Garland.

I saw Melissa post about it and I was instantly hooked! The idea belongs to Jen from Tatertos and Jello. You can see her Thankful Garland and her How-To, here.

Just like Jen, I used grapevine garland. It was about $12 at JoAnne's Etc and it comes rolled up like a wreath. I'm not going to fool you and say it was a breeze to put up. It was NOT! There were a few times that I was ready to give up because wrestling with it just seemed pointless. It was wound pretty tightly and did not want to stretch out at all, so if I hadn't had Owen here to help me, I would probably still be fighting with it! But don't give up. Trust me, eventually...you will win!

To make the leaves, I used two different leaf stencils and some Autumn inspired scrapbooking paper that I also got at JoAnne's. It was half off, so I got the whole big book of different paper patterns for just $9.oo.

Tracing, then cutting out all of the leaves was tedious, but it was definitely worth it...

And it has been fun taking turns writing down what we are Thankful for.

I tied the leaves on by using a hole punch near the stem and then using a small length of the same hemp rope that I used on the sign. Nothing fussy or fancy. Just a simple knot at the top lets the leaves hang loose and sway when someone walks by...

I have to say, this is my favorite mantel yet!

Probably because my family was involved in making it come to life. And what could be better than a pretty focal point that is also interactive. We can add leaves to our Thankful Garland all month long...

Thanksgiving is fast approaching.

Are you ready?




P.S. I am linking this to:
Funky Junk Interiors, Today's Creative Blog, Between Naps On The Porch, It's So Very Cheri, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Tools Are For Women Too, The Trendy Treehouse, The Thrifty Home, My Backyard Eden, Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond The Picket Fence, Somewhat Simple, Life As Lori, House of Hepworths, Just A Girl, Remodelaholic, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Simply Sweet Home, Tatertots and Jello, I Am Only 1 Woman, It's A Hodgepodge Life, Fingerprints On The Fridge, Be Different...Act Normal,