Christmas mantel 2013...

Mantel oh mantel, how you have challenged me over the years. This year my approach was more laid-back. I wasn't trying to emulate any Pinterest mantel, I wasn't set on DIYing every single element of the mantel and I tried to use decorations I already had on hand. Instead of stressing, I just let it happen and lo and be hold.... it's my favorite mantel yet.

When my in-laws visited, I found the cutest candleholders that had a cork on the end so you could stick them in a wine bottle. It's the only part of the mantel I DIYed this year, and I'll share the how-to in the coming days. 

I bought those lanterns two summers ago with the intention of spray painting them and using them around our deck. Yeah..... never got around to that, so there they sat in my office closet. I just bought some $1 red candles and they fill the mantel with Christmas spirit.  

I wanted my garland to look really full so I took two strands of garland, folded them in half, wrapped them around the end of the wine bottles and it gave me the look I wanted. Plus it was easier to work with than trying to manipulate it around all of the decorations. Then I added a faux poinsettia, a metal Christmas tree, reindeer stocking holders and the red/green/silver berry garland I've had for a few years. 

This year's mantel taught me to trust my instincts. Just go with what I like and not overthink it. I'm so happy with the results. It's starting to feel like Christmas up in here! 

Holiday decor sneak peek...

I know Thanksgiving isn't here yet, but Christmas decorating has begun. I need a full 4 weeks of Christmas up in here.
Here's a sneak peek....

reflections: choosing a mantel mirror...

Since we had our living room painted (I know, I still need to share pictures!) our mantel has remained bare. 

As you well know, finding just the right look for the mantel has always been a challenge for me. but recently I have become very decisive on what a want  -- a large, reclaimed wood round mirror. Now I just need to find the right one. So I'm asking for your help....

OPTION #1: Mixture of light and dark wood 

I liked this one because it ties in the lighter wood in the kitchen with the darker wood in the family room. 

OPTION #2: Medium wood tones

This wood most closely coordinated with the wood in the living room. It's the most cohesive, but is it too boring? Just like with the first one, I like the symmetrical roundness of it. 

OPTION #3: Grey-wash sunburst

This mirror that I saw on Olioboard is what first inspired me to go with a wooden mirror. Gray is the primary color used in the family room, but is it too much gray? Blend too much with the walls? The sunburst edges give it some fun interest. 

OPTION #4: Brown-tone sunburst

This mirror combines the medium wood tones I like in #2 with the interesting edges of #3. My worry is that I will get sick of the sunburst style. Is it just a trend or will it last through the years? 

So now you can see why I need your help. Let me know which mirror you like best! 

Christmas mantel...

my love affair with mantels has been well-documented on this blog. So it's no surprise that I was chomping at the bit to decorate ours for Christmas. It is collection of some pieces I already owned, some new purchases from our Thanksgiving trip and a craft project.

I love a good mirror above a mantel, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that into the design this year. I thought I would hang a wreath in front of it but it made the whole look too busy. Simplicity was the name of the game. On a recent trip to Target, inspiration struck. I bought three $1 ornaments and some fishing line.

I tied the fishing line to each ornament individually. 

Then I tied all three ornaments together, being sure to stagger the heights of the ornaments. Fishing line stays put after you knot it, but just to be sure, I tied them together multiple times to make sure they were secure. Then I securely taped the line to the back of the mirror with packing tape.

I love the way the mirror makes it look like a bigger cluster from certain angles and how it adds just the right amount of sparkle. Plus the fishing line gives the illusion they are floating in mid-air. 

I paired it with a topiary that I plan on using all year round and a candle and base from last year's decor. 

Now we just have to remember to turn on our fireplace at some pint and it will be a cozy first Christmas in our first home. 

Merry Christmas!! 

second half of mantel makeover...

My recent mantel makeover consisted of rearranging and repurposing pieces that I already had. Now that I had the mantel in order, it was time to tackle what to do with the remaining pieces. To refresh your memory, here is the old mantel setup:

And here is the mantel afterward: 

I removed the green vase as well as the green and pink flowers that were previously in the white vase. So where did they go? 

On the console table behind our couch. 

This is what it looked like before. 

It was just a catch-all for stuff I didn't have a home for. 

It wasn't a huge change, but just enough to make an impact. Now it fits perfectly with the rest of the room. I exchanged the damask green vase for the plain green vase to make the table less busy. Then I added the green and pink flowers in the yellow and green vase. I removed the wedding frame and cleared off the table.

It's simple, clean and adds to the room without being distracting.

By repurposing existing accents, I have created two new vignettes that give our family room personality. It's a great way to refresh the look of your home without spending money. And as a new homeowner, saving money is the name of the game!

 What have you repurposed lately?

mama's got a brand new mantel...

if you've read my blog from the beginning, you know that I had a long running battle with my wimpy mantel in Chicago.

It makes me anxious just to look at that mess of a mantel. Well, now we're in our new home and our mantel is HUGE.

There are so many things we can do with it but for now I am repurposing items we had in our condo.
soon after unpacking our mantel looked like this.

I kind of took everything as I had it paired at our old place and used it "as is." It was fine, but wasn't really cohesive. The top of the mantel was too disjointed for my liking.

The height relationship among the vases was too small for the space. While the colors of the vases and the accents inside of them were just a little off. SIDE NOTE: The two pictures on the right are staying there for now until they move to their permanent home in other rooms. But we love them so much we are keeping them on the mantel for now. 

The bottom area of the fireplace was kind of a collection of things that didn't have a home. The vase filled with decorative green straw globes is my favorite piece, so I just put it out there until I could find a place for it. The decorative cream colored swirly disc was a flea market find that I just can't figure out what to do with. But for now, it houses my workout equipment. The basket of blankets had to stay. I am one of those people who has to have a blanket on while watching TV, even if I'm not cold.

So after playing around with the different pieces, here is the new fireplace/mantel arrangement.

I took the globe-filled cylinder and put it atop the mantel to fill the space better and make the most of the height of the fireplace. I then removed the spiral sticks from the green vase, put them in the white vase and switched places with the silver candle holder. By simply rolling all of the blankets and arranging them in the basket, it helped to create even more interest at the base of the fireplace even though there are fewer accents.

The new look plays in nicer with the overall look of the room (excuse the bad TV capture). It is simplified and doesn't distract from the rest of the room. You may be wondering what happened to the pieces I removed. Well, never fear! Those pieces have been repurposed and will be featured in an upcoming post.

The mantel is still a work in progress, but as it stands, I am happy with the look. for now...