Winter Mantles

January's mantles at my house are 

a reflection of the weather. 

 Although I am honestly a bit tired of 

the snow outside

 there is such beauty to be seen after 

a winter snowfall;

the bright blue skies contrasted with the 

sparkling white snow.

  I suppose I wouldn't mind another snow storm

 or two before spring,

   as long as I can stay warm and cozy 

 inside with my family. 

Through the Years

One of the best things about having a blog

  

(2008) 

is being able to look back (2009)

through the years (2010)

to see how I've used many of the same decorations (2011)

 in different ways. (2012)

Bottle Brush Tree Mantle

My love for decorating for the holidays comes from my mother. Every year she would adorn our home with the trinkets and baubles that represented each celebration. Both she and my father knew how to be creative on a shoe string budget. It's been many years since my father passed but I think of him nearly every time I build something just as I think of my mom whenever I decorate, expecially at Christmas.
  
Although my mother is still alive she is suffering from the affects of Alzheimer's. The other day as I decorated her home for Christmas I reminded her of Christmases past and of the work she would go to to make our home festive and beautiful. I am so very grateful for her and the effort she made to create wonderful memories of home. 
  Some of the decorations I remember from my childhood are brass reindeer and bottle brush trees. Because those things are associated with happy memories I have managed to collect a few along the years.
This year I thought it fitting to decorate our family room mantle with the symbols from my youth and share with my children the stories of years gone by.

Linked to: The Lettered Cottage  

Savoring The Season

I love the Thanksgiving season.

I am happy to spend the days appreciating

 and savoring the joys of life.

 Although it has been a most difficult year,

 I still have much to be thankful for. Thank you 

for your love, support and prayers 

for me and my family.

Early Fall Mantle

Pardon me, I'm trying to get back into the swing of blogging again and I'm a little behind on showing off my September mantle.

October is just around the corner and the Halloween decorations are calling to me. But before I pull out the bins and re-do my mantle with a scary flair, I thought I would show off my glitzy early fall mantle. 
  
It was an easy display. A huge gold frame borders a few smaller ones with a line-up of shiny and sparkly pumpkins in front. And some candles and faux plants mixed in for interest. 

It was a great way to ease into the more "themed" months of October and November.
Linked to Centsational Girl

Late Summer Mantles

Oh My! 

It's hard to believe that summer is coming to a close.

 Although I am thrilled to see fall 

and some cooler weather 

(I'm hoping some cooler temperatures are on their way!)

I thought it might be nice to revel in the last days of summer by sharing my summer mantle decorations.

With the craziness that has become my life,

 my decorating has become a little more simple.

  Sometimes it's nice to be simple.

Easter Mantle

I am loving the light colored stenciled wall
in our dining room.

It's a dramatic change from
the ol' textured, darkly painted wall.

The light color makes almost everything I place on
my vintage tin mantle look fresh and clean.

I pulled out my same-as-every-year
Easter decorations
and lined them up in a very symmetrical way.

And I adore the end result!

A Fresh Mantle

I found this beautiful oil painting at the thrift store for a $1.50. The painting and my newly crafted moss monogram were the inspiration I used to freshen up my mantle.Making a moss monogram was so easy! I simply traced around the letter onto the back of a moss mat (ready-made moss glued onto netting, purchased at the craft store). Then I cut and hot glued the moss pieces onto the monogram. I added faux nature onto my mantle---a flower resembling those in the painting, and a pot of grass to balance the moss letter. On the other side I placed two yellow ceramic artichokes and a tall pink orchid that mimic the colors in the art. All that was needed to complete the mantle was a few brightly colored books and a couple of shiny candlesticks (my favorite go-to items in decor!).

And there you have
a fresh, ready-for-spring mantle!

This post linked to:

Fabulous French Find

Last week, on the day before my birthday, I happened upon a delightful find at the thrift store; a set of French paperback books dating back to 1933.
I was immediately attracted to their subdued tones, naturally aged pages, and the texture created by the rough-cut edges. Oh, and yes, the fact that the original owner was French and these actually came from France, really made me happy!They were the perfect addition to the newly redecorated shelves in our bedroom.