The hustle and bustle of the Holidays are in full swing, but I was able to step back from the craziness of it all this past weekend to revamp my mantel and deck it out for Christmas.
As a Blogger, I feel so lucky to have a platform to share my new creations. When the time comes to create a new mantel composition, I push myself to always try something new and different, and raise the bar from the previous year. Thus the result of my new JOYful Christmas Mantel…
Like with every mantel, I cleared off all the decor from my Fall mantel so I could see the space free and clear! This always helps start the ball-rolling for my latest montage. I’ll tell you, I don’t usually go into decorating my mantels (or many areas of my home) with a plan. Once I see a blank slate, somehow it all starts coming together.
I will say though, I’ve had the idea to create this JOY sign for a while. I thought it would look beautiful leaning against the new ebony stained wood board backdrop. Thankfully all came together and I’m so pleased with the result – I’ll be sharing a quick and easy tutorial on how I created the sign very soon.
Going for an asymmetrical look, I added a gorgeous boxwood wreath next to the JOYful sign. I scored this totally faux, but looks totally real, wreath at Lowe’s – I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love. I love decorating with boxwood and cedar branches, and when I saw this, I grabbed it. Well actually I thought about making it at first, but after figuring out the cost, this was a better deal.
In creating the mantel, I mixed in a few Christmas elements with a few non-Holiday pieces. I couldn’t dare put away my fabulous white ginger jar that I enjoy looking at everyday, so of course there it is… (along with my easy-peasy presto-chango-with-spray-paint candle stick). And I think they look great amongst everything else.
Some of the fun, festive decor that I added around it are the:Â three sparkly mod Christmas trees, two brushed nickel Christmas stocking holders (which I got forever ago from Target), and one piece of birch log.
My burnt orange wall is a show-stopper in itself, but I always like to add a burst of color in another way. With this mantel, I brought in a pop of yellow with a few sprigs of forsythia (totally wrong flower for the season, but I love the yellow with the red in the JOY sign). In the same vase, I added some faux red berries. Yellow + Red = Perfect Compliment!
The mantel is simple, elegant, and festive. O, I truly wish you could see it in person!
The drop cloth and felt stockings are still a favorite of mine. I made them last year and added metallic gold ornaments to give a little accent.
And here’s the overall space…
O, how I love thee!
Thanks for taking a tour of my Christmas Mantel 2012. Similar to my recent tablescape creation, I mixed in items from around my home with dollar store deals and DIY projects.
Have you decorated your mantel for Christmas yet? If so, please share the link below so I can visit.Â
Looking for tips on how to decorate a mantel? {click here}
I link my projects to some of these parties: Skip to My Lou, Dittle Dattle, Between Naps on the Porch, Today’s Creative Blog, Stories of A to Z, All Things Heart & Home, House of Hepworths, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Thrifty Decor Chick, Tip Junkie
