Tag: fall mantel

Fall Mantel with Feathers

Written by Jenna on September 26, 2013. Posted in Fall, Mantels. 15 Comments on Fall Mantel with Feathers

My Fall mantel is complete and yes, it has feathers.

I’m into feathers this Fall.

Peacock feathers adorn my latest wreath creation for the season, and now tall feathers (not sure specifically what kind) grace my latest seasonal mantel.

For my Lowe’s October Challenge, one of the projects that the Creative Team could tackle was giving the fireplace mantel a makeover. I was surely excited and awaiting the opportunity to give my mantel a revamp. I sent the seashells apackin’ and dug out the pumpkins, ghords, and festive favorites.

For my latest mantel, I wanted something new & fresh, but started like I usually do by shopping my home before even stepping foot into a store. It’s always such a great way to create a fresh, new look without spending a lot of $$$. Most of the elements for my Fall mantel I already had on hand, but a few elements are new like the ghords (obviously since they’re seasonal) + the feathers, which I picked up at AC Moore for $2/each. They add such a unique, spicy element to the space.

In my travels over the past months, I also picked up this super interesting black sphere, which adds an interesting three-dimensional quality to the new mantel. To add in some height, I covered 3 books with plain white paper, and topped it with a pretty candle in a geometric holder + a glass filled with gold rocks.

Yes, fabulous gold rocks.

The rocks were a quick and fun DIY project that I tackled with the kids before school started a few weeks ago. We had gone for a hike at a local lake and they collected a bunch of rocks. My nifty brain got me thinking… let’s jazz em’ up with a little spray paint! It’s ah-mazing what a little flashy gold can do…

bling bling!

Another new element in the space is the mirror. It’s not new to me, but something that I purchased 2 years ago, but has been sitting in the garage ever since. It was wood, but I wanted it white, so once again, spray paint to the rescue!

Prime. Paint. And something new + magical is born.

And the result…

For now, it leans on the wall instead of being hung. I change things so much (probably too much) that it wasn’t worth another hole in the wall.

The overall space is definitely happy + festive + perfectly set for Fall.

Some more details…

My upcycled light turned vase (now a candle holder) made this years Fall mantel. Still one of my favorite upcycle projects to date…

To add to the whole composition, I added in a few more festive elements that sit at the foot of the fireplace. I brought in my thrift-store old chest (which holds the kids wooden trains) and topped with a large pumpkin and a few wonky ghords. And instead of my tall vibrant yellow lantern sitting on the mantel this time, I brought it to the floor.

O, and there’s me, photographing the most difficult space in the world. Seriously I take 100s of shots and am never satisfied. Well I tried and I hope you enjoyed.

Hi!

And lastly, in striving to always keep it real, this is how the space around me looked at the time of photographing…

All looks perfect in the shot, but there was a bunch of craziness around it.

Moved furniture.

Laundry.

Birthday supplies.

Just keepin’ it real…

I hope you enjoyed my Fall Mantel with feathers. What adorns your mantel for Fall?

To gather even more unique, fun, and creative ideas for your indoor and outdoor Fall spaces, I would definitely suggest downloading the Loweâ€™s Creative Ideas app on the iphone and ipad. Iâ€™m always checking out the FREE app for great seasonal + do-it-yourself inspiration.

Also consider following Loweâ€™s on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as well.

Disclosure: I am part of the Loweâ€™s Creative Team and was provided with a Loweâ€™s gift card to purchase items for my project. I was also compensated for my time to use the products. No one told me what to create, what to buy, how to use the product, or what to write. All opinions are 100% mine!

Autumn Mantel

Written by Jenna on September 14, 2012. Posted in Autumn, Decorating, DIY. 13 Comments on Autumn Mantel

I’ve been loving the cool temps over the past few days, have you? For me, there’s no transition time once September hits. A switch goes off in my head that says “Fall, Fall, Fall”. Thankfully I haven’t dug out the sweaters yet, BUT I did gather some decor for my newest mantel for the coming season.

Autumn is almost here and after sharing a fun roundup of Fall Fireplace Mantels earlier this week, I’m ready to reveal mine. But before we begin, I have a confession to make… I never showed you my summer mantel. I had great intentions to, but it never happened. No worries, because for Fall I didn’t change much and basically the reasoning is that I just love it. This years Autumn Mantel isn’t overly “themed” and actually isn’t really “fallish”. Basically I kept it simple and added a few festive elements. Take a look…

The change from my Summer mantel to now wasn’t that different or difficult. Since you didn’t see the Summer mantel, this is what it looked like. With the addition of the starfish for the warm months and the simple switchout to pumpkins and ghords for Fall, the mantel was updated in minutes.

I have to say, I’m really happy with the simplicity and monochromatic look of this year’s Fall Mantel. For this mantel, I shopped my home for everything, except one piece – the tall white jar. I had been on the search for something like it and when I saw this beautiful pierced ginger jar at TJ Maxx a few months, I snagged it up – it was attractive and for under $20 it was a must-have! It’s height and detail bring so much character to the mantel. Don’t ya think?!

All the other elements in this Fall decor were seen in last years mantel or were someplace else around the house. The white pumkpins were a great score last year and weren’t always white. If you recall, this is what I did…

It’s amazing what a little white craft paint can do!

In continuing my simple white aesthetic, I spray painted the candle stick white as well. In my other mantels, it was brass, but not anymore. Continuing, my estate sale found mason jars are still filled with lentils and beautiful, bumpy, bright orange ghords were added throughout. I had to add some color. right?!

Those tall glass jars are killer – loved them since the day I bought them which was a gazzillion years ago (more like 10+) from Crate and Barrel. Ya gotta love the Crate!

The birds are another recent find that I purchased at a local home store. They are dark brown, similar to the mantel color and almost blend right in, but they are so cute and add a whimsical touch to the mantel decor.

I think it’s so important to add varying heights and layers when creating a mantel. Think of your mantel composition as a wave – it should go up and down as it moves across. Need more tips on mantel decor? Check out my post on How-To Decorate a Mantel. Looking at others mantels will also help inspire and give ideas. That’s where my roundup comes in handy!

Here’s the overall Fall Mantel.

You might have noticed in some of the pictures that there’s somethin’ different on the wall? Yup, that’s new. There used to be a mirror there, but that got revamped and moved to the dining area. In it’s place is a new distressed stained sign, which was easy to create and is an awesome backdrop. Want to create something similar? Here’s how…

Create a Distressed Stained Sign

1. Measure and cut lumber to the size desired (I used (3) 2″ x 12″ x 48″ pieces of pine)
2. Use (2) horizontonal pieces of lumber to secure the vertical pieces (I used (2) 2 x 4, but any size lumber would really work)
3. Distress the sign using a chain, hammer, nails, etc. to add as much or as little distressing as desired
4. Stain your sign. I used the stain that I had leftover from my staircase which was Ebony, but you can use a lighter stain depending on the depth of color you want to achieve.

Pretty simple, right?! I love how it brings height and depth to the space, yet still creates a great backdrop to the mantel decor. And against the burnt orange wall, it really makes a statement.

Simple and Chic Autumn Mantel. Yes, I’m happy 😉

Have you started your decorating for Fall yet? I’ve got my mums and ghords, and this weekend we’re headed to the apple orchard. O, do I LOVE Fall!

I link my projects to some of these parties: Skip to My Lou, Dittle Dattle, Between Naps on the Porch, Todayâ€™s Creative Blog, Stories of A to Z, All Things Heart & Home, Savvy Southern Style, House of Hepworths, Finding Fabulous, Creation Corner, The Shabby Nest, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Thrifty Decor Chick, Tip Junkie