It's Christmas Mantel Time!

FRESH vs. FAKE
I couldn't decide which to use so I used both!
They make my home smell great and I was able to use a cheap lit-up garland I had on hand with a fresh cedar garland and I was very happy with the results!
(Eddie Ross gave this great tip of mixing greenery here)
The fake garland makes a great backdrop filler for the fresh garland.

You gotta love those Costco wreaths! 
Not only are they pretty inexpensive but they are gorgeous!
I added some glitter and paint to the pine cones and berries and wove in a few fake boxwood sprigs here and there around the silver glass candlesticks and ornaments from Target.
 **Note to self...do not use glass ornaments next time.  The fireplace is not shatterproof!**
 Running short of the fresh greenery...I grabbed some from my backyard...there's a bunch and it's free!

Remember all those mismatched frames from the Model Home furnishing sale?

  Can you believe this was in the unwanted/almost free section!? 

I don't think anyone could get past the urn pictures. 

After a quick trip to a glass shop I now have a new mirror. 

I was really happy with how it turned out plus it was much less than buying a new mirror of that size. 

Hanging that mirror was so hard!  It is definitely a two person job.
  I hope my husband doesn't peek behind there and see a dozen holes in the wall....oops!:)
I gotta keep moving on....I still have to put the tree up!
Nicole and I have a couple of fun Christmas projects to share soon...yay the two of us!
If only there were more hours in the day!

Sharing the mantel over at The Lettered Cottage....better late than never! :)

A Mirror For My Mantle?

I have always wanted to join in Beth's Vignette linky party at The Stories of A to Z.

I thought I would try decorating my mantle.

I have been stumped with decorating my fireplace, it is heavy and rustic with the stone and I have trouble balancing the decor.

This is my favorite tree!  It is in full bloom right now.

 I look forward to this tree blooming each year, in the fall it turns a dark red.
 I decided to cut some of the branches and bring them indoor.
The blossoms are so fragrant.

This is the mirror I had some problems with a few weeks ago.  The plan was to enlarge it to fit the wide space above my mantle. I mounted the mirror onto a backboard with tons of liquid nails and started drilling  screws into the frame. I quickly realized that the frame is made from a cheap material and is HOLLOW!  There went that idea!

 

This is how it looked above the fireplace in it's original black. 

 I didn't really like it and I couldn't return it with a goopy glue all over it.

 So I took Nicole's advice to spray paint it.  She said to first mist with silver and then mist with gold...back and forth. 

The rain sprinkled on it while I was waiting for it to dry...oops!  I decided to give it an aged look! :)

I rubbed a few of the edges and lightly wiped on a black glaze.

What do you think?

Should I keep looking for a larger mirror or go for something entirely different?

Birdhouse Perch

 Hobby Lobby's birdhouses are half off this week.

  Perfect for adding some spring -y-ness to my mantle. 

   

 

I spotted this tall black one on a high perch, and a low fleur de lis bird house.  They didn't have any in the middle.  Don't they say you need three to make it look right? :)

So, I headed over to the unfinished wood section.

 I picked up a birdhouse, a candlestick and a circular plaque. 

 I glued them together, primed, and spray painted the set black to match the others.

 

The black was looking a little boring, so I dressed all three up with some B&W papers.

I think I may go back for more. 

Oh the possibilities! :)