All of us have a time-crunch once in a while, right? Like when you have decked the halls till you’re blue in the face, but for some reason the mantel got skipped – or pushed to the last!
I am so excited to take part in a special Home for Christmas Blog Hop hosted by Hometalk.com and Country Living.com. These folks are on the cutting edge of the home and DIY niche… and I’m honored to be included in this fun online event! Included in this event are links to almost 200 fab websites with all sorts of fun Christmas ideas! Be sure to read to the end – that’s where you’ll find all the links to the blog hop!
20-Minute Vintage Christmas Mantel
If you need something decorated quickly, here are a few tips:
- Use what you have – When time is of the essence, it’s better not to run all over town waiting for inspiration to strike. Get busy with what you have on hand.
- Create around existing decor – For instance, my Christmas mantel was built around my DIY deer mount that was also featured in our fall mantel. He appears perfectly happy to preside over the holiday season as well!
- Make it meaningful – In this vignette, I used several pieces that belonged to my late mother, as well as ornaments from early in our marriage.
- Use lots of texture – This mantel mixes metals with wood tones, botanicals with colorful ribbon.
- Layer, layer, layer – You know me, I can barely get through a post without reminding you of this secret to great design: Layering!
I enjoy changing out my mantel with the seasons. It has seen everything from sophisticated, to rustic and vintage… like this one. This year’s mantel incorporates a few things that I got from my mom. The cola bottle crate to the right is turned up on its side and filled with Christmas ornaments that have special meaning to our family. And layered in front is an old iron Coca-Cola truck… with the customary Christmas tree sticking out the back! I think this truck was a gift to my husband years ago.
Then on the other side of the mantel is my mom’s wash board. I don’t know how long she had it or where it came from, but I love the galvanized metal and even the name of the company advertised on it! I’ve used this in a summer mantel and it just works well with lots of themes. Isn’t it adorable with the pair of skis layered in front (dollar spot at Target – score! Just $3!)?
The galvanized metal letters spell out my sentiment related to the season! I’ve perched them on a neutral shelf to get them up above the plane of the mantel just a bit.
Meandering across the mantel helping to draw the eye, is a homespun-type plaid ribbon. This is one item I did purchase this year. I loved its wooden spool and couldn’t pass it up!
A few sprigs of greenery and a tree or two finish out and balance the overall look of the mantel and, voila – it’s done! Oh, and don’t forget the stockings! I love these homespun beauties that came from Cracker Barrel a couple of years ago!
Here’s another look at the end result:
Thanks for visiting! Have fun decorating your Christmas mantel!
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