Whew! Are you dizzy from the blog tour yet? I am!! But this has been so much fun. We’ve seen some fantastic Christmas inspiration from these blogs, and it isn’t over yet!! Today I’m showing my nostalgic Christmas mantel, and tomorrow, Denise gives us some wall vignette ideas!
OK, on to the mantel!!
The fun building block for this mantel is the antique sled. This sled has been in our family for over 30 years. No, she doesn’t see a whole lot of action here in the deep south, but we have taken her for an occasional spin. The most fun time was nearly 20 years ago after several inches of snow (oh my, how time flies!) when we were building a house in a cul-de-sac at the top of a pretty steep hill. We didn’t live there yet, but we loaded up the girls and the sled in the truck and headed to our new neighborhood. Since there were no cars on the street, we had a ball sledding down that hill all afternoon!
So, knowing that I wanted to incorporate the sled in the mantelscape, I chose to concentrated on mixing in some old items, along with new. Above the mantel, the scene is anchored by an old window. The paint is peeling off and it is just perfect for the feel I am after! I wish I could say I ‘picked’ this window myself, but I found it at University Pickers… a wonderful antique mall here! Trish, Cindy and everyone else there are fantastic to work with and have lots of wonderful items to ‘pick’ from {pun intended!}. Cindy knew just what I needed when I described the look I was going for!
I also wanted to bring in a little red, as the sled has some red, along with the gorgeous wood tones going on. So I hung a natural wreath (pine cones and berries) from the top of the window, and added greenery and other natural elements to ‘ground’ the arrangement, including a pre-lit garland to add just a little twinkle! Mr. Red Bird was also added. This little guy shows up somewhere around the house most any season! Then I added a red finial and one of my prized reindeer!
I may do an another post to show how I get additional height when adding items like the candlestick and votives!
Aren’t the burlap stockings gorgeous?? These are handmade (again, not by me – but by The Speckled Hen) and were also purchased at University Pickers.
There you have it! It’s a pretty simple but effective, mantel design. I hope you’ll try building a Mantel Scape around an item that is nostalgic for you! And I wish you a very Merry Christmas!!
Linking at:
Marian@Gathering Branches says
November 23, 2013 at 7:20 amI totally LOVE this idea! What a fun way to bring memories forward. I know several of my friends for whom this will be a favorite post.
sondralyn says
November 23, 2013 at 10:25 amThanks, Marian!! So glad you like it!
Michele says
November 23, 2013 at 8:31 amI totally adore your mantel! I love the vintage sled and more importantly, the wonderful family memories and fun centered around the sled.
sondralyn says
November 23, 2013 at 10:24 amThank you SO much, Michele!!
Carolyn Roach says
November 23, 2013 at 2:30 pmLoving your blog and love your mantle. I’m betting the third stocking is for Ellie – could be Ethan’s. I have starting easing into the Christmas decorating. Not much time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. See you Thankful Day.
sondralyn says
November 23, 2013 at 5:47 pmHi! Thanks sooo much for reading!! Honestly, the stockings looked better with 3! But I still hang them for the girls, and now their hubbies… and Ethan will get one this year, too! I need to learn how to make the burlap ones, don’t I? Looking forward to T-Day!!
Emily @ Two Purple Couches says
November 27, 2013 at 9:20 pmThis is so, so pretty! I love the antique sled!
sondralyn says
November 28, 2013 at 12:36 amThank you sooo much, Emily!!
Donna says
December 3, 2013 at 7:36 amHi Somdra, what a beautiful mantle! Especially the sled.
Unrelated to the decor, I am curious about the tiles around your fireplace. Are they dark tiles or did you paint them? If you painted them, I would enjoy hearing how you did that and what type of paint to use.
Donna
sondralyn says
December 3, 2013 at 9:21 amHi Donna! Thanks for reading!!
They are dark tiles… I think they are slate. We bought the house new, but did not build it, so not totally sure what kind of tile they are. Painting tile is a great idea. I’m sure there are great tutorials out there for doing it!
Siusan says
December 4, 2013 at 9:37 amThis is a beautiful arrangement. Can you tell me what you used to hang the stockings? We’ve just moved to a new home and I have no idea how I’m going to hang ours this year. Thanks.
sondralyn says
December 4, 2013 at 10:02 amThank you, Siusan! I simply nailed a small tack to the top of my mantel and hung them by the loop over the tack. You can’t see the tack.
A Little Claireification says
December 6, 2013 at 5:28 pmI just love this so much – beautiful job and the stockings are gorgeous. I love Mr. Red Bird! Featuring this tonight when our Best Of The Weekend party goes live at 8PM! xo
sondralyn says
December 6, 2013 at 5:48 pmI’m so humbled! Thank you very much!! I will try to link up again this time! 🙂
corinne1989 says
December 13, 2013 at 6:37 pmThis is such a beautiful display. I really like the stockings. They are so whimsical without being gaudy. Really pretty!