This year’s Plaid Tidings Christmas Mantel is quite a contrast to last year’s ‘winter white’ mantel. After our recent travels to Scotland, I fell in love with plaid all over again!
If you have landed here after visiting my friend Beth at Unskinny Boppy, welcome! I am participating in a 3-day Christmas home tour with some of my best blogging buddies.
We’ll be sharing some ‘better late than never’ decorating ideas! I really needed to simplify this year, and it seemed to take me forever just to get it done… anybody else? But like I recently posted on instagram, ‘Better Late than Never Ugly’!! (If you don’t follow me on instagram,it’s time to fix that! Click HERE!)
Anyway, we all agreed it IS better late than never, so we teamed up to bring you some last-minute inspiration.
Plaid Tidings Christmas Mantel
The plaids, or tartans, that you see in Scotland are as varied as blooms in a flower garden. There are green ones, blue ones, gold ones… well you get the idea! One of the most well-know tartans is the red Stewart tartan, which is a lovely plaid of Christmas colors. The Stewart tartan is what most people envision when they think of the word ‘tartan’. It is predominantly red, with cross patterns of green and/or blue and usually yellow. I didn’t realize before our trip how much each clan is identified by their own specific tartan.
For this year’s plaid, though I was looking for something a bit different and happened upon this lovely plaid that has red, black and tan… similar to the Burberry plaid.
I loved the looser weave of it, almost a sweater feel. I used this plaid ribbon on both the mantel and the Christmas tree. 
I even wrapped a band of ribbon around 2 of the 3 stockings!
This mantel also features a vintage tobacco basket. I had one years ago, and not sure what happened to it, but I recently got one at a local antique store, University Pickers. Just for fun there’s a wreath (that I flocked myself, btw!) hanging in the center with a pair of skate ornaments hanging from it.
Continuing the ‘winter sports’ theme, you’ll find some mini snow-skis propped up by the trees and our antique sled tied with a big plaid tidings bow!
Now for the rest of the tour:
Welcome to the ‘Tis the Season Blog Hop hosted by Barb Garrett and The Everyday Home.
We may be a lot later getting our Christmas decor out than some others – but you know how the ole’ saying goes. “It’s Better Late Than Never.”
Please make sure you visit all of these amazing blogs for some last minute decorating ideas.
– MONDAY –
The Everyday Home || Mizz Helen’s Country Cottage
What Meegan Makes || Hearth and Vine || Wife in Progress
– TUESDAY –
Refresh Restyle || Exquisitely Unremarkable
Walking on Sunshine || The Chelsea Project || Worthing Court
– Wednesday –
The Honeycomb Home || Confessions of a Plate Addict
A Blue Nest || Unskinny Boppy || SondraLyn at Home
Be sure you head over to Barb’s site at The Everyday Home so you don’t miss a thing from our tour!! So, how is your decorating coming along? Are you finished, or are you a bit like us – late but not for lack of enthusiasm!?!
Merry Christmas,
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