Bob the Elf has officially landed—on our mantel. And, as soon as he flies back to the North Pole tomorrow and takes up a new spot in our house, I plan to start decorating for Christmas.
In the meantime, I’ve been pinning my little heart out and found some great—and easy—inspiration for creating beautiful mantels:
Love this idea of flanking the fireplace with two tall trees. It’s such a statement and actually eliminates the need to decorate much of the actual mantel. It’s also a fun solution if you are short on space for a full-sized Christmas tree.
This monochromatic mantel would be easy to recreate. And, it’s a great idea if you have a piece of art above your fireplace that doesn’t jive with your Christmas decor. Simply buy a large canvas from your local craft store and wrap in a textured white fabric. Mix in glass and natural elements for a clean, sophisticated look.
I love the sparkle and casual element that galvanized tins bring to Christmas decor. And, layering lots of the same thing—tins, glass, garland, etc.-- is always an easy way to make a big impact.
Traditional and simple (of course, Martha makes everything look easy). You can’t go wrong with layers of fresh garland, and I like how the icicles are mixed in. The pop of green in the urns on the hearth completes the look.
Cottage Living (I think, correct me if I’m wrong.)
I’m not in love with this entire look but I like that the overall idea could be achieved with a couple of trips to Goodwill and some spray paint. The layered white mirrors create an easy, sparkly backdrop for the rest of your decor. Even if you can’t find enough mirrors, you could buy some inexpensive artwork, paint the frames white, and transform the glass with this product I found out about here through Pinterest:
(This could actually be great if you wanted to spray a collection of glass containers for your mantel, as well.)
Hope this gets you thinking! Have you started your Christmas decorating yet? (Don’t tell me if you’ve finished. . . )
PS—Just a quick correction on my previous Black Friday post. The link I listed to HeadyBed’s Facebook page wasn’t working over the weekend so I wanted to post the correct one here. Stop by to enter their “Sweet Dreams” giveaway, for a chance to win an Amazon Kindle and everything needed for a luxurious nights sleep.
I have started decorating, but am by no means done! I tried something new with my mantel this year, and love all of these inspirational photos!
ReplyDeleteLove your idea of using the Looking Glass paint on the glass of picture frames to create "mirrors" for layering. I too have seen this paint product on pinterest but haven't seen anyone come up with this idea ... guess that's why you are a decorator! I just pinned your layered mirror idea.
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Robin
hapilyhomeafter.blogspot.com
I love decorating mantles the most! I dont have a fireplace in my apartment but I had my husband build me a faux one out of old barn board so I would have a place to hang our beautiful hand knit stockings and so I could decorate the top! Thanks for these inspirational pictures to get me going!
ReplyDeleteWWW.christinamarieinteriors.com
I love the look of the monochromatic mantle. Can't go wrong with white! I need to get on the ball with my holiday decorating.
ReplyDeletei love the one from better homes. i love the idea of glass tops to transform otherwise inexpensive coffee tables.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I have got to get one of those darn elves. Looks better and so much easier than my naughty and nice sticker charts! And this post intensified my desire for matching stockings too.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I could stare at Christmas mantels all day long. Love the use of pinecones. Such a wonderful natural element to incorporate!
ReplyDeleteCan't tell you how many "oops" moments we've already had with our Elf, "Twinkers." He seems to have missed the memo that he's expected to move EVERY night. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI love that blue mantel! So crisp! Just helped a client with her mantel yesterday! So fun!
ReplyDeleteXO - Jami
Imagine Design Blog
I'm almost done, yay!! I'm never first at anything, I'll enjoy this minor accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I wanted to get a little Christmas 'glam' and uniqueness in, with my almost 3 year old I feel like I need to be super colorful, super traditional and just enjoy the raucous and garishness. I guess I have many more years to have a sophisticated Christmas decor....sigh. I will enjoy all the pretty pretty spaces on Pinterest until!
what a gorgeous roundup! I love the layered mirrors in the blue one :)
ReplyDeleteI love all the mantels! We don't have one, but I enjoy looking at the pictures. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Emilly, How fun, I love the little elf!! I need to get one!! Your bookcase from last Christmas is what has inspired my Christmas mantel for this year!! I gave a sneak peek in my last post!! I also have a really fun giveaway that would make a great gift for you or someone on your list. Thank you for always inspiring me,
ReplyDeleteFalalala ♪♫♪
Kathysue
Some great ideas, Emily-- the galvanized tin buckets are my favorite. A little rustic chic for the holidays. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my, are those Fraser fir Christmas tree topiaries? So neat, I want those by my mantel.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've finished our Christmas decorating...very quickly in about 30 minutes. Because we're in the process of packing and moving to a different house so originally I'd thought "why decorate cuz I'll have to pack it all up". But then I figured "Yes! I'm at least going to do some simple table scapes and outdoor lights even if we don't put up our indoor trees." Next year I will have a mantel to decorate. Whoo hoo! These are some fabulous ideas!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of decorating my mantle right now- thanks for all this fun inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of putting two tall trees next to the fireplace!
ReplyDeleteWow! love your Christmas ideas of using the looking glass paint on the create i have started decorating in Christmas function.
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