The 2013 Mantle/Mantel

Hola darlings!

I hope you are all bearing up under this horrid weather most of the country has been experiencing.  It's just fricking cold and nasty here.  Yesterday we got six inches of snow, some of it "lake effect" snow, unfortunately, and the temperature!  It's been a yo-yo and no lie!  Right now we're in the deep freeze and to add to the punishment the winds are whipping out of the southwest and the wind chills are going to drop to below zero tonight.

I took this photo yesterday afternoon about 11:30 a.m. after the ladies of the investment club to which I belong left our December meeting and gift exchange:

You can't really tell from this photo, but it was snowing!  It started snowing shortly after we hit Meyer's Restaurant around 9 a.m. and continued until about 9 p.m., when I went out to shovel a pathway from the porch to the road for myself --- wwwwwwaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy down their by the mailbox, LOL! 

After our investment club meeting wrapped up I took new photos of the mantle/mantel and they turned out much better than my earlier pictures, so, without further ado, here it is:

Wow - way different than last year's mantle/mantel!  Observant readers will notice that I decided not to use the lighted wreath that I had up last year.  It was mostly because I was so tired when I finally figured out my decorating scheme that I could not face adding the glass ornaments and hanging it up.  I took what I thought was the easy way out by hanging the mirror that normally anchors this spot (it had been banished to a closet all summer and fall).  And, as sometimes happens, this was a fortuitous happenstance, as the mirror fits the mood of this decor perfectly, whereas a lighted evergreen wreath with ornaments may have distracted the star of this arrangement, which is the white branches in the vase!  I also moved the faux-pine and pine cone candle holder/centerpiece that I had centered on the mantle/mantel last year to the peninsula countertop in the dinette.

The four snow flake ornaments hanging from the mantle/mantel I purchased a few years ago from Boston Store, one of my favorite (non-discount) places to shop.  They were also there on the 2012 mantle/mantel.  They were 40% off plus another 20% off, I believe the net cost for each was $3.25.

The vase was a gift from my sister, Darlene, many years ago.  The branches were free, gathered up from my backyard and haphazardly spray-painted white. 

The lantern was a purchase from TJMaxx a month or two ago for $19.99. It was anchoring my coffee table for my autumnal decoration, and I like it so much I worked it into my winter/Christmas look, too.

The three tall mercury glass votives were purchased last year on sale from Kirkland's online.  I LOVE Kirklands!  They were $18.00. 

The "Add-Heres" vinyl words and decorations were purchased online at Bostonstore.com last year after Christmas.  I think I paid under $5 for them, and I fell instantly in love when this year I finally unwrapped the package they came in and saw them for the first time.  They are easy to put on and they come off too, to reposition so you can get it "just right."  They crystallized the idea for this 2013 mantle/mantel as nothing else did. 

Deer are VERY popular this year. Tthey've probably been popular for the past few years, I just didn't notice them until recently. Not very observant.  I spent some time shopping around online for deer or reindeer and sighed, because I did not want to spend the money to buy the larger ones I thought I needed.  But then, Walgreens came to my rescue!  I purchased these imitation "Nambe" deer at Walgreens for $4.99 each, and relied upon relative perspective and angling the little guys "just so" to get a look I am very very pleased with.  I am, frankly, madly in love with my 2013 mantle/mantel :)

The six mercury glass votives were purchased at TJMaxx for $9.99 a few weeks ago.  Each one is different from the other, and with battery-operated votive candles lit within each, the glow they cast is sooooo beautiful. 

I wanted to tell a story with my design.  The three little deer...

 

 

...they are all looking up... But at what are they looking?

Is it the birds in the trees above them in the forest, singing a sweet song...

 

 Or, is it something else that has caught their attention...

Oh my, look, it is a star!  It is a star in the Eastern sky, the brightest star they've ever seen.  Surely it must be a portent of some great event, surely it must mean that something grand and wonderful has happened.

They go to the Elders who, after consultation, decide to reveal The Word as written in a book by the walking trees that talk (human beings):

Behold, youngsters, the Elders say.  Listen, and learn.

These stories have been passed down to us from endless ages of Elders.  It is a story of great import from a book of the walking trees that also talk.  Do you want to know how many moons it has been since the first import of that beautiful large star in the Eastern sky became known to us?

Yes, Elders, we do.

Well, then.  It has been some 24,852 moon cycles since that beautiful star first appeared in the Eastern sky. 

The little deer are in awe of this great number.  They cannot imagine such a vast number of moons having passed since that first great star appeared in the sky. 

But, tell us, Elders, what does it mean?  And they kneel at midnight in supplication.  Answer us, please.

Before the Elders can speak, however, a sound is heard, drifting into the forest on the North Wind.  At first it is so faint, it is hard to make out.  But, as the young deer and the Elders listen intently, the sound becomes clearer and clearer, and louder and louder.  It is singing!  A great wonderful singing of thousands upon thousands of voices. 

It is the great heavenly choir of the lights in the sky, the angels of the most high! And they sing in majestic harmony,  as the awe-struck young deer listen to the sounds and the words drifting closer and closer on the night wind:

... we bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. ... Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.  (St. James Bible, Luke 2: excerpted verses 10, 11, 14). 

So, now we know what it is the little deer were looking up at.  And every time I look at my mantle/mantel this season, I contemplate the birth of a great savior.  We sure do need one, don't we.

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you...
[Source]

I'm sharing this at Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House. 
Also sharing this at The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday.
Also sharing this at The Dedicated House: Make it Pretty Monday (Week 81). 

The Mantle/Mantel Is Finished!

Hi everyone!  I hope you are enjoying this weekend.  Are you out bustling around shopping for all those door-buster bargains?  Or are you kicking back like me and enjoying quiet time at home as you go through the process of decorating for the holidays?

Decorating for the holidays wasn't something I ever did much, living by myself.  I would have a Christmas tree (for years I had a little 3-footer on a table top).  I would hang my Christmas cards, I would put lights around the windows.  That was about it!

Last year was the first attempt I ever made at decorating my mantle/mantel other than taping Christmas cards to it, coinciding with my first attempt to use French ribbon on my Christmas tree.  Here is what the mantle/mantel looked like in 2011:

Here is what 2012 looks like:

This is what the mantle/mantel looked like last night, after I'd cleared off everything that was on the wall above and on top of the fireplace and started putting things together:

As you can see, I added quite a bit more since taking this photograph last night.  Here are some more photos of the finished mantle/mantel and wallscape (is that a word?):

I don't know if I'm going to try putting ribbon on the mantle/mantel.  Looking at last year's attempt, which I thought was sooo cool at the time, it's rather icky looking, isn't it?  LOL!

Earlier today I saw an article online about making paper cut-out snowflakes -- using a TEMPLATE.  What?  That made me laugh out loud, let me tell you!  Didn't any of these people ever make cut-out snowflakes as a kid in primary school?  Well, I don't suppose kids are allowed to use scissors anymore, are they, because they might be considered a DANGEROUS WEAPON.  Ha!  But I can tell you, we sure didn't use TEMPLATES to make our snowflakes.  Teacher showed us how to fold the paper and to snip away this and that and voila!  We would have wonderful creations!  A few basic rules was what we learned, and after that, it was all up to our own imaginations to come up with incredibly-designed snowflakes.  Even after all these years (I'm 61, darlings, grade school was a long time ago) I remember those lessons with smiling fondness :)

As you can see, I filled in a lot of blank spaces and that large expanse of negative space between the wreath and the tallest elements on the mantle/mantel.  This is what I did:

(1)  I reshaped and decorated the wreath.  I realized after I turned off the lights on it last night that it was rather cock-eyed looking -- some parts looked very wide and some parts looked sort of squished together. And I thought it needed jazzing up.  So I fluffed out the faux-greenery trying to get it more balanced-looking and added some gold bead garland and some gold and silver ornaments.  I am very happy with how it turned out!

(2)  I added a pair of my cardinal greeting cards (I have a "collection" of four, LOL!) framed in two frames I purchased last week at TJ Maxx -- I haven't posted about those frames yet. They are perfect on either side of the Christmas wreath and closed up that negative space gap that still remained even after I added my 12" tall aluminum candlesticks holding 12" tall tapers!  Sorry, no close-ups of the greeting cards -- I wasn't thinking about blogging when I was in a frenzy of creative endeavor!  Instead, I kept remembering that one mantle/mantel photograph I posted yesterday -- the one with the large rectangular gold-framed mirror in the center, flanked on either side by two gold-framed pictures/paintings, and the mantle/mantel all aglow with lit-up green garland, candles and gold decorations.  I wanted to try and capture something of that look...

The cardinal cards are a couple years old.  I used an older and simpler spray-painted-gold frame to hold the third card in my collection and it is now on the wall behind the lamp on the side table next to the fireplace.  The fourth greeting card I framed last year and it can be seen both in the 2011 picture (hanging on the wall to the right of the fireplace) and in the 2012 picture now sitting on the bracket - whatever it's called (having a senior moment here, darlings, can't remember what the heck it's name is) -- see photo 2 above.  (More about this "cardinal greeting card collection" to come). 

(3)  I added several different shapes and sizes of candles and candlesticks and candle holders to introduce height and shortnesss, slenderness and plumpness, and futzed around arranging them this way and that until I was happy with the result.  Except for the mercury glass candleholders that I bought from Kirkland's a few weeks ago, everything else on the mantle/mantel I already owned -- some of the things are positively ancient.  I mixed silver-plate with brass and my tall aluminum candlesticks but the candles I added are all cream or ivory colored, and a cut glass votive, too.  I really like how it all works together.

(4)  I added my pair of gold-leaf "nut" topiaries that were a gift from one of my godchildren (niece Kimberly) years ago, when Bombay Company still had actual stores around here.  I've loved and cherished them for years, and they were perfect to add a touch of glitz and glam, and fill in some bare spots on the mantle/mantel.  I don't know if they are actually made with real nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.) but they sure look real. It may also be just gold spray paint, but if it is spray paint it's held up remarkably well after all these years (probably 28 or 29 years), so that's why I call it "gold leaf;" that just sounds sexier and more exclusive, too.

(5)  I added a silverplate bell and candy dish.  I believe they were from Avon many many moons ago.  I don't remember buying them, I think Mom probably gave them to me at one point -- she used to buy lots of Avon stuff.  The bell, the candy dish, a bud vase, and a few other pieces, have sat in a kitchen cabinet for years, slowly turning black with tarnish.  I wanted to use the bell because it reminds me of Christmas and I wanted to anchor the left side of the t.v. with it.   To clean the tarnish, I tried a method I'd read about online that doesn't use harsh chemicals or stuff you buy at the store, and is gentle on the fragile silverplate. Using a Corningware casserole dish large enough to hold the object, I lined it with aluminum foil shiny side up, and added baking soda, salt, and boiling water.  Voila!  It worked! After I rinsed the objects in cool water and dried them with soft cloths, nearly all of the tarnish was either vanished completely or mostly gone.  You can see in some of the photos, above, how wonderful this old silverplate bell and candy dish now look (the candy dish holds three ornaments).  A note: Don't use a metal dish or bowl to clean the objects, don't do it in a stainless steel sink -- there is some sort of chemical reaction that happens that removes the silverplate.  That's what all of the websites I read about this cleaning technique at said and I take them at their word.

(6)  To the extent possible, I introduced symmetry into my design, since I seem to be so attracted to it (see yesterday's post with the inspiration photos, and you'll see what I'm talking about).  So, as nearly as possible because the proporations are thrown slightly off by having the t.v. on top of the mantle/mantel, I centered the evergreen floral arrangement, and centered the faux-greenery wreath above that on the wall.  They're not perfectly centered, but the design still works because they're not too far off center.  The human eye is amazingly forgiving sometimes :)  You're probably wondering why I just don't center the t.v. on top of the mantle/mantel.  It's because of the cord -- it's not long enough to reach the electrical outlet on the left side of the fireplace about a foot off the floor unless I add an extension cord.  I have read that one is not supposed to use a "regular" extension cord on televisions and and I don't want to add another bulky cord to my mix.  It's impossible to hide them with my present configuration of where the outlet is!  There are no outlets on top of the mantle/mantel -- that is something I would like to add in the future, if and when my budget ever allows.  That's why the t.v. is on the left side of the mantle/mantel, as close to the center as I can get the cord to stretch. 

I also added the framed cardinal greeting cards now flanking the wreath, the tall aluminum candlesticks with 12" ivory tapers on either side of the centerpiece, and the gold-leaf "nut" topiaries also on either side of the centerpiece.  Mainly, though, I was trying for an eye-pleasing balance and to fill in the blank spaces and connect the wreath to the arrangement on the mantle/mantel.  You don't want too much stuff on one side, and not enough on the other side. Oh my, how I danced the Decorator's Waltz, going back and forth, placing something, then stepping back to look at it; then placing something else, and stepping back again to look at it, over and over again.  You know -- that dance -- moving this way and that, this thing and that thing, until it's perfect for me (well, good enough is just fine, too). 

I'm not sure I'm finished with this year's version of Christmas mantle/mantel; I may add a few tweaks here and there.  But I want to get busy on the tree...

Goodbye to Autumn...Hello Christmas!

Hola everyone!

It is sooooo wonderful to have a four-day weekend -- no trip to the office today after Thanksgiving, and still Saturday and Sunday to get things done around here, woo woo! 

I decided a week or so ago that this year I want to try a gold/silver theme and forego the burgundy and wine-colored touches I have incorporated into the Christmas livng room decorations since 2001 or so when I bought my current living room set, which is upholstered in a camel/forest green/burgundy medallion pattern.  This decision was primarily because while shopping online at Kirkland's earlier this month I found a set of mercury-glass candle holders on sale for under $20 and fell in love.  They are silver-colored -- I posted about them on November 17, here is a picture after I de-boxed them and set them out on a side table in my living room to warm up to room temperature after sitting out on my porch all day while I was at work:

I wasn't sure if I would use them on my mantle/mantel or on my coffee table, but I knew they would be featured prominently because they are so pretty! 

I'm generally a gold and glitz kind of gal, although with my goddess-bent I also love the glow of moonlight and have snapped countless photos through my front window and on the front porch of the Moom rising above Lake Michigan in the east; but I usually associate the Moon with pearls, not the cool tones of silver.  Of course, pearls come in a rainbow of both warm and cool shades naturally, and can also be dyed...

Here is what my autumnal mantle/mantel looked like -- with some last minute tweaks that I did Wednesday night (I took the photograph on Thanksgiving Day):

Yes.  As you can see, I removed Dad's plant from the mantle/mantel to the kitchen counter, at least temporarily.  That was a VERY BIG DEAL for me. Removing Dad's plant opened up a large space on the right side of the mantle/mantel that I filled in by adding another candle holder in suitably autumnal colors and skootching the owls over.  Alas, I had this new arrangement only on Wednesday night and Thanksgiving Day.  Today, I dismantled it (har har!  A pun!)

After thinking about this for the past several days and sitting down earlier today to get some Christmas mantle/mantel inspiration:

Isn't this gorgeous?  From High Heels and Hammer, Christmas 2010, "Simple Christmas Mantel"
It starts with an absolutely fabulous mirror, and builds from there.  Geez Louise, my mantle/mantel could look like this!

All of the following images are from a 2008 post at Digs Digs blog, 33 Mantel Christmas Decoration Ideas.  I kept the images small because when I enlarged them they lost their clarity:
 

 

Well, I think you can see some common themes in all of these images.  I looked at lots of mantles/mantels and my eyes kept focusing on designs like those pictured above.  After examining these images for a while, I was able to pick out many things they shared in common:

• A mirror (usually circular) right in the center of the wall above the mantle/mantel was featured in several arrangements 
• Many of the arrangements featured a green wreath centered above the mantle/mantel
• Many of the arrangements had greenery garlands draped across and over the mantles/mantels.  The garlands were often lighted and/or decorated with lots of bright ornaments and Christmas-y faux-flowers
• There were lots of candles and candlelight everywhere, often massed in the fireboxes of the fireplace, but also massed on the mantles/mantels too
• There was a lot of brass, gold, and silver that glittered and sparkled in the candlelight/firelight
• Many of the mantles/mantels had stockings hung on them
• Glorious bows/ribbons played a prominent role in some of the designs
• Usually, there was symmetry of design
• The designs I chose would generally be classed as "traditional"

I moved very much out of my comfort zone in removing Dad's plant, even if only temporarily, to the countertop on the kitchen peninsula.  I also decided it was time to totally rethink the design in the wallspace above and surrounding the mantle/mantel -- a space I had totally redone earlier this year.  So, earlier today I took EVERYTHING down. Yikes! 

See -- YOU have inspired me so much with all of your wonderful blogs and photographs!  Until this year, I NEVAH decorated the mantle/mantel for anything except for Christmas, when I sometimes put my Christmas cards on it and sometimes taped them along the edge and added a few candlesticks, LOL!  Look what you've done to me, People! 

Here is where I'm at now with the Christmas mantle/mantel 2012:

(1)  The TV is staying.  This is a working room in the winter because I blog here at my desk while the fireplace is going and the TV is on.  There is no other place to put it where I can see it from my desk, or indeed, where it can be so conveniently seen elsewhere from the sofa and loveseat.  So, I cannot have a symmetrical arrangement on my mantle/mantel like any of those I picked out (images above).

(2)  My original idea was to put up the gold and silver ornament wreath I made last year. I putzed and putzed with it, putting ornaments back on that had popped off their hookies, rearranging them, futzing with the bow(s), etc., and hung it up -- alas, it just was NOT working.  It was too small to hold the space, and because of its bulk, I couldn't get it to lay right against the wall from a nailed-in hook.  Last year, as you'll recall, I suspended the wreath on the staircase wall on a long ribbon that was tied to one of the bannisters above!  I suppose I could have tried that same approach above my mantle/mantel, but my rickety ladder only lets me go so high and I didn't have a proper hanger and - well, I'm not very good at making bows and glorious arrangements out of ribbons in any event.  I just wasn't up to the challenge, and neither was my ornament wreath.  Maybe next year, but not this year!

(3)  So, I nixed the idea of using my ornament wreath as a centerpiece above the mantle/mantel, and focused instead on the lighted (battery operated, woo woo!) artificial greenery wreath that I scored last year a week or so before Christmas last year at Boston Store, one of my favorite places to shop.  I think I paid $9.99 for it, on clearance.  Now, however, I do not have a wreath to hang on my front door.  So, I'll be on the lookout for another SCORE!  I like how it holds the space.  The silver glitter ornament is the same one I added to the wreath on the front door last year.  The only drawback is that I must stand on a chair to click the battery pack off at night.  Oh well.  Not sure if I should try and add ornamentation to it.  Although you can't really see it in this photograph, there are some artificial holly berries on the wreath.  I thought briefly about adding some of my gold bead garland.  I may try that tomorrow and see what it looks like.

(4)  Some weeks ago, I ordered a life greenery centerpiece from one of the local boyscouts, and it was delivered last Saturday.  Despite watering it regularly and keeping it away from any heating vents, the greenery is already shedding.  Idon't know that it will make it to Christmas, let alone a couple of weeks beyond!  But I moved it from the peninsula counter in the kitchen to the mantle/mantel.  I swapped out the red candle it came with for a gold one in my stash and added a flameless tea light votive in the hollow that was melted out last season when I briefly burned the candle.  It fits just about right.  I added some gold bead garland for a little sparkle.  Alas, I have a feeling I'm going to be recreating this centerpiece with faux greenery before long.  A trip to the dollar store may be in order...

(5)  I moved my venerable Norfolk pine from the kitchen peninsula to the mantle/mantel in exchange for Dad's plant.  Just like me, it has a rather quirky shape and a personality all its own :)  To protect the wood mantle/mantel, I placed the pot inside a gold-rimmed milk glass dish.  One cannot really see the gold-rim unless standing quite near the mantle, but it's the thought that counts :)  Milk glass was featured in Christmas mantle/mantel photo 7 (above).  I used the ribbons from last year's ornament wreath to decorate the pot.

(6)  The brass plate with the cut-out star border was moved from above the table just to the right of the mantle/mantel, you cannot see it in my photos.  That table will soon have an arrangement of framed cardinal greeting cards around it to go with a Christmas cardinal plate I bought last year at TJ Maxx.  I'm not sure it's going to stay where it is right now on the mantle/mantel, but I wanted something there to fill in some of the negative space.

(7)  Tall candle holder on the far left of the mantle/mantel, partially hidden by the t.v.  When seated on the sofa one can see it.  It holds a taller version of the same gold swirl candle that is in the mantle/mantel centerpiece. 

As photographed above, it's pretty bare bones.  I wanted to get some photographs while I still had some daylight outside, and all of this took me much longer than I ever thought it would.  And I'm not done!  But notice -- the mirrors and the brass "Indian" woven basket are all gone on the wall above the mantle/mantel!  It looks a lot different than what it did last night!

Overall, I think I'm on the right track.  After I snapped the photograph of the mantle/mantel in its then current state (above), I added my Kirland's mercury glass candle holders and put in flameless candles and/or tea lights.  So pretty!  I will work on the design more tomorrow.  I'm sure you've already noticed how much my design resembles so many of the elements from the inspiration photos -- except for the t.v. :)