it's all about the hospitable home
Creating the Spring Mantel was next on the agenda
for Springifying the house.
I am anxious to decorate the porches for Spring;
however, the pollen has truly prevented me from doing that.
Hopefully in another week or so, I can beautify the porches for Spring.
In the meantime, with no pollen getting in the way,
I decorated the mantel for a Spring look using items that I already had in my home.
A wreath is not only for a door.
You have seen them hung on walls, on mirrors, on a bookcase
or a decorative element for a chair.
So many ways that you can decorate with a wreath.
I have used my preserved boxwood wreath in a container in the past.
Today, it is in a container.
Our Great Room Christmas mantel this year
is probably the most simplistic mantel that I have created.
I promised myself this year
that I am really going to downsize my Christmas decorations.
I did give many boxes of Christmas ornaments, florals and decorations
along with a couple of trees to Habitat last year.
However, I did keep these little trees!
A Fall Mantel of blue and white and vintage Charles Dickens books was my plan for
“fall-fy-ing” the mantel this year.
I was thrilled when I found these books on one of my antiquing adventures this year
with my friend and day trip partner. Our motto: No place is too far!
A beautiful monogrammed wooden round arrived on my doorstep yesterday.
I was so thrilled to receive this custom wooden round from Ava Berry Lane.
A customized wooden monogrammed round was a giveaway by Kelly of Eclectically Vintage and I won!
This beauty is what I chose:
There is nothing so beautiful than a field of cotton.
Here in the South, there is an abundance of cotton fields for us to enjoy.
I love driving through the countryside at the peak of the cotton crop.
Such an amazing sight to see . . . like a snow covered field.
Combining textures in a vignette always lend for a prettier and more interesting look.
Whether the vignette be in a bookcase, on a table or any other setting,
the combination of many types of textures is always the key.
There’s a new store in town, I said to my hubby. He replied…
“Uh, oh..am I in trouble?”….
….”Hmmmm”, I replied, “You are never in trouble (ha!)…but your wallet may be!”
So a visit to the new store after a nice dinner at a restaurant in the mall.
We walked in….and the angels sang….
But the good thing was that they sang to my hubby!….
It was love at first sight!…
He loves old architectural things…he loves the true craftsmanship of them.
We were smitten…but not smitten by the price..
Who wouldn’t love the beautiful old hinges…the gorgeous patina.
But alas…we walked away….with my small purchase of a pillow that was on sale.
We kept thinking of those shutters…we loved them.
Who could resist the chippy wood….and scraped paint….and rusty hinges.
The store associate said they came from Italy…I just imagined them on a grand Villa…
I went back to that store…they were having a sale!!
Those shutters were still there…hanging so majestically behind the beautiful large checkout stand….
I gave my purchases to the store associate (the design consultants)….I mentioned that I so loved those shutters!
She said that they were on sale!!…Really????…But still with the discount, they were a bit too steep!
When I said that $$$$ was a little more than I wanted to spend….she looked a little puzzled.
Apparently, the other associate thought that the price on the shutters were times 2…..
…..rather than the price including both shutters….
Sing, sing, I heard the angels sing!!!! The harps were also in accompaniment….!!
And….on top of that…they were 30% off….The angelic music was all around…
So, the price of which we thought was not only cut in half, but an extra 30% off!
Well, let me tell you….I never whipped out my phone so fast in my life….
…..to call hubby….to tell him the news!…
He could hardly tell what I was saying, as I was talking so fast…I was so excited!
“Calm down”, he said…just buy them!
So, a “sold tag” was quickly placed on those gorgeous shutters…
Here they are…proudly over the mantel….
We had them sitting the garage for months…while my hubby tried to figure out how to safely hang shutters…
…..THAT WEIGH OVER 100 POUNDS A PIECE!!!.
He is very precise kind of guy…so he set forth some plans.
It took 4 men to get these shutters on the wall..my thanks to my son and neighbors…
….in helping me get to this result.
So now, I am left with…Where am I going to hang the stained glass window that was previously hanging over the mantel.???
It’s that domino/snowball effect…
A new item goes up and 5 more items need to be re-arranged…and not to mention…
…..I need to find some great new accessories for the mantel!!
So, what do you think? Do you love old architectural elements as much as we do?
I am joining the following lovely parties:
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Thursday Favorites Blog Hop
