holiday mantles part 2

a few more inspiring holiday mantlescapes:

i'm pretty sure this mantle is from the home of charlotte moss.

i love those HUGE pine cones!

i actually have a whole tub full of huge

pinecones from allen's grandmother's backyard 

in alabama. i picked them up about 6 years

ago and pull them out every christmas.

they aren't as big as these suckers though...

 

the deep, almost copper/gold and soft silver/pearl ornaments

are a sophisticated color choice.

i love the bright colors of this mantle.

(also from charlotte's moss's home)

the orange and yellow look so festive and cheerful 
with the greenery.

and i am loving the fresh limes, lemon leaves and tangerines!

even if this mantle was u-g-l-y, i still would have posted it

 because of those amazing hounds tooth walls! 

what can i say, i am easily 

swayed by stripes and hounds tooth.

but, of course, the mantle IS gorgeous...

it has this glamorous woodsy feel 

that i think is stunning.

HELLO!

can you imagine having a mantle like this?

dripping with fresh flowers?

(and check out the arrangements on the tables!)

wow.

it's breathtaking. i think i might have one JUST like

this next year...i'll just tell the kids that 
instead of christmas presents,

mommy is going to have a REALLY pretty mantle. 
i'm sure they won't mind...

so, so classic. and so pretty.

i love the green clusters of ornaments...it's just perfect.

SO gorgeous and SO simple...

it looks like magnolia leaves and some pears.

of course, to pull of this kind of simple look, it really helps

that the entire room is elegant and beautiful.

FUN, festive and just darling.

i love all the shades of green together.

this is from a catalog, but i just had to post it.

it's literally dripping with ornaments.

very opulent and pretty, and the green + copper 

look great together.
ahh...don't you just love christmas decorations?

holiday mantles part 1

some of my faves:

 

this mantle is so simple and beautiful.

i am a total sucker for mercury glass...and love it mixed with gold and fresh greenery.

isn't the color of these pears pretty?

(and how glam is that built-in  decked out in metallic paint?)

the fresh grapes add a nice touch.

LOVE this.

in fact, i love it so much that i am making my

own variation of it. 

i will be sharing SOON.

fresh red amaryllis really make this mantle display special.

classic.

fresh garland + lights + pinecones + ribbon = pretty.

i liked the rustic feel of this one.

ok, this one is a little over the top, 

but i loved the fact that garlic bulbs were used 

on this wreath and mantle.

very unique...

not only pretty, but  it serves the dual purpose of

scaring away any lurking vampires.

gorgeous garlands

i know that i am not the only one that wishes for

a banister to decorate at the holidays.

there is something so gracious 

about a staircase,

decked out for the holidays with a 

garland of fresh greenery---

or course, garlands can also be used to decorate doors,

walls and windows. 

here are some of my favorite images from my stash.

this whole picture makes me happy...

the wainscoting, the light fixture,

the high ceilings, and, of course that

gorgeous garland! this image from the southern accents holiday 

house a few years back. the interior design is by one 

of my favorite designers, phillip sides. 

i wish i had scanned more pictures from this house--the 

entire thing is magnificent.

simple and pretty, 

from the master of simple and pretty, martha.

i also loved the simplicity of this one...

it's just greenery with a cream bow and poinsettia at 

the newel post. easy peasy.

this garland is is so pretty and perfect for a coastal home.

this mix of the boxwood and the wheat gives 

it an earthy, beachy vibe.

charlotte moss, decking her halls with complete and utter gorgeousness.

this lady knows how to do holiday decorating RIGHT.

pretty and simple, but doesn't this have a lush quality to it?

probably not recommended for homes with small children or pets.

my 6 year old son would totally be playing tarzan 

on that garland around the door...

i really liked the classic look of this boxwood garland.

and the vase full of red amaryllis is just beautiful.

loved this one too.

 so simple and elegant, 

and i love the look of all the shades of green together.

i spent some time this weekend scanning my stash of

christmas images, and i will be 

*dumping them over the next week or two. 

oh, how i LOVE the holidays! 

just looking through all my saved clippings made me feel so festive! i can't wait to share all of the 

pretties i found with you!we also put up 

our tree this weekend...i will try to post some pictures

of it soon.

diy felt gift adornments

in case you missed my post at finding fabulous,
here is my tutorial on how to make cheap and chic 
gift adornments from felt:

 these gift adornments are so versatile---by alternating the felt colors and ribbon, they can be used for birthdays, baby showers, hostess gifts, and of course, christmas.

here is what you will need:

gift boxes

felt

ribbon

something round to trace

scissors,  marker, glue gun

paper or fabric (if you choose to cover your box)

trace your circles onto some felt.

Fold each circle in half and cut two small slits on either side of the center.

this is what you will end up with.

(wow. i really need a manicure. stat.)

start to thread your felt circles onto your ribbon.

(this ribbon was purchased at roberts craft store)

tie the ribbon around a gift box.

you're done!

didn't I tell you it would easy?

and not to mention CUTE.

and cheap.

what a great combination, huh?

here is a variation where I covered the top of the box with scrapbook paper.

and another variation using alternating large and small circles with the same color felt.

happy wrapping friends!

***

i have another easy felt gift adornment

project that i will be posting next week.

have a wonderful weekend!

i linked this project to:

the girl creative

tatertots and jello

between naps on the porch

remodeloholic

the diy showoff

holiday door

this is one of the 

prettiest holiday doors

 i have ever seen.

 i love the floral designers solution to this asymmetrical door.

 this is my favorite type of outdoor holiday decor...

i love all the natural elements mixed with the 

soft metallic accents.

and the gorgeous door and stone house are 

pretty amazing backdrops!

so pretty.

images scanned from midwest home

new mat

if you read my "in her shoes" post for
effortless style

then you will remember my trip to the framers,

where i dropped off 
this $20 thrift store find:

i will eventually replace the frame as well, but for now 

i just replaced the old paper mat with a warmer, linen mat.

the old mat made the beautiful archival paper of the print 

look dingy, while the new mat not only makes the paper

look so much better, but also 

brings out the warmer tones in the print. 

(ugh---just noticed from this picture that the print is not

 centered! argh! this is going to drive me crazy now! 

when i take it back to the framers to replace the frame, 

i am going to have them fix that...)

i love the texture that a linen,

silk or burlap mat gives to a room. 

it's one of those subtle layers that

can take a room from boring to interesting.

framing an image can be really expensive,

but if you do it in stages,it can be more manageable. 

if you have an unframed image that you love,

you will be surprised at the difference a new mat

can make. mats can also be painted with spray paint,

for a quick and temporary change.