The Mantel

I finally have something in my new house completed enough to make it post worthy.  I thought about getting the whole living room done before I showed you anything, but quickly realized that could take awhile.

So, I will keep things updated, one project at a time.  This project is the completed mantel.  I’ve never had one of those before, so I had a bit of fun sprucing it up.

The inspiration photo can be found here.  I loved that “wood thing” (that is the official name by the way) on the mantel at The Lettered Cottage.  I showed my husband a picture of it one day and much to my surprise, when I came home from a shopping trip, he had whipped it up from scrap wood.  Good man.

I then had fun painting it and roughing it up.  The center is from a cherry tree log, sort of a family heirloom.  We did another project from that same tree here.  I borrowed the blossoms from that project as well.

The rope vase and twig star were from a thrift store.  Under $1 each.  Score.  The vases are old Sparkling Apple Cider drinks, and I dyed the insides to look a little vintage blue.  The lantern – not thrifted, but a good buy at 16 bucks.

Total = one cheap decorated mantel. 

Now that my fireplace is all prettied up, my children are putting it to good use.

You can usually find all sorts of things stuck in it’s nooks and crannies.

 

It can be pretty funny at times.

And a constant reminder that however pretty I want my new house to be, it is going to have to be practical as well.  Such is life with children.  And I wouldn’t change it for the world, or any pretty and perfect house for that matter.

 

Because as I have discovered this week, they all grow up too fast and and are “out of your hair” quicker than you want them to be. 

 

So I think I will enjoy any added decorations to my mantel for as long as I can.