Beaux R'eves

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Christmas Decorating~Let's Start With The Mantel

Where do you start when Christmas Decorating begins?  
I usually start by getting all of my decorations out 
and laying the boxes all over the basement floor.  
Lots and lots of boxes!  
I always have things that I have bought the previous year after Christmas, 
so I take a look at those items first.  
Then I plan my color scheme.  
It has been everything from red and green to all white to every color in-between.  
But the actual decorating always starts with the Mantel 
in the Living room 
and everything else is a take-off from that. 

Wanna take a peak at what I did this year?  
My Inspiration (because you always need Inspiration right? 
I would never get off of the sofa without Inspiration!) 
this year is this set of Angel Wings from Decor Steals.  
It's funny because I had been looking online for Angel Wings or a tutorial on how to make them and then Presto my magic shopping fairy (c'mon you have one too!) 
put them on Decor Steals for me.  
Thank You Magic Shopping Fairy!  
I Love You!  
Mr. Beaux, not so much...
I did some tweaking to the Angel Wings 
but I am going to wait and show you that later in the post.  

I am much too excited to show you the finished product!  

I think it's my favorite Mantel EVER!!!  
I'm calling it Ethereal Winter.  
No that's too ostentatious.  
How about Winter White Fantasy?  
OK, I'll work on the name.  
Snowy white light up Christmas Trees take center stage.  
And white glittery Reindeer flank the sides of the mantel.   
Feathery birds hang precariously 
from the abundant real greenery.  
The greens make the house smell so good!  
Peace On Earth is written on the Mirror.  
I like that it's so faint and quiet.  
 Little touches of bling add sparkle, like these vintage chandelier drops 
that I wired to the branches.
And these snowflakes from Nell Hill's store. 
Here is how I started.  
Mr. Beaux took a 1 X 12 and routered out the notch so it would just slide into place.  My mantel is not that deep so I wanted to extend it a few inches.  Also, I can staple gun the greens right onto this board and not have to worry about it.  
See how the sides go back around the mantel.  
It makes it look very finished and not like you just stuck a board up there.  
Mr. Beaux is so handy!
I primed it and painted it white.  
You don't have to nail it or anything, just set it on top and you are good to go.  
See!  It looks like it has been here all along!  
Mr. Beaux made the edges fancy too.  
I have no idea how he did that but if you really want to know I can probably get him to do a whole post about it.  
But there will be NO pretty pictures... just sayin.
I bought a bundle of green roping or garland from Costco and a few swags from Home Depot.  I cut the garland after draping it over the mantel and I stapled it down.
I like it really full so I took the swags that I cut apart and just poked the boughs under the garland so it hangs over the front of the mantel.
You can add as much or as little as you like.  To keep it fresh just spray it with water a few times a day. 
I dry brushed the wings with ASCP Old White because I thought they had too much wood and dark showing through.  Then I used Martha Stewart's glitter and glue to enhance the tips of the wings.  I know it's hard to tell in the photos but the one on the left is all glittered up.
I used the white glitter on the tips and edged it with the gold.  And now there is glitter from the kitchen to the Living Room.  
I am such a messy crafter!  
Here is a better picture of the glitterness.

I also dry brushed the mirror with Old White to lighten it up a bit.  Then I took a glitter glue pen that writes on glass and a stencil to write the words. The glass paint is also from Martha.  Boy, that Martha has everything!  
 I added my chair that I refinished this summer in front of the fireplace.  The colors really work with my mantel.  And don't you always need extra seating this time of year?
And there it is!  
My Peace On Earth Mantel!  
Now to get busy on the rest of the house.

Until Next Time,
Beaux R'eves,
XO Cindy

Sharing at:

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch
   Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
  Kim at SavvySouthern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays  
 Judy at DIY by Design
  Roeshel  at DIY Showoff
   No Minimalist Here Open House Party 
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
 From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party

                                     Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

51 click here to Comment:

Judy Biggerstaff said...

This is a beautiful mantel Cindy and the wrings are gorgeous. What a smart idea to add the board on the mantel, I'm making note of that idea and yes it sure beats making holes in your mantel. Love it, you got this one girl!

Salmagundi said...

Beautiful, as always! Do you decorate your mountain home, also? Sally

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Beautiful mantel, Cindy! I love the greenery with the white. Great job on the wings. I love what you did with the mirror, too.

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Cindy your mantel looks GORGEOUS!! I love the wings!

Shenita @ Embellishments by SLR said...

Cindy, your mantel is beautiful; and the angel wings are gorgeous! Love the way you embellished them! So pretty! You did a great job!

Cranberry Morning said...

Good grief, that's pretty! It was brilliant to extend the mantle, rather than stapling into the real one. Hmmm. All this decoration makes me feel like my house is naked. I better get busy!

Olive said...

My goodness Cindy you and your angel wings have gone and created the most beautiful mantle evah. I had to dip into my southern drawl for that:}

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Cindy, this is simply stunning. Love all the white and green and sparkle and the wings and the mirror. Well, I love it all.

Anita Diaz said...

Wow, all I have to say is wow. Honestly Cindy, it's just breathtaking. Beautiful:-)

Karen said...

Your Mantle looks beautiful,love the wings and the theme.

Sherry @ Thrift My House said...

Gorgeous! Love how you extended the mantel. Love the white theme.

chateau chic said...

Cindy, your mantel is stunning! Love how you used the angel wings.
Mary Alice

Unknown said...

Wow, this is really stunning!! Found you linked up at Savvy Southern Style :)

Fotini

Scribbler said...

Please send your husband and his router over to my house ASAP -- my mantel is way too shallow. I have been trying to figure out how to do this, and I don't have a router. Your mantel looks fabulous!

Carolyn said...

I really love it!!!

Carolyn

Pat@Life At Lydias House said...

What a great idea to add the extra board!! I never use real greenery because I don't want sap on my mantle and you have the perfect solution! Thanks for sharing it! Your mantle is absolutely gorgeous!

Brandi said...

Your mantel is breathtakingly beautiful!

Brooke said...

Absolute favorite mantel of all time! Love the wings! Did you add this to Pinterest?


=)


Your newest follower,


Brooke

Gail said...

Your mantel is absolutely gorgeous Cindy! I love it!!

Maria Elena said...

Just stunning! Your mantle is so beautiful and the angel wings are gorgeous! Very, very pretty!

Anonymous said...

Cindy, you did it again! It's the most beautiful mantel I have ever
seen. I love your work! Have a great holiday.

Ann

Cristina Garay said...

Stunning! I love everything about it!

Anne Boykin said...

Hi Cindy, Wowzer, your mantel is gorgeous! Can't wait to see the rest of your decorating!

vikki said...

Wow that is so pretty. Love the wings, I guess I missed that one!

Ann @ Corner of Plaid and Paisley said...

Beautiful!! I think Ethereal is a good name for it, very fitting! So pretty!

Pamela said...

Amazing!! Just love this and how ingenious to extend your mantle!! Thanx for going THt and don't forget to come back on the 8th and link up to the mantle party!:) Hope your week is going well!

lvroftiques said...

Now I'm feeling inspired after seeing YOUR beautiful Christmas mantel! I passed on buying those wings and now I could kick myself! That was one smart mantel enlarging solution. I'm filing that one for later use *winks* Everything looks beautiful at your house! Vanna

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Cindy, This is one of my favorite mantles...ever. The angel wings are GORGEOUS!
Thank you for sharing this at the Open House party. Hugs, Sherry

JP said...

Oooh~LaLa! I am following you now...don't want to miss what's next!

Ribbonwood Cottage said...

Just beautiful. I love it. It is so divine and Christmasy and wintery all wrapped up into something beautiful!
Blessings,
Debbie

MaryBeth said...

The mantle is stunning! The ANGEL WINGS are so dramatic as the focal point! Oh, I wish Decor Steals would have the angel wings again! I just signed up this week. THANKS! Mary Beth

Anonymous said...

stunning!!!!

Sue said...

Wowie! Love those angel wings and what you did with the mantel extension. That is exactly what I need, since I have such a narrow mantel board. :-) Sue

Robin Johnson said...

Gorgeous! Love the wings, trees and deer.

Grey said...

It is breathtaking---just gorgeous! I somehow missed the angel wings and wish I hadn't--but I could not have done this beautiful creation you made

J9sHappiness said...

Oh Beautiful!! Thanks so much for sharing! Your mantel vignette is completely gorgeous! I've found you through the linky party and I'm your newest follower! Please pop over to my blog if you get a mo!

Shabby chic Sandy said...

I think that is my favorite mantle ever...I love it! Wow! I love those angel wings--they are gorgeous. Where did you get them? Now I want some :) Thanks for sharing your beautiful mantle display.

Pat@BPM said...

Breathtakingly gorgeous mantel! I love the wings.

Kim @ French Country Antiques said...

I'm voting for Winter White Fantasy and I'm jealous that you shop at Nell Hill's. Just beautiful.

Sew a Fine Seam said...

It's beautiful! I have those angel wings too but haven't really done anything much with them yet. They were a little disappointing to me - didn't look like the pic showed them. Painting them is a great idea - I'm gonna follow your lead on that one!

Nicole @ Mendez Manor said...

Beautiful mantel! I saw you over at Savy Southern Style and I am your latest follower! Hope you stop by and check out my blog too. www.mendezmanor.com

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Cindy,
You have done one beautiful mantel this year....LOVE those wonderful angel wings.

Blessings,
Linda

Mary Anne said...

This is gorgeous! You did an amazing job.

Simply Simplisticated said...

Breathtaking! Real beauty and wonderfully done!

My Shabby Chic Home said...

Love, love, love those angel wings!!

Becca Bertotti said...

Absolutely stunning! I love the wings ... amazing! And, the pops of the beautiful greenery against your white fireplace is gorgeous! Belong in a magazine, for sure. Happy Holidays!

Kathysue said...

I have to say this is one of my favorite mantels I have seen this year, Love it!
Kathysue

PS is the glitter pen permanent? I would love to do some temporary writing on my mirrors?

Four Marrs and One Venus said...

Gorgeous...mouth dropping gorgeous! I love every detail! Saw you over at Stone Gable..so happy I stumbled across you!
Jen

Ann said...

Well the angel wings are to die for!!!!! You did a spectacular job on all the elements. Heavenly!!
Ann

Unknown said...

LOVE it all, but especially love the angel wings! They are on Decor Steals right now! I almost bought some today, but didn't.. hmmm... may have to go back for them!
Claire

The Charm of Home said...

Your mantel is stunning! LOVE the angel wings! Thank you for joining HSH!
Sherry

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