Christmas mantel decorations (plus ‘big’ news)

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving break. We were able to visit family and friends in Michigan, my husband’s home state (Go Blue), which is always a treat. Sometimes it is good to take a break from the normal, don’t you think? Although I’ve found it can be tough to get back in the groove of things. 😉

Today I thought I’d share my Christmas mantel decorations with you. I’ve got a whole lot of decorating still to do (sigh), but at least this area is finished. Here’s a peek at the whole enchilada:

Christmas-mantel

I definitely had a theme I was going for this year, which I’ve dubbed “rustic elegant.” I wanted the mantel to feel cozy and woodsy, but also sparkly and bright. Oh, and of course everything had to be budget-friendly.

The snowshoes were the most expensive purchase.

Snowshoes-on-mantel

They cost a total of about $60 on eBay. I’ve been eyeing them literally for years, so I finally just sucked it up and bought them. Part of the reason I was OK with the $60 is because I know they can be used as decorations all winter long, not just at Christmastime.

I bought the fabric “Peace on Earth” print for $15 on clearance at HomeGoods.

I DIYed the faux birch candles about two weeks ago.

Birch-candles-on-mantel

You can read all about how to knock off your own version of Pottery Barn’s birch candles here.

Fur-stockings

I fell in love with these fur stockings at Target. Once I touched them in the store, I was hooked. I think they were $13 apiece. Since we had our son two years ago, we’ve been one stocking short. So this was my opportunity to justify buying a matching set. 😉 We usually put up a stocking for our dog, Howie, too. But since I didn’t want to pay another $13 for a dog’s stocking, I decided to just use one of our old stockings and hang it up on a cabinet in the kitchen above Howie’s food and water bowls. 🙂 I dressed up the fur stockings with a few snowflake ornaments I had on hand.

Flocked-mini-Christmas-tree

For the tiny tree, I wanted to give it a flocked look, so I added some spray faux snow and fake cobwebs left over from my Halloween decorations. The wooden tags were extras I didn’t use in my Thanksgiving tablescape. I brush-painted them with gold craft paint, used a permanent black marker for the words, and hung them with pieces of twine.

Wooden-reindeer

I picked up this cute wooden reindeer years ago from a supermarket, of all places. I like to fill him with poinsettias every year. These flowers came from Sam’s Club.

Santa-and-sign

My mother-in-law gave me the woodland Santa. I added some height by standing him on a wooden bowl turned upside-down. The gold sign came from the Dollar Tree years ago.

Everything else dressing the mantel is stuff I already had from Christmases past.

Christmas-mantel

Have you decorated your mantel for the holidays yet?

Before I go, I wanted to give you some “big” news. Remember the BLACK+DECKER Your Big Finish campaign I participated in recently?

Well, my hallway molding project will actually be featured on a Times Square billboard! I consider that pretty “big” news. 😉

unnamed

Now, in all fairness, many other folks’ projects will be featured there, too. In fact, your project could appear on a Times Square billboard! So if you’ve recently finished a DIY project and your family members haven’t given you the props you deserve, enter your project in the BLACK+DECKER Your Big Finish Home Renovation Contest. You could see yourself on a billboard and win $10,000. Find out more here.

Later this week, I’ll be back with more Christmas decorations and a few free holiday printables.

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12 Responses

  1. Beth L says:

    Gorgeous mantle. I guess it is time to get busy on that. Thanks for the inspiration!

  2. Kathleen says:

    Lovely mantel. I no longer have a fireplace, but hopefully we will be putting one in next Spring. I love decorating my mantel. Congrats on the Time Square billboard. That is totally awesome. I wonder if outdoor projects would qualify for the B&D contest. My hubby and I just completed a brick mailbox in front of our new home.

    • Susan says:

      I would assume that outdoor projects definitely qualify! Your project sounds amazing and you should definitely enter it. Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words, Kathleen.

  3. NormaJean says:

    Congratulations! So glad to see you are being recognized for all your accomplishments!

  4. Sharon Miller says:

    Beautiful!! I’ve never had a mantel, however I plan to have one in the next house. Praying this one gets sold, otherwise we are going to have to make some changes here. Enjoy your Christmas decorating!!

  5. heather says:

    Congratulations on the billboard feature!!!!

  6. Nancy Carr says:

    Congratulations on being featured. Beautiful mantel, too.

  7. Congratulations, Susan on being featured on the BIG screen in Times Square – wow!

    Love your mantel too!

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