This mantle was so much fun for me to put together.  I had NO idea what I wanted to do when I started but after I finished my bookcase vignette (you’ll see it in a later post), I had an idea of doing the mantle in a vintage look. The finished mantle sort of reminds me of something you might see at Cracker Barrel. I’m loving it. I used a collection of old cooking pieces I had purchased years. The shutter on the left was salvaged several years ago from our wood pile to be burned. I sanded it a bit to make it more distressed and now it’s a…

Well here we are doing our Winter mantles for 2011, already! 2011 Winter Mantle   I really like the touch of orangy/red, old books and white pillar candle. Here’s the gold picture frame I painted white and then sprayed chalkboard paint on the glass. The wreath was made from ripped pieces of fabric and knotted onto a wire frame.     I’m still not sure what I really think about the wreath. What’s your opinion? Here’s what my mantle looked like last year. Now to be honest, those branches drove me c.r.a.z.y!!  I really like how some people use branches in their decor but these were just too big and sprawling.  I…