Simple Summer Mantel with Vintage Finds

My summer interior style comes from a few basic ideas: living simply indoors so that I can enjoy the outdoors more, using what I already have on hand and incorporating greenery.

A vintage window frame is such a versatile decor piece for creating vignettes on the mantel or even a hall table. I've added a couple plastic greenery wreaths (that look pretty amazing considering they are plastic!), some mismatched candlesticks sporting matched candles, and the star of the space, a vintage  turquoise McCoy vase.

My home was affected by the recent flooding and I am in the process of clearing out the clutter and keeping my collection of props and vintage finds to a more manageable size.  A sump pump that failed at the time it was most needed was the culprit. I'm trying to look at the good side of the event. It has forced me to go the boxes and bins accumulated over the 20 plus years I've been in this home. I'm going to keep only what I love and use, and get rid of the excess. I don't know about you, but I have a lot of "excess" in my basement. It's always easier to move a box than to go through it in the short run. Long term though, I don't really want to spend the rest of my life moving around "stuff." I'd rather pare down and enjoy those things that are special and leave more time for enjoying the people, places and experiences I love.

All the vintage finds on this mantel will definitely stay. Tried and true, they are all pretty versatile pieces that are easy to change up with the seasons. What are your mantel "besties?" Do share.

A Sweeet & Simple Fall Mantel

My fall mantel decorations had to be pretty easy this year as my mobility is still a bit limited after the bunion surgery. I gathered a few things from the basement and tried to keep things simple (as in one trip down the stairs mainly made to change the furnace filter).



I started with the vintage window piece I picked up an art fair a few years ago. It used to hang in my office year round as I loved the verse it was decorated with. I added the brown wired lights after I bought it; I can never resist adding a little sparkle to things!



I feel I need candles all around the house as the weather turns cold, so the hurricanes were a must. The gold candles have been changed out since I took the pictures for some smaller egglplant ones.



The fall silks and stems have such a muted, aged color to them. The artist that put it together used beautiful supplies.

The leaves scattered about began as a silk fall bouquet but I snipped them apart to look like fallen leaves. I don't know if they were originally folded like this or if they have just been crushed after being packed away each year but I like the realistic effect.

Now if I can just figure out how to run the cord through the entertainment center to an outlet, I'll be done with this project. Note to self... perhaps an outlet on the top of the mantel would be handy!

Simple Summer Mantel {Vintage Style}

My mantel this summer has been plain and simple. My chippy window, a small wreath, 2 stacks of old books (turned backwards to minimize the color of the jackets and play up the beautiful pale pages) and a set of vintage silver candleabras.

The candleabras were picked up for a few dollars each the last day of an estate sale. When I brought them home, I simply added them to the mantel, figuring I would find some candlesticks later to add to them. But guess what? I actually like them without the candles. I think adding the candles would have made the mantel a bit more cluttered. So, they will stay empty. I enjoy the beautiful patina of the tarnished silver on it's own.



That was easy! Have a great weekend. Click here to join my weekly link party!

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Jennifer Rizzo... Creative Friday
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{Simple} Spring Mantel

Spring cleaning includes clearing out the clutter at my house. I've only gotten as far as the mantel, but my plans are for the trend to continue throughout the house in the next few weeks.

I never get tired of using my vintage books for plain and simple accents. I've turned them around to simply enjoy the faded and yellowed pages with bits of colored binding.

A plain green wreath adorns the vintage window frame and that's about it. I tried adding a few more elements and it just didn't look right. The items I tried to add just looked like clutter.

Sometimes plain and simple is just right. 

Now I need to get started on the bookcases {and the rest of the room}!

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Valentine Printable { & a Vintage Inspired Mantel}

My Valentine mantel decorations are late this year. Just a few days before Valentine's Day and all I had displayed was a garland of glittered hearts. A trip to the basement yielded a box of Valentine treasures, including this sweet printable I made last year, probably a just few days before the big day.

I pulled out a few of my basics... my chippy window frame and some vintage books for display bases. This sweet pottery vase was definitely going to be party of the plan.

This printable includes the letters framed in a really pretty shade of pale pink. I left a 1/4" border when I was cutting them out. I printed them on a cream-colored textured paper and thought it looked best leaving a bit of a border. I found a Valentine-themed red and pink scrapbook paper in my stash and glued the letters on top and then added one more piece of cardstock to the base. This piece was a pale pink and I decided to trim it with pinking shears to give it a zig zag edge.

That's it... pretty plain and simple! You can make this printable Valentine project as fast and easy or as intricate as you like!

Surrounded by my vintage Valentine candy boxes and clipped to some baker's twine with pretty glittered clothespins from Michael's, the printable tops off my Valentine mantel!

The link is all set! Go over to my printables page by clicking here. Happy crafting!

DIY Lamp & Thrifted Mantel Decor...& Share the Love Wednesday Link Party!

Lots of new partiers came on board last week! It's always fun to learn about new blogs; I visited every single link from last week's party and found quite a few.

Thanks to everybody that linked up last week--such a variety of posts to choose from. I am featuring these two blogs from last week.

This lamp is gorgeous. Who would you guess it's from... Pottery Barn? Restoration Hardware? Nope... it's a DIY bottle lamp from Mallori at Vintage Finds! Love it... I think Mallori's is actually better looking than those at the retailers!

VINTAGE FINDS

This next link has so many pretty elements... vintage goodies, greenery, a beautiful candlestick & more. What caught my eye though, was the crate displaying the ornaments. Isn't it gorgeous? Such a neutral element as a showcase for those bright and shiny ornaments.... love it! See all the pretty details up close with Dana at Circa Dee!

CIRCA DEE

If you've been featured, grab a button!

<center><a href="http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/search/label/Share%20the%20Love%20Wednesday%20Link%20Party"><img border="0" src="<table style="width:194px;"><br /> <tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Hastings.Mary/September272011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MVa0H_8uHTM/ToKR-HxYQfE/AAAAAAAABqw/FmLk0kkYuRQ/s160-c/September272011.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Hastings.Mary/September272011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">September 27, 2011</a></td></tr><br /> </table>" /></a></center>

Bring it on for this week!  Link up the best of your blog and be sure to link back to the party with a button or text link. If your post has been removed because there wasn't a link back, add the button below or a text link and link up again. Most importantly... mingle... click around the other links and get to know this fabulous group of partiers!

<left><a href="http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a472/VeryMerryVintageStyle/sharethelovebutton.jpg" /></a></left>

Vintage Christmas Mantel Decorations

Bit by bit my Christmas decorating is getting done! For every season the first spot I like to begin with is the mantel. My inspiration for this year's mantel was a vintage greeting card box illustration of a crystal dish filled with holiday ornaments. It's a beautiful image, I'll share it with you in a later post.

 

I started with these thrift store vases, which I originally bought to hold tools (I even like to have my tool bench look pretty). I liked the fact that they are square--the flat sides would really show off the ornaments all pushed together against the glass. They were 88 cents each (gotta love that). The ivory bases I picked up from Target last year. I think it's so unexpected to top the candle bases with a vase of ornaments; it's definitely one of my favorite looks.

I still wanted some candles on the mantel. I chose to mix metals and crystal. The silver bases are were my mothers, the crystal pair were wedding gifts and the tallest set is from Goodwill.

I pulled out the chippy window again to give the display some height. This has been a really versatile piece to use no matter the season.

I topped it off with a silver/gold metallic spray I've had for years... love to add a little sparkle here and there!

It needed another little something to balance it off; this thrift shop sugar bowl fits the bill.

I could stare at these baubles all day long. I actually can enjoy these ornaments more in the vases than on the tree--the glass really shows them off.

 

Do you do something different with your decorations each year or keep things the same? I like to mix it up a bit. I really enjoy the process so it's a challenge to see if I can do a new look with the same decorations.


Check out these link's from last week! Thanks to those of you who linked up last week--such a variety of posts to choose from. I am featuring three partiers from last week.




First up are these beautiful chevron canvases from Because I Like to Decorate. They were leftover from another use and Mary made these beautiful panels. What I love is that they can be moved around--nothing permanent, and of course they're gorgeous!

Check out the post from A Wee Meenit on this adorable pillow. Can you believe it is made from a Goodwill hooded sweater?

If you've been featured, grab a button!

<center><a href="http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/search/label/Share%20the%20Love%20Wednesday%20Link%20Party"><img border="0" src="<table style="width:194px;"><br /> <tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Hastings.Mary/September272011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MVa0H_8uHTM/ToKR-HxYQfE/AAAAAAAABqw/FmLk0kkYuRQ/s160-c/September272011.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Hastings.Mary/September272011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">September 27, 2011</a></td></tr><br /> </table>" /></a></center>

Bring it on for this week!  Link up the best of your blog and be sure to link back to the party with a button or text link. If your post has been removed because there wasn't a link back, add the button below or a text link and link up again. Most importantly... mingle... click around the other links and get to know this fabulous group of partiers!

<left><a href="http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a472/VeryMerryVintageStyle/sharethelovebutton.jpg" /></a></left>

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