Mantle, Glorious Mantle                                       


Why it's the focal point of the house and my favorite thing to dress up each season!   The mantle is a wonderful design tool.  Even if you have no other signs of holiday/seasonal decor in your room, if the mantle is done, the room looks festive w/o being overdone.  I believe a full decorated mantle looks best, but I am sure simplistic could be nice as well.  The mantle seems to require lots of "stuff", so I look to nature to help me out!  Winter and pine cones go hand in hand.  One stop at a big ol evergreen somewhere and I am set (throw extras in glass canisters,  jars or vases for festive tabletop decor).   Most of the candles up on the mantle are decoration and are not actually burned (safety purposes), but I do have a few in the moose/deer candle holders (Target xmas clearance).  I have a bunch of colored and not burned candles to pull out for whatever whenever (Dollar Tree).  Upside down wine glasses give great height to the candles and are hidden with pine cones.  I found this old window and it too gets dressed according to season.  Here I have kept an xmas wreath out which is not too Christmasy  and should serve well until and maybe through Valentines Day.  I like to stick with the winter red theme b/c it is easy to incorporate into V-tines Day.  So, throw some stuff on your mantle, rearrange it 109 times, then light a few candles and admire your work!!