A Fall Mantle-scape at Heart and Home

The leaves are changing and it's finally time for some fall decorating! (Even though it's 100 degrees out today, a freaky heat wave!)  This is how the mantle looked for the last months of summer.   I kept it simple, and used my big blue vases and a few of the little bird's nests which I found in our yard. (BTW - did you know "mantle" is also correctly spelled "mantel"? - very confusing if you ask me...)

I always like to start with a clean slate! I carefully wrapped and put away the bird's nests, and all the summer items went back into the storage closet.   The wood mantle and surround was cleaned and polished. Doesn't it look sad and lonely when it's empty? I think so.

Where do I begin? I don't like to get too carried away with a theme, but I wanted the new arrangement to say Fall.  I decided to use these big green candle holders, and keep the rest simple, because there is a lot going on in this room.  I always place the largest elements first. Then I fill in with the smaller items, and then I mess around with it for awhile. And then I go back and do it all over again. And again! I am always tweaking, and rearranging.  It can get a little tricky balancing everything, because my natural inclination when I'm decorating is for an asymmetrical design. I don't know why - could it be because I'm unbalanced? Hmmm....

 

I love these two rustic twig pumpkins - I found them at the drug store today, on sale of course. They were calling my name! The gourds and white pumpkins add a nice splash of fall color. Using some of my treasured old books in places other than the book shelf gets them out where they can be seen and enjoyed.

The large candle holders are from Pier One, a major steal . They have a lot of texture, and I like having two different sizes. I especially like their color, they go well with the wall color (although in these pictures the walls look white - they are actually a nice soft, mossy green.)

The curves in this ceramic urn create interesting negative spaces.

I'm still working on this wall! We have high ceilings in here, so I'm searching for some really interesting architectural salvage pieces for above the mirror, and I'd love to add candle sconces on each side. But everything happens in it's own time! I found the mantle surround in a little antique store, on one of those afternoons when I wasn't really shopping for anything. I just went to browse around, and there it was, the exact size we needed, a decent price, and it even fit in the back of my car. How could I say no?!

This is how it looked in here when we had just moved in, before we remodeled:

The original mantle was about 2 inches deep, so frustrating because I couldn't put much on it. And the tile surround was, well, I'll  be kind and just say, um, outdated......

The texture and color of the replacement mantle adds a lot of interest to the space. Okay, I went back and tweaked and rearranged a bit more....

      

I think this new look is much better, don't you agree? Of course, once I finished bringing my mantle-scape into Fall, I had to redo the rest of the room. I  did a little rearranging and added Fall accessories. The trunk hasn't been in this room since that before picture was taken 8 years ago....you might remember seeing it here, when it was in the family room, before I replaced it with the new-to-us coffee table.

Before: (Summer)

After: (Fall!)

     

                             I love the textures in these pieces:

                                                  

This is one of my oldest paper-mache' trays, which I borrowed from the wall in the kitchen. It was perfect for this spot:                                    

At last, I believe I am done with this project!! I'll leave it like this, for a few weeks anyway. Then I'll put up some Halloween decorations - because around here it doesn't feel like Halloween until there are some scary ghosts lurking...

     

Happy Fall,  and thank you very much for stopping by! I love to hear from you, leave a comment! Thanks Susan, at BNOTP, for Metamorphosis Monday!  And thanks also to Sherri, at  The Shades of Pink!

Okay kiddies, it's time for the big announcement! 

In honor of my two month blogging anniversary I 'm having a giveaway!

Two months blogging might not seem like a long time to those of you who have been at this for years, but as you've been getting to know me (tech challenged, to say the least), I've been very dedicated to learning new blogging skills, and I've been excited 

to have met so many kind, talented, funny, clever new friends. I wanted to mark the day with something special.

So,  if you're interested in getting in on the fun and fabulous drawing for free goodies, please leave me a comment. If you leave a comment and become a member you get extra credit (you'll be entered twice!) - if you're already a member( yay, thank you!) mention it in your comment, and you'll be entered twice! This week each day you leave me a comment you'll be entered in the drawing, and I'll announce the winner next week, on Monday, October 5th. I'll show you the prizes in my next post (you'll like them!). Thanks again for stopping by, and come back soon!

Until next time,

XO

Heidi