Our Christmas Mantel

I just wanted to pop in for a bit this morning/afternoon to show you a quick peek at Matt and I's Christmas mantle.  (I say "Matt and I" because we both pay rent here, not because we both put love and care into creating this Christmas mantle.  Matt laid on the couch while I worked lol.)  This is one of the many times I wish I had a fancy pants camera to capture all the fun details, but alas, all I have is my little point and shoot camera.  I coyly asked Matt when we could upgrade to a nice camera, and he answered "when we have kids."  And because I enjoy sleeping through the night, not having spit up on me, and talking about adult things, I will happily enjoy my point and shoot for several more years :)  On to our Christmas mantel...

This year, when I pulled our our Christmas decorations, I made myself one promise.  I was going to make do with what we already had.  No running out to the store, no swearing I needed that "perfect" ribbon.  Whatever we had is whatever I was going to use.  That mentality seemed to push me to try a few options I may not have initially considered, and I'm so happy I stuck to my promise.  Last month I showed you our fall mantel, and you may see a few similarities.  The colors are different and there is certainly more sparkle, but it has a lot of the same "bones" as our fall mantel.  Big mirror and wreath combo, filled glass canisters, candles, and a word frame.  With no garage and little storage, I keep the same basics, but revamp the details.

I filled three different glass canisters/vases with a mix of silver and red ornaments.  A mix of big and small, glittered and shiny helped keep it from being too matchy matchy.  I picked up the little silver bead wreaths after Christmas with my mom last year for 75% off.  The garland was something I wasn't quite sure how it would work when I started it, but it ended up looking a little bit crazy, a little bit fun, which is always a good combo in my book.  (I mean, isn't that what we all love about Anthropologie?  A mix of crazy and fun that seems to look effortless.)  The small glitter ornaments came from Target's dollar bin, and I strung them up with some ribbon I snagged at the end of the season last year.

I love having a word mixed in with my decorations.  Matt wanted to use wrapping paper in the frame (ok, I don't give him enough credit, he does care a little bit) which we tried for a few days.  But then I got my way and switched it up for a word.  "Believe" is so fitting for Christmas, and I love the glittered Santa hanging close by.  (I picked up several twin Santas from the dollar bin at Target to use as finishing touches on presents, but when I hung him here on a whim, I loved it!)  The garland came from the bottom of our Christmas tree, which had to be cut down to fit into our tiny apartment.  I asked the guys at the tree place to tie up the scraps and though there weren't a lot left over, it was just the right amount for our little mantel.

I saw a feather wreath last year in a magazine and have been wanting one ever since.  I found the styrofoam wreath form at a garage sale for 10 cents and the feather boa for 25 cents.  (Big spender I tell you.)  I wrapped it around the form, secured it with a few straight pins, and voila, fun feather wreath.  I added a few silver ornaments from our tree as well as some of the butterfly clips that we use on our tree.  PS: After I wrapped the wreath and tied it to the mirror, Matt made a face.  You know, a scrunched up, what the heck is that face.  "What?" I asked.  His reply?  "That looks like Big Bird's butt."  To which I maturely said, "Your face looks like Big Bird's butt!"  Total maturity around here people :)

So there you have it, our Christmas mantel!  I love the way it turned out, and for free no less.  PS: If you've decorated for the holidays and posted about it, leave me a link in the comments so I can come check it out!  Have a great Wednesday yall!