Thanksgiving Mantle



Here it is - my simple, nature-inspired Thanksgiving mantle.

 

It is amazing what some spray-paint and a nature walk with the kiddos can accomplish.

 

 

I attached these metal leaves to the fireplace with tiny removable hooks - the backs have a circle thing attached that I hooked on to.  (I have no idea what these were used for in their first life)

 

A thin coat of paint - more about that Here - and they made a nice Fall accent.

 

 

A clean, white theme united the décor - more on that Here.

 

 

 

The family and I went on a walk around the lake in our neighborhood and found these great pinecones and colored leaves that I love!

 

The finished mantle is a reminder to me to be thankful for the simple things - beauty is around us everyday.

 

So much to be thankful for - Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 



Paint it New!

 

Never underestimate the power of paint!

 

Recently, I came across these five (hidden) gems at the thrift store.

I wanted candle holders for my Thanksgiving mantle, but didn't want to spend a fortune -

all five of these were about $8. 

Love a Bargain!

 

Of course, as is, they didn't exactly go with my décor and they are all different styles and materials.

(glass, wood, plaster)

Painting them all the same color brings them all together and makes them a cohesive unit.

 

 

 

I decided on white as some of my other Thanksgiving stuff was already white.

Plus I love the crisp, clean look of bright white.

 



 I just used spray paint and it took less than 30 minutes - super easy!

 

 

Try it out - go find something that you like the shape of and paint it a fresh, solid color.

 

I bet you'll love it at much as I love these now!

 





Thanksgiving Wreath

I have seen some really cute wrapped-style wreaths and thought that I would give it a go for Thanksgiving - never having attempted it before, this was all a learning experience for me.

 

I went and got a styrofoam wreath form, one skein of white and tan yarn, and some burlap decorative ribbon about 6 inches wide.

 

 

I measured and marked every 4 inches around the back and wrote a W for white and T for tan to show where each color yarn would be wrapped. 

I started at the back and used hot glue to secure the yarn to the form.

 

 

This is where I started to rethink this yarn wrapping idea -
while not at all difficult, it is time consuming. 

I did figure out about halfway through that if you double the yarn twice - (four strands at a time) - it goes 4 times as fast! (duh)  You're welcome.  :)

 

 

Here is a shot of the wreath fully wrapped (yay!), which my boys lovingly dubbed
"the Life-preserver".

 



 

I decided to add a burlap bow to the top and for some color I used large nails to push through the back of the form and then into some mini pumpkins that I had left over from Halloween.

 

 

 

Voila!

 



 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

Thanksgiving Mantle Preview

Just a little preview of the Thanksgiving mantle that is going up as we speak.

 

I found these 3 metal leaves at a charity shop for 99 cents each - bargain!

 

I have no idea what they were originally intended for, but thought they would look great as part of my Thanksgiving mantle.

 

They were, however, a bit too brassy for my décor.

 

 

I decided to spray paint them "pumpkin" orange although I wasn't very sure how they would turn out - I wanted them to look natural.

 

I ended up using only a thin coat, because the pattern below showing through a little looked really good!  See how you can just make out the lines?

 

(On a sidenote, my husband likes his garage to be clutter free, so he is forever recycling my cardboard to spray on.  So, yes - I did have to use a cork board square I had laying around to spray on and yes - I did spray the grass orange)

 

 

Here is the peek at the leaves up on the mantle - I am loving how they turned out!

 

What are you doing to get ready for Thanksgiving?