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!

 

 

 

 

 



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?