Decorating a Mantel

I know a lot of people struggle with decorating a fireplace mantel.  When we moved into our home a couple years ago, I was so excited to actually have a mantel to decorate!  Mine is unique in that a mirror is actually built into a slight inset into the wall above the mantel.  Not my favorite look, but I worked with it.  I think the most important thing about decorating a mantel is adding objects of varying heights and widths.  Also, try to coordinate the colors of the objects so they look like they belong together.  I stuck with a color scheme of whites/creams/browns, then added a splash of red so it wouldn't get too boring.  Candles and candleholders are a great way to add varying height.  I also layered the backdrop, leaning a leaded window against the mirror, then 2 sepia toned canvas prints in front of it.  All together this gave my mantle a calm, sophisticated tone.  If you're looking for a warmer or more funky look, add more variances in heights, shapes and colors!

Speaking of white frames...

Here are some more white frames I have in my bedroom, but this time with actual pictures in them (imagine that!).  I love extreme close up photos, especially those of flowers and architecture.  It can get very expensive to buy someone else's photography, so try doing it yourself!  The closer you can get to the object you are photographing, the better - that way there are no unwanted objects wasting space.  Once you get the print downloaded on to your computer, then you can zoom in even closer, edit out non-essentials and play with the coloring.  The photos here were taken on a trip to Charleston, South Carolina - one of my absolute favorite cities!  They are close ups of some unique ironwork and flowers down there.  I love displaying these photos not only as works of art, but as reminders of that fabulous city!

Framing your world...

I have these three completely empty white frames leading up (or down) the stairs to my bedroom.  My original intent was to fill them with family photos, but then I realized, uh, no glass or backing.  I sell quite a few empty frames with my antiques business, and sometimes recommend framing a 3D object in them.  Such as old spoons, vintage baby dress, cross, etc.  But I have to admit I'm at a loss for how to fill these at my own house.  Especially since I don't have any old spoons, baby dresses or extra crosses.  Sigh.  So now I need to come up with another great idea for these frames.  Any thoughts?
For now they are going to have to sit there empty.  It's not that I don't love them already, because I do!  I love white paint above any other color, and the white pops against the dark red wall (yes, my bedroom is painted red.  cheesy, I know).  The frames just seem empty and like they are patiently waiting for someone to come visit them. 
So when friends come over to my house and if they happen to see the frames, they'll just have to scratch their heads.  Especially the one visitor I had years ago who took one look at my distressed and shabby chic furniture and asked if I needed to borrow some paint!
So, seriously, any thoughts?  I need all the help I can get...

If at first you don't succeed..

This beautiful frame with horse print hangs in my daughter's room.  I absolutely love the chunky vintage frame, and, quite honestly, it was very hard for me to put it in her room instead of just keep it for myself! 
This looks great now, but came only through a long process of trial and error.  My daughter loves horses, so we purchased this print which was twice the size that it is now and in an ugly frame.  I painted the frame sage green and hung it on her wall.  It was huge and ugly and we weren't sure what to do about it.  My sister even made a comment about how ugly it was!  Shortly after, we decided to paint my daughter's room.  Yes, I realize this wall is bright pink, but the other 3 walls are robin's egg blue, so it doesn't look no nauseating when you see the whole room.  After her room was painted, her sage green framed horse picture really didn't match, so we had to come up with another idea.  I found this $5 frame in a thrift store and inspiration was born!  I painted the frame the same color as the other blue walls in her room.  Then, very sneakily I waited until she was at school one day, and cut the horse picture to match the new frame.  She NEVER would have allowed me to do this had she known.  This is why I have to do these things on the sly.  Anyway, I tucked the new version of the horse print into the frame and Voila!  A new picture was born!  It looks so fabulous on her new walls, and she has never said anything about it being half the size it once was.  Every once in a while, however, I do sneak into her room and gaze at the frame...hoping one day she'll grow out of her horse phase and decide she doesn't need it anymore.  Then I can toss the print and frame something for my room! 
This story is very common in my home.  My projects don't always turn out the way I envisioned them.  I can't even begin to count how many ugly things I've made and put in my home over the years.  But I am proud to say I learn from my mistakes, and my decorating mistakes happen less and less.  Try, try again...

Trash to Treasure

I literally found this in someone's trash.  I saw it one morning on the way to taking my kids to school, just sitting on the curb.  I quickly dropped them off, swung back, and shoved it in my car as fast as I could!  I wish I had a 'before' picture for you.  The 3 missing drawers didn't scare me.  I had my talented husband attach some thin pieces of plywood as shelves instead, cleaned up the entire thing, then painted it and added knobs.  This sat in my living room for years with pretty dishes and linens stacked on the open shelves.  Then I used it as a dresser in my bedroom, with makeup and jewelry stored and displayed in trays on the shelves.
Moral of the story - just because a piece is missing something doesn't mean it's ready to be tossed!  Use your imagination and turn it into something amazing!

Let there be light!

I'm a sucker for chandeliers.  Whenever I see one in a magazine or store, I stop and stare.  I love how every one is a little bit different from the next.  I love that you can use either candles or lightbulbs.  I love all the light.  And, most especially, I love the unexpectedness of them.  We have so many ceiling fans in our home that it's hard to find a room with a space for a chandelier.  Alas, they've been banished to the bathroom and to the laundry room.   Talk about unexpected!!!  Check out the photos here.  The black one is a $4 steal from a thrift store, spraypainted by me and then installed by my wonder-husband.  The crystal one is a $15 garage sale bargain, not-so-lovingly installed by my husband (he had some frustrating trouble with the wiring).  So, moral of the story...while these look fabulous, and I love them even more because they were inexpensive, second-hand chandeliers need to be properly wired and need to work!

Flowers...

I'm sure by now I've mentioned that I love flowers.  And they don't need to be heirloom roses...wild flowers growing by the side of the highway have made my heart skip a beat many times.  My absolute favorite thing about spring and summer is having flowers regularly in my house cut from my garden.  Although the word garden might be stretching it -how about flower beds.  I love having flowers in front of my house, but actually working to get them blooming is definitely not my favorite thing to do.  Which is why I only have perennials in my flower beds so I can put them in once and basically forget about them for years to come (with the occasional pruning and relocating of course).
When the flowers make it into the house, I love to display them.  But, I very rarely display cut flowers in a crystal vase.  If they are in a crystal vase, then that vase is usually tucked inside some other kind of container.  Like an ironstone pitcher (as shown above), a pedestal bowl, sap bucket, galvanized tub, teacup, bowl, and on and on.  Just setting wild flowers in a mason jar is one of my favorite arrangements.  Displaying flowers with this simple method makes a statement, helps the flowers look more natural, and just seems more homey.  Try it!

Unique Decor - don't be afraid of it!

Speaking of maps and globes, I just had to share a photo of this wooden, hand-carved globe I found yesterday at a thrift shop!  It is an extremely unique piece, with the placenames hand-written on it.  I have never seen anything like this!  I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or sell it, but I love it because it would add an element of interest to any home.  Don't be afraid to display a quirky, unique, one-of-a-kind item in your home.  It will be a talking piece for your guests and shows your individuality!   Some unique decor in my home include a bowl of colored sea glass, a bleached deer skull and antlers, a compote filled with shells from favorite beaches, old tin ceiling tiles, and a painted swedish-syle grandfather clock.  All of these items have a story behind them and have been commented on many times when people visit my home, every time accompanied by the comment "I never would have thought to do that!"  That is the ultimate compliment to me!  Decorating your home can get so boring and common.  It's much more fun and interesting to surprise your guests with unique decor!

So, find those unique treasures you've hidden away because you weren't sure what to do with them, dust them off, and proudly show them off!  Just see how many compliments you get!
While I'm at it, I also added a photo of the map I mentioned in my last blog that hangs on my son's wall.  Simple to put up (tacked paper map to wall, then bolted pieces of barnwood straight to the wall on top of it) and endless fun for an imaginative little boy!

Oh the Places You'll Go!

I just returned home from a 9 day trip spanning 4 states.  Needless to say, this involved a lot of driving.  Or, for my part, sitting in the passenger seat.  I have a tendency to get bored just sitting there for hours on end, so usually resort to reading the atlas for entertainment.  No, there is no sarcasm here... I actually do love looking at maps.  I love seeing where I've been and seeing where I'm going.  I love to look at the lay of the land and think about this history behind locations.  I love the sense of accomplishment from going through each little landmark on the map.  My love for maps certainly comes from my Dad, as does my love for history and travel.  I haven't traveled worldwide nearly enough, but hope to in the future!  All these interests of mine are shown in my home through this fabulous black globe in my living room.  Black globes are unique, and I couldn't pass this one up!  It has a very vintage feel to it and reminds my family that the world is so much broader than our little corner of Arkansas!  In my son's room, we've framed a vintage world map with barnwood on the wall.  He loves to imagine what's happening in all corners of the world.  Oh, the places we'll go...