Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"Le" Fall Mantel ...

Happy Tuesday!  One day closer to the weekend .... yay!  It's still so dreary here (even though we *really* need the rain)!  This icky weather has *forced* me to stay inside and work some more on my Fall decor.  Darn!

Well, I thought I'd share our great room mantel (or mantle) today.  Here it is, all decked out for the Fall season (feel free to click on pictures to enlarge).  I'm still so happy with its *new* look:


You see, pictured below is what it looked like last year (and, please excuse the metallic background behind the mirror ... that was RL Metallics Paint/Golden Candlesticks, and whenever a flash bounced off of it from a camera, it would "light up."  Crazy).  While we thought our fireplace surround was "nice," it looked like every other mantel in our neighborhood (with the arched cutout above).  I really wanted to "beef it up," and set apart from everyone else's. 


So, I found a few inspirational pictures ... drew up a sloppy sketch, and a friend of ours (who has an amazing talent when it comes to woodworking) brought my chicken scratch drawing to life.  We love it!  It's so much more fun to decorate, as the mantel is not only wider, it's also deeper, so it can hold more of my "stuff" ... yippee!


I was determined to hang beaded garland this year, but I couldn't find any.  So, I bit the bullet and decided to make it myself (yikes).  I found pretty wooden beads at Michael's and simply strung them onto picture frame wire.  Voila ... super easy, coming from a NON-talented crafter!  (lol) 


I shared my pumpkin/guord filled hurricanes last week, but here they are again:


Love the muted pumpkin/leaf garland I found at Hobby Lobby! 


I tucked some feathers in for fun:

As for the floral arrangement ... nothing fancy ... I just threw some sprigs with tiny leaves and tiny rust colored flowers into a vase I wasn't using ... tried to keep it simple:


Of course, I just *had* to add feathers and tucked some leftover burlap garland around the base of the florals.  It looks like the arrangement is wearing a burlap scarf ... lol:


And, I gotta give a little shout out to the *oh-so-pretty* coppery/bronze-y container that I found at, none other than, Home Goods!  And, even though we have a gas fireplace, I decided to fill the bucket up with logs ... just thought it might add to the rustic feel I'm going after this year:


Before I go, I leave you with how the mantel looks at night, all lit up:


Oh, and, *speaking* of all lit up, I can't wait to share my Fall tree with you!  Yes, that's right folks ... I said Fall *ter-ee!*  I've.gone.mad!

Thanks for stopping by,



I'm linking up with:


49 comments:

  1. Gorgeous Becca! This is rustic at it's finest. Love the change and the white lights. It gives a warm glow.

    Happy Fall! ~Melissa :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very, very pretty, Becca! It looks lovely and I too really like the warmer lighting...I love fall!

    Liesl :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow I absolutely love your fall mantel, it's gorgeous!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep, ITA, your mantel is gorgeous! I love the beads and the lighting.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love fall because I can use sunflowers to decorate with. but i haven't thought of changing my mantel from year to year, I usually do it the same, so now you've inspired me to mix it up a little.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Becca, I love that new mantel. Great woodwork for sure. Love your fall mantel. Very pretty with the foliage and I love burlap. I have some on my mantel, too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. HELLO BECCA,

    YOUR MANTLE LOOKS INCREDIBLE LOVE IT ALL :) YOUR HOME IS BEAUTIFUL :) THANKS FOR SHARING IT WITH US :)

    XOX~MARI

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's lovely Becca!

    Many Blessings,
    M.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You must love this look...I sure do Becca...it looks so pretty. Your FP really did turn out great too. I know what you mean about changing the look and making it your own...I hate when I go in neighborhoods with the same builder and everything looks well the SAME! Yours is fantastic. I love the touch of feathers too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love love love this mantle! It is gorgeous! We did some architecture around ours to beef it up also, but our mantle is very narrow. I am having a hard time fitting things on there, but some garland and beads might do the trick! Gor-gee-ous!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Becca, Your mantel looks fantastic. I love the new look for Fall. the beads, flowers, especially the feathers and the beautiful picture. It flows perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a pretty fall mantel...love the use of the burlap!!!

    Blessings,
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  13. That is so gorgeous! I love the white lights and think you are more crafty than you give yourself credit for! :-) You guys did an awesome job customizing your fireplace surround and it really just took it to the next level. Beautiful!
    Vanessa

    ReplyDelete
  14. It looks great! I SOOOOOO wish I had a mantel like that and not a tv cave! Maybe your friend would come to my house. ;O) Love the beaded garland and all the fall decor. Looks so good w/ the gold paint on the walls.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The changes you've made to the design of your fireplace mantel are wonderful. I think I'll get DH to take a look at yours and see if we can do something like that. Your fall decor is the perfect addition to the space!

    DD

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love it! and feathers?! They always add that unexpected look to an arrangement. Happy Fall!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dining Delight ... I hope you see this. Thank you for your thoughtful comment! I tried to leave you a note on your page; however, there isn't a link (or email address) when I click on your name. I'm sure your home is lovely ... if you end up playing with your mantel, too, I'd love to see pictures! Thanks again, *Becca*

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your mantel looks great, Becca! I love the muted colors, too. Love your hurricanes. The fireplace really is a focal point now; great idea to beef things up a bit!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Beautiful! Love the new addition too! You did a great job on designing that. I also love the idea of using picture wire for the beaded garland. Now you can easily manuever it like you want. How smart is that? Thanks for sharing that!

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a beautiful Mantle....love the beads, and feathers! Gorgeous! Thanks for the visit, and lovely comment!

    Cindy
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ooo I love it! Great idea making your own bead garland..that looks really pretty. The arrangement with the feathers is lovely too:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. That is beautiful! You really have a talent for decorating. I would love to know how you hung the beaded garland and where do you store all your fall decor things?
    It looks just gorgeous.
    Brooke

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your mantel is gorgeous!! I love all the layers. Very sophisticated. :) Visiting from Julia's Hooked on Houses party. Hope you'll stop by my blog to say hi. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your mantle redo is beautiful! Makes a world of difference.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your mantle looks so sophisticated. I love the colors and the beaded garland adds the perfect touch. You have scaled everything perfectly. I love the rustic feel to the arrangement, just BEAUTIFUL!!! Thanks for sharing! XO ~Liz

    ReplyDelete
  26. that looks great, i am loving your beefed up mantle. or mantel. those bead garland are perfect, and i love how you scallopped it. are they multiple garlands you hung like that or one that you somehow maneuvered to have scallopped rows?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Your mantel is gorgeous Becca. You did a great job on your beaded garland.

    Enjoy your day.
    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  28. Becca, it's sooo pretty!! I love the hurricanes too. I know how you feel about your fireplace. We ripped ours out along with our built ins & had someone come in & custom build for us. Hmmm, I guess that should be a blog post! Anyway, thanks for visiting! I haven't shown more fall decor because I haven't done any other decorating yet because it's still been in the 90's! I'm planning to do some tonight though!

    ReplyDelete
  29. wow the beads are nice..I was going to ask where you bought them! Was it a expensive project?

    ReplyDelete
  30. LOVE the new mantel! It looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love your mantle. It's beautiful. Wonderful job.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Your mantel is just awesome. Love everything about it!! Great job and your chicken scratch drawing really made a huge difference. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Beautiful fall decor. Happy Harvest! La

    ReplyDelete
  34. thanks for stopping by...gave me a chance to pop over and meet you! your home is just beautiful....we're from GA...North GA....living in Orlando now...saw where you have step children who are in GA...look forward to hanging out in your archives seeing more of your home!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Wow so pretty! I love the hanging garland and the lit up display! Stunning! We're just settling into Spring at the moment here but I am loving all your autumn decorations!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Looks great! I really like the garland. Thanks for sharing it with us!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I think your mantel is my favorite so far. I absolutely LOVE it! You definitely have a knack for decorating. Beautiful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Your mantle is so pretty!! Would you please come decorate mine? Thanks so much for joining the "falling up" party.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Becca, Your fireplace looks so pretty! The garland you made is great and I like the use of the feathers.
    It all came together really well! :-)
    ~ Sue

    ReplyDelete
  40. I am so glad you joined me....a little late is better than never, I so appreciate the support. Thanks....

    ReplyDelete
  41. Love the beaded garland! I think this is Martha worth myself!! Great looking mantle -

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hi Becca...

    Well my friend, as you can see...I am really enjoying your blog! Hehe! Just had to leave you a note about how beautiful your autumn mantel is! You are such a gifted and talented designer/decorator!!! Your mantel is gorgeous, Becca! Ohhh...and I love how you added the bead garland! I also love your new mantel makeover...you really did "beef it up"! Hehe! It's fabulous!!!

    Warmest autumn wishes,
    Chari @Happy To Design

    ReplyDelete
  43. Becca, your new mantel looks beautiful! What a great look & all your Fall stuff is so pretty. Thanks for joining the party!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Your mantle rocks! The beading really draws you in. I love the idea of tucking burlap around the arrangement. It looks fabulous! I am having mantle envy right now!
    Lacy

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi Becca! Oh, my goodness! Your mantel looks marvelous! It's gorgeous! Love how you've dressed it for fall too!! You've done great!
    Be a sweetie,
    shelia;)

    ReplyDelete
  46. I love the new mantel. I really stands out well now. Beefy is better! You decorated it so pretty for Fall too. Just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments!