Please help me decorate my mantel!

[KatieJ]

I have no skills here. I have more candle sticks, but only 4 red candles. I have more cream candles.

I also have red and green potpourri, but no huge glass vase to put it in.

Opinions wanted, I won’t take it personal.

[Carol in Cal.]

For a mantle, it's good to have a variety of heights, and also not to make everything completely symmetrical.

Do you have any garlands?  Draping a garland in loops off the edge of the mantle is a nice first step.  Bonus points if it hangs down on both sides.

 

Then assuming you have Christmas stockings, you put those up.  My mom used to attach them to the underside of our mantle with tacks, which was pretty but didn't hold much weight so she had to be careful not to fill them too full.  I have weighted hooks that sit on top of the mantle that the socks hang from--do you?  Anyway, put those up next.

 

Then you group the candlesticks in little clumps.  4 red candles kind of artfully distributed more or less close together about 1/4 of the way from one side.  A few white ones scattered along the other side--bonus if you have at least one tall candlestick for a pillar candle or two.  You can also go to Ikea or Cost Plus World Market and get very reasonably priced additional candles.

 

The potpourri can be displayed in tall, clear glasses, or again Ikea has those big clear glass vases for that.

 

Then I would scatter some red and maybe gold ornaments (simple balls would be fine) among the garland to make it more festive.  If I had small to medium pinecones I would use those, too.

 

Then about a third of the way in from one side, I would put one really tall, notable thing.  This could be a big star, like an old-fashioned tree topper, or a Christmas picture, or a clump of those really huge sugarpine pine cones tied together with an over the top wide red velvet bow.  Or if I had an oldfashioned glass punch bowl or a clear glass trifle bowl, I would heap it full of very sparkly ornaments, maybe with some beaded garland strings mixed in.  I'd put that on sometime to raise its height but that would be hidden by the front garland on the mantle, maybe even just a book or two.  I'd make sure that whatever was in it was overflowing over the top of it.  Or if I didn't want my manger scene under the tree, I'd put that up there, again on a little platform so that the whole thing would show.

 

Beautiful!  I don't decorate until Advent, but am feeling all inspired now!

[PeachyDoodle]

Are all the candles the same height? Try grouping them in two or three sets of odd numbers (say, three or five to a group). A mix of red and cream will be alright if the groupings are balanced. I'd probably try two groups, one on each end of the mantel.

 

If you have a smaller glass vase, you could put the potpourri in that and add some branches or other greenery to make a taller centerpiece.

 

Do you have anything else? Garland or unused ornaments, figurines, ribbon, etc.? 

[KatieJ]

This what I came up with with a lot of help from a friend of my DIL...Ribbons woukd be good, but I have no clue what to with them. Stockings are hung.

[KatieJ]

My photos won’t upload. And I forgot how to make them smaller. oye. I thought I had one in the first post. Sorry.

But I’m good now. Thanks.

[KatieJ]

For a mantle, it's good to have a variety of heights, and also not to make everything completely symmetrical.

Do you have any garlands? Draping a garland in loops off the edge of the mantle is a nice first step. Bonus points if it hangs down on both sides.

 

Then assuming you have Christmas stockings, you put those up. My mom used to attach them to the underside of our mantle with tacks, which was pretty but didn't hold much weight so she had to be careful not to fill them too full. I have weighted hooks that sit on top of the mantle that the socks hang from--do you? Anyway, put those up next.

 

Then you group the candlesticks in little clumps. 4 red candles kind of artfully distributed more or less close together about 1/4 of the way from one side. A few white ones scattered along the other side--bonus if you have at least one tall candlestick for a pillar candle or two. You can also go to Ikea or Cost Plus World Market and get very reasonably priced additional candles.

 

The potpourri can be displayed in tall, clear glasses, or again Ikea has those big clear glass vases for that.

 

Then I would scatter some red and maybe gold ornaments (simple balls would be fine) among the garland to make it more festive. If I had small to medium pinecones I would use those, too.

 

Then about a third of the way in from one side, I would put one really tall, notable thing. This could be a big star, like an old-fashioned tree topper, or a Christmas picture, or a clump of those really huge sugarpine pine cones tied together with an over the top wide red velvet bow. Or if I had an oldfashioned glass punch bowl or a clear glass trifle bowl, I would heap it full of very sparkly ornaments, maybe with some beaded garland strings mixed in. I'd put that on sometime to raise its height but that would be hidden by the front garland on the mantle, maybe even just a book or two. I'd make sure that whatever was in it was overflowing over the top of it. Or if I didn't want my manger scene under the tree, I'd put that up there, again on a little platform so that the whole thing would show.

 

Beautiful! I don't decorate until Advent, but am feeling all inspired now!

Won’t you be my neighbor?

[gardenmom5]

I have no skills here. I have more candle sticks, but only 4 red candles. I have more cream candles.

I also have red and green potpourri, but no huge glass vase to put it in.

Opinions wanted, I won’t take it personal.

 

if you have red candles and cream candles - mix them.   make four bunches of cream candles - and add one red one to each bunch.  spread them out on the mantel.  if they are different heights/diameters (so much the better as they are more interesting to look at) - mix them.

 

do  you have access to greenery?   after you get the candles up- add some greens for color. (I have wax led pillar candles and artificial mixed greens on my mantel.  all on top.  I have a mirror hanging above it. I'll try and post a pix.)

 

you could use different shape jam jars and put some potpourri in them. custard dish?  any small open container.  most thrift stores have some.

do you have any plain glass balls?  different sizes .  . mix them up between the candles. probably smaller would be better.  I had some olive wood camels from an old nativity set (that was all I had).   if you have something like that to spread among the candles.

Edited December 2, 2017 by gardenmom5

[Carol in Cal.]

OH!  Forgot--one year I went to Costco and they had a big kit of 4" wide fabric ribbons with wires in the sides so you could shape it.

I had a very lightweight fake Christmas tree for my office, that couldn't take ornaments because they were too heavy.

So I tied a bunch of oversized bows out of the ribbons and placed them all over the tree.  They were very lightweight, and being oversized and in a Christmasy white lacy pattern shot through with a little gold, they looked gorgeous and seasonal.  This could work on the swags in the garland as well, and it would be inexpensive and very effective.

[Guest]

Won’t you be my neighbor?

Seriously. I have a friend who is SO gifted at arranging things into little vignettes. I would totally pay her to do my mantle and my foyer table, but she moved to the opposite side of the country. 😱

 

Last year, I pinned a bunch of stuff on Pintrest and then created a mantle centerpiece and bought other things to finally make that look good. I love how it turned out, but I would not have come up with it except with the pintrest input.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I have the Hearth and Hand Magnolia wreath with bells on my mantel that I purchased from Target.  On the left side is a big glass black iron lantern with a flickering flameless candle from Pottery Barn.  On the right side are two decorative metal Christmas trees in different sizes.  It's simple but I love it!

 

If I knew how to share a photo I would. 

Edited December 4, 2017 by 1GirlTwinBoys