Spring Mantel

Written by: Cathy Carroll

Spring has finally arrived at the beach this week.

The sun, the ocean breezes - the warm temps..

and being able to open all the windows
has given me a good dose of Spring fever.

I have been so busy adding pops of yellow here, 

a dash of blue there,

a bird, a rabbit, a flower - whatever hits me at the moment.....
So, let me show you what I have been up to....

The mantel was one of the first places I started taking away all the winter bits 

and 

adding nice fresh touches of Spring.

Before I get into the new decor for the mantel 

I need to tell you about a new addition to the wall above the mantel.

As you can see here the wall above the mantel is just a plain neutral painted wall

and 

everything I hang there just sort of blends in with it.

This book page wreath is a statement in itself 

but, 

it just doesn't stand out against the neutral background. 

The ceilings here are 12 foot high and not one of us likes to climb a ladder.

We rent and do not want to pay the price of hiring someone to do this for us.

So, I was in a dilema as to  what to put here that would 

be renter friendly and still look nice.

T. came across some old shelves at his work place 

and 

brought them home thinking he would build some sort of bookcase.

However, one morning as we were brainstorming he thought about the 

shelves and how they might look up there...

He put the three shelves together with screws 

and 

then we hung it above the fireplace with a wire hanger.

Totally renter friendly and portable.

This is how it turned out.

I love this background so much.

It reminds me of old pallet boards with their aging and distressing.

It makes the book page wreath stand out beautifully now

making it the focal point it was meant to be.

Here is a side view of it - showing the thickness of it.

It looks quite heavy but, is in fact quite light.

And, the natural wear and tear on it has made for a delightful patina.

I think it is perfect.

On to the subject of the day - The Spring mantel.

I wanted to incorporate yellow into our blue and brown color scheme

to make it more springy.

I added my watering can filled with some faux apple blossoms 

and

tied a little blue check ribbon around it.

I set it on a pile of old coverless books tied with a yellow and blue ribbon.

Then set my last year's Hobby Lobby "vintage" rabbit next to it.

On the right side I placed  the recently stenciled canvas I did

along with a candlestick and lantern I have painted with chalk paint.

I added a cute little blue bird in the lantern

and 

his mate is next to the canvas.

I am in love with birds at the moment and you will see them popping up all over.

In the center I placed a faux bird nest I made from moss 

I bought at the Dollar Tree and a few sticks from the yard.

Inside I placed a couple of faux eggs I got at Hobby Lobby last year.

I am in love with this Spring mantel  

and

it's all because of the "pallet" board we hung above it.

And, the added pops of yellow that are so cheerful...

Have you begun your Spring decorating yet?

What are you doing to usher Spring into your home?

Tell us in the comments below I love to hear what you are doing....

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Until next time

have fun creating something you love....

Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.

Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there....