Spring Mantel | Vintage, Paint and more...

Monday, March 24, 2014

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....




Spring Mantel - vintage rabbit and watering can

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.

Spring Mantel - book page wreath, book page columns, sea shells

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...

Spring Mantel - wood shelf to faux pallet board

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.

Spring Mantel - faux pallet wall hanging, book page wreath, stenciled canvas, vintage rabbit

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.

Spring Mantel - faux pallet board, book page wreath, watering can, spring flowers


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.

Spring Mantel - vintage rabbit, watering can, altered books, spring flowers

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.

Spring Mantel - stenciled canvas, altered candlestick and lantern

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.

Spring Mantel - book page wreath, vintage rabbit, faux bird nest

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.

Spring Mantel - old shelves to pallet board backdrop, book page wreath, vintage rabbit, stenciled canvas

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....

You can follow me through BloglovinGoogle+Facebook
and
Leave me a comment - I love to hear from each and every one of you.

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....









33 comments:

  1. love . . . love . . . love your mantel solution. The wood makes a beautiful background for whatever you are showcasing and if you move, you can take it with you.

    And, the wreath is beautiful.

    We never had a winter so there is nothing to remove, but the signs of spring in the house are fresh flowers from the garden. I love having pops of color from the garden all over the house.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cathy - love your mantel and especially with the new distressed pallet board you created. Just beautiful with the yellow and white added to the color scheme. Thanks for sharing it on your #simplybebetsy gallery!

    Sharon and Denise

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh I absolutely love this. Everything is so complimentary with each other and your stenciled canvas looks perfect there :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is so pretty, and I too love the old shelves idea!! What a great way to re-purpose those shelves, and they look just beautiful there above the mantel!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cathy, your mantel is gorgeous!! The boards add so to the arrangement, I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Really love the colors and textures of that wood, wow! (Seen on Pin Me Linky.)

    ReplyDelete
  7. The wood background really makes everything pop ... especially the wreath which is just beautiful.
    Good job.
    Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

    ReplyDelete
  8. Absolutely gorgeous! Love the wood background! I am a lover of all things old, and have my inlaws old barndoor sitting on my front porch. I have it now in my blog header, I treasure it! Alot of the things on my porch I slavaged from the inlaws junk pile, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, this spring mantel is too too adorable! I love that bright pop of yellow. Love it lady! Thanks for sharing at our Love it or Link it party!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That looks fantastic! The pallet boards are the perfect backdrop for your book pages wreath. We did a similar thing with wood for the fireplace on our patio. There are plugs right in the middle of that wall and I needed to hide them. Worked perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is an amazing use of those old shelves. I love how it completely transfrms the space and mkes your wreath pop. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful! I love how you used the old to create something new but with that special vintage touch. The wreath is absolutely geourgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  13. The shelves are a great addition and really adds to your decorations. Nice touch. Visting from Fri Pin Fest. Thanks for linking up.

    ReplyDelete
  14. So pretty!! Thanks so much for linking up to our party :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very pretty! I am stopping by from We Like to Learn as We Go. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. SO pretty, what a great collection of stuff. Looks really great. Thanks for linking it up to Snickerdoodle Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love your mantel and how you put the wood up there. Great idea! Thanks for sharing at My Favorite Things party. Theresa @DearCreatives

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great tips, and the mantle looks fab. Happy SYC!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Cathy the backdrop is gorgeous. You are right it is the perfect background for the whole vignette.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The "pallet" board and wreath are simply amazing--it all works so perfectly together. What a great job you've done. So glad I stopped by from TTF, Diana

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful is the word!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love this idea, now for me to just get it done.

    Pinning, dropping by from the Bloggers Brags Weekly Pinterest Party

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow that is stunning, Cathy!!! I love love love it! I would considering doing that to replace the mirror that I have over my fireplace. That is gorgeous and you're right it totally makes the wreath pop! I'm featuring it this Sunday on Link It or Lump It! Amazing job.

    ReplyDelete
  24. That is a great backdrop Cathy! Love it and it is perfect for your beautiful wreath. Thank you for sharing at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a lovely week! ~Deborah

    ReplyDelete
  25. That turned out wonderful! A perfect thing to really make your wreath pop! Thank you for sharing at TTF.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Love this! Stopping by to say hello. All the best for a fabulous weekend ~ sharon and denise

    ReplyDelete
  27. That's just perfect. Such a pretty mantel.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow Cathy, love the addition of the boards! What a difference they made. Super cute for Spring! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi Cathy, just hopping back to let you know that I will be featuring you at SYC this week.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  30. It’s already spring and I feel the summer welcoming my window! You have got me here Cathy, as always you have a wonderful idea! I love how the woods work on the wall and it is great to know this kind of art! Cool!

    Sebastian Chuter

    ReplyDelete
  31. Very pretty mantle decorating. Love the addition of the wood!

    ReplyDelete