Mid Winter Mantel

The mantel is finally decorated.  I have to tell you, for a long while, I left it bare.

I was just so happy to get that HUGE mirror down in one piece and gaze at the freshly painted walls (Mascarpone by Benjamin Moore).  I can’t wait to share more of the living room with you soon!  This is how it was looking right before we took the mirror down:

Here’s how the mantel is looking now:

Simple and elegant!  The best part is I shopped my house and basement.  The only thing I bought were these wonderful pussy willows –

How could I resist them?

They remind me of the promise of spring, a day yet to come, a wish yet to be granted.

My little Conor loves picking off the soft silvery buds because they are soft like a bunnies fur, while John likes to remove the “shields” so all the pussy willows are exposed.  I put them in that wonderful crock I got at Bent Nail Farm Antiques before Christmas.

Pinecones and acorns, we collected on family walks in the woods, decorate the mantel along with my beloved blue and white pottery.  Many people don’t like to mix different metals, but I do.  I love it.  You’ll notice there is gold around the clock and on some of the books, tarnished pewter and mercury glass on our mantel and it all works together.

Snow covered branches and peacock feathers, wine corks and books.  The old rocking chair that was my mom’s when she was just a girl sits by the hearth.

Our mantel may be simple, but it is decorated with all the things I love.  Blue and white, books, shimmery objects and bits of nature.  I find if you surround yourself with the things you love, treasures you enjoy looking at, then you can’t help but smile, even if it is below freezing outside.

Wishing you so much happiness in your own homes, as we wait for the warmer days of spring together!

Sharing with: