I laugh at myself because I have been hoarding some new vintage finds, but haven’t found, or made, time to incorporate them into my home! I mean it’s definitely time for some home updates because I still had my Christmas evergreens on my fireplace mantel in June!! So, along with some home updates I’ll be decorating my mantel!
The Mirror
I came home from Elkhorn Antique Flea Market with a big, heavy arched mirror with a beautiful wooden frame. That sat in my dining room until I A. convinced hubby to let me hang it and B. I could borrow my neighbors ladder. But it DID happen and I am glad we hung it!! I wish it was a little longer so we could do a full outfit check in it, but it will not be moving anytime soon!
We ended up using THIS picture/mirror hanger for the first time. I read quite a few reviews and it seemed like the best fit for what we needed!
I think I have found a new thing to be on the hunt for! Pediments! I added this one under the mirror a week or so after hanging the mirror and I think a little grouping of them would look nice here!
The Mantel
I loved my “winter” mantel, but I didn’t like having some of my evergreens still in my trophy cup!! So while I cleaned everything and removed the evergreens, I decided that I need to change it up a bit! I show you all of the trial and error in testing out some new ideas in THIS video.
Watch Me Decorate My Mantel
I ended up keeping some elements including my trophy cups, but I also swapped one out for a smaller brass trophy I had. I put some long pheasant feathers in it. I couldn’t just have one brass piece on the mantel so I added a brass planter/bowl underneath one trophy. I lucked out because it was the perfect fit!
For height under another trophy I used vintage wooden nut bowls as risers and then placed a deer antler to look like it was wrapped around them!
Watch the Happy Marriage of the Two Vintage Pieces
I kept the antlers in the trophy cup and ended up adding some dried cactus in the other silver plated trophy. I added other natural elements in by moving over a nest and porcupine quills. I did have these displayed under a cloche. But, recently I had picked up a little tripod stand and it ended up being the perfect match for the nest!
To finish things off I added some mirrors behind each vignette!
Adding More Vintage Finds
You know that when you start decorating that there is a good chance you will “borrow” something from another spot in your home. This causes a natural path to rearranging the whole house! I think that was one of the reasons I had been hoarding my new vintage finds! I knew that once I got started I would want to redecorate the whole house!!
So while I worked on the mantel, I also worked on a little wall between our living room and dining room areas! You can see that in the video too!
Next Up
The next space I will be working on are my built-ins!! I added one item in so far, the duck! Leave a comment and let me know if you like taxidermy in your home! I know people have strong opinions for or against it! In the mean time if you are looking for some shelf styling tips, check THESE out.
