MONTHLY MANTLE MAKEOVER

AUGUST 2012 MANTLE

I’m glad you all came back to visit. I’m sure you are on pins and needles, just waiting to see how I used the pencil vase to decorate my home!

                    Well come in to my home, and let me show you... 

When you walk into our home the first thing you see is our fireplace and mantle. It is my very favorite place to decorate! I try to change the decorations out almost every month, and if you check back each month I will be sharing it with all of you!

One of my favorite reasons to decorate my mantle is that it is high, so I don’t have to worry as much with all the little fingers.  It also sets the mood that carries on into the rest of our home!

Each month I decorate around a theme, holiday, or special meaning to our family. August is a busy month with a lot going on. We have several family birthdays including 2 of our children, School starting this month, our oldest daughter is growing up and will be entering middle school (scary!), and our 3 oldest children will be coming HOME after a summer visit with their dad. So there is one word that stood out to me, as I started to create the PERFECT look that tied it all together.

CELEBRATE   

This is it, this is our mantle! Do you love it as much as I do?

I can’t wait for our older children to see it, I think they will love it and feel welcomed home!

It is bright and colorful and I can’t help but smile every time I look at it!

Now let me share with you a closer look at some of the elements that helped pull it all together. There are a few things that I really like to incorporate into our décor. Pictures, books, words, and don’t forget my GUMBALLS! (If you can’t tell already I have an addiction for them!)

Here it is Front and Center! I like to have one thing that usually stands out. To me this is just that. If you missed the tutorial on my Back to School Pencil Vase you can find it here.

 

 Both of these frames were stored in a box, one was gold, and one was           just plain outdated. So I gave them a quick makeover. The 8x10 is a picture of our older 3 heading off to their first day of school last year. As you can see, all I used was 4 rulers (.25 cents each). I hot glued them on and voila! The 5 x 7 is our little guy headed off to preschool last year. I thought it was only fitting to use crayons. It took me exactly one box. (I think my little toddler; Brooke snuck a few to color with, while I wasn’t looking) Again a little hot glue, and one box of crayons, and I have the cutest frames on the block! Seriously I am in this makeover 1.25; my husband is going to be so proud!

What says back to school more than books, and not just any books, but the books my children have been raised on, Dr. Seuss! I raided the children’s rooms and bookshelves and gathered a few of our favorite. Then I realized I needed a few bookends. Do you remember the dollar store vases I used to create the Pencil Vase? They are seriously my go to item. I always keep a few on hand! So I grabbed a couple and what did I fill it with, the infamous gumballs! It’s all about the details, notice the colors layered like a rainbow. Don’t forget ROY G. BIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet) Cost for supplies here- FREE, Score!

This is probably my favorite part of the whole makeover! It ties all of the individual pieces together.  In fact I had so much fun making this, that I will be posting an easy step by step tutorial soon.

  

The wrapped presents obviously represent all the birthdays we are celebrating this month, but they also symbolize much more! It also symbolizes for me, a gift to myself! I have wanted to start a blog for a few years, but with 5 children I just wasn’t sure where I could fit it into our already busy schedules. Well with my families and friends support and encouragement, here I am!

And to all of you, A Gift of Time! Time, while our children are at school, learning and growing, we hopefully will find the TIME to do something we love. Whether it is to read a book (or blog), spend a moment crafting (or two!), bake something we enjoy, cuddle a small child uninterrupted, tend to a garden, or just Breathe. I hope you find the time to do something you love!

Deena J

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