My entire adult life I have wanted a fireplace and mantel to decorate and I finally have one. The problem is - it's a lot harder to decorate than I thought! It has been 3 years and I am still not satisfied with the statement my mantel makes. Here is how it looks today:
Above the fireplace, I have my favorite baby portrait below the most recent portrait of each of my 3 children. Until we finish our basement family room, there is no other place in my home large enough to do this arrangement. And displaying these pictures is more important to me than having a perfectly decorated mantel. So, when we finish our family room these treasures will move down there and then I can start from scratch here.
Another obstacle I have to getting the look I want is that we have standard 8 foot ceilings and a raised hearth on the fireplace. That means the area above the mantle is wider than it is high, so decorating with items of any height look out of proportion. Oh well - I'll keep playing with it and one day when I least expect it, it will be just as I want it.
Of course my favorite time to decorate my mantel is the holidays and here is how it looked on Christmas eve:
I hope you enjoyed my pictures. Now, take a hop on over to Kari and Kijsa's to find links to some really awesome mantels. Thanks for stopping by, JoAnne
8 comments:
Love the idea of the family photos from baby to present!!! Fabulous!! Great job, and Christmas looks fun as well! SO glad you joined in!
blessings,
kari & kijsa
Hi JoAnne, I love that you have your family photos as the focal point right along with the fireplace. Everything looks lovely. Deb
It's always fun to decorate a mantle for the holidays, but during the rest of the year, what better to have as a focal point than your beautiful children!
Love your firescreen and the objects on your hearth.
Thanks for sharing.
I think the pictures of the kids like that is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
The family photos look great over your mantel! Love that screen, too! ;) ~Rhonda
Love your mantel Joanne! Family photos are much more cozy and homey than a magazine picture perfect mantel. It looks lovely!
Loved your birdhouse neighborhood post below...so cute!
Hugs,
Penny
Hello! I have a hard time decorating my mantel too! It never seems "right". But yours is surrounded by family photos and that's always "right". I was browsing thru your older posts and I can't wait to see what your bedroom turns out like with those perfect chairs. So I will stay tuned and check back soon.:) ~ Laurie
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