Monday, December 10, 2012

A tale of two mantels

I was looking forward to sharing this post this morning, but due to technical difficulties (yeah, I'm looking at you, Comcast.) I had to wait all day!



I basically ended up reworking the items used in my winter tablescape for the mantel. I added a new Christmas tree and some gold boxes that I'd gotten from a shop's old retail display. I thought it was all lookin' pretty swanky.





But then I asked my husband what he thought. Ever so gently, he asked if I'd maybe want to try adding a color. Gah! Color. Right. One cannot always decorate in neutrals.

With the gauntlet thrown down, I began assessing my decoration stash for colors. Turns out, I had red shiny and glittery ball ornaments. So red it was. I switched out one of my gold boxes for a red one. I painted some branches bright. I unwound my grey yarn cone and rewrapped it with red yarn.

I really didn't want to spend money on this second mantel look, but I did end up at the local drugstore snagging red candles. And at the last minute, I also painted the tips of the pine cones red and sprinkled a little glitter on them.

 
 



So there ya go. Two Christmas mantels for the price of one! What do you think? Was my husband right? Is it better with some pops of red?



This project was part of the Dare to DIY challenge hosted by Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, Newly Woodwards, and Two Twenty One. Be sure to stop in and see what other ladies came up with! And, I also linked to the House of Hepworths Party and A Thoughtful Place.


HookingupwithHoH

15 comments:

  1. With the 'tale of two mantels' title, I was expecting the first line of this post to be, "It was the best of mantels, it was the worst of mantels." But only 'best of mantels' applies. I love them both! You have a great collection of winter decorations! My husband tends to complain when I do neutral decor, too. Men don't seem to get the whole stylish neutrals thing. I think both ways look great, but if I were to pick just one favorite, I do think I prefer the all-neutral look . . . it's just so subtle and simple and beautiful! But I love it with the red, too--very festive and warm and inviting. Great work, and thanks for joining in with Dare to DIY!

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    1. Ha! I did nearly start the post that way. Thank you for hosting the Dare to DIY, it was a lot of fun!

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  2. He was right, I love the red look! (although the other way looks cute too...) Great work. :)

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  3. This is truly lovely! I love the height and depth you created with the boxes and trees. And the mirror was a perfect backdrop.

    I am a huge red fan, so I'm definitely loving the pop of red. But, the gold is a different look and quite elegant. You can't go wrong either way. But once and a while, we gotta let hubby have a design idea, right?

    Thanks for linking up to Dare to DIy!

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  4. I love both of them! I'm a fan of monochromatic and pops of color. So you had the best of both worlds! Thanks for linking up!

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  5. I absolutely love them both. You did a beautiful job!!

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  6. Husbands never know what they are talking about. :P Love both mantels. I also love that ornament garland. Thanks for joining the Dare to DIY!

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  7. they are both great-i love the sort of up/down of it all. lots to look at, and it looks fab.

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  8. Hm...I like it very much! I think I like the gold better, but it's hard to tell without knowing what else you have going on around the house.

    Newest follower here! It looks like you put a lot of effort and passion into this, and you only have a few followers so far. I know how a little bit about how that feels... Hehe. See you around!

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    1. Thank you Amy! I really appreciate that. Off to check out your blog too! :-)

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  9. I'm thinking they are both equally stunning, but I'm a neutral junkie myself. My vote is for the neutral. You have a gift when it comes to decor! I'm glad I found your blog. I'm now following ;-)

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    1. Thanks Natalie! A vote for neutrals! Haha. And thanks for following my blog. I'm off to check out yours!

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  10. Love them both....I'd say red for christmas and then silver/ gold for new years... And I'm so glad I found your blog.

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    1. Oh, that's a great compromise! Thanks for your comments Erin!

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