My Mantel Is FULL of Fall

Most of my adult life I have lived in a home that could be considered decorated for fall year-round. Red, butterscotch, copper, wheat, all manner of greens - that's my palette. I've mentioned a few times that my mind is sneaking up on a color palette transition. My ideas, time, and budget haven't quite caught up to my mind yet so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy living in my Autumn/Christmas colored home for one more winter. If I can catch up on a plethora of unfinished projects over the winter perhaps I can reward myself with the beginning of that color transition.  

I love a fall mantel but I've been putting off taking down my spring summer mantel and going house shopping for what I might use for fall. Yes I admit that I never did a summer mantel. In fact, up until this year of blogging, I only changed my mantel at Christmas and then put it back the way I had it before. I liked it that way - so why change it? This whole blogging thing is teaching me a lesson or two in flexibility . . . and I must admit it is kind of fun.

So when I woke up at 5:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep I thought "today is the day!" Seven (yes SEVEN) hours later I was taking pictures. 

 

It wouldn't have taken me quite so long but I decided not to wait another day (I've already waited about 350 days) before I stained and built those wooden side extensions on the sides of the fireplace. The top and side extensions are my attempt to make my very ugly fireplace my friend.  

I was kind of excited to get the brainstorm to hang these wrought iron pieces from the molding at the base of the coving. 

 
I've had them for about seven years and haven't had many opportunities to use them.

It was fun to collect together all my thrifty finds from the spring and summer - everything except the pine cone tree, the two candlesticks, the wrought iron and the mirror.  Those were finds from yesteryears. Oh and the cut glass pitcher was a gift from my late maternal grandfather.

I pulled my old tool box out from the corner of the room.

The mantel and the front porch.  That's about as fall decorated as it gets around here.  Oh yea, I also printed and framed one of my favorite photographs - taken during a wine tasting trip to the Old Mission Peninsula in northwest Michigan.

Actually, maybe I will just show you the picture . . . silly me!

This is an orchard across the road from the 2 Lads Winery. Ahhh pretty!

Enjoy fall and -

Make something wonderful today

Karen

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