How are we already 10 days into November? I have been so busy with other projects that I haven’t posted much lately. I’m hoping that will be changing this week. My desire is there, so let’s see if I can make it happen. We aren’t celebrating Thanksgiving at home this year but I felt like I had to decorate a little. I’m not ready for Christmas decorations so last week I pulled out the “pumpkin” tote and spread a few around the house. Of course the mantel was the first place I decorated. I came up with this Natural Thanksgiving Mantel in a few minutes, because as much as I wanted to decorate for Thanksgiving I wanted to keep it extremely simple.
I know it’s super neutral but I like to have a breather between Halloween and Christmas and these colors make me feel relaxed and calm, just what I need this time of year. I placed all the pumpkins on stands to give them height. This mantel scape is so simple but full of texture and contrast.
I’ve had this candlestick for years. It was actually on clearance and cracked in a couple places but I brought it home and fixed it up and now it’s one of my favorite pieces. You’ll see it often around my house.
You would never know this gorgeous pumpkin was once an ugly, bright orange dollar store pumpkin. It actually turned out like this by mistake, but sometimes mistakes are the best. I used a round sponge brush to make white circles on the orange pumpkin but it was still to bright so I decided to spray paint it a different color and just cover the whole thing. Because I used different types of paint this was the result. I’m happy how this mistake turned out.
I also placed a couple feathers here and there to add some texture. The tray held the J in place perfectly (letter J’s don’t stand up well on there own). Of all the trays I have this is probably my favorite. I love the contrast of the wood and the metal trim.
Because of the way my mantel is shaped I always need something hanging above the ledge to make it have the right proportion. I just added a few feathers to a grapevine wreath and a ribbon to hang it by. It’s very simple but so is the rest of the mantel, so it works.
It’s such a simple thing but when my home is decorated, organized, and decluttered I feel so much comfort. It’s a great feeling to know I have done everything I can to make my home special for my family.
And you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money in the process. I didn’t spend a dime creating this mantel and it only took a few minutes.
