My Creative Blog:
Mantels

I don't know about you, but I always forget how much fun it is to decorate a mantel for different seasons. Sometimes it feels like the seasons go so quickly that it's silly to decorate for such a short time. Am I the only one? And then I realize…man, it's fun to try out different arrangements and see what I can come up with. Plus, for the Fall season, decorating the mantel totally makes my room feel more cozy. Last year, I actually did two different mantels: one for early Fall/back to school and the other for late Fall. I know…crazy.

And here's what's going on this year on the ol' mantel:

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I knew that I definitely wanted to include a branch of the gorgeous leaves from my trees outside. I mean, just look at those colors!

The little owl candle came from CVS (yup, on clearance!) and the giant acorn is from Hobby Lobby.

The most fun part about this mantel is the large leaf print in the middle. I actually made this in Picmonkey (a free photo editing site) using free clip art and chalkboard background. Then I had it printed at Staples as an engineer print- it cost me all of $4.00. We luuuurrrrrvvvveee Staples engineer prints (we've done loads of projects with them- you can see them here, here and here ), because they are so easy to work with and inexpensive.

*Update: Several of you asked if I could make the leaf print available as a download. Well, your wish is my command! Download the fall leaf print here.
You gotta love the colors of Fall.

The silver vase is from a thrift store and the reddish gourd-shaped vase is another CVS clearance find.

All in all, it's looking pretty cute, although my leaves probably won't live to see another day…

Its been about a year and my Stenciled Faux Tile Fireplace is still one of my favorite projects to date! It's the perfect backdrop to all my mantel decorating craziness.: )
Do you decorate your mantel for the seasons?

I know that I'm a little behind on Fall mantle decor, but I thought I'd share what I have going on right now on my newly updated fireplace. When I stenciled the fireplace, I rearranged the mantle, as well, in a back-to-school/early Fall style.

I loved how light and airy it felt, yet still included some Autumn touches like the rust and yellow books and green apples. Works beautifully with my stencil, doesn't it?

The books are actually Monica's that she bought at the barn sale, and I know she wants them back, but I don't think she realizes how at home they look on my mantle. Maybe these pictures will convince her?!; ) The propeller thing was an item I found while on vacation at the Jersey shore and I whole-heartedly adore it. The tiles are from the historic Moravian Tile Works not far from my house. I have four of them and each represent a different season. 

 But then, I got itching to really fallify my house with rich, deeper colors, so today, I brought out all my junk and got to work. When I'm styling a mantle- or any space for that matter- I like to collect things from all over the house and mess around with them for a while. I should have taken a few outtake pictures, because oh boy, you would have thought I lost my head at some of the arrangements I came up with. I usually try to follow a few simple rules, like grouping in threes and mixing up patterns and textures. So, here's mantle # 2 for you:

In my opinion, you can't ever go wrong with pumpkins so I made sure to include them.

Some of the pieces were used in my fall mantle last year, like this copper-colored vase and faux grasses. The mirror was a $4 find at Liberty Thrift Store, that I've been holding on to until just the right time. 

I've had the little dried gourds for years, and the over-sized acorn came from Hobby Lobby. 

I always love decorating and redecorating my mantle again and again and again. It's a sickness. Do you change your mantle decor to fit the season? Which style do you prefer: Mantle #1 or #2? I'm undecided.: )

I am totally sold on Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Up until last week, I had read that people fall in love with this paint after trying it out, but we don't have stockist near us, and it never occurred to me to order some online. Then, our pal, Shaunna, opened up her shop and I knew it was time. (Yes, it was just that dramatic). Did you know that you can paint almost any surface with chalk paint (not chalkboard paint) without prepping? No sanding, no stripping, nothing. And it adheres to everything because it's magic. And awesome. And we're a match made in DIY heaven if I ever saw one. Paint that eliminates all the hard work? Yes, please. I thought I'd give it a whirl on my marble fireplace surround, because I'm crazy like that. I did not like this marble one bit. It was sort of dirty-looking and leaned toward the peach color family. Yuk. Like I said, it was time for an upgrade.

I also took this time to try out the new Purdy paint brush I received in my haven swag bag. We love these things so much!

I used the color Coco- it's kind of brownish, and kind of grayish, if that's possible. It's crazy at how easily the paint goes on…even on a marble surface! Notice that we didn't prime this marble at all!

I still need to buff and wax the paint so that it's all sealed nicely, but I'm happy with the small, but noticeable change. I originally was planning on painting stripes, but for now, I'm digging the simplicity of the matte color. Doesn't it look better? More serene and understated and classic.

I've been messing around with some of the ideas I learned from Layla about photo styling, and alas, I still have much to learn.: ( But it's still fun to try!

I brought a few of the pillows my mom made for the bench in my basement upstairs to our living room to add some color and a summertime feel. So fun!

Looks pretty darn nice with my target dollar bin mantel, if I do say so myself.

And now for the {very subtle} before and after shot:

I'm thrilled with the way the paint adhered to the marble and the coverage it gave. I can not WAIT to use Annie Sloan chalk paint on a few dining room projects I have in mind.

Have you guys tried chalk paint yet? What are your thoughts about it?

It's been a while since our last Fab Find Friday, (we haven't done one since November!), but we figured the Summer was a great time to reinstate it. We say this over and over again, but there are some amazingly talented people out there in the world, and we thought we would share their stuff with you! Here are five awesome projects for you:

Jenna Sue Sunroom Reveal is just breathtaking. She and her husband basically gutted the room and DIY-ed project after project to complete this stunning transformation. {Love}

Our friend Janena from SAS Interiors just completed a Stairway Makeover, and it majorly changes the look of her home. Her blog is chock full of great interior design info and DIY projects, so stop over and stay awhile.

Want to see a major statement wall? Take a look at this Reclaimed Wood EAT Sign by Sweet Pickins
It's so much fun, and it goes without saying that we love us some reclaimed wood.

Layla killed it again with her Summer Mantel. That girl has talent.

This one's for the kids! I totally dig these Bottle Top Stamps by Vanessa's Values using bottle tops (duh!) and foam stickers. A fun project for a rainy summer day (we've had our fair share of them this summer, haven't we?).

That's it for our Fab Find Friday roundup. Any fun projects/ideas/tips you've come across recently?

Have a great weekend, folks!

We're really psyched about guest posting today on I am Momma Hear Me Roar today! I made some really cute floormats and shared the details over there. Head on over and say hi from East Coast Creative! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I bet you never expected to see those words together, did you? Ha! I can't keep myself away from the dollar bins at Target. I spend many dollars at the dollar bin, thankyouverymuch. A few weeks ago I felt like I hit the jackpot with their new line of adorable nautical-inspired decor, gift bags, stickers, notebooks etc. The color scheme is soooo cute (aqua, coral and white) and I just couldn't resist. I have a few little projects in mind for the gift bags- no, not as bags to hold gifts- and the stickers, but here's what I did with the rest of my loot:

I filled three nautical gift boxes with succulents (I'm lazy so I left the plants in their pots),

and stuck this cute vintage-looking sign in next to my candlestick and old lantern from my Grandma.

After adding my blue dollar store vases (I've officially revealed how cheap I am now) and one of my favorite sailboats from our travels to Greece, my nautical-themed mantel was complete!

Can you believe those cuties were $1 a pop? Thank you, Target, for helping me to decorate my Summer mantel!

Have you scored any sweet deals in the dollar bin recently? 

Don't forget to follow our Haven escapades on facebook while we're away! We're so excited to meet some of our blog crushes and can't wait to share all we learn when we get back!