Silver and gold Christmas mantel

December 09, 2013

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I finished our Christmas mantel and I absolutely LOVE IT. I started by placing my big fluffy garland up there, like always, and stood back…and it was just too much. I wanted something simpler this year.

So I thunk. And stood in front of my stuff in the storage room. And thunk some more. And stared, till it came to me. I grabbed the glass containers I decorated for Christmas a few years ago and started placing them on the mantel.

The candleholders (just glass from Goodwill over the years) were all silver so I needed to pull in some gold to work with our mirror. (I’m getting lazier smarter as I age and wanted to just leave that there – I don’t want to have to move everything out to decorate for the holidays!) 

I found a bunch more of the glass containers in my stash (apparently I’ve been hoarding them) but needed to cover them. I got an idea to look through my wrapping paper -- score! I found this gorgeous, PERFECT, faux bois paper I had picked up at HomeGoods months ago:

faux bois wrapping paper

Ugh. Perfect. It had the gold and touches of silver to tie in the other paper. I was never planning to use it as wrapping paper by the way – I always knew I’d find a use for it otherwise. I do this often.

I traced the shape of the glass on there, cut it out, then used double-sided tape to secure it:

wrapping glass containers

I had to run to the craft store to grab a couple more pieces of the silver scrapbook paper to finish off my collection, and then I filled in the empty spots with greenery and pinecones:

glass candholders with wrapping paper

It is so simple, really. Wrapping the paper around will take you some time, but it’s SO easy and so dang cheap. The extra scrapbook paper I had to get was on sale, so I spent $2 to finish it up.

I really love how it turned out:

Christmas mantel with glass containers

It’s elegant and simple, and it lets the mirror shine. My fluffy garland made the mantel feel squatty and small. This opens it up quite a bit:

Christmas mantel

I used a combo of real tea lights and my fake candles/votives. I’ve had lit it all up every day and night since I finished.

The last few days have been cloudy and dreary and it looks so pretty, even during the day. But it truly shines at night:

Christmas mantel with Goodwill glass

I say this every year, but don’t be surprised if the mantel still looks like this in February. ;)

I love it that much: candles on mantel

Every one of those glass containers I've picked up at Goodwill. Well, actually I think I got a few from Hobby Lobby years ago for this table centerpiece. But most are from Goodwill over the years. I found the hobnail votives there a couple years ago too. (See how I used them for a fall tablescape here.) The few mercury votives are from Target and other stores over time.

The past couple of years I’ve used more and more real greenery to decorate for the holidays. You need to spray it every day or two (or not…sometimes I forget) to keep it from drying out but I love the way it looks and love that I don’t have to store it year to year. :)

Do you have a mantel or vignette you like to change up every year during the holidays? You can see my past mantels (and see how this space has changed over the years) here, here and here.

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December 09, 2013

Comments

  1. JenDecember 9, 2013 at 10:19 AM

    Oh, I love the simplicity of the glowing candles and fresh greenery. Beautiful.

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  2. Jennifer@ClassicStyleHomeDecember 9, 2013 at 10:31 AM

    I love it! Big, fluffy garland can be overwhelming in my living room, too. And then if I do the stairs...it's just suffocating. Simple glass containers are the best. I just bought another two last week for my dining table. I never thought of wrapping them in paper. Hmmm....

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  3. Shauna@Satori Design for LivingDecember 9, 2013 at 10:37 AM

    So pretty! Love that mirror, too!

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  4. Victoria December 9, 2013 at 10:39 AM

    Looks AWESOME! I have big fluffy garland too and was struggling with it this year! Seems like a trend. I love, Love, LOVE the glass. I have some I was going to spray paint, I may try this instead! Victoria.

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  5. At The Picket FenceDecember 9, 2013 at 10:43 AM

    I love it Sarah!! Such a great idea using the wrapping paper and it all looks gorgeous. Simple and just lovely! :-)
    Vanessa

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  6. Emily @ DavenportDIYDecember 9, 2013 at 10:51 AM

    I love this- it's so pretty and classy. I think you could use it all winter long- it doesn't scream Christmas, so I would totally not judge if you still had it up in February! :)

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  7. Kristin@bliss-athome.comDecember 9, 2013 at 10:53 AM

    So pretty Sarah! Love that paper!!!! xo Kristin

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  8. Gabbi @ Retro Ranch RenoDecember 9, 2013 at 11:17 AM

    So absolutely beautiful!!!!

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  9. Dana - http://chocolateandsunshine.comDecember 9, 2013 at 11:36 AM

    That's great how you also find things at the Goodwill and Hobby Lobby. I also do the same thing where I have to just stare at a space for awhile and figure it out as I go. Your mantle turned out beautifully and it just glows. Look forward to Wed. with your home showing in the tour. Thanks!

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  10. LoDecember 9, 2013 at 12:02 PM

    Perfection! It looks wintery but not overly 'Christmas', so I think it will be just fine if you leave it till February! Beautiful work once again.

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  11. BrandiDecember 9, 2013 at 12:51 PM

    Beautiful, Sarah!!

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  12. UnknownDecember 9, 2013 at 1:07 PM

    Wow! If you leave this up until Febuary I do not blame you, I would leave it up all year and it would be the first think I made people oooh and ahhh over as soon as they walked in the door!

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  13. Sherry at The Rusty PearlDecember 9, 2013 at 1:29 PM

    I think its just beautiful my friend. Love it and its great for any occasion . I loved this idea. YOUR house is just beautiful

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  14. Lisa @ Fern Creek CottageDecember 9, 2013 at 3:24 PM

    Wow! So pretty!!

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  15. JaneDecember 9, 2013 at 7:19 PM

    Oh this is so lovely! I would definitely keep this up long past the holidays! ;)

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  16. LoriDecember 9, 2013 at 7:35 PM

    This is my favorite of all your mantal decorating. Simple, classy and so relaxing. I may have to copy you.

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  17. Simply LKJDecember 9, 2013 at 8:01 PM

    Gorgeous! Praying the sun will come out here so I can finally take some pics of our holiday decor. I feel so behind!

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  18. AnonymousDecember 9, 2013 at 8:46 PM

    I also decided against the big garland this year. I did a random assortment of objects, including my wood reindeer, a couple candle sticks, some books, and a bird house, with some cedar sprigs and white pine interspersed here and there. Your mantel looks so elegant. I'm also loving the shimmer and shine this year. I've used my mercury glass candle holders here and there for some sparkle. Happy Holidays everybody!

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  19. Cindy @Made2StyleDecember 9, 2013 at 8:52 PM

    I love love love the metallic look! It's all very beautiful and certainly doesn't look cheap!

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  20. JennyDecember 9, 2013 at 10:26 PM

    Beautiful, Sarah! I love how simple and elegant it looks. Now that my fireplace is (finally) done, I dressed it up for the holidays and Get to enjoy it. Can't wait to see your tour this week - I just kicked off a 12 Days of Christmas Tour today!



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  21. AnonymousDecember 10, 2013 at 4:56 AM

    That looks so pretty-I love the paper from Homegoods! Glam, elegant and simple all wrapped in one-perfection!
    angela

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  22. KarenDecember 10, 2013 at 8:29 AM

    I absolutely love it!! So did you put any candles in the tall wrapped glass containers or just the votives? I was wondering if you could somehow put those small flameless votives inside the tall containers or would the paper be too thick and block the light? I want to do this so please give me some advice? Thank you so much! I really love your house. I think it's my favorite of all the blogs. I love how your make do with what you have and you definitely have an eye for classy decor.

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  23. UnknownDecember 10, 2013 at 8:54 AM

    I love the simple and elegant look! That wrapping paper was a great find, too!

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  24. astr!dDecember 10, 2013 at 9:59 AM

    oh its so pretty!!!! and i love that gold and silver can be friends again, aren't you. i remember not too long ago that would have been a big no-no! and i would totally leave this up until febuary, it looks wintery and serene!! love it!!

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  25. BethDecember 10, 2013 at 1:18 PM

    Gorgeous!!

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  26. UnknownDecember 10, 2013 at 5:08 PM

    Love it!

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  27. srpprcrftrDecember 11, 2013 at 12:02 AM

    Think I'd have a hard time taking it down in Feb. so absolutely beautiful, the simplicity is the beauty. Lucky you to have access to greenery keeping fresh on your mantel. We'd have to go up to the mountains to get some greenery. The papers really make the scene, so gorgeous, I love silver and gold together. I'm a bit of a rebel and pretty much do what I want, what feels good, looks pretty to me, especially if it's not in vogue, lol. Happy holidays

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  28. AnonymousDecember 12, 2013 at 2:31 PM

    Would love to know where you got the mirror- it's beautiful!

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