CHRISTMAS MANTEL, NEW HALL DECOR, AND DIY FAUX SCONCES

When I shifted to using jewel tones on my tree this year, I knew I would continue that through the rest of my Christmas decor this year too.  Along with the tree, I feel like the mantel is the other major player in holiday decor.  If you have a tree and you're mantel is decorated, you don't need much more!  Once again, I found everything that I needed to spruce up my mantel from At Home Stores!

I started with my favorite chalkboard that I've had for years over the mantel.  In past years I've used a mirror there, but I'm liking this change this year.  Then,  I used a lighted star (how I added power to my mantel) and some paper decorations in my color palette that I already had to add some height, color, and fun to the top.  A few ornament clusters mixed in filled in empty spaces and added even more color, sparkle, and interest.

Then, I started working on the mantel shelf itself.  I found the best faux long needled pine stems I've ever seen at At Home and used those as a base.  Then, I filled it in a little more by taking a basic mixed garland and cutting it up into smaller pieces (about 1 foot long each), then tucking those here and there.

Decorating tip:  Cut apart a large garland and use smaller sections to make it easier to work with and more manageable.   

Pine Spray Pick and Garland

When I saw these wire deer (actually labeled moose on the website, but I think they look like bucks!) at the store, I knew right away I had to use them!  Reindeer have always been one of my favorite accessories to use at Christmas, and I loved the modern take on these.  And of course they needed a bow around their necks.  :)

Large Deer  ||  Small Deer 

Lastly, I scooped up a bunch of these cute colored metallic tinsel trees, and I think they're my favorite new thing that I've added into the mix this year (I couldn't find them on the website, but there are tons in store).  I put a few of them on clear candlesticks hidden in the greenery to vary the height a little bit, and added a few more ornament clusters.   If you've never done that, I use a pipe cleaner and just thread 3-4 ornaments together on it, moving all of their tops really close together, then twisting the wire closed.  You can adjust them around a little until the cluster looks the way you want it to, and then use the remainder of the pipe cleaner to wire it onto your greenery.  Just be careful not to pull on them too tightly when you're twisting them together, or the tops of the ornaments will pop off.  #trustme

  After adding our family stockings, that's all there was to it!

Star Pillow || Greek Key Pillow- At Home in store

Variety of ornaments used:

Jewel Tone Vintage Look set || Jewel Tone with Silver Glitter set || Turquoise Matte || Turquoise Shiny & Matte Mix || Purple Mix || Silver Mirrored Balls- Mini or  Set of 3 || Lime Green Shiny or Glitter || Red Shiny or Matte || Mini Multi-Color 

I've been working on another area that got a little Christmas cheer that I wanted to share with you today, too.  After a good, long run, I've done away with the wall of mirrors in my back hallway.  It was fun while it lasted and resulted in my first magazine feature, but after years of having it up I was ready to simplify that area.  However, my original purpose for the mirrors in that spot was to bounce some light around in a dark hallway, so I still wanted to have one, large mirror there.  I found this mirror among the one million that they carry :) and it was a perfect fit.   Of course, it wasn't green and I liked that pop of color from the previous mirrors, so a quick coat of spray paint fixed that.

I love the look of sconces flanking a mirror or artwork, but we didn't have the electrical capabilities for that, so I came up with this DIY version of a faux sconce!

I started with a pair of vintage candelabra sconces that I already had and knew that the shades that I painted and used on various chandeliers off and on would be a cute touch with the green.  I contemplated several options for the shaft of the light, but when I ran across these LED Taper Candles I hit the jackpot!  They are wax so they fit nice and securely in the candle base, and the frame of the shade clips around the top of the candle.

And... bonus... they actually DO light up, making the "faux" sconce even more convincing!  They're not super bright, just enough to give a warm flickering glow.  Here's a little tip that I stumbled on... they turn on and off by pulling the flame tip out of the top, which is attached to a cylinder housing the battery and a push button on the bottom for the power.  Well, I had been removing the shade, pulling out the center, turning the button on, and then putting it all back together to turn them off and on.  But yesterday I had a happy accident when I was putting the shade back on and pushed it down a little too hard, the candle turned on by itself!  Duh!  Now I discovered that I don't have to remove the shade and cylinder to turn them off and on, I can just tap on them from the top.  Even better!

Here's the view from the other way toward the door leading into the garage.  I've desperately needed a new rug there, but couldn't find one I liked that was the right size.  At Home to the rescue!  This was available in store but here's a similar rug online.

The sconces and antlers over the door got a little festive touch with another sprig of garland and an ornament cluster, too!

I'll be sharing my mantel and the rest of the living room, along with the rest of my Christmas decor in a couple of different home tours next week, hope to see you back then!


I have partnered with At Home as a member of the At Home Inspiration Team for this sponsored post and am happy to share some of my favorite products provided for me with you!  All opinions are mine alone.

Linking up with:  The Inspiration Gallery

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