It’s been a busy week preparing for our barn sale at Sweet Clover this weekend. Cassie and I are heading back tomorrow to finish up so we are ready to open on Friday morning. Despite work gearing up for the sale and a snow day on Monday, I managed to find some time to work on my Spring mantel.
This year I was not feeling pastels or bunnies or birds. I wanted something with a calming vibe that did not shout SPRING but was still fresh. I’ve got a mini makeover in mind for the family room and the mantel had to jive with that too. I started experimenting with the mantel design about a week ago and let it marinate till it evolved to this:
Given the large wall o’ stone I’m working with I started with a big antique gold mirror I bought at Goodwill recently. Then I layered on an arched frame from the flea, black and white thrift store art and the sparkly “hello” frame.
I created the antler wreath with hot glue and small pieces of antler that I had on hand. The hot glue did not like the heat of the roaring fire we had going during the snow storm so I also added jute twine at some of the joints to make it more secure.
But by far my favorite part is the thrift store vase I made over with Rub ‘N Buff and Pearl Plaster. I set it atop some books covered in craft paper and chevron fabric.
Of course, I also added a hint of Spring with the green hydrangeas and this message on the book spines.