Our friend, Beth from one of my favorite blogs Home Stories A 2 Z announced she’s hosting a link party featuring Valentine’s Day mantels. She has no idea how perfect that timing was for me. You see I really wanted to post a dining tablescape for Valentine’s Day, but due to the huge stockpile of fixtures right now in my dining room that are getting ready to be installed at “The Little Brick Cottage” , I haven’t been able to do the tablescape. So Beth’s announcement was the instigator for me to decorate the living room fireplace mantel instead…and I’m loving it!
This is what the mantel looked like before I started. I’m not going to be able to share with you in this post, but I’m in the process, just after I snapped this picture, to omit almost all the reds and oranges and most of the black from my living room. I’m in a lightening up mood big time, so I’ve been dancing the ‘Furniture Shuffle’ again, and I’m lovin’ that too! However, to be focused on removing red from this room, and decorating the mantel for Valentine’s Day would be interesting.
First I cleared everything off except leaving the battery operated LED lights, and removed the red shaded lamp, then I put this antique empty frame, I borrowed from the piano room, up to see how I liked the scale of it. I liked it, so I worked around that.
Next I added an ivy topiary borrowed from the kitchen and those frosty ferns and stumps from the Christmas tablescape along with a couple of brass colored pressed tin pots. Hmmm, not quite what I want to see.
I went through the house looking at all my accessories, aha this silver vase with huge roses my husband bought for me from Restoration Hardware looked great up there. Typically, I would put the taller thing on the left, in this case the ivy, however, the roses being such a contrast with the dark stone have a taller ‘visual’ presence and actually looked better on the left.
So I had the elements I wanted to see together, but it was too full. I pulled down a couple of the ferns, and put them on two little barrel tables that sit next to chairs in front of the fireplace.
Presto-Chango! Now there is ‘mass and void’, an element in arranging that creates intrigue to our eye as we look across something.
Then primping a little bit I finally decided on the arrangement. Notice how there is basically 3 groups, the first is the tall silver vase, the second in the antique frame and the third is the topiary? And notice too how balanced the white is in each of the 3 groups?
Each group is accented with what appears to be a vintage Valentine, but actually I printed out all the Valentine Cards seen here from Graphics Fairy and using a gluestick I glued the printed typing paper to a piece of heavy cardstock, then trimed it out. (OK, so it took me a couple tries to figure out how much simplier it is to glue first and then trim both the paper and cardstock out as one. Sometimes I’m slow, but I do have persistence on my side.)
To make the ‘filling’ for the antique frame, I cut down a piece of cardboard and a piece of cardstock with this French handwriting on it I bought at Archiver’s to fit inside the frame. (My only purchase special for this mantle.) Then with a couple of those beautiful Valentines from Graphics Fairy, I punched some holes through the cards and pierced two holes the same distance apart through the cardboard and cardstock in the frame. I then just ‘tied’ it together with wrapping twine.
All the cards I accented with twine bows, just by punching two holes a little ways apart and looping twine through to make a bow.
If they were really vintage cards, I never would do that, but since they’re just printed copies, no problem!
Want to read more?
Click here to see a Romantic Valentine Centerpiece
Click here to see the page with all the Valentine’s decor posts on it
Click here to see more mantel and vignette decorating tips.
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Geneva says
I love your Valentine’s mantel… you definitely have a talent for display!
Blessings!
Geneva
Kim says
It looks gorgeous!
Cheryl~ZanyMayd says
Beautiful Mantel, that Mirror is Incredible….
Thanks for sharing & hope you’ll stop by~
Have a wonderful week
Cheryl
Jessica says
Love this! I’d love to have you link this up to my party at http://scrapbookingez.blogspot.com/2012/01/anything-goes-linky-party_26.html. Thanks for sharing!
Sharon ت says
Gorgeous!! I’m a big fan of neutral…and I love how you managed to create a romantic Valentine mantel without any red. Thanks for sharing this elegant mantel at Show & Tell today.
Sharon
Trish @ Uncommon says
Your mantel is just beautiful. I love how you show us how to layer everything! Thanks for sharing with us!
CJ Foss says
The bones of your house are good indeed. Love that it has a trout stream running through it. My husband would sleep outside! Beautiful fireplace, great mirror, and your mantel pieces soften the fireplace and heavy beams. Nice. Have a great week. ~CJ
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says
Gorgeous. I love, love, love that mirror and the frame you have on the mantel. Beautiful vignette. Thanks tons for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty
Lou Cinda says
It is beautiful! I LOVE that mirror! Stunning!
Lou Cinda
cindy says
What a beautiful area to decorate–good job.
karen bates says
Love the mantel…those frames are to die for…great job..love the simple background on the small frame.
Sherry says
What a beautiful mantel! The large mirror is fabulous and I love the Valentine decor. Thanks for sharing at the Open House party. Hugs, Sherry
Lorrie says
Very pretty! I love everything about your mantel and fireplace…
Suzanne says
The mantel looks perfect. Such a nice mix of objects. The frame with the valentines cards is such a great look and I really like the lighted branches. Very Nice!
Pamela says
Your mantel looks fantastic! I loved seeing the stages of decorating and that mirror oh my!! I LOVE it! Thanx for coming o my party!
Honey says
The mantle is fabulous and the way you are used the antique frame is so creative!
Thank you for linking this lovely post to Potpourri Friday!
Krista@TheGatheringPlaceDesign says
OH, and I LOVE that mirror:)
Krista@TheGatheringPlaceDesign says
What a great fireplace and mantel you have! I too LOVE the Valentine touches…great job:)
Diane says
Love your mantle and the antique frame is so clever! I ADORE your mirror!!!! Love love love your blog!
mike says
There’s a lot lovin it here!
kim says
I love how you did this. This is tastefully done for Valentine’s. I LOVE your mirror.