Creative Decorating Alternatives to a Fireplace Mantel

I've probably mentioned before (most likely in a Christmas-related post) that we don't have a fireplace in our house. Which makes me feel like I'm really missing out on mantel-decorating opportunities. That's right, I have mantel envy.  I would even go for an electric fireplace just to get that mantel. 

But until that happens, there is still hope for me and others who lack a fireplace. I've done some browsing and gathered these alternative decorating ideas for your inspiration. Some of them involve creating a faux fireplace, and others are unique ways to emulate that coveted mantel-esque focal point! Mantel wannabes, if you will. 

Want to go with the more "loose" aesthetic interpretation of a fireplace mantel?  Some common decor pieces you'll want to keep an eye out for include:

• Old doors
• Chunky shelves
• Architectural salvage pieces
• Old window frames
• Decorative wood corbels
• Shallow buffets/dressers/sideboards/console tables

{ image via indulgy.com }

Bar Cart Styling Ideas for the Holidays

In case you hadn't noticed, bar carts are kind of having a moment right now.  It's easy to see why -- they add a touch of sophistication along with a fun way to display adult beverages and pretty accessories. 

I don't have a bar car (yet!), so unfortunately I have no pictures of my own to share. Instead, I scoured the interwebs to find some of my favorite bar cart styling ideas.  And with the holidays right around the corner, bar carts also provide another opportunity to show off your festive spirit! 

{image via Inspired by This}

I'm kind of obsessed with copper, so it's no wonder this bar cart caught my eye. Love the neutral, understated elegance for fall gatherings!

DIY Coffee Filter Floral Wreath

You guys. I am so stoked about this project. (Does anyone used the word stoked anymore?) In fact, I’m just going to glaze over the fact that it’s been five months since my last blog post, and dive right into this masterpiece.

I’ve been wanting to make a fun, spring/summer indoor wreath and had seen several coffee filter wreaths on Pinterest. So this was the perfect excuse for a good ol’ DIY evening. It really is an easy project and doesn’t take a whole lot of skill – just a lot of coffee filters, time, and patience (and maybe a couple glasses of wine if you’re so inclined). But it’s worth the end result if you ask me.

Aside from the coffee filters (which only cost $1 for a package of 100), I got all my supplies at Hobby Lobby:

Coffee filters (2 packs)
12” wreath form
Sewing pins (box of 325)
Faux flowers (on clearance!)

Total cost: About $10

Easy Pumpkin Decorating for Fall

I'm a little late to the game, considering fall has been here for a month already. But this past weekend, I finally gave our front porch a proper (albeit cheap & easy) seasonal makeover.

The star players in my display are the perennial fall favorites: pumpkins & mums. I bought three big pumpkins at Aldi for only $3 each, and four potted mums at Dillon's for $3 each. I prefer pumpkin painting over carving, but I had already done the black & white thing a couple years ago. This year I decided I wanted to go for the gold instead, so I bought a gold paint marker at Hobby Lobby for about $3.50. 

The first thing that came to mind was polka dots, which were simple enough to do freehand (and no one would notice that they weren't perfect circles). 

Pumpkins & Paint

I normally don’t do a ton of fall decorating around the house, but there is one thing that I usually have to have - pumpkins! So when I saw that Aldi had large pumpkins on sale for $2.49 each, I had to take advantage of this bargain. With my barren front porch in mind, I picked out three pumpkins.

But this year, I wasn’t just going to plop the pumpkins on the steps like years past. No, this year I had other plans.

My fondness for all things paint has grown throughout the past year, and these unassuming pumpkins would soon find themselves face-to-face with a spray paint nozzle.

Pumpkin, meet White Spray Paint:

You might have guessed by this incredibly generic-looking can that I picked up the cheapo 97 cent off-brand at Home Depot. I figured it would be a good time to try it out since this project would only be on display for the next few weeks.

Well, suffice it to say, there’s a reason it only costs 97 cents. The spray was so broad and fine that it took about 4 coats (much closer than the recommended 10-14 inches) to get all the orange covered. (I also used ScotchBlue painter’s tape to cover up the stem.)

In between coats, I also painted my second pumpkin. For this one, I chose to show some school pride with the color of my alma mater (go K-State!).

Pumpkin, meet Purple Spray Paint:

Painting with the RustOleum Painters Touch was a dream compared to the cheapo brand. It was a much more concentrated spray and only took two coats. Lesson learned, it's worth the $3.77.

Back to the white pumpkin… I had originally thought of painting big black dots on it, but then I decided to try something a little more challenging and “artistic.” Maybe along the lines of what Sarah at Hennessey House might do, but obviously not as intricate or impressive (have you seen that girl's artwork?!).

I had bought a sample of black paint at Home Depot, so I got a little paint brush and started painting… and painting… and painting. About two hours later (including a couple breaks), I had this:

Overall, it didn’t turn out too bad. My swirly vines could have used another coat to make them more solid, but at that point I had already invested enough time in them. Plus, you can’t really tell that they’re a little streaky unless you get up close.

Just for tradition's sake, I decided to keep the final pumpkin orange. (Okay, maybe it was also because it was late and I was tired of painting.)

And here are the finished pumpkins on our front porch:

So tell me, what are you doing with your pumpkins this year? Carving? Glittering? Painting? Nothing?

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Linking up to:
Get Your Craft On Tuesday @ Today's Creative Blog
Creative Juice @ Momnivore's Dilemma
Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now

Tour de Christmas Decorations

For the handful of you that have actually found time to do a little bloggy reading over Christmas -- lucky you, because it's time to show off Christmas decorations! I don't really deck out our entire house (although I'd like to be able to, but I haven't acquired enough stuff). So here is my humble, here-and-there Christmas decor.

Nighttime view from the front porch: 

My drab-to-fab console table gives me even more space to decorate!

Tabletop tinsel trees I made last year

Pretty, glittery containers from Michael's, filled with potpourri (on our TV stand)

Our piano is decorated with some gold pine cones, Christmas cards, candle holders, and one of my cinnamon stick candles.

A fun jingle bell wreath (from Michael's), hung on our dining room mirror with ribbon

My DIY advent wreath/table centerpiece

We don't have many decorations on the outside of our house, but this year I decorated a cheap wreath and we hung it on the eave of our back porch. It's on the south side of the house, so it should be protected from the elements. And it's visible to people driving by the street next to our house, so now they have something nice to look at.

As you can see, our stocking holders are currently stocking-less. But don't worry, they will soon be adorned with some new personalized stockings my mother-in-law is making us for Christmas! I'm pretty excited to see them.

And last but certainly not least, our tree! (We do have presents under it now,

just not when I took these pictures.)

 Merry Christmas everyone!



Thrifty Thanksgiving Tablescape

While I'm not hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year (I haven't achieved that status in the family hierarchy yet), that doesn't mean I can't pretend! As part of the Dare to...Entertain blog party over at Newly Woodwards, I got in the Thanksgiving spirit this weekend and staged my own tablescape. Therefore, keep in mind it's only for looks and not necessarily function.  :)

With that said, if I were a holiday hostess this year, my Turkey Day table might look a little like this...

Rather than using all the same plates, I mixed it up with two different styles (which were conveniently perfect colors for fall). It's a little more fun that way. I think the stemless wine glasses add to the casual feel, too.

You might notice that one important thing I'm missing is some fancy cloth napkins. Well, I don't own any, and a roll of paper towels on the table just wouldn't have had the same effect.

To dress up the silverware, I got a little creative. *pats self on back* I took some wide ribbon I had just bought on sale at Wal-Mart ($2.50), rolled it around the silverware, and tied a piece of raffia around it. Voila!

I didn't feel like using spoons. Remember... pretty, not practical.

The leaves scattered on my no-sew table runner were plucked off of a clearance garland (also from Wal-Mart). For $1.50, they look realistic enough for me!

My centerpiece consists of elements from various stores (Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, Z Gallerie) that I managed to assemble into something pretty decent. All in all, I think it cost around $10.

Finally, I had to get my $12 wreath from Home Goods in the background. We added a small hook on the top of our mirror, and I just hung it with raffia. It's perfect for fall!

I have to admit, it was pretty fun to set my Thanksgiving table, even though it won't be put to use. Thanks for the idea, Kim! So I might leave it like this for the next few days, just because I can.

More gratuitous "ambience" photos:

 Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?



Frugal Fall Wreath

It’s happening… I’m getting the itch to decorate for the holidays, and it’s technically still summer! I just had way too much fun decorating last winter, and I keep thinking of all the things I bought on sale after Christmas that I haven’t even used yet! I know Hobby Lobby already has all their Christmas stuff out for this year, but even I have to admit it’s a little early to be decking the halls just yet.

When it comes down to it, I really just like the look of a wreath on our front door, and it makes our barren porch feel a little more welcoming.

Then I thought to myself, Why do I need to wait until Christmas to hang a wreath? What about fall, you idiot? Yes, autumn – with it’s cool weather and beautiful colors – is almost upon us. The perfect excuse for some seasonal decorating.

Hob Lob knows this, too. With several aisles dedicated to fall/Halloween decor (at 50% off!), I knew I would be able to find the wreath I was looking for. And I certainly did find plenty of lovely, leafy wreaths… for $99.99. (Hellooo, sticker shock!) Even at the half-off price of $50, I’ll pass, thankyouverymuch. What makes a wreath so freakin’ expensive anyway?

Not to be deterred, I picked my jaw up off the floor and put my eyeballs back in their sockets. I knew I’d just have to channel my crafty side if I wanted a wreath on a cheapskate budget. On a new mission, I headed over to the floral/dried department and found a plain wreath made of branches for $5 (original price). Then I returned to the fall section and picked out a simple leaf garland for $9.99 (original price).

 As you can probably guess, all I did was wrap the garland around the wreath several times, tucking the ends into the branches to secure them. Easy peasy. But the cheap plastic used to string all the leaves together was still showing in places, so some skillful leaf-fluffing ensued. Then I pulled some leaves off the back side and wove them into the front to make it look a little fuller. 
WARNING: The wreath makes a mess because all the little twigs that fall off of it, so I'd recommend doing this outside or on a floor that's easy to sweep up.

Overall, I admit it's not too terribly crafty or creative. But by golly, it’s cheap and it does the trick! I'm kind of fond of the simple, understated look. If I wanted to add some of the bells and whistles like those $50 pre-made wreaths have, all I’d need to do is hot glue some accents (like mini pine cones, berries, or pumpkins) around it to dress it up.

Branch wreath - $2.99 (with 40% off coupon)

Leaf garland - $4.99 (50% off)
Grand total - $7.98

So there you have it – my frugal fall wreath at a price that’s much easier to stomach.

Is fall fever inspiring you to decorate yet?

I'm linking this project up to: