Rustic Sophistication- Fall Mantel

  I love my fall mantel!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I've had something in mind for the mantel for a while now, but I wasn't sure how my ideas would play out in real life.  Sometimes things look better in my mind than they do in reality, but this fall mantel came out just like I wanted.  It's my favorite mantel of all time.  True- I've only decorated a few, but who's counting.  Of course, I'm a wee bit bias to my own work, but it is in fact, the exact look I was going for, with of course, a budget to match.  My total cost - $3.  Honest. I'm calling this rustic sophistication.  

  Do you like it or do you LOVE it?  I know some of you like it just as it is and some of you love it.... I had you at $3 didn't I?  I'm big on challenging myself not to spend money, or very little of it, when it comes to decorating Lewisville.  This is the rustic sophistication fall mantel I was looking to create.  Scoot, scoot Martha.  Ok, maybe I shouldn't go that far, but a girl can dream. 

  First, let me say I was inspired by this picture on Pinterest.  I'm addicted to pinterest, and I pin all the crafty ideas that catch my eye, especially if they're easy and cheap.  I have big eyes and therefore, pin quite often.  

Sorry- I tried to find the source :(

  It's beautiful, right?  I'm saving this for inspiration in my someday, dream home.  You know what gets me- the simplicity of the branches.    They're just branches in a vase!  So the wheels in my mind starting spinning and it went a little something like this,  "Hey, I have a vase and I have branches in my back yard.  I can do this."  That's pretty much how it went.  One picture and I was off decorating.

  I did in fact go out to my back yard and gathered branches that would snap off easily from one of my trees.  The leaves here haven't completely turned, so when they do, I'll add a few more branches with colorful leaves. I arranged them in this clear candle holder I used in my Spring Mantel.  It came from the Dollar Tree.

    The candles, candle holders, clock, and mirror are also a part of my original spring mantel.  These items pretty much stay on the mantel through each season, and I decorate around them. 

  I took this wood wreath used for my Spring Door Wreath, and originally from Dollar Tree also, and decided to make it more rustic (by the way, I do shop at other stores beside Dollar Tree).   I was out of espresso spray paint, but I did have wood stain on hand.  I used English Chestnut from Minwax and just applied it with a sponge paint brush, one side at a time.  I didn't get the stain in every nook and cranny, but it was good enough for me.

Here it is with one side stained.

  Have you noticed how people are mixing gold and silver lately?  I love this look, so I thought with my gold mirror, silver pumpkins would look great.  I didn't want the traditional fall colors on the mantel; I was looking to do something different.  The problem is, I couldn't find silver pumpkins anywhere.  So I bought the regular plastic pumpkins from the $1 bin at Target, brought them home, and went to work.

  I first spray painted them with white primer.  They sat outside to dry for about 15 minutes while I was busy inside prepping for dinner.  It's the life of a blog mom!  Paint a little, make dinner, paint some more- Fabulous, darling.

  Once the primer dried (and dinner was on the stove), I just spray painted the pumpkins metallic silver from Rust Oleum, and they turned out exactly how I wanted.  This was a super easy project that adds a little beauty to the rustic branches.  I just may have to paint a few more.  "HAVE TO"

  I added these acorns, also found at the $1 bin at Target too, and added a few to the candles.  They add a little fall charm to the mantel.  I usually add ribbon to my candles, but in this case, I used the twine I had on hand and wrapped it around the candles like ribbon.  Again- Love it!  

  All the other little add ons came from around my house.  That was it.  The mantel has the rustic charm of fall mixed with a little bit of my love for all things shiny, bright, and beautiful.  My Fall Table next to the mantel holds the colors of fall, and my Fall Wreath on my door has the kids in mind.  This mantel is my own little piece of decorative love here in Lewisville.  It's exactly what I wanted. 

 Hope you all enjoyed! 

Blessings,

Lisa

I link all my projects with some wonderful blogs.  To visit them, go to the {Link Party Love} page found at the top of this page on the {Home} bar.
Also linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch
Savvy Southern Style
No Minimalist Here
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Saved by Love Creations 
Miss Mustard See
Funky Junk Interiors
Coastal Charm 
Restore Interiors
Tip  Junkie

Common Ground