Transitional Mantel

Happy Day, Friends. I'm enjoying the President's Day holiday by sitting at Barnes & Noble, surrounded by some of my favorite things - lots of books and good coffee. I'm trying not to feel too guilty about all of the things I could and should be doing on my day off from work, and giving myself a few hours of stress-free space and luxury. I find that even when we ladies purposely take some time to recharge our batteries, many of us feel anxious about it. I supppose the coffee (not decaf) doesn't help to ease the anxiety, does it? Haha.

Ok, I did accomplish a little something this weekend and am sharing it here. Our mantelpiece had been neglected after the Christmas decor was put away, left with just a couple of non-holiday remnants and looking bare and unfinished. It was calling out for attention. But one of my weird quirks is that I like to decorate for the season and not jump ahead or lag behind. Ugh, or maybe I just like to overthink every design decision for no good reason!  At any rate, despite some really warm weather we are having here for a couple of weeks, winter is nowhere near its end. This is Nebraska, after all. We often get snow dumped on us in March, and even sometimes in April.

I certainly don't want to decorate with pinecones, pine branches, and snowflakes now that we are heading into March, but I'm not quite ready to add full-on spring decor either. So, I thought I'd try a natural green scheme with just a hint of white, which can transition easily through the next couple of months.

These 2 faux-thyme topiaries, which I bought a few years back at a tag sale and are a staple in our decor, were the jumping-off point. I just love their airiness and texture, and I got them for a true steal! Originally, they came in matte black pots, which looked fine. But a while back, one was knocked over by wind coming in through a window, and it broke. I kept that a design secret for a long time as I displayed them with the missing broken chunk turned toward the back side. But because I still love them as much as I did the day I bought them, I knew that they needed new pots. My favorite store came through for me, once again, and I picked these up at Anthropologie over the weekend. I had to break the old black pots with a hammer to dislodge them, haha. My husband thought I'd lost my mind a little bit!
Don't they look pretty in these new vessels?  It's hard to see in these photos, but the finish is a soft metallic champagne-gold with heavy distressing.

The other faux boxwood double ball topiary in the white pot is from Ballard Designs. I love the look of a collection of topiaries, but there is no way that I would be able to have live ones with my history of plant abuse! So finding the most realistic-looking fake ones is my mission. Same holds true for flowers a lot of the time, although I do incorporate fresh flowers into our decor when I really want to spruce things up.

This large vintage green glass vase has been a staple in my decor for awhile. I often fill it with long branches to fill space and add motion to my vignettes. The branches in here are all faux. They look pretty real, don't they? Thankfully, retailers are getting much better at offering good-looking faux florals now. The pussy willows are always a sign of hope for spring. And I decided to add some flowering branches in white for extra fill, texture, and color (I do consider white a color in this grouping because it's not green, wink.)  The grapevine and moss decorative ball adds just a touch more green and echoes the shape of the double ball topiary.

These windows have been hanging above our fireplace for a number of years now.  I like them because they add a backdrop without distracting from what is on the mantel, and they tie in with the oak finish on the mantel's shelf.  Lately, though, I've considered painting them...black, maybe?  What do you think?  I'm not really a stained-wood type of gal, so I've slowly been painting over some of the trim work in our house.  I'm not sure if the black would be too visually heavy, so I'm still kicking the idea around in my head.

So, here's my simple and transitional mantel for spring.  I was going to say "early spring" but I know myself well enough to be sure that it will stay this way until summer.  At that point, I'll probably have to at least switch those spring branches to something different, and maybe run a feather duster over the rest, haha.  

I hope you're enjoying some mild weather where you are.  I know that some of my blogging friends are already working out in their yards and dusting off patio furniture.  Ugh, I'm so envious!  Here in the Midwest, all we can do right now is "hunker down" and get ready for March Madness :)

Julie

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More Vintage Jewelry Art

Julie is my name, embellishing is my game :)

If you happened to read my posts, A Mixed-Media Art Piece and Her Sisters, Vintage Jewelry Projects, and Vintage Jewelry Art - A Happy Accident, you have seen that I really love dressing up home decor pieces with vintage jewelry (is it overkill? Haha.)

This hobby of mine all started because I had amassed a collection of sparkly brooches and earrings from tag sales, flea markets, and estate sales.  Once in a while I will wear a piece or two, but I'm not a very good fashion accessorizer.  Honestly, my style runs pretty simple with an occasional necklace or a few bracelets.  I don't even know 2 ways to tie a scarf - someone help me, please!

There is SO much beautiful antique jewelry "out there" that is homeless and really inexpensive.  Since no one can wear that much of it, I have taken it upon myself to find different ways to use and appreciate it :)  I have covered small Christmas trees with jewelry, embellished picture frames, decorative boxes, and made my daughter's bridal bouquet with it.



Lately, my favorite way to use those beauties is to add them to floral still life art.  Here is the most recent project that I completed.

This one is really special because of the butterfly.  I stumbled upon this Fraternal Order of Eagles pin while out thrifting recently.  Did any of you have parents who were, or are, members of FOE?  I did, although I didn't know much about it back then.  In fact, as a child, I thought it was some mystic secret society.  Now I realize that it was no more mysterious than any other fraternal organization, much like the sorority I belonged to in college.  But this pin is definitely a unique piece, and I was thrilled to have found it!

The art really spoke to me, probably because of the colors (green, black, gold...some of my favorites for decorating.)  Also, I think it looks like one of the Old Masters and would blend so well in a collage or would really compliment many styles of decor - modern, traditional, transitional, boho...

The jewelry pieces add sparkle, dimension, and a lot of interest without distracting and overwhelming the art.  To give it a little more oomph and to up the fun factor, I also added a kiwi green paint wash over the standard antiqued gold frame.  The finished product is now available in my Etsy shop.

And for all of the people (like myself) who just can't pass up a sweet little piece of ballet art, here is a small plaque I picked up at the same estate sale where I found the still life.  (It was either a good thrifting day, or I lost my head a bit, haha.)  In its original state, it was painted plain gold and was slightly dated-looking, I thought.  I opted to paint it rose gold to give a slight nod to ballet pink without going too saccharine.

Then, I added this gorgeous piece of multi-colored jewelry in shades of pink, ivory, and coral at her waist, and a single pink Swarovski crystal at her neckline.  I resisted the temptation to embellish the stage curtains and/or the plaque's edge and decided that less is more here.  Sometimes, exercising restraint produces the best results, don't you agree?

And, finally, another of my favorite projects has been the Animal Magnetism series.  I mean, how can anyone resist all of the cute animal pins that women used to wear on their jacket lapels, coats, and hats? Well, I hit the jackpot recently and scored more fun pins, so I put together more magnets (also in the shop.  Sorry this post is so full of self-promoting links! But, I do have lots of fun jewelry projects to share, wink, wink.)

And these - goat, kangaroo with baby, rooster, and greyhound, which aren't for sale because I made them specifically for my daughter for her birthday.  Each one has a special little story or private joke connected to it.  I definitely put extra effort into the hunt for these pins, because I wanted to find just the right ones for her.  But half of the fun in creating is the thrill of the hunt, am I right Thrifting Friends?

I'm sure there are still scads of brooches out there just waiting for me to be at the right place at the right time.  I will hunt them down and give them a good home ;)

Julie


Sharing with:  Between Naps on the Porch, Amaze Me Monday, A Stroll Thru Life, Inspire Me Monday, The Scoop, Vintage Charm, French Country Cottage

February Meditations

Not all of us can do great things.  But we
can do small things with great love.
Mother Teresa



Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time.

Hatred ceases through love.  This is an unalterable law.

Buddha

Where there is great love, there are always miracles.

Willa Cather

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile,

a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or

the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential

to turn a life around.

Leo Buscaglia 

What is done in love is done well.

Vincent Van Gogh

And if I asked you to name all the things that you love,

how long would it take for you to name yourself?

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