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Fall Mantel 2013

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hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

I don’t know about you, but I always forget how much fun it is to decorate a mantel for different seasons. Sometimes it feels like the seasons go so quickly that it’s silly to decorate for such a short time. Am I the only one? And then I realize…man, it’s fun to try out different arrangements and see what I can come up with.  Plus, for the Fall season, decorating the mantel totally makes my room feel more cozy. Last year, I actually did two different mantels: one for early Fall/back to school and the other for late Fall. I know…crazy.

 

And here’s what’s going on this year on the ol’ mantel:
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I knew that I definitely wanted to include a branch of the gorgeous leaves from my trees outside. I mean, just look at those colors!
The little owl candle came from CVS (yup, on clearance!) and the giant acorn is from Hobby Lobby.

The most fun part about this mantel is the large leaf print in the middle. I actually made this in Picmonkey  (a free photo editing site) using free clip art and chalkboard background. Then I had it printed at Staples as an engineer print- it cost me all of $4.00. We luuuurrrrrvvvveee Staples engineer prints (we’ve done loads of projects with them- you can see them herehere and here), because they are so easy to work with and inexpensive.

*Update: Several of you asked if I could make the leaf print available as a download. Well, your wish is my command! Download the fall leaf print here.
You gotta love the colors of Fall.
The silver vase is from a thrift store and the reddish gourd-shaped vase is another CVS clearance find.
All in all, it’s looking pretty cute, although my leaves probably won’t live to see another day…
Its been about a year and my Stenciled Faux Tile Fireplace is still one of my favorite projects to date! It’s the perfect backdrop to all my mantel decorating craziness. 🙂
Do you decorate your mantel for the seasons?

The comments +

  1. Nusra says:

    Love the engineer print. What size did you make the image?

  2. Those leaves are beautiful, and that engineer print is really cool! Do you think you could make it a download so some of us could print it out too? 🙂

  3. Emily says:

    No. The print is NOT the best part. *Where* did you get that cute acorn??? I love it. Now, if one doesn’t have a mantel . . . I could maybe decorate a radiator?;-) Kidding. We’re working on the table. There’s some squash right now. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ~Emily from The Orange Slate
    http://www.theorangeslate.com
    @emilyamccord

  4. Absolutely in love with the leaf print. Would be great if you could share the source for the clipart. Also in love with the fall foliage. I live in the South so unfortunately our leaves haven’t turned yet.

  5. I LOVE THE FIREPLACE REDO! That my be dramatic, I know…but I am really considering doing this to mine. How has your paint held up over the past year? I am worried with two dogs that over time all of my efforts will end up ruined with scratches from them walking on it. Any suggestions to help combat that?

  6. […] both fall-ified our homes: I tackled my mantel with a huge engineer […]

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