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    Home » Easy DIY » Holiday & Seasonal Ideas

    March 7, 2013 | By Jami

    Simple Early Spring Mantel

    A simple, early spring mantel centered around an easy and meaningful DIY canvas art, with a green, white, and glass color scheme.

    Early Spring Mantel

    Do you remember how I went on and on about much I liked this canvas-word art-from-thrifted-painting I made?

    I think I mentioned that it had become the centerpiece for our early spring mantel, too, and I thought I'd take a minute to share with you how it all came together.

    I took cues from the canvas and limited the main colors to white and green (I left the vintage mirrored window in place to help the canvas stand out because the wall is white).

    And by simple, I mean: limited colors and only a few items to enhance the star of the show: the canvas.

    Here's the simple scheme for this early spring mantel:

    • Canvas word art
    • White pottery: topiary and vase
    • Glass: candlesticks and hurricane
    • Yellow-gold accents

    The whole mantel basically started with the canvas (of course) and an ivy heart topiary I made (years ago) from a wire coat hanger.

    Even though the topiary's not completely filled in yet (how many ivies have grown here...I've lost count -ha!), I thought the heart echoed the 'love' part of the canvas perfectly.

    To balance out the other side, I covered a foam ball with moss from the dollar store (using hot glue and floral pins) and placed it in a white vase.

    More moss in a glass hurricane and a collection of glass candlesticks round out the main part of the mantel decorations.

    love-care-sign

    However, as I stood back to look at it I noticed a few areas of yellowish-brown paint that came through the letters of the canvas, which reminded me of a couple of candles we had been given that I thought would be the perfect finishing touches.

    Simple Spring Mantel

    I really love how the beeswax candle that my brother-in-law made for Christmas and the beautiful candle holder my sister brought back from a trip to Egypt add just a bit of color and interest to the mantel.

    And like I said about the canvas art - this mantel makes me just...happy. It's funny how a few minutes and a few items that were here-and-there about the house can come together to make a whole new, wonderful thing to look at everyday.

    In a week or two, I'll add a few more springtime touches for Easter - I'm thinking potted daffodils or tulips and maybe a nest with some marble eggs I have - but otherwise, I'm a fan of more subtle Easter/spring decorating.

    Not too many bunnies, chicks, eggs, and pastels here.

    How do you like to decorate for Spring?

     

    About Jami

    Since 2009 Jami Boys has been helping readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. From baking bread, to creating a floor from paper, to growing and preserving food, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

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    1. Tricia says

      March 11, 2013 at 3:19 am

      I love how your simple mantle display makes your beautiful canvas artwork the main focus. So pretty!

      Reply
    2. Julie says

      March 09, 2013 at 3:23 pm

      That's so lovely, really inspiring

      Reply
    3. Lisa says

      March 08, 2013 at 7:17 am

      The mirrored window is a perfect background for your vignette. Very pretty.

      Reply
    4. Sakura says

      March 08, 2013 at 6:39 am

      Jami, I've been collecting larger rabbits that I find at the thrift store without the flowers and ribbons on their necks to paint them like you did the turkeys. I'll use them for easter, but then I'm going to place them out in my small gardens. Now if it can just warm up enough to spray paint outside I'll be set.

      Reply
      • Jami says

        March 08, 2013 at 11:34 am

        That's a great idea, Sakura, to use them in the garden later! Okay, I'm really keeping a lookout now. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jill Flory says

      March 07, 2013 at 6:34 pm

      Very lovely mantel! I love your canvas artwork so much 🙂

      Reply
    6. daisy says

      March 07, 2013 at 6:32 pm

      How lovely to have a mantel to decorate. Yours looks so inviting!

      Reply
    7. Gayle says

      March 07, 2013 at 6:30 pm

      It is very pretty, and I am so jealous of your mantel! We just have a gas "wood" stove and so we don't have a mantel. I do decorate for Easter. I have little bunnies and a spring wreath outside. Just before Easter I always splurge and buy tulips and daffodils to make our Easter spring like. It is a time we look forward to all year, winter leaving and spring coming. He is risen indeed!

      Reply
      • Jami says

        March 07, 2013 at 9:00 pm

        I love how flowers lift our souls, too, Gayle!

        Reply
    8. Tami says

      March 07, 2013 at 6:13 pm

      I love the look on the mantel. It one of my favorite ways you have done the mantel.

      Reply
    9. Crystal says

      March 07, 2013 at 4:03 pm

      Your mantel is simple and springy. I absolutely love your picture!!

      Reply
    10. Lynn says

      March 07, 2013 at 10:10 am

      Hi Jami-Love the simplicity of your spring mantel. I do the same thing-gather special items from around the house and from outside. I always like to add a bit of nature to my decor.
      -Lynn

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jami and I'm so glad you're here! My goal is to help you live a simple homemade life on your terms: cooking delicious real food, painless gardening, and making easy things that are totally worth your time. 

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