Merry & Mixed Handmade Holiday Mantle Display

Donna
by Donna
I love all the beautiful mantle displays I see online, where people have the perfect grouping of lovely items that all work together to create a stunning holiday vignette.
I don't have those things. I have much-loved items that I've made, collected or been given over the years. All these items don't necessarily "go together" but I love them all and have found a way to create what I think is a beautiful holiday mantle with the things I have.
First up - our wreath. We don't have a Christmas tree so instead I've decorated a wreath for over our fireplace for the holidays. The wreath holds a collection of store bought and handmade ornaments (many received through my knitting group's annual ornament exchange). To tie these various ornaments together, I wrapped the wreath in burlap ribbon (which shares the handmade feel of some of the ornaments) which I then painted gold (to reflect some of the shine of the store bought decorations).
Sadly, the wreath I bought for our fireplace is a little too small for over our fireplace. So I've filled in the space by putting some larger items on the mantle:


I made this Patchwork Christmas Tree out of some magazine pages and trimmings. (Tutorial on my blog at http://purl3agony.hubpages.com/hub/DIY-Holiday-Decoration-Paper-Patchwork-Christmas-Tree-Collage). This image features some gold details that are echoed throughout the other things on our mantle and tie everything together.


The framed red wreath is also made from rolled magazines photos (http://purl3agony.hubpages.com/hub/DIY-Craft-Create-a-No-Sew-Quilt-Block-Using-Paper-from-Magazines-Maps-and-Gift-Wrap). I framed it in a pretty gold frame.
I filled in the smaller spaces with some little wrapped boxes and some handmade ornaments, made from yarn (http://purl3agony.hubpages.com/hub/DIY-Craft-Decoration-Easy-Handmade-Christmas-Ornaments-Made-with-Yarn)
The right side of the mantle features a few decorative cones I've made. I don't really consider this twine wrapped cone a Christmas decoration, but it works well with the other items on my mantle (tutorial: http://purl3agony.hubpages.com/hub/DIY-Craft-Vintage-Inspired-Handmade-Tree-with-Paper-Flowers-Great-Idea-for-Wedding-Decor)


The large green needle-felted tree was my big holiday project from last year. All of the flowers are hand applied with needle felting, then I added embroidery details and the button-centers to complete the tree (http://purl3agony.hubpages.com/hub/DIY-Craft-Needle-Felted-Tree-for-Christmas-or-Everyday-Decoration).
My mantle still needs some work, but I can fill it in with Christmas cards when they start to arrive. I like to think this display still allows me the chance to add to it next year with more handmade projects :)
Donna
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 4 comments
  • Donna Donna on Dec 09, 2014
    Thank you so much! Hope you have a lovely holiday season!!
  • Cornelia Schott Cornelia Schott on Dec 10, 2014
    Your mantle looks great! I like your tall green felt tree on the right. Whimsical and crafty!
    • Donna Donna on Dec 10, 2014
      @Cornelia Schott Thanks so much! I'm really happy with my felt tree. This is the first year I've displayed it and I like how it looks on the mantle. It's just large enough to make a big impact :) Thanks so much for your comments!
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