Our Family Room Mantel - Christmas 2010...

The goal this year was:

1. Use what I have (as much as possible).

2. Keep it fun, colorful, and whimsical for the kids.

3. Make it glow.

4. Bring the outdoors in.



Did I achieve all of my goals?


I think so! And I love it.

And so do the kids, which is what really makes me happy!


I started with cedar garland. I cannot resist cedar at Christmas time. Cannot. It makes its way into our home every holiday season. I love how it looks, how it smells and how it ages over the month of December.
(Live greenery can be such a mess, but in my opinion, cedar is one of the least messy of all the evergreens!)

I buy it at Costco or at Fred Meyer, which sells 15' lengths for $14.99.

(This was my one purchase for this mantel. A must-have at a darn good price, if you ask me!)


Then I added a single strand of C-7 Christmas lights.

Want your mantel to glow? Use C-7's. You will not be disappointed!

Then I added some bead garland to add more pops of red into the overall look...


I bought this Advent Calendar last year at one of our local Holiday Bazaar's. It is made to stand on a table, but I wanted it to stay out of reach from little hands, so I added a sawtooth hanger on the back and hung it up here...


Next...the hanging ornaments.

My absolute favorite part!

I just used thin gift wrapping ribbon, looped through the top of each ornament. Then I used small, white thumbtacks to secure the ribbon to the ceiling...


The ornaments are shatterproof (ie: plastic), so if something should happen and they were to fall, I don't have to worry about broken glass across the hearth and wood floor...


I finished it off with my ribbon wrapped candles, and the J O Y sign that I made last year, to sneak in a little bit of that fresh lime green color...

and last, but certainly not least, our spot for the kids to put their letters to Santa...

My mother-in-law made our stockings for us year's ago, and as we added kids, she made more stockings. They are the perfect colors and fit in beautifully every Christmas...

The kids were in charge of the tree in the Family Room this year, and I love how it all looks together...

And there you have it...

Our inexpensive-use-what-you've-got-colorful-whimsical-glowing-cedar-loving-Christmas mantel.

Whew!


Now...time to sit down on our cozy couch with a mug of hot chocolate and a magazine, and enjoy it.



Happy Holidays!




P.S. I am posting this at:

Layla's Holiday Home Mantel Party, Today's Creative Blog, The DIY Show Off, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond The Picket Fence, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots and Jello, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, The Shabby Nest, Finding Fabulous, Thrifty Decor Chick,