Modern Fall Mantel in Blue and Amber

 

Welcome to the Pinterest Challenge for September, hosted by Erlene from My Pinterventures! The idea is to actually try one of those pins you’ve been saving. My pinspiration was Indigo Blue Fall Mantel Decor from 2 Bees in a Pod.

Want to freshen up those dark red and brown fall decorations? It’s easy to brighten things up with white, denim, teal, and turquoise blue. Amber-colored pumpkins, dried flowers, or vintage amber glass can be substituted for the darker oranges. The result is a light, fresh take on autumn with my Modern Fall Mantel in Blue and Amber.

The anchor for my modern mantel was a blue plaid “Take Time to Catch the Falling Leaves” sign and coordinating straw dog from At Home. I bought these two beauties, along with some purple and light teal pillows for my “Blue Fall” refresh, while dorm shopping with my daughter last month. I already had some small, light orange pumpkins with stars that came from Target, a wooden pumpkin with a Harvest tag, and a gorgeous ceramic amber pumpkin from Matceramica (Made in Portugal). I used burgundy-red silk mums in the vase behind the sign, to provide contrast to all the lighter fall colors on the Mantel.

I made two extra pumpkins when I used old socks to make Velvet Pumpkin Napkin Rings. Their texture and turquoise hue give the fall vignettes richness and color. Two blue Mason jars filled with cattail look a-likes brought the outdoors into my display. I don’t know exactly what these grasses-weeds-flowers are called. They aren’t as solid as cattails, but they are much firmer and have more body than foxtails or pampas grass. I saw them in the parking lot when I picked my daughter up for lunch at her job. When I dropped her back off, I had my scissors and a bag. I was ready to harvest a few of those beautiful plants! If you have any idea what these cattail wannabes are called, I would love to know. They’re at least 4- 5 feet tall, and have stalks and leaves like small corn plants. The “tails” are longer and skinnier than true cattails.

When I made my Blue Fall Hand Painted Flower Pot, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with it. I thought about using it as a planter on my side porch, but the idea of it weathering away outside made me sad. So, I chose to put it on my Blue and Amber Mantel, and fill it with little orange and white pumpkins instead of dirt and a plant.

One of my favorite fellas on the mantel is my white owl. He used to have a little switch that you could turn on, that would make him light up in different colors. Like most electronics, he stopped working. However, I was able to remove the little battery and switch from the bottom. Now I can light him up with a battery operated tea lite candle, or a regular one. I finished things off with an orange mesh swag, tied with turquoise polka dot ribbon.

 

You can probably tell that I don’t like to get rid of things by the Texas stars I still have on the mantel from my primitive decor days. I still like to look at them, and don’t plan to get rid of them anytime soon. The truth is, I have an eclectic item (or two) from ALL the decor themes I’ve had over the past 30 years. For example, the furniture in my bedroom is mid-century modern, and the curtains I made for the living room have a shabby chic vibe. My mantel, and the textiles in our living room are fall “modern,” but I still have my traditional fall decorations on display in my overflow room, where we keep our piano and computer. I don’t keep broken or worn out items, but if something is still in good condition and I like it, I incorporate the old with the new. My children would notice if the little chipped-paint pilgrims, the crafts they made for me, or the scarecrow with the jack-o-lantern face were gone. You can see my son’s football picture apple (he’s nearly 22 now), and my 14 year-old daughter’s lace-up pumpkin she made in kindergarten. She missed most of the holes, but that’s okay-it adds to the charm.

 

I hope you enjoyed my Modern Fall Mantel in Blue and Amber! I can’t to see everyone else’s take on fall this year.

 

Happy Fall!

Kristie

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Let’s meet this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosts!

Cookies Coffee and Crafts Sew Crafty Crochet • 

My Pinterventures •   Eye Love Knots •  Faeries and Fauna

Across the Boulevard • Suzerspace •  Purple Hues and Me   My Family Thyme •  Mom Home Guide • Love My Little Cottage Our Unschooling Journey •  Intelligent Domestications Our Crafty Mom •  Sum of their Stories •  Farm Girl Reformed Stone Cottage Adventures •  This Autoimmune Life Domestic Deadline •  Blogghetti  •  Felt-Ed

To join next month’s #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ October Pinterest Challenge

 Now, let’s see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓

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