Winter Forest Fireplace

Ah, sweet winter. Doesn’t everything look so uncluttered and tidy after the Christmas decorations are put away? Some people are sad after the holidays. Not me! I love Christmas, but I look forward to those cold, cozy days of January, when we can cuddle up, homeschool, and NOT go anywhere. For us, softball season (and the busyness of it all) is just around the corner, so I enjoy savoring those quiet moments at home. This month I want to sit and pretend I‘m walking across that covered bridge pictured above my Winter Forest Fireplace.

I’m transitioning from Christmas to winter decor by combining fresh greens, creamy whites, and bright, shiny metallics. Turquoise, purple, and red items are weaved in to provide little pops of color to this clean winter palette. Mirrors, angels, and vintage glass are also part of my “winter home embellishment” plan. I began with Time to Shine New Year’s Vignette on my maple china cabinet, and will style other areas of my home the same way.

The fireplace and mantle are the focal point of our open concept family room, overflow room, and dining room. So, the fireplace is one of the areas I adorn first. Eventually, I make my way to the piano, coffee table, and other surfaces in the 3 main rooms. I like to take a few weeks to enjoy decorating at the beginning of each season.

A large needlepoint picture of a covered bridge in winter is the centerpiece for the mantle. The red bridge gives the arrangement that small “pop of color” I mentioned earlier. I like neutrals, but they have to be paired with some type of color to please me. I’ve always loved covered bridges because there’s a beautiful covered bridge on the Doe River in my hometown of Elizabethton, Tennessee. When my older kids were small, we would go down to the bridge and feed the ducks when I went home to see Mom. The kissing angels are perfect for winter and Valentine’s Day. I used turquoise and purple hand painted ceramic angels in the new year’s vignette pictured earlier.

This gorgeous felt bow is all that’s left of a wreath I bought at an after Christmas sale. One of my college-aged children (they should know better) tried to fit the felt-covered styrofoam wreath over my 11 year-old’s head. The wreath broke into pieces and was beyond redemption after that. I was upset at the time, and required restitution for the money I used to buy the wreath. However, it’s funny to me now. That’s life when you’re a blogger with 5 kids. They just don’t take your decor genius (or anything else) very seriously. I just remind myself that no man can be a prophet in his own country (Mark 6:4).

I found a pretty tin mirror at my local Goodwill.

The milk glass compotes are filled with flocked pine cones. You can read how to make your own frosted pine cones here.

I filled several mercury jars with greenery from my yard, then added some fraser fir branches to keep that Christmas tree scent around just a little bit longer!

Each metallic ornament was twirled around the wired cupcake stand to display their shimmery beauty with a little bit of height.

I wanted the baskets at the bottom to echo the pieces on the mantle, but I didn’t want them to “match.” The red basket ties into the covered bridge, and the galvanized bucket has a beautiful hand painted winter scene of its own. The metallic ornaments in the baskets bring everything together.

I hope you enjoyed my Winter Forest Mantle!

Happy Winter!

Kristie

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