christmas mantel inspiration

Happy weekend, y’all! Christmas is a short two weeks away, so I thought I’d share some pretty mantel inspo today, in case you need any. I definitely do! 

This year I’m simplifying my holiday décor, and right now my mantel just has an evergreen garland and a variety of tall white pillar candles lined up in varying heights. 

I do really like the simplicity of it, but I’m feeling like it needs an extra dash of something unexpected and fun!

While on pinterest, I do keep seeing some elements that I love. They could work all together, or as featured stars on their own. We need to remember to pair them up tastefully. 

A gold mirror is always a favorite. I also love some silver dollar eucalyptus thrown in. It adds more a modern feel.  

Vintage glass ornaments always offer a touch of glamour and sparkle. Votives and candelabras, when lit, add much needed vibrance and movement to the vignette.

Elements from nature always look great. You have the option of keeping it neutral or adding a splash of red!

Sometimes it’s easier to decorate in a symmetrical fashion, and it always looks good. An evergreen wreath over the mantel is definitely a great idea.

Collections of gold with varying patinas look amazing together, especially with fresh greens. The fresh limes on this garland are a fragrant choice. 

Pine, spruce, juniper, magnolia and pears look so pretty together. Start layering in the middle and work your way out.

Remember to make your mantel a focal point in the room. If your Christmas tree is in the same room, make sure they coordinate with each other.

A simple garland or small tree can be the best choice!   

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:

Martha Stewart

House & Home

Sharon Santoni

House Beautiful

Southern Living

Veranda

Loloi Rugs

Domino

Christmas4u on tumblr

5 exclusive handmade ornaments for you

Hi friends! Today I have a really special post for you. For the first time ever, I will be offering several of my one-of-a-kind holiday ornaments and garlands for purchase for your own private collection!

 

Since 2018 I’ve been a contributor to Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, and it’s been so much fun working on DIY projects, recipes, home décor ideas, tablescapes and garden projects.

 

Many of you have asked about these fun Christmas decorations, and now I’ve put together 5 of the latest magazine projects that are now available on eBay for purchase.

 

The first one is this “Let It Snow” Garland I created out of vintage tart tins, scrabble letters, and toy blocks.

 

Did you spot the “Let It Snow” Garland when it appeared in the 2021 Christmas issue of Country Sampler Farmhouse Style magazine?

 

Here it is displayed on a vintage mirror in my dining room, but I think it would also be pretty in a window or on a small mantel. It adds the perfect festive touch to any room!

 

Another garland I created was this take on an old-fashioned paper chain. I used three different burlap ribbons to put this together and it adds a soft neutral element to any farmhouse style home.

 

This is how I photographed it and how it appeared in the same issue as the “Let It Snow” garland. 

I simply draped it along my family room mantel, and then added complimentary evergreen and eucalyptus branches to the top of the mantel.

 

The 2021 Winter issue of Country Sampler Farmhouse Style magazine included two really fun and whimsical ornament projects.

 

This first ornament project is my favorite, and I spent a lot of time on creating these. 

They are little tart tins of different shapes, filled with a little snowy scene each that included a tiny vintage deer, small bottle brush tree and a little bit of snow.

 

With the addition of a background made with French book pages, I think these ornaments are one for the ages... Classic old-fashioned Christmas ornaments that will really stand out on any Christmas tree.

You can spot them above, on page 94 of this issue?

These adorable stocking shaped ornaments were inspired by this pretty musical themed paper I found.

 

They are stitched up with red thread, trimmed with gingham ribbon, vintage buttons and a touch of glitter.

 

So fun for any tree!

 

I’m also including a brand-new garland project that is in the current Winter 2022 issue of Country Sampler Farmhouse Style magazine.

This is a hand-made 3-D star garland made from vintage book pages. Dozens and dozens of star shapes were cut out and then sewn together to create this spectacular garland.

 

This one measures 100” long, so it would look great draped along a mantel, a lovely window or over your dining room table.

 

Remember, these are all one-of-a-kind pieces that were made to inspired hundreds of Farmhouse Style readers!

🎄🎅

Just click on the pictures below for a direct link to each project.

 

ciao! Fabiana

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials”*. 

 

 

 

 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

 

a Christmas photo shoot

The little surprise that I’ve been hinting at over the last couple of weeks was a Christmas photo shoot with Cottages & Bungalows Magazine. It was sort of a bit covert, but I can finally let the cat out of the bag now.

They were here all day yesterday photographing some of the most festively decorated parts of the house.

You may have seen how I styled the mantel with some of my blue and white ginger jars. We usually have a family portrait above this mantel, but I wanted to create a different look for Cottages & Bungalows.

Here’s Bret, the photographer, working his magic and capturing just the right angle that features the Christmas tree and the living room mantel. And of course, we even had some milk and cookies for Santa in this shot!

Over the last 3-4 weeks, I’ve been mentally running myself ragged over styling the whole downstairs of my home for this magazine photoshoot. In fact the day before yesterday, I realized I was turning into a bit of a “blogzilla” after I experienced a couple of mini-meltdowns! AH!!

All I can say, is my husband’s relieved that it’s over, and the whole family is happy that the house looks the most festive it’s ever looked. We can now ease into Christmas gracefully… 😏

Kris, one of the editors took a silly picture of me in the dining room while we were prepping it for the next shot.

Here’s a little peek at the kitchen table. I wanted to create a sort of foresty, winter look for this table with lots of pine trees, snow and elegant brass details.

You may recognize the Joyeux Noel plates from my feature in Romantic Homes. They’ve become my all-time favorite Christmas pattern because they’re so versatile and fun. 

This pattern pairs nicely with so many different looks.

Here’s a preview of the family room mantle with our treasured portrait of great-grandmother Nelle. Copper accents and glittery details were used to play up the elegant nature of this portrait. I found the beaded garland and Michael’s, and we added extra greenery to soften the look.

As the sun was setting, we headed to the front porch for some dusky, glowy shots. The last picture of the night was in the backyard, featuring the shed, all decked out in candlelight. 

This is a quick capture of the shed from my phone, and I CAN'T wait to see the actual image taken by the amazing Bret!

We’ll have to wait about eleven months until the December 2019 issue of Cottages and Bunglows comes out, but hopefully we’ll see some proofs way before that!

I’ll share a few more of my behind-the-scenes looks

 in the next day or two. 

Check back soon!

xo xo

 fabiana

Christmas trends from Roger's Gardens

I recently got the inside scoop on the decorating trends for this Christmas season from Eric Cortina, Creative Director of Roger’s Gardens. This season’s trends are so easy to incorporate into your home by adding just a few key pieces and colors to your existing collection.  On trend for this 2014 holiday season are looks that use Gold Gilt, White-on-White, Scandinavian elements and Pinecones and Copper.  

The Gold Gilt look is the biggest trend of the year, according to Cortina.  Since we are now drawn to a warmer palette, mixing different metal tones gives a more modern feel to holiday decorating. 

Mix in some gold ornaments with your silver and pewter ones.  Incorporate a collection of gold and mercury glass votives to your tabletop décor. 

Bring out an antique gilt mirror to display over your mantel and then add some of your sentimental treasures and greenery to finish off the look.  Be creative and don’t be afraid to mix and match metals!

There is nothing more elegant than a table set with white linens, solid white dinnerware and assorted white and clear glass votives. This creates the perfect backdrop for a gathering of holiday greenery, and white roses, hydrangeas and amaryllis at the center of your table. 

The mixing of matte and gloss whites is a great way to add a subtle textured quality to this look.  Painting some of your current decorations a solid white is also a way to give them a fresh new look.  

The traditional look of a Scandinavian Christmas always brings a sense of warmth into your home with the classic color combination of red and white. 

Natural elements are also an important part of this look and can be achieved by adding decorations made of natural wood and freshly cut evergreen branches. 

Try adding mercury glass to take this look into a more elegant direction. 

The Copper and Pinecone theme works great with the current burlap trend.  This mix of textures works great with existing decorations.  Just add a copper urn for your greenery or a few spun copper wire spheres to your décor. Magnolia branches also look spectacular with this look, with their rich glossy leaves and velvety brown undersides.  

ciao! fabiana

Of course, Roger’s Gardens is a great place to get inspired 
by these four holiday decorating trends, and while you’re here in Newport, 
you won’t want to miss 
the Holiday Ring of Lights home decoration competition and 
the 106th Annual Christmas Boat Parade. 

Newport Beach has long been a holiday destination, 
especially during Christmas season. 
The New York Times has even voted
 the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade 
“ One of the  top ten happenings in the nation”! 

after Christmas mantel refresh

I'm finally getting to styling my family room mantel after we refreshed the brick with a new coat of white paint. I love how crisp and clean it now looks! We also moved a sunburst mirror from our bedroom to above the mantel for a new vibe. 

Some of my favorite things were pulled together like the little brass Eiffel towers, some old books and some vintage blue and white accessories. One of my favorite pieces is the small bust of a woman with a blue and white porcelain bodice. I found her years ago and she’s still one of my faves. I dressed her up a bit with some sea glass beads that I got at Mermade. 

The Eiffel towers were purchased on ebay last year.  Since flowers are scarce right now in my garden, I treated myself to some pretty roses. Trader Joe’s has a nice selection and won’t break the bank!  A little reward for me, just because!

ciao! fabiana

Christmas tablescape with copper accents

Exactly one week ago, I was on a thrifting adventure with my favorite shopping partner-in-crime Laura, and we came upon the most unexpected find... 

a set of six of these Christmas plates. I certainly do not need any more plates, as my pantry shelves are bursting at the seams, but I can’t resist a deal, and I was intrigued by this pattern that I’d never seen. 

This china pattern is called “Seasons Greetings” by Queen’s Myott Factory from archive illustrations adapted from original copper engravings. I collect a lot of English china, but the weird thing is this pattern is made in Colombia. 

So, I guess this is a South American version of a traditional English holiday plate! Well, let’s get to the fun stuff now... setting the table! 

For this soft pattern, I envisioned a well-worn white linen tablecloth, snowy evergreen branches, copper accents and a few natural textures.

At the center of the table I started with one of my copper lanterns. I have a graduated set of two of these that usually sit on my mantel this time of year. I set the smaller one on a sliced tree trunk and filled the inside with Scrabble letters.   

I collect Scrabble tiles and have a few mason jars filled with them to add a quirky touch to a table from time to time. I just love the colors and texture of the wood for this centerpiece. It's always fun to add an unexpected  accent to every table!

This faux pine garland was found at the craft store (at 70% off), and I cut it in several pieces to layer it just right on the table. A long garland is difficult to manage sometimes on a table, so this way, I placed branches exactly where I wanted them.

The "Seasons Greetings" dinner plates are placed on a larger ironstone charger plate to frame it out perfectly. Copper Moscow Mule mugs serve as water vessels, and we can certainly add simple wine glasses to the table when needed. 

Wood handled flatware and basket-like napkin rings offer that natural texture that every table needs. Instead of flowers, glass Christmas ornaments are sprinkled along the wintry boughs.  

  

In addition to the lantern at the center of the table, I added a few white votives for added ambiance. 

  

I just love this dear little pattern, and the border around this plate is beautiful too. Have you ever seen this pattern in these colors?

The toys surrounding this perfectly decorated Christmas tree reminds me of all the wonder and excitement I experienced as a little girl waking up on Christmas morning and finding all the surprises Santa had left for me. 

Over the next several days, there’ll be a flurry of wrapping, last minute shopping and recipes to whip up for the family.  

Let’s not forget to appreciate the wonder and joy of the season. And do a little something special for yourself too! 

ciao! fabiana 

Info* on table accessories: 

Plates: vintage  

Wood Handle Silverware:  Amazon

Napkin Rings:  similar found here

Tablecloth and Napkins:  vintage 

Copper Cups: similar found here 

Copper Lantern:  Amazon

White Hobnail Votives:  Amazon

Faux Greenery:  Michael's Craft Store

Scrabble Tiles: Amazon

   

*Some affiliate links used.