Friday, January 29, 2010

Mantel Party!



We got hit by a winter storm today so I am home on a Snow Day! Right now we still have power so I'm enjoying the luxury of a rare lazy day on the couch. My sweet babies (my two dogs) are napping on the couch and I have spent the day playing on the internet and finding some fabulous blogs. I came across The Stories of A to Z and they have a Mantel Party every Friday where people share pictures of their mantel creations. What an awesome idea! So I decided to join in the party and posted a link to my Winterscape mantel. I added a link above in case you want to take a look and join in the fun too. I also drooled over some of the mantels other people have created and got some inspiration for some new projects. I'm not much of a Valentine's Girl but after seeing some of the super cute things other people have created I might do a little mini Valentine's project myself. I've been thinking about changing up my front door for each season/holiday and that might be the perfect place to start. So it looks like I might be getting off the couch and getting to work on some projects. Too bad I'm snowed in and can't get to Hobby Lobby! :(

Friday, January 22, 2010

Winterscape


"I please myself with the graces of wintery scenery, and believe that we are as much touched by it as by the genial influences of summer."
-Ralf Waldo Emerson
"O Winter! ruler of the inverted year, . . . I crown thee king of intimate delights, Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturb’d Retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know."
—William Cowper
"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk
beside the fire: it is the time for home."
-Edith Sitwell

Looking through quotes about winter I noticed that most of the ones I found referred to the bleakness of winter and waiting for spring. I, however, love winter. I love the peacefulness and the stillness of winter. Everything is simplified. So I wanted to come up with a concept for decorating my fireplace mantel to celebrate the beauty of winter. I also hoped it would help with the transition from all of the glitter and sparkle of my Christmas decorations and avoid the depressing bareness and emptiness of "After Christmas". I knew I wanted a lot of white and sparkle but also wanted to incorporate shades of brown for the bare branches. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!