• Holidays & Seasons,  Home Decor

    No Mantel? No Problem.

    I’m joining up today with my lovely friend Kendra of Joy In Our Home and 23 other amazing bloggers for the 2nd annual Christmas Festival Blog Hop! If you are stopping by from White Arrows Home, WELCOME! Isn’t Kristin’s mantel festive? Love it!

    Not Mantel? No Problem.

    This year I also decided to share how to decorate a mantel for the holidays. (Last year for this hop I showed our Holiday Front Porch, which was so fun to put together. )

    The only problem is that we don’t have a mantel!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    As much as I would love to have a beautiful and cozy fireplace with a chunky wood mantel to decorate for the holidays, that just isn’t our reality. So what do I do? Improvise, of course.

    Christmas Holiday Mantel Decor

    Last week, I showed how we created extra storage in our entryway with these hacked Ikea shoe cabinets. This welcoming area right inside our front door is the perfect place to decorate and hang our stockings for Santa.

    Stockings Faux Mantel

    Stocking Style 1 | Stocking Style 2



    I used this DIY stocking hanger that I made several years ago to hang all of our stockings on. We are so happy that we were able to add a 5th stocking the the bunch in 2018!

    Stocking Holder Hanger

    Chipboard Letters (Similar)

    The shelf on top of the shoe cabinet is perfect for decorating with fun holiday tchotchkes.

    Christmas Holiday Decor Stockings

    These cute wooden nesting houses are one of my favorite decor items to use year round. They fit in perfectly with the little evergreen trees!

    Mini Christmas Trees Houses

    Nesting Houses | Lantern (Similar) | Small Evergreen |Large Evergreen (Similar)

    I love this welcoming little space spruced up like this.

    So, if you are a member of the “no mantel club”, don’t hesitate to get creative with your holiday decor and stocking hanging skills. A shelf, a piano top, and even a decorative ladder can serve as a place to decorate and hang your socks up! No Mantel? No Problem.

    Simple Christmas Mantel

    Thanks so much for stopping by and don’t forget to head on over to City Girl Meets Country Boy to see how Kelly decorates her mantel. Oh, and check out all of the other creative holiday ideas below!

     

    Christmas DIYs on Monday

    Joy In Our Home | 2 Bees In A Pod | My Creative Days

    County Road 407 | Chatfield Court

     

    Christmas Front Porches on Tuesday

    The Tattered Pew | The Crowned Goat | Little Brags

    Follow The Yellow Brick Home | The Painted Hinge

     

    hristmas Recipes on Wednesday

    Crisp Collective | Love In My Oven | Countryside Cravings

    Walking On Sunshine Recipes | Beyond The Butter

     

    Christmas Mantles on Thursday 

    anderson + grant | White Arrows Home | Elizabeth Joan Designs

      City Girl Meets Country Boy | Red Brick On The Lake

     

    Christmas Tablescapes on Friday

    The Inspired Hive | Curly Crafty Mom | Making It In The Mountains

    Rain and Pine | Timeless Creations

  • Holidays & Seasons,  Home Decor

    Holiday Gift Guide – Etsy

    The holidays are fast approaching and this year I wanted to put together a gift guide of some of our favorite home decor products exclusively from Etsy! As you already probably know, Etsy is an online marketplace where you can buy unique, custom, or vintage items. All of the following products are items that we own/love and are featured throughout our home.

    Lila & Lola

    Aren’t this calf and donkey the cutest? While coming up with a design plan for our little guy’s nursery, I came across these fun digital download prints and knew that I had to incorporate them into the room.

    Baby Cow Donkey Prints Pictures

    PCBHome

    I have admired this shop for several years because of the pretty calligraphy that they do for all of their pieces. They sell many different kinds of handmade home decor items, but I think I love the throw pillows the best!

    White Farmhouse Christmas Living Room

    Carpenter Farmhouse

    What better way to invite someone into your home than a pretty welcome sign? This shop creates beautiful laser cut, letters/words, as well as fun cake toppers.

    Entryway Update With Shoe Storage

     Bubs & Windy

    We have loved having this play mat so much! Since I pretty much decorate our home with neutral colors, finding baby items that don’t jump out and scream “day care center” was important. Our little guy has loved hanging out on this soft mat and learning to roll/play here.

    Best Neutral Baby Play Mat

    Cherie Kay Signs

    Cherie is one of the sweetest shop owners that I’ve met and she creates the loveliest of signs. This one in our master bedroom is huge and such a simple, but beautiful design.

    Bedroom Sign

    Linen & Ivory

    The owner of this shop, Kendra, is also just a sweetheart. Her shop has so many fun designs for almost any holiday/season/occasion. I think we have at least 10 of this shop’s pillows and hand towels!

    New Dining Chairs Wicker Parsons

    Save the Empties

    Speaking of shop owner’s, I had to add my step-brother’s amazing candles to this post. I love the he hand cuts and reuses empty beer/wine bottles to make all of his 100% premium soy wax, scented candles. They are a fun and unique gift for sure.

    Save The Empties Candles

    Vivid Atelier

    Something about cute animal prints always pulls on my heartstrings. And this beautiful digital download deer print did not disappoint. This shop also has cool typography, botanical, and other prints for awesomely inexpensive prices.

    Tween Bedroom Pink White Acessories

  • Blogging,  Holidays & Seasons,  Home Decor,  Outdoors,  The Country House

    Country Sampler Magazine Holiday Homes

    I have something really exciting news to share today! Elizabeth Joan Designs was featured in the most recent issue of ! They shared our Holiday Front Porch from last year in their Holiday Homes edition. I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this is a for a little ol’ blogger like me.

    Fun Neutral Holiday Front Porch

    When the sweet people at Country Sampler Magazine first contacted me, my jaw hit the floor. I couldn’t believe that they wanted to share a photo from this blog in their publication. They always share such beautiful spaces and vignettes in their issues. Have you ever checked them out?

    Country Sampler Holiday Homes

    Some personal information was removed from the letter for privacy.

    Last year when working on our holiday front porch, I had so much fun putting everything together. This area was a bit of a challenge because I was trying to not to spend a bunch of extra money and had to get creative in my styling. I pulled in some natural blue spruce branches and a few faux eucalyptus pieces to add some extra greenery to the space.

    Elizabeth Joan Designs Magazine Feature

    The magazine is in stores now, so if you are out and about, stop and grab yourself an issue!

    Holiday Front Porch Magazine Feature

    It is such an honor to be included in this issue along with so many other amazing bloggers and designers! If you want to see more photos of our Holiday Front Porch, click here!

  • Holidays & Seasons,  Home Decor

    Neutral Fall Tablescape

    There is no time better than the first week of October to share a fun neutral fall tablescape. I love fall so much! Being able to add autumn elements to our home really just makes everything feel much more festive!

    Neutral Fall Tablescape

    This tablescape is part of the Fall Festival Blog Hop that is happening all week, hosted by my sweet friend, Kendra from Joy In Our Home . When you are done here, definitely check out some of the other amazing tablescapes, mantels, recipes, vignettes, and front porches! If you are stopping by from My Creative Days, I’m so glad you are here!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase. Clicking a link won’t cost you any extra money and helps keep this site running! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    When the season rolls around, we can’t wait to pick out pumpkins, go for scenic walks, and jump in the leaf piles. Even though life seems to be speeding up around this time (back to school, activities, holidays, etc.) there is something magical about just taking a step back and appreciating all of the beauty fall produces.

    Mini White Pumpkin Decor

    As far as fall decor goes, pumpkins are a must and I chose some pretty white ones to jazz up the table in our updated dining room. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with pumpkins, right? I love it when they have those twisty stems!

    Fun Fact: Those cute little “pumpkins”  that can fit in your hand are actually gourds! But I still call them pumpkins. *wink*

    Pumpkin Place Setting

    To start this tablescape, I used an folded, fabric shower curtain as a table runner. (It is from Target, but no longer available.) I love the neutral colors and the pattern is delicate and pretty. Next, to ground everything, I placed a large green-ish white pumpkin in the center of the table.

    Pumpkins Eucalyptus Candles

    Then I worked my way out from there trying to keep things symmetrical.

    White Pumpkins Tablescape

    To fill things in a bit, I grabbed some faux eucalyptus from a vase in our living room and fluffed it up. I also placed a few small fake antlers here and there and added a couple of plain pillar candles for height/mood.

    Neutral Fall Decor Dining Room

    Finally, I set the table with some pretty, wavy dishes, striped napkins, silverware, and stemware. Once everything was together, I just couldn’t stop staring. It was so beautiful!

    Fall Autumn Table Setting

    I know that my take on fall decor definitely isn’t traditional. While I still love orange pumpkins, decorating indoors with neutrals that match our home makes everything feel calm and flow together so nicely. Leave a comment down below and let me know what your favorite way to decorate for fall is! Do you like to go the traditional route or are you a neutral lover like me?

    Oh, and don’t forget to check out the next tablescape by The Crowned Goat !

    Mantels on Monday

    Joy In Our Home | County Road 407 | Poofing the Pillows |

    Follow The Yellow Brick Home | citygirlmeetsfarmboy

    Tablescapes on Tuesday

    The Latina Next Door | My Creative Days | Elizabeth Joan Designs |

    The Crowned Goat | Farmhouse Flare Designs

     

    Recipes on WednesdayCherished Bliss | Countryside Cravings | Love In My Oven |

    Chocolate with Grace | Making It In The Mountains

     

    Vignettes on Thursday anderson + grant | DIY Beautify | Timeless Creations |

    The Painted Hinge | Rain & Pine

     

    Front Porches on FridayLantern Lane Designs | Little Brags | Chatfield Court

    Camelot Art Creations | R and R at Home

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