My husband and I got to thinking of changes we could make this Christmas to avoid being swept up in the over-commercialization, hectic schedules and stress. Our goal is to focus more on meaningful family traditions and worshiping the birth of our Savior. I confess we have not been very successful so far but one of the ways I thought could be a good start was to limit my Holiday decor to natural materials, everyday items I already had in my house, plus a few things from Christmases past.
This is how my dining room mantel turned out:
For this mantel I decided to showcase some pieces from my collection of brown transferware. Most of these dishes are stored in a sideboard when not in use, but I love now that I can enjoy them on display!
Next I filled the various vessels and bowls with evergreen snipped from the leftovers of our fresh cut tree, fresh wreaths and some pine cones gathered from our yard. A few final touches with some gold sparkly twigs and a cute birdie and the dining room mantel is done! I think this mantel cost me only around $8.00 total by using what I already had.
Visit my blog next week to see my living room mantel! In the meantime, I encourage you to slow down and take time to enjoy the Holiday festivities that are memorable and meaningful.
