Fireplace Mantel Ideas

I will be updated this post everytime I change my Fireplace mantel Design . I've always loved decorating my fireplace , but had a recent want to change it up after I saw my sons eyes light up when he saw how I decorated it this New Years Holiday. I also used it as a Bandaid because I was always sad to see the Christmas decorations come down and have an empty Mantel. Im aware my style is not for everyone .  I take joy in trying to make things from old junk or making something look beautiful from the Dollar area at target or Even the dollar tree!

January 2017


My husband made the white fence out of old boards we had in our backyard after we replaced our fence. I brushed them with a thinned out white paint making sure to leave some wood peeking through.
I used old wine glasses and sparkling grape juice glass bottles because they look like champagne . The sparkling grape juice was on clearance at our local grocer.

I made the banner from brown paper bags that I had and used white out to write " Happy New Year" because Honestly I didn't have that kind of time to pull my supplies out of my art closet . When your toddler is napping you learn to work fast and make shortcuts when needed .
the "2017" sign was $1 and can be used again for a  family member that is graduating this year! BONUS POINTS!

I had to have a "NewYears Eve Hat" because it is what I visualize when I think NEW YEARS EVE PARTY!! lol
I also bought the silver garland 75% off because it was a Christmas Decoration. SCORE! so that was $.25 .

Everything else was from around my home .


February 2017


Valentines decorations .
Again I used the white fence board. My Red rose wedding bouquet ( I used fake flowers GASP!)
and actually the white rose balls are from my wedding too.
I got the " love" sign from the dollar section at Target
I also got the Gold arrows from the dollar section at Target . They are suppose to be jewelry holders.
The willow tree "Promise " figurine retails between $40-$50 . I bought it from a garage sale for $10.
The horizontal sign that reads " And they lived happily ever after " was a gift from a dear friend as a wedding gift . She also bought that from target . The gold sticks I've had for years and reuse them throughout my home for various designs . I bought those from Ross in a large pack . The picture Frame is from Hobby lobby . I used a coupon so it was a good deal. The XOXO banner was also from the Dollar section at Target .

DIY Welcome Porch Sign

1 Cedar fence plank $2.00

Brown Paint 

Black paint

white paint ( for the lettering)

Turquoise Paint (optional)

Stencils 

brushes or sponges 

Hot Glue gun

 You will need to start with a wooden fence plank from your local hardware store. If you have extra fencing that you aren't using , you can use those too. We purchased one 6 foot plank and my husband cut it in half making (2) 3 ft boards.

Start with your brown paint , I added a little black so that it would look more natural . 

As your painting the board brown , add streaks of black blending them in with your brush to give the wood a more organic look.

I made 2 different boards one that says "Home sweet Home " and another that reads "Welcome to our Home"

Make sure your base brown paint is dry before starting the next step.

Next Grab your stencils , be sure to line them up evenly throughout the board .  I got these stencils at Walmart for about $4. Make sure the letters are centered vertically as well.

I used white for the letter coloring because I wanted it to stand out . I first tried it with a cream color but I felt the contrast wasn't as strong as I desired . Don't be afraid to MESS UP! I mess up all the time , remember you can let it dry and paint over your mistake again .

Sponges always are best for any stencils . Dab the paint on slowly . When you've covered the empty portion of the stencil with white, Stop. Take a peek before adding more paint . If your going for the rustic look don't add to much paint because your worrying about making it a "solid" white. It looks better when it has a little bit of empty spots.

Because it is a stencil, it will have gaps in the letters , I used a small flat quarter inch square brush to bridge the gaps between the letters. If you like the stencil look you can leave it alone. 

Next I made turquoise paint mixing blue, yellow and green. you could buy it already made but I didn't have any . Note: You can make any color with your primary colors and black and white.

I added "sweet" in cursive . I got this Idea for the "Home sweet Home" design from an etsy shop called "Its a gray Life" she has some beautiful items for sale if you want to check her out .

I wrote what I wanted to paint in cursive , in pencil first to be sure I liked it First. I used a #2 Round acrylic brush for this step, but you can use whatever you feel more comfortable with.

Next I added a bow made from fabric scraps I had from my quilt I was about to start .

I tied a bow flipping the colors to show the pretty sides . I cut the tail to make it even, then Hot glued it to the board. The bow make take several attempts until you like its just right .

Next I used sandpaper to sand the edges down to give it a distressed look. I didn't feel it looked distressed enough so  I used white to paint the edges and brushed it a little on the corners .

And thats It !

DIY antique wall calender

My father recently gave me a wall calendar that he used at his job. He is retired and was ready to get rid of some of his old junk. When I saw it, my first thought was to destress it and make it into something different !














To do this project you can use old cabinet door and cup hooks purchased at walmart or home depot for dirt cheap.


I used a cream color paint that I use for crafts. I purchase my paints at home depot in the paint section  I always buy the samples because its better quality and saves money .





I used Behr ultra "macaroon Cream" .
Tip: go to the "oops paint " section they sell the sample paints for 50 cents ! If your lucky they might have a color your looking for. Sometimes, I get the reject paints and mix colors to see what I can come up with !




Take off any old tape or sticky gunk that might affect the adhesion of the paint to the board .
Paint it with a large brush . I used a 1.5" brush but any brush will do . Do not worry about painting it perfectly , it adds character to it when you can see brush strokes and the wood peeking out of the corners . Make sure to paint the entire board even the boarders.




After you paint, you want to screw in your hooks however far apart you may like them .
 My board came with a screws already so i just had to screw them back in once I finished.
You can by purchase these type of small hooks at walmart or home depot. They are called "Cup Hooks"






Next , you use a small piece of sand paper to distress it , paying close attention to the corners and the high points of the piece .
 I have noticed when I Distress my things I always find it looks more natural when I Sandpaper the parts that stick out the most .




Next I grabbed an old calendar that was sent to us in the mail. I cut out each month and measured the width I needed to punch out holes for the hooks .


 I used my hand dandy 3 ring hole puncher to punch holes . The thing I like about 3 ring hole punchers is it has measurements in the back . It makes it easy for someone like me to set the measurements up and punch out every month with perfect consistency. If you don't have a 3 ring hole puncher , just use a regular hole puncher and a scrap paper to test it first .

Thats it ! just hang up the pages on your calendar and voila !


This is a neat way to display your calendar in an elegant way . I hope you liked it .  Feel free to ask questions in the comment section below.