Over the past 16 years that we have been married, we have lived in more places than the number of years we’ve been married. While I secretly love the challenge of tackling a new space, holiday decorating can often be a test. From decorating a new place with a different layout, to storing all of the holiday decorations, it’s just sometimes not an option to have a ton of bulky decor.
I will usually stick with my tried and true space when I start holiday decorating; the mantel. It is the area that can have such a large impact on any size of space, and so many are already the focal point of a room. Don’t have a mantel? It’s an easy fix! Using a simple wall shelf, you can have the same feel of a mantel, without taking up the space, and using the same decor. The mantel area is such a great place to display color and texture.
For the holiday season, I keep up some of the same items, such as the illuminated JOY letters, and rotate everything else in and out. I stay with the same base colors, such as gold and white, then throw in an array of other fun colors, depending on the holiday. It definitely makes it easier when I am planning, shopping and making everything to have a great starting point.
I purchased a white, faux deer head a while back and have absolutely loved it. It was cheaper than buying real antlers, and it doesn’t take up the amount of space or weight, which means I don’t have to worry about messing up a wall. I wanted to add just a little something around the deer for fall and decided on making a leaf wreath. This was extremely easy, super cheap and quick to make.
You can start several ways with this project, but the cheapest is to gather leaves from outside, or cut them out yourself. I opted on cutting them out, our leaves haven’t quite started to change yet.
Using Mod Podge or a glue stick, apply a thin layer on one side, then sprinkle with glitter.
Once dry, place a piece of double stick tape to the back side, and arrange around in a circle above the mantel.
You now have a festive fall wreath for your mantel that you can hang on to and reuse, maybe even during Christmas, or you can toss when you are finished with it. This is something that takes something simple from your normal decor, and makes a fabulous fall impact!