Mantle Decorating...Like My Momma

First, PSA: If you go to UVA and have not gotten a ticket for Concert for a Cure, come to the lawn and buy one today (plus, I'll be there from 12-1). Seriously, do it. So many a capella groups...it's gonna be great. Anyways, back to the blog...

I'm ready for Fall, y'all. No seriously, I just need more pumpkin, cinnamon, sweaters, and duck boots in my life right now. Can you make that happen? Great, thanks.

But seriously, I love Fall so much and these last few days have been such a tease compared to the weather for the next few. Well, that can't stop me from enjoying my free Pumpkin Spice Latte today (thank you gold card!) or decorating for Fall. I know this is a total mom thing to do, and several of my friends have already pointed out that this is further proof that I am my Momma's daughter. Regardless, I have decorated the mantle in my room for the season and all I have left to do is to find a cute dish to store my candy corn in!

Decorating a mantle can be a bit daunting, especially on a college girl's budget. I am lucky enough to have gotten a fabulous mirror from my Momma that she wasn't using and it fills the big space above it perfectly. The nice thing about the mirror is that it can stay there year-round and go with whatever theme I put on the mantle.

How to decorate a mantle on a budget in 5 easy steps:

1) get a space-eater piece

This can be a mirror (like mine; similar) or even a framed poster/print that you like. Just get something to take up the space above the mantle so that your decorations don't look strangely small.

2) get elements that aren't seasonal

I got apothecary jars (thank you for the term, Kathy!) from Home Goods for $12 a piece. These are perfect no matter what time of year. For now I have them filled with pine cones for Fall and I am going to add some fake snow to the mix for Winter. This $24 investment will get me through years of use.

3) pictures!

This is another element of my Momma shining through me, but I love having pictures on display. I've moved on from the corkboard displays of a dorm room to frames now, but the same idea stands. It gives a nice personal touch to the display, plus frames can add great architectural elements and varied sizes.

4) Fireplace Flowers

This probably only applies to us college girls who have fireplaces that aren't usable, but I love this look. I didn't just want to stare at an empty fireplace and these flowers that were on sale at Michael's were perfect. I just got a couple of bunches of their seasonal flowers to throw in there and will probably switch to poinsettas for the Winter.

5) Go to Michaels and/or Home Goods

I got the pumpkin on the ground at Home Goods and the mantle elements are from Michael's. Their home line is currently 60% off so I scored the pumpkins, roosters (again...influence of my Momma) and flowers at a great price. The fall leaves behind everything just make the bland whiteness of the mantle a little less boring and helps to make my smaller decorations look bigger against such a big part of the wall.

Other mantles I love (thank you Pinterest):

why didn't I think to monogram my mantle? 

Have you started decorating for Fall?

xoxo,
SSP