Thursday, September 29, 2011

Fall Mantel - Easy Book Page Leaf Garland

Hello friends!  I hope you are having a fabulous week!  I have been busy...having a little fun around the house!  Putting together a Fall look for my shop space last week, and perusing all of the amazing projects and inspiration in Blogland has motivated me to do a little seasonal decorating at home.  In past years I haven't done a lot of Fall decorating...I tend to skip the Halloween and Thanksgiving decor and go straight to decking the halls!
  I started with the family room mantel, removing my usual pale pink accents and trading them in for darker burgundy and brown tones.  I am still having fun with the coffee-stained paper leaves, and this time around I used pages from a (boring) book instead of sheet music. 
If you missed my simple tutorial on making the aged, scented book page or sheet music leaves, you can find it hereThey are easy, cheap and fun to make!
Here is how I made my book page leaf garland:
For a 6 foot garland, take 35-40 aged, dried book page leaves and run them through your sewing machine, overlapping and alternating their direction as you go.  What you end up with is a 2-dimensional length of leaves sewn together.  To get the 3-D look you see here on my mantle, secure one end where you want to hang your garland, and start twisting (like crepe paper).  Once you have a look you like, secure the other end.  Voila!
I am really enjoying my new Fall family room decor!  Somewhere in the attic is a box of ceramic orange pumpkins and leaf platters that I haven't been motivated to dig out.  Now I don't feel like I need to!  The orange has never really worked well with the colors in our home.  I love this warm, muted palette and I am looking forward to spreading it throughout the rest of our home for the Autumn months ahead! 
Sometime soon I am going to grab a can of that heat-safe black paint I keep hearing about and do away with the awful awful brass detail on our fireplaces!  It's on my super long list of projects to conquer!  What I wouldn't do for a few more hours in the day!
Thanks so much for your sweet visit today!  I so appreciate you taking the time to stop in and share your thoughts!  I know how busy everyone is and I just thought I'd tell you how much your comments mean to me! 
This weekend I'll be putting the finishing touches on my plans for my window display at Camas Antiques which I will be setting up the first part of next week!  This is the BIG project I keep mentioning!  I am super excited and a little nervous but can't wait to share it with you!  I've been collecting and storing bits and pieces for this display for months now and I think I am just about ready to pull it all together and unveil the vision!  Stay tuned my friends!
 
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda



I will be joining in on the following parties:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Potpourri Party at 2805
Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove
Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest