TO SHARE ON TWEAK IT TUESDAY....

I return to my fall mantel.  The process of decorating and creating vignettes is always a matter of tweaking, isn't it?  It is for me.  It's one thing to visualize something and another to physically achieve the look that pleases us.  

I knew I wanted to use my special "Give Thanks" and "Count Your Blessings" plates I bought several years ago, but they were barely visible against the white mantel background.  Thus the two mustard colored Pier One dinner plates I bought on impulse some years ago as well.  Now the plates "pop."  (Is that term used anymore?  For a while, EVERYTHING had to POP!)

I have only one small easel, which I couldn't find at the moment, so the Hobby Lobby heavy faux Indian corn holds the plates in place.

A dear friend grew birdhouse gourds last summer and gave me a couple of them.  I just LOVE the way this large one dried with such a beautiful patina!  I added a jute tassel and faux leaf to it.  Just a tweak with things I already had.

 And I tweaked .....

And tweaked...... 

Until the sun went down. Then I lit the candles, and I sat and admired my not-quite-perfect-but still-pretty mantel!

 

 Now, after looking at other fall mantels, I'm thinking of tweaking a bit more by adding some bare branches in containers to add some height near the ends of the mantel.  What do you think?

Sharing at : Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Hope you enjoyed my Tale of Tweaking.  I love to get comments!!

GOT THE BLUES ON VACATION.....

No, not sad blue, but blue as in blue skies and blue water......

Green River, Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

Seattle, Day and Night Blues 

And blue as in Blue Horizons hotel on Robson Street in Vancouver, B.C.

 and the beautiful blue background for jellyfish moves at the Vancouver aquarium......

Sharing at: The Dedicated House

FALL MANTEL

Suddenly I felt inspired, perhaps because of a rare moderate day instead of our recent oppressive heat, to gather Fall-ish items and arrange them on the fireplace mantel.  First, I wanted to deconstruct a Christmas decor item, bought over a year ago from the local thrift shop, to use as a pedestal for a faux pumpkin.  That turned out to be the most time-consuming (and frustrating) part of the project.  The metal cloche part of the item was permanently attached to the bottom, it seems, not just stuck into the foam block inside the base.  I finally broke it off, leaving a small metal rod in the center and projecting slightly above the level of the base.

I want to use the little nest and eggs in a future project.  I don't know about the "cloche." Any suggestions?

Top half of my 'deconstructed" Christmas decoration.

The bottom half transformed from Christmas to Autumn:

Bottom half of decoration with pumpkin and leaves.

Add books, leaves, candles, decorative plates, and other assorted treasures to create a pleasing homage to my favorite season of the year!                                                                                              

                                   

        

May our attitude be gratitude!

Sharing at:

Thrifty Decor Chick:

                                       

My Romantic Home:

                                          

The Dedicated House