Welcome, everyone! If you have made your way here from the Holiday Idea Exchange, I am so delighted to have you here at Positively Splendid!
Without a doubt, my favorite holiday decorating project each year is my Christmas mantel. I love using my imagination to come up with a new design year after year! This year’s Christmas mantel is one that exudes traditional holiday appeal, incorporating plenty of handmade elements to give the display a homespun feel. Allow me to give you the full tour!
Taking center stage in the display is a project that I’ve been dreaming of for many months, after first seeing a giant cross stitch sampler on the cover of Country Living earlier this year. There is a long history of cross-stitching in my family, starting with my great-grandmothers and continuing down through the generations, so being able to use that craft in this display is very meaningful to me! I just love the sweet simplicity of this piece, and it really was so simple to make.
Using a piece of foam core board as the foundation and red and charcoal grey yarn, I cross-stitched the lyrics from my favorite Christmas carol, Joy to the World. To set things off and draw the eye in, I framed the stitching with a large grapevine wreath. I am going to be sharing the full how-to for this project later this week, so I hope you’ll stop back by!
Making their second mantel appearance are the cuffed Christmas stockings I stitched up for last year’s mantel. I think I love them even more today than I did last year! For all of the details for how these come together, plus the free PDF pattern download you need to make a set of your own, be sure to venture over to my Classic Cuffed Christmas Stocking post. Stockings like these can be handed down for generations, and they are a very straightforward sewing project, even for beginners!
Adding plenty of texture and sparkle to the display are some pretty gold ornaments, greenery and flocked pine cones.
Two miniature potted pine trees and vibrant red poinsettias (all purchased at Ikea–no watering required!) frame the display. I really love the clean symmetry of this design!
P.S. Even if you don’t have a mantel, displays like this one can be used to adorn any flat surface in a home: shelves, consoles, or even piano tops will do!
I am so glad you stopped in tonight on this stop on the Holiday Idea Exchange Pinterest event!
I hope you’ll consider adding YOUR best holiday ideas to the board, as well, so your projects can be shared with thousands of other like-minded creative enthusiasts!
Here’s how you can participate in tonight’s soiree:
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Important: Follow the Holiday Idea Exchange Pinterest board so you can see all of the wonderful ideas shared throughout the event!
- To have your holiday ideas added re-pinned to the board by one of the event co-hosts, pin AND tweet your new holiday projects using the #holidayideaexchange hashtag. (Please note that the event hosts will be following the hashtag on Twitter and then pinning the ideas to the board, so in order for us to find your projects in a timely fashion, tweeting is a must!)
- Projects can be for any fall/winter holiday (Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s, etc.), and they can be anything from gift ideas to recipes to home decor projects–and everything in between!
- Participants are limited to five total projects.
- If, for some reason, you don’t see your project re-pinned even after you have pinned and tweeted, please feel free to send a direct Twitter message to one of the event hosts, and we’ll make sure to get you re-pinned.
The party kicked off at 8 PM Central and will conclude at 10 PM, so don’t delay! Make sure to pin and tweet to ensure your project gets added to the mix of FABULOUS ideas, some of which are displayed below!
I am honored to be co-hosting this event tonight with a group of truly talented women!
Be sure to follow all 10 creative bloggers on Pinterest!
Four Generations One Roof | Nest of Posies | No. 2 Pencil | Positively Splendid | Simple As That | SNAP | Tatertots and Jello | Thistelwood Farms | TidyMom | Two Twenty One
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
Love your Christmas mantel! You had me at the stockings! Thanks so much for hosting the idea exchange….this is so much fun!
Happy day!
karianne
Thanks so much, KariAnne! I love the stockings, too. And it was wonderful having you on the idea exchange team!
GORGEOUS mantel, Amy! Makes me really wish I had one to decorate in our home. I absolutely LOVE the cross-stitched Joy to the World art!
Oh my goodness I love this! It is picture perfect 🙂
Your decorations are gorgeous! Makes it even more special since most of it are personalized. Hope you can share more DIY ideas!
Thank you so much, Bev!
I love, love, LOVE the cross-stitch art! The entire mantel is so pretty!
Thank you so much, Heidi!