21 March 2010

spring mantel decor

Remember the before?  My mantel is now decorated and ready for spring. I wanted to keep it simple and to brighten up the dark wood by using shades of white.

These are the dogwood branches before ...

... and these are the dogwood branches after! In their natural state, the branches were lost against the dark wood of the mantel and didn't work with the rest of my accessories so I painted them.  After priming them, I sprayed them with a coat of flat white paint. Much better and it took less than 1/2 hour to transform them.

I used a vintage silver tray to break up the expanse of mirror, added a couple of urns and covered pots along with metal birds and a handful of plastic eggs that I purchased last year.

In the urns, I added paper shreds to resemble nests then tucked a few eggs in them.

Here's the final result! I'm loving the branches and they'll work with all my seasonal decorations ... at least until I'm tired of them. :) Other than the spray paint, I had everything else on hand.

And spring is officially here!  I have a few purple crocus that are almost blooming ... maybe this week they'll be out.  The robins and red-winged blackbirds have returned and the garden is getting greener everyday.

Happy Spring!

13 comments:

  1. Fantastic. You've done an excellent job. You should be really pleased.

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  2. Hello Lynda and happy spring to you...your mantel looks beautiful, fresh and like spring time to me. Love the sprayed white branches, they stand out so beautifully from the woodwork. Your photos as always, are stunning.

    Ruth

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  3. It looks wonderful, Lynda! Love that you just changed those branches to something that worked in so little time. Your mantel is all ready for Easter now!

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  4. That was a new twist...I was told that I hadn't read the word verification properly; therefore, I filled out a new one and got a double comment. Always something with blogger.

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  5. The "after" is sooo lovely, Lynday-... I love all the frosty white and silver--what a great change! :o) happy Days ((HUGS))

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  6. You've made a lovely display. the branches look great!

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  7. Lynda, I love your mantel. Is it walnut? I love that stain as it's my favorite wood coloring. Love, love, love it!

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  8. So pretty ~ love the ornate wood mantel.

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  9. Branches are such a natural way to decorate to bring a bit of the outdoors inside!Lynda you did a lovely job in the way you arranged the mantel!
    Happy Spring! I'll call you next week. hugs xo

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  10. Just lovely!! I have been saving a lot of dogwood branches without knowing what to do with them. Painting is a great idea! Have a super weekend, Lynda. xo – g

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  11. How fun is your mantel. I have my very first mantel in my first home and I am a miss on how to add some spice to it. You have done such a lovely job!

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  12. Hello Lynda!

    The branches are beautiful. Happy spring to you as well. I was simply delighted to see spring arrive.

    Wishing you beautiful Easter.

    Smiles...

    Beverly

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