Christmas Mantel DIY

I've written a post before about how much I am obsessed with the company Unfinished Wood Co. They have the cutest monogrammed items that you can customize to match your decor. Now that Christmas is coming up I wanted a Christmas mantel for my living room. I was getting bored of my silver mirror I had up simply because it wasn't a huge eye catcher. I'd been scouring the internet and Pinterest for inspiration. Here are a few of my favorites....

Source

Source

As you can see I have a slight theme to my obsession with mantles. I really wanted something with a deer head or antlers. I DID not want a real deer head that had been mounted because that's not my style. It seemed like I was having a hard time at all the stores I went to however finding a cute deer head. Then I lucked out on Groopdealz  and found an amazing deal on Unfinished Wood Company's Antler Monogram. 

I feel like this could be used year round if you have a rustic look to your home, but I wanted it specifically for my Christmas mantle. Therefore, as soon as it came in the mail I knew what I wanted to do with it. I ran to Home Depot and got their 12 oz. Gloss Apple Red General Purpose Spray Paint. 

I love Rust-Oleum spray paint! It always looks great on my projects plus it's a great deal since you get paint and primer in one. For my project I also needed red fine glitter. I already had some in my craft supplies so I gathered everything and went out side to get to work. I started by laying out my monogram on plastic sheeting and placed rocks along the edges to hold the plastic down in case a stray wind decided to mess up my project. I then started spraying. I used 2 coats of the Rust-Oleum to cover the whole thing and make sure no excess wood was showing. I don't think I even used half the container so I have extra for my next Unfinished Wood Co. project I'll be starting once my antler ornaments come in. 

As soon as I finished spraying before the paint was dry I got to work shaking glitter all over the piece.  I used the wet stickiness of the spray paint before it dried to stick the glitter to the antler monogram. I then left it sitting outside for 30-60 minutes to allow ample time to dry. 

As you can see there is glitter everywhere. That is exactly why I did it outside and on top of plastic. Once it was dry I gingerly picked it up and let the loose glitter fall off onto the plastic. I contemplated trying to conserve some of the excess glitter, but decided it just wasn't worth my time during the busy Christmas season. I then bundled up the plastic and threw it all in a bag and straight to my dumpster. After that I carried my new Antler Monogram into my living room and hung it on my mantle.

I still have more to do to "complete" my mantle, but I love how the glitter monogram looks with the glitter on the candle centerpiece and the glitter in the Merry Christmas banner. I think it takes time to accumulate all you need to have a full mantle like the ones you see on Pinterest. I think for our first Christmas in this house I'm pretty proud of what we have so far. I especially love our tree!

Friday Favorite: Unfinished Wood Co.

I'm officially obsessed with this new store I found through GroopDealz called Unifinished Wood Co. I typically like to DIY my own wreaths for my front door, but if you're not into going through the whole process of making your own you can always go over to Unifinished Wood Co. and buy one of their super cute Baltic Birch Plywood door hangers and just paint it whatever color you want. In my post from Easter I showed their Bunny Monogrammed door hanger. I was short on time so I just painted it a Robin's Egg Blue and hung it up on my door. I think next year I'll add a cute bow or maybe even little flowers. 

I was browsing their site today to find some new ideas for my front door or even for other places in my home. Here are a few of my favorites...

This one would look so cute with some of the new fall decorations that you can find at Kirklands! I can't wait to decorate my front "porch" for Fall!!

This could be cute as a "guest book" idea at a wedding or just in your home to show your state pride. GO GEORGIA!

This would be perfect in a kitchen painted with chalkboard paint to write little messages on or to even write your menu on

 

This one would work great during the summer..especially since it seems like anchors are really popular lately

<3 Kelly Jean

Seasonal Wreath Ideas

Since we've moved into our new house I've been trying to come up with ideas for wreaths that match the season or the holiday. Here's a few I've made so far...

This cute little monogrammed bunny was for Easter. I got the cutout from Unfinished Wood Co. through a deal site called Groopdealz. It arrived a little later than I expected so I only had time to paint it before it was already Easter weekend. Next year I think I'll add a cute little bow.

This one was one I created to Welcome Spring. I made a burlap wreath then added a few floral decorations as well as a burlap bunting that matches the flower color. It looks really nice on our front porch with the pink flowers in the stone planters.

Now, it's almost July 4th and time to celebrate being an American. I'm trying to decide what wreath I want to make now. I really want something patriotic, but I don't know exactly what I want. 

Here's a few of the Pinterest inspirations I have found....

Photo Credits

Photo Credits

Photo Credits

Photo Credits

Now I just have to decide what I want to do for my patriotic wreath for July. It looks like it's time for me to go shopping at my local craft stores. I think the first place I'll hit up is Michael's since they are having 15% off your entire purchase from 3pm-7pm today.

<3 Kelly Jean