Welcome to the 302nd Metamorphosis Monday!
This weekend I decided it was time to give the living room mantel a little makeover for fall and Thanksgiving. This can be a fun room to spruce up for autumn because the warms tones in the judges paneling and the jewel tone colors of the fabrics always make a great backdrop for fall decorating.
Normally the mantel has a few books and Staffordshire doggies on one end and the mantel clock on the other. For this makeover I took away the dogs and added a few fall and Thanksgiving touches.
I love this fall wreath and have been using it for ages. I’m can’t believe how well it’s held up all these years.
It was hanging on the front door and smothered in bats for Halloween. After a good de-bating, it was ready to go over the fireplace.
I already had the autumn-leaf garland, pinecones, wreath and pumpkins. The only thing new for this autumn mantel makeover is Mr. Turkey.
Mr. Turkey came from Marshalls a couple of months ago. My mantel is kind of on the skinny side (wish it were wider) so I sometimes have a hard time finding things with which to decorate it. Anyone else have the skinny mantel problem?
Mr. Turkey turned out to be the perfect size to incorporate into a fall-Thanksgiving display for the mantel.
I’m not crazy about cold weather but I really do love the beautiful red, orange and gold colors of autumn.
The pumpkins have been used many times over the years in fall tablescapes.
This is the only place where this clock will fit on the mantel due to the depth of the mirror and a tiny handle that sticks out from the little door on the back of the clock.
Mr. Turkey is keeping watch, happy to be on the mantel and not headed for the Thanksgiving dinner table. 😉
Are you decorating your home for fall now or is it all done? Or, are you working on your Christmas decorating?
I’ve heard from a several folks who are already decorating for Christmas and I love that they are doing what makes them happy. If you want to decorate for Christmas now, go for it! I’m going to hang my wreaths on my outside windows in the next few days so I can enjoy them longer this year. It always seems like I just get them up and it’s time to take them down.
There are no decorating laws and I promise the Thanksgiving police will not coming knocking on your door if they see a wreath or Christmas decoration before Thanksgiving has come and gone. 😉 There’s only one decorating rule and that rule is: Decorate your home in whatever way makes you and your family most happy. That’s it!
Need a little inspiration for your fall mantel? Check out these two previous fall mantels!
Welcome Autumn With a Book-Lovers Mantel
Looking forward to the other Before and Afters for this Met Monday!
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Adorable turkey Susan and your wreath looks a little less spooky on your mantle 🙂
Hi Susan. Your Fall mantel looks great. I so miss having a fireplace to decorate (and to keep warm in front of in this cold weather). My Fall decorations are mostly put away and I’m starting to think about Christmas. Not quite ready to have it out yet. Thanks so much for hosting. Hope you have a great week!
You go, Girl! I think I’m going to be right behind you. Love this time of year!
Hi Susan,
Your mantle looks lovely! I spent the day yesterday decorating, I’m ready for Christmas! I won’t be home for Thanksgiving, my decorating time is limited, and I love Christmas, so my house is now looking all festive! I’m not sure I have ever done it all in one day, but I seriously spent the entire day and evening working on the tree, mantle, stairway, and even my tablescapes. I still have to hang the wreaths on the windows and get a fresh wreath as soon as I see them out there.
Wow, you got a lot done! I know it feels so good to stand back and see all that you accomplished in one day!
Good Monday Morning, Susan! Your mantel is nicely done. I don’t decorate for Thanksgiving (and, regretfully, don’t have a mantel at all!). Just finished styling booth spaces for the holidays, but not my home. My neighbor put his lights up (not on) this past weekend simply bc the weather was nice, and he’ll be out of town the next couple weeks. I used a pass this weekend and did nothing much more than read, lol. Have a great week, and thank you for hosting the party.
Those are the best kind of weekends, Rita…just relaxing and reading.
Hi Susan! I love that your wreath can go from Halloween to Thanksgiving…saves on finding a place to store multiple wreaths! I don’t know why I had never looked closely at the mirror over your mantel…gorgeous! Have a great week!…hugs…Debbie
Thanks, Debbie! I found that in one of the antique shops in Marietta about 18-20 years ago. Sadly that shop is gone now.
I always say your family room looks so similar to our living room and looks like we have the same problem with the narrow mantel too. But then again, I have the same problem in the family room mantel too. I love the way you decorated your mantel including the mirror that is already there…Christine
Christine…what were those folks thinking when they gave us those skinny mantels! lol We need space to decorate!
I love that Thanksgiving is finally asserting itself and people aren’t bypassing it to jump to Christmas [one of my children was born on Thanksgiving so, this is a big deal at our house!] Love your happy turkey amidst the falling leaves! Thanks for all the Monday fun, Susan~
Awww, that is so wonderful Jenna…you have an extra special reason to celebrate!
Hi Susan! I’m excited to share the screened porch on my new home today! Your porch was my first inspiration and what had me longing for one of my own. That was a key “must have” when we began house hunting. Thanks for all you do to inspire!
Blessings,
Patti
Patricia, email me a link so I can see it! It would take me a while to find it among all the links today. You can email the link to [email protected]
Love those bats on the entryway. What did you use to tack them up that stayed stuck????
Janet, they are just held in place with duct tape, but I had to hotglue the duct tape to each bat…it wouldn’t stick to the bats. Here’s the tutorial: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/halloween-porch-decorations-with-flying-bats/
Thank you for the party, Susan- I enjoyed your fall decor! 🙂 Have a great week!
Thanks, Joy!
Very warm, cozy and comfortable, this is what Thanksgiving is all about, I love this room and the Beautiful mantel you designed!!!
Hi Susan! I agree that your living room is just MADE for Fall decorating. Your mantle looks great. I don’t like cold weather either…that’s why I live in The South.
Hi Susan. Your mantel looks great and I love Mr. Turkey. I actually saw a house all decked out for Christmas with lights and decorations last night. That’s probably the earliest that I’ve ever seen. Thank you for hosting and have a great week!
Thanks, Suzy! It’s a lot of work to hang lights so I can understand why folks do it early. Lucky you, you get to see it! 🙂
Your family room is so warm and inviting. The mantel looks perfect! I cleared mine of seasonal decorating for a bit. Waiting to get the Christmas up there but I won’t do that until Thanksgiving is done. I did add some Thanksgiving decorating elsewhere though! I lucked out when my mantel was built in that I got the opportunity to ask for a deeper mantel. I guess the builders don’t understand the concept of making the mantel deep enough so a person can actually put some things on it! Thanks for hosting!!
Thanks, Liz! lol Exactly…they aren’t thinking about all the decorating we like to do. I like to stick a few more things up there other than just a candle stick or two. I should have put a fire in the fireplace for the pictures…now I think of it. 🙂
Susan: I love the warm cozy feel of this room. It is such a nice break from all the white rooms with white furniture. Wood can be beautiful too.
I so agree, Pam. I love light and airy but sometimes you just need warm and cozy, too…especially in the fall and winter. 🙂
Thanks for hosting, Susan. I love how your mantel turned out…such a cozy look with all the fall leaves. Mr. Turkey is pretty cute too. Have a wonderful week.
Blessings,
Nici
Thanks, Nici!
Your Fall wreath is beautiful, not just the colors, but I am particularly fond of the shape of White Oak leaves. I don’t know what it is about them, but they are my favorite of the Autumn leaves. It is funny, that I didn’t even remember the wreath from your batty front door decor, I guess I was too focused on the bats to even notice it!
lol Yeah, it was completely obliterated by bats! The kids loved it on Halloween night…even the adults got a kick out of it. 🙂
Love your mantle, Susan! The mantle over my stone fireplace is only about 4.5 inches wide, so I’m limited on what I can do with it. Still, I was able to decorate it with some beautiful mercury glass votive and pillar candle holders. I recycled my mercury glass and other decorative pumpkins from Halloween into a festive dinner table, buffet top, and console table behind my living room sofa. It’s a glittery, elegant Thanksgiving look. This is the first time ever that I’ve decorated my home for Thanksgiving; thank you, Susan for inspiring me! :0)
That sounds beautiful, Elena! Those mercury glass pumpkins really work for great for Halloween and Thanksgiving, don’t they? Love that!
Love the warm and cozy décor of your den. We must be of the same generation, your brass candlesticks are a giveaway. And the magazines are showing more brass in fashion, although mine never was put away. Thank you for a pretty fall posting.
Yep, I love brass, even when it wasn’t cool to love brass anymore. I never put mine away either since I still loved seeing it. The pieces I have are Baldwin and Virginia MetalCrafters so they have held up well. You might like enjoy this older post, Jean: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/brass-is-back-baby/
De-batted, lol. 😀 You know, I am always so busy looking at the way you decorate your mantel, I haven’t really noticed the mantel itself. The combination of the warm, honey tones of the wood and the warm brick tones make a very cozy fireplace setting. Some fireplaces look ‘cold’ to me, which is the opposite of how I think they should look! But yours is very warm and inviting and cozy looking.
I too had a very narrow mantel in our last home. I found painted objects like Mister turkey that were essentially ‘flat’ like him and they looked cute. Those and some smallish candles and carefully placed garland (I had to hold it in place with small nails so it wouldn’t slip off the narrow ledge) and it still managed to give it that homey look. But I agree, a deeper mantel would be preferable.
It’s about to get coooold here, Susan. I’m not ready! 🙁
Your mantle looks so pretty Susan! Thanks so much for hosting!
It looks so warm and inviting! I can almost smell the turkey roasting!
Such a perfect mantel for Fall decorating Susan!
Thanks for the party, and have a great week!!
Thanks, Doreen!
Thanks for the party, Susan. I love your mantel — perfect for fall! 🙂
Thanks, Dee!
Susan, Your mantel looks lovely for Thanksgiving!
Looks great! Really cute Mr. Turkey. Mantels just are never wide enough. Mine are wide but they have an electric plug in middle so that poises another problem -not being totally flat in the middle. Happy Thanksgiving!
Susan, your mantel looks festive and beautiful. I love your Judge’s paneling. Thanks for hosting, and have a wonderful week.
Thanks, Michael! XO
Love the mantle Susan! I have two very similar pumpkins ( a little more orange’y) that I bought a few years ago…for just two pieces, they really pack a colorful autumn punch wherever I use them.
A great cozy look all around!
What a perfect mantel Susan – Mr Turkey is too fun for words !
Also love your decorating rule that there is no rules – that’s what I go by !
( Although my John prefers ” rules ” LOL )
Have yourself a wonderful week
Hugs,
Suzan
Yeah, I like that rule a lot! 😉
Susan ~ Loving your mantel with Mr Turkey! Oh goodness I don’t know what direction I am going with decorating for Christmas this year. I bought a few new things last year but I don’t think it was a hit with my family. My daughter just told me two days ago that I could sell/donate the new stuff ‘if I wanted’. Ha! We will see……
Ohhh, Jan, that’s like a punch right in the tummy! Ouch.
Jan, I wonder if it’s because the other decorations take her back to her childhood. I know sometimes children want everything to remain the same as they remember it. We want to play and try new things and they want memories and nostalgia. 🙂
Susan, your mantle looks lovely, I am sure I heard Mr. Turkey *sigh* at being reprieved!! 🙂
We have our Thanksgiving in October, so I am ready to begin Christmas in a couple of weeks. My Christmas village would go up now, but have been sick since I had the flu shot. I have to decorate around the t.v. on the mantle in the living room.
Mention Christmas to hubby and he blanches, as he knows it is time to haul all the stuff from the crawl space. Each year, I notice a few things missing, I think he is gradually paring down!! 🙂
Megan, that is so funny. Poor hubby. I wonder where he is burying the bodies, lol. 😀
lol That sneaky guy! You better a close eye on him this year when you start taking things down! 🙂
Your fall and Thanksgiving mantel looks great, Susan! I’ve always loved your fireplace! 🙂 The silk fall leaves add a really nice touch, and so do the books.
Thank you for hosting Met Monday and have a great week!
Hugs,
Denise
So warm and inviting–especially with the weather change expected at the end of the week. Do you decorate your front door for Thanksgiving?
Thanks for the party. Your mantel looks lovely. I still have my Fall Decor…I love the vibrant colors…so I hate parting with it. I don’t decorate for Christmas but I do put up a little Winter Decor.
Beautiful, Susan and the Fall colours go so well with the warmth of the room. Re the mantel; do I dare suggest that you could probably have the shelf portion replaced with a wider one? Reason why, my mother-in-law (who was an avid Royal Doulton figurine collector) had a very similar fireplace to yours and she had it done without any damage to the surround.
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY! Warm hugs -Brenda-
P.S: Hope you received my email re the table cloths.
OMG, we have the EXACT same mantle! Like u, I find it difficult to decorate because it’s so narrow. At least my Byers Carolers fit on it. 2015 is the year I think I will replace my mantle and flak it with built ins- I need more display space for all my stuff! In addition to a wider mantle I want – plugs on either side, spotlight pointed over mantle, convert to gas from wood burning, glass fronted cabinets with lower cabinets for storage.
Beautiful job- mantles are always so tricky for me. Thanks for hosting! I’m starting a link party on Saturdays at 8 PM called “Found & Foraged” – I’d love it if you could stop by! http://www.averystreetdesign.com. Hope to see you.
I love your mantle and your rules! We have three short mantles over the fireplace wall and I would really like to have just one long one. It would make decorating lots easier. (I think!)
Hi Susan – love your fall mantel! Because I’m a big believer in no Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving, I really enjoy decorating for fall. When we built our house, I specifically requested a wide mantel to accommodate my Santa collection. It’s wonderful! We’ve given up wood fires for our new remote control gas logs…I’ve died and gone to heaven! Really, really enjoy everything you do!!