Monday, July 9, 2012

The Birth of the Holiday Shelf

So I'd been noticing all these Pins on Pinterest and these pictures on blogs that I follow about holiday decor on mantles. Very inspiring! Problem is, I have no mantle. Short of going out and buying one of those tacky-looking fake fireplaces, or moving to a house where there IS a fireplace, I wasn't sure how to remedy the situation. So I kept on gazing in awe at the lovely pictures all these creative folks continued to post...thinking of how I would creatively decorate my own mantle for different holidays...and decided I would do it someday when I had a fireplace!

Then I stumbled upon a lovely blog post from Brieanna over at Darling Doodles. It was called "Holiday Shelf". And THIS I could work with!

So began my quest to create my home's perfect Holiday Shelf. I explained the whole idea to my husband, who scratched his head and looked at me in confusion.

"I don't get it," he said. "We have shelves here. Why do we need a Holiday Shelf? Where are you going to put it? And are you going to change it out for every little holiday? I mean, how much is this going to cost?"

I reminded him that I had wanted to keep the Christmas tree up year round and change out the decor for every holiday, and he had very firmly told me no on that front. I explained that a Holiday Shelf would be MUCH more cost effective than a Holiday Tree...and he had to agree on that point. He still didn't understand, but I promised him that once he SAW my creation, he would love it. I knew he would!

Now, where does one go to begin any major crafting project? Why, Hobby Lobby, of course! I happened to find a lovely mirror and a nice shelf, the mirror for 80% off and the shelf for 30% off. I do love a sale! The problem was that they were both black, and I didn't want black. I wanted white. A can of primer and two cans of glossy white interior spray paint later, I was set.


Here is my lovely coat of primer being applied to my shelf. (Please excuse the garden rake and flower pot...it was windy that day and my fruit cobbler proclaiming newspaper was blowing quite violently!)

I also picked up a few different-sized frames at The Dollar Tree, and proceeded to paint those white, as well. The first picture is from before any priming/painting had begun. (Doesn't anyone sell white frames?) The second is in process. (Notice the lovely splattering? The can of primer decided to protest for some reason. Thank goodness we cleared that up.)





It would have been nice if I had remembered to take a shot of the mirror in transformation. Alas, I did not. I DID, however, happen to take a picture of how messy my hands got. Quite lovely.


After several days, several coats, several more explanations to my husband, and several very near misses with our very black kitten and this very white project (not to mention an entire episode of me trying to hang the mirror and shelf while my husband valiantly asssisted....that's for another blog)...voila! May I present, the Holiday Shelf!


Obviously it was decorated for the 4th of July when I finished with it - I was so excited with how it turned out!!!


The bunting was created with scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby and some twine I had in my craft stash.



I snagged this cool printable from A Little Crafting and placed it into one of my new white frames.



The red vase came from Beall's Outlet, and the small blue jar from Hobby Lobby.



I LOVE this printable from Landee See, Landee Do! I inserted it into another of my Dollar Tree frames made over. Might just be my favorite thing on the shelf =) But I also really like the American flag decorative ball...another Hobby Lobby steal!



All in all, quite festive, right? I'd LOVE to see YOUR pics of your holiday mantle! Don't have one? How about a nice Holiday Shelf? =)


9 comments:

  1. I like the holiday shelf idea! I grew up in a house with a fireplace, and now that I don't have that mantle piece, I feel a little aimless when decorating for the holidays.

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    1. Me too, Brianna! I'm thankful for good inspirations, though =)

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  2. This is adorable. I'm really in to banners/bunting now and just love yours. Did you sew it together or just punch holes? I'm pinning this one!

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    1. Thanks, Jeanette! I just used a mini hole-punch...I don't sew unless there's an extreme emergency, ha!

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  3. I never had a fireplace growing up, but my mom always decorated for holidays! I love your holiday shelf, makes me want to pull myself away from the computer and decorate!

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  4. Love your take on the bunting. Very cute idea! ~Danielle

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  5. Cute! I especially like the banner. I have a holiday shelf too, but it is the top of a bookshelf in our living room. I call it my "fantle"-fake mantle because we have no fireplace! There are so many cute and inexpensive things you can do-have fun!

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