I’mmmmm dreaming of a bluuuuue Christmas.
OK, not really that kind of blue. I don’t want to feel blue, but with bringing some aqua blue into the living room this year, it only seemed fitting that I should add some pretty blue to the mantel for Christmas as well.
And I kept it much simpler than year’s past. I found 2 aqua mercury glass balls and figured out a way to make them a focal point and they were a fun find. Also picked up a $5 roll of blue and white ribbon from Old Time Pottery, so those were the only additions. The rest of the blues were things I picked up last year in the after Christmas sales. I love to open my bins and find stuff from the previous year that I promptly forgot about!
And here we have the aqua mantel. I’m really diggin’ it a lot. I used a simple icey garland with pinecones that I found last year and reinvented the Target wreath that I found several years ago. It has a really natural feel and I can use it anywhere. Simple, but elegant. That’s what I was going for this year.
I hung up the old gold picture frame that gets a lot of use around here, added the Target wreath in the middle. With the addition of a few small blue balls, it pops now. I think I found those aqua beads at Target last year and they were perfect for what I had in mind. I just draped them and added a few ornaments in strategic spots.
I thought the blue insulators would fit right into my scheme too and they look so pretty with the lights shining next to them.
I love these pretty blue mercury glass ornaments (from Hob Lob). They were perfect for what I had in mind! Did you know you can’t take a pic of these without getting your own reflection? 
The 2 wreaths that I made last year out of moss collected from our woods are hanging from the iron sconces (which were yardsale finds last year). I looped the ribbon around them and that was it. 
These 2 clear glass candlesticks are from Pottery Barn, but you can bet I didn’t buy them from the store. Yep, yardsale finds for $1 each. Perfect for showcasing my new glass orbs.
Simple. Pretty. Elegant. Blue.
Check!
Here you can see my homemade moss wreaths. I love their natural green and brown hues and simply added a blue bell from each for some sparkle and shine. The snowflake ribbon adds some glimmer too.
That aqua bowl was a yardsale find too and I loved bringing in all these pretty shades of blue for my mantel. The white pattern in the middle reminds me of snowflakes. 
Draped beads and a few ornaments keep it simple.
These are so shimmery and glimmery, love that! As much as I love natural things for Christmas, I can never resist some sparkle and shine too.
You can see the pretty snowflake ribbon here.
So, that’s my mantel this year! I really love the blue accents in here and how it adds some nice cheer. 
Thanks so much for stopping by to see my mantel this year!
It’s always fun to change things up and come up with new ideas.
A glass cloche from Willow House sits on top of my pottery bowl. 
I love adding shiny baubles in bowls this time of year too.
Pile them in a bowl and cover with glass. Instant elegance!
Are you doing anything different this year?
Don’t forget to stop by Layla’s Mantel party and link up your mantel too.
NOTE: She’s putting up her linky post at 12 Noon Central today. It’s so much fun to see what everyone does. Lots of inspiration out there! Just click the pic to go on over!
My vignette party will be coming up this Thursday, December 2nd, so I hope you’re getting ready to join me and the Linky too.
A vignette can be anything: table top, foyer, buffet, sofa table, coffee table, shelves, so many places to do fun vignettes, one of my favorite things to do. I’ll be sharing my kitchen!
The winner of the $50 Chantelle Nicole jewelry giveaway is lucky #44, Sylvia, who said this:
Love the little gems necklace. It would be a perfect gift for a dear friend.
I’ve emailed Sylvia already, congrats!
Gorgeous Rhoda! Love the aqua…I found some nice aqua colored mercury glass at walmart this year but don’t know if I’m using it yet.
Oh my, Rhonda! It’s gorgeous! I love all the little details.
Hoping to find time to work on a vignette before Thursday!
I love every image you have shared with us … my favorite? Wreaths hanging from sconces! Genius.
So pretty. I would never have thought of aqua-I stay pretty traditional. But, it worked so beautifully. Great job.
what a treat to see aqua blue!!!
i love it. it’s so unexpected & beautiful. the overall impact is just gorgeous but it’s soft as well.
beautiful.
kellie
I love your blue mantle! I really like that your house seems “lighter” these days, it is nice to see how small changes here and there make can have such a big effect!
What an interesting mantel! I love it! It’s nice when people branch out of the usual colors of red and green [though I am totally guilty of using those colors all the time for Christmas]. Once more, it’s festive without overpowering the room with a bunch of holiday stuff. Great job! Love your house!
Gorgeous Rhoda! I’m loving those blue mercury glass balls! It’s such an elegant display. Nicely done girl!
It’s beautiful, Rhoda! I love the twist on tradition.
i’m thinking about adding some aqua to my christmas decorations this year too! i’m in love with this color!
Oh! It’s SO pretty Rhoda! I just love it!!
what a beautiful and unique mantle decoration! looks so beautiful with the aqua blue color, it definitely adds sophistication to your design. I am doing an all gold Christmas tree this year, can’t wait to finish decorating to show it off 😉
So, elegant!
Mr. Goodwill Hunting
http://mrgoodwillhunting.blogspot.com
So beautiful!!! I am in love.
Rhoda,
Let me ask you something. You see that Christmas decoration changes every year, there’s alway a new color, new trend, new, new, new… 🙂 Does everyone usually change their decorations every year? How do you apply a new trend, or you always keep the things you already had, add some new and voilà!
I love every and single picture you posted. That’s just so fresh and beautiful. The first year of my marriage, my husband and I decided that we would decorate our Christmas tree with blue, silver and some white. We use it still, adding some new items almost every year, but I was wondering… are we gonna be stuck with these colors for how long? lol Should I invest in a new tree for another room? Oh.. I need so much to do still! Does anyone feel overwhelmed too? lol… Oh, Very Merry Christmas! 🙂
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
PS: Rhoda, I know you’re a busy-busy woman, but if you have a minute, please, go say “hi” to me on my blog. You make my day whenever you drop by. 🙂 Thanks!!!
Genius Rhoda. Your whole living room is stunning! I’m loving the aquas this year too. Wow!
Beautiful Rhoda! I love the PB/Yardsale candleholders, they look great!
Very lovely…. I did a post on turquoise last week and I thought it was lovely but not mine… I love what you did… very clever…
I LOVE your mantle! It is beautiful! We are in the process of renovating our new home we are just purchasing. It has 4 fireplaces! I have never had a fireplace mantle to decorate ever and am so excited about this! I am now following your blog and will follow on twitter as well, as I need all the design help I can get with the new house.