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!
Rhoda, it looks so pretty. Nice job! May I ask where you got your carpet in there? And, what is the day to day upkeep like?
thanks
Hi, Kathy, that is a jute rug that I got from Overstock.com, less than $200 for an 8×10 . It’s been very nice. It is much softer than seagrass which I have in the DR. Better on the feet, but still not as soft as wool carpet. I’ve heard jute is pretty good although I’m not sure they can handle animals and stains very well. I don’t get that much wear in the LR, so it’s been fine. I just vacuum it once a week.
Oh Rhoda, it is magical. It looks like it is straight from a magazine . . but with an amazing charm added. I love all the little touches and the sparkle. I am a sucker for shimmer and sparkle. Beautiful.
So pretty I just LOVE it Rhoda…..what a nice change.
I am so attached to my Christmas things that I just can’t change. I add here and there…. that’s how I change. Everything I have has a memory and this year especially will be a hard one, we are now empty-nesters, bitter sweet… My daughter graduated Nov 19 and she moved out West on Monday. St Simons Island was fantastic we had a ball, my son came too. Then we were all together back home for Thanksgiving. On the bright side we have a nice Winter destination now 🙂
So this week-end I will put on my Christmas music and start decorating just like all the Christmas pasts……only this year there will be an extra tear or two……
I have missed blogging…..I cant wait to catch up !!!
All the best Rhoda,
Kathy 🙂
So so so gorgeous my friend! I just want to come over, plop down on your sofa, and soak in the beauty!
xo
Kate
What a lovely and peaceful room. I’ve gone simpler with my decorating this year too.
Sherry @ A Happy Valentine
That looks gorgeous. I’ve been using some touches of aqua in my living room but haven’t decided yet about the holiday color. Love mercury glass! Just did a Christmas design for Holiday home tour and I notice a lot more blue used in decorations this year.
Happy Holidays!
Hi Rhoda,
Your mantle is just beautiful as is the rest of your home. I have read your blog for a while now and thought it was time to say hello!
Happy Holidays!
Kathy
Rhoda…your blues are blinging! I love that you kept with simple but still lots of sparkle. This year I went through a lot of my stuff to try to tone down the Christmas chaos…simple but dramatic! And you did that perfectly! Everything is just lovely and stunning…why I am not surprised! Have a wonderful day Rhoda!
Ashley
I need all that blue decor…those are my colors! So very pretty!
It looks so beautiful! I am coveting those little aqua bow ornaments. 🙂
Looks beautiful! WOW, did those moss wreaths keep all year?
Thanks for sharing and thanks for hosting the vignette party.
Brittany
http://www.prettyhandygirl.com
Hi Rhoda, Simple. Pretty. Elegant. Blue…. you said it perfectly! I love your mantel and all the pretty blue touches you added. I can’t wait to do something similar net year in my new little cottage but for this year I will keep with my Candy Cane Lane Mantel. Thank you for sharing! I’m hoping to Link Up to your party too!
Hugz,
Kim
Yours is one of my favs from the mantel party. It’s so pretty!!! The longer I look at your photos, the more great ideas I see. I love the mercury glass.
I linked to your post on my blog – firstadream.blogspot.com/
So merry and bright. Love it.
What a lovely mantle, I love decorating with colors other than just red and green for Christmas!
Agua is my favorite color, the mantle is beautiful!
This is gorgeous Rhoda! I love it so much!
What a gorgeous color- aqua! You’ve made a beautiful holiday display!