Fall Mantel Garland

I can’t believe it’s already September! I would like to say we are having some lovely fall weather, but it is going to be in the mid-90’s here for the rest of the week.

Since dead grass and scorching heat aren’t nearly as festive, I decided it was time to do some fall decorating, and since the mantle is my main focal point,  I started there.

I fell in love with these two great owls at Pier One Imports the other day, so I began by flanking my giant mirror with those.  It was definitely still too plain, so I thought a garland was just what I needed.

Here is what I used:

• One yard of plain burlap

• One bottle of DecoArt Dazzling Metallics paint  in Worn Penny
  

• A roll of jute (or any type of other string you want)

• Turquoise, or any other color of plain fabric

• A large piece of paper and a Sharpie

• And some alphabet stencils (unless you can freehand … I can’t)

First measure off a piece of jute, or string, the length you want to stretch across your mantle. Next draw a triangle on a piece of paper and cut it out.

Then double your burlap fabric and trace four triangles on it.

Once you cut your triangles, repeat this with your solid colored fabric.

Next I stenciled the word fall, using my copper paint, onto the four burlap triangles (one letter per triangle).   You don’t need to use much paint when you are stenciling, if you use too much it will seep under the stencil.

Then I folded over the triangles onto my jute. I did one burlap piece and then one turquoise piece as I went along.

I then hot glued the fronts to the backs of all of my triangles. Be careful when you glue them together, you don’t need much glue … and if you use too much it will ooze through the burlap. I didn’t glue all of the way to the jute — I stopped about half an inch short so that I could slide my triangles to where I wanted to position them.

Last, I tucked the ends of both sides of the jute under the books I had on each end to hold them in place.

That’s it; super easy!

I love how it added that pop of color to the room! Come back tomorrow to see part two of my fall mantel update!

Fall Mantel Garland