Summer Mantel

Yes, I know it's basically the end of July so technically it's a little late for a summer mantel post, but what can I say?? We actually had a 4th of July mantel and I never took pictures so this is it.

Actually the mantel is sort of a new point of struggle for me. When we did our kitchen renovation, we got rid of our giant dinosaur tv and bought a sweet new flatscreen. We put the tv above the fireplace because it's really the only logical spot based on the new arrangement of furniture. Our living room is very open but kind of spatially awkward. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually but right now I'm trying to work with what I have.

The new tv is fun but also pretty darn big. It hangs on a large swivel arm so that it can be extended or turned to face the kitchen. The whole contraption including the tv itself is pretty thin so it sits fairly close to the wall but it still takes up a lot of wall space! Figuring out what to put on the mantel is a challenge because we need to be able to extend the swivel arm. It obviously wouldn't be very convenient if things were always getting knocked over or needed to be moved. 

I picked up a few cheap house plants at Home Depot. My sweet girl helped choose them and insisted on at least one being pink! The little pot was also from the Depot and cost just a few dollars. It looks extra bright in the picture; it's really more of a spring green and adds a nice pop of color. I already had the lantern and I made the book bundle the other day with a few old paperbacks and some paper bags and twine.

The basket came from TJ Maxx and was intended for the guest bath but apparently I was thinking of someone else's bathroom when I was shopping because the colors didn't work at all! I like that the basket fills in this side of the mantel with a little color and also a little texture. I think it was $8. So for about $20, I have a summery and colorful mantel to greet our guests this weekend. 

How would you decorate the mantel while avoiding the tv??

Thanks for visiting!

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