Provence Inspired Holiday Mantle

 This year I decided to try something a little different

 on our big wooden mantle

 I ordered 2 dozen packages of lavender, 

that came wrapped in little kraft paper bundles 

and some dried vines with faux bittersweet berries

 I just sort of started working with the vines and then decided a base of some sort would look interesting too, so I added 3 vintage French bread baskets

 I was thinking of using glass balls which would have looked great too but I had a big basket of these old rag balls and guess what....?

 They looked really interesting 

and were really easy to tuck into little niches 

and spots all along the vines

 Using the lavender already wrapped like this actually saves a ton of time and mess.

I pretty much had the thing done and realized I was missing something...hummm

 Hey why not stick a few bread boards in behind the vines!

 The biggest challege was getting the balance right...but this arrangement is so free form that you can keep playing with it until you like how it looks

 I have to admit I started thinking of all sorts of things to add to this display but then thought it might start to look like a French flea market!

 It is kind of a messy project and there were little orange BB's of styrafoam everywhere not to mention lavender...but it smells wonderful!

 I really like those bread boards on the mantle...

those might just stay there after the Holidays

 I can't beleive there are just a few weeks

 left in  2011...where did this year go?

happy decorating!

xo

kelley