I created my holiday memories mantle as a great way to easily display photos that are near to my heart along with some simple home decor items for a no fuss holiday mantle in partnership with Snapfish. #snapfishbloggers
This week started my most favorite time of year. The time of year when I throw holiday music on repeat and flash a Cheshire Cat grin at my husband while he rolls his eyes in response. Whatever. It IS the most wonderful time of the year. Decorating for the holidays has brought me joy for as long as I can remember.
Last year I hosted my first BIG family Christmas in our not-that-big home. We squished, it was cozy. Memories were made. No dinners were burned. Victory! Having a 4 month old baby I had to be realistic about my ability to truly deck the halls. Sad face. This year I’m in Buddy The Elf mode but having a one year old with no fear I’m a bit nervous about ornaments so my focus is directed at the mantle. A place which is still (thank goodness) out of reach.
I started by taking a few of my favorite family photos and turning them into true works of art by creating framed photo canvases from the Snapfish home decor options. This photo has a special story behind it and it was long overdue to come out of the digital world and become a part of our home.
This one is one of my personal favorites because it captures one of those proud parenting moments and the three people who mean the most to me in this world.
If we’re being honest I am one picky lady so I’ve always been hesitant to order anything pre-framed online. Being a bit of a control freak I want to choose every single piece of decor that comes into our home. The framed canvas prints looked nice online but I was shocked by just how nice they looked in person. The woodgrain is beautiful. I will 100% order these in the future. And if they ever add an option for a painted gold wood frame I’ll be all over that!
I gathered some simple decorations that suit my style, like these bottle brush trees. They were so inexpensive that I bought them in three different sizes. You see how that math worked out?
I found this glittery red JOY marquee decoration and had other plans for it. Quite frankly it looks wonderful saying joy but I knew it needed to say “oy” instead because then Craig and I could look at it every day while Kayla and Blake were on their third wind and laugh. If you’ve been reading along for a while then you know that we’re a multicultural family and celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Chinese New Year. Yep, this time of year is filled with things to celebrate. I just popped the bulbs out of the letter J and put it aside.
I added a few decorations from years past, like this silly looking Santa I bought the first year Craig and I decorated our home. We also have an elf on the shelf but he doesn’t move every night or run around the house creating carefully staged mischief . He just reports behavior both good and bad. He’s like the North Pole nannycam 🙂
A few years back we installed these photo ledges which are great since they help fill the tall space above our mantle in our mid-century modern exposed beam house. Their depth allows me to display a variety of photos and objects at different heights. They were originally espresso colored but I recently painted them white during our living room makeover.
I pulled my two favorite wreaths out of the shed – one is all white feathers and the other is a flocked turf green one that I have used in the past for this kid friendly wreath.
Then decided I wanted to create my own holiday phrase canvas as wall art. I have a few that I’ve picked up at places like Nordstrom and figured why not make my own that could say exactly what I wanted? With a coupon I had found under the deals section on Snapfish it was less expensive than the ones in stores and of course it was entirely my own one of a kind piece. If you want to make your own DIY word art canvas I’ve got the full how to right here.
This list is the childhood holiday experience I remember and what made those holiday breaks so special. The same experiences I hope Kayla and Blake have in the coming years. Seeing it on our mantle reminds me that even when things get hectic the holidays are really supposed to be about having fun with family and for the kids.
And here you go – here’s the finished mantle. The lighting is a bit odd in this area so the perfectionist in me is dying but I think this gives you a good vision of how it all came together.
Thinking of putting together some holiday decor for your own home? Join Snapfish Superfans and you’ll get inspiration for what to do with those priceless photos you love to take, plus opportunities to win some great prizes.
Want to get my look and make your own holiday memories mantle? You can pin the image below and it will be waiting for you when you’re ready to start decorating!
This post was created in partnership with Snapfish. All opinions are my own.
