Spring Mantel

Spring is here! Definitely one of my most favorite times of the year. Usually, after a long, cold, dark winter, I am just bursting with the anticipation of spring to finally arrive! This winter has actually been super mild (YAY!) so I haven't been quite as desperate for the warmer weather and sunshine. But I am still so happy that it is officially spring! And with that comes my new springy mantel set up. I kind of love it - a lot!

 

So much bright cheeriness. :)



This darling pom pom garland...I'd been dreaming of making it for weeks, and I think it pretty much makes this mantel! 

When I was thinking of what kind of banner or garland I wanted to make for the spring mantel, I just kind of imagined something made up mainly of different colors of pom pom trim. I seriously adore pom pom trim. Every time I see it I want to buy it in every color and size, even before knowing what kind of project I'd do with it. It tempts me every time! :)

 

 I decided to do a pinterest search to see if anyone had done anything similar to what I was dreaming about. I found this darling pom pom garland tutorial at Lolly Jane and immediately pinned it - SO cute, and along the lines of what I knew I wanted to go for! I think maybe a bit of subconscious inspiration also came from this super cute Halloween garland I saw on pinterest this past fall. It's actually from Desirée at The 36th Avenue, who is also the super talented person who designed and shared the mint printable below! I remember now that I had wanted to create a garland like Desirée's for Halloween, but never got around to it. Maybe next year! And at least it helped inspire this cute spring garland. :)

 

When I finally decided to get going on making my garland, I searched all of my favorite craft stores for the perfect pom pom trims, and I finally hit the jackpot at JoAnn's! (As I've mentioned before, I just cannot bring myself to drop the "'s" off of JoAnn. It's just so wrong to simply say JoAnn...even if that is the actual name. Lol!) I found the pink pom pom trim, the tiny, sweet white pom pom trim, and the pleated yellow trim there. The yellow just spoke to me! It wasn't anything I was planning to get or have even worked with before, which isn't surprising since I don't do much sewing or crafting with ribbon or trim (besides pom pom:) at all! But I just knew it would go perfectly with the pom pom trim!

 

When I got all of my cute trim home, I actually didn't do anything with it for a couple of weeks. It still made me smile though just to look at my pile of colorful trim and envision what I would make out of it. A few weeks ago I finally started hanging up the trims and playing around with how they looked together. I got them all pinned up on the mantel just how I liked it, and I was so happy with how the pink, white and yellow looked together!

 

I had also come across some darling mint trim at Wal-Mart and snagged it right away, but I kept debating back and forth with whether or not I wanted to add it to the garland. Jared helped me by taking pics of me holding the mint up to the garland so I could see how it would look when hung. I finally decided to add it, and I'm so glad I did! I hot glued the mint to the yellow. I LOVE how it all looks together! Yay!

I was searching and searching online for the perfect printable about the Savior, to bring Easter into this mantel, since Easter is a BIG part of Spring, and every day. :) One Sunday night I came across the beautiful print by Desirée, over at  The 36th Avenue, that you see below. It says "As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives...Job 19:25". I absolutely love it! She made it in several different colors, and it was tough for me to decide which to use! But since I have a thing for mint, I went with that one. Thanks to Desirée for creating and sharing such beautiful prints that speak of the Savior. I find such hope in His love for me, and I know that He lives. :)

Oh this little pink bird. It's just too sweet for words! Not too mention my sweet  baby girl in the picture behind it. I love that fun pic of our family! It's an oldie but a goodie. :)

The white and pink tissue balls are actually a part of my Valentine's decor, but I think they work perfectly for spring as well! I followed Amy's tutorial over at The Idea Room to make them. I've followed Amy's blog for years - love her and her blog!

 I am so loving this bright and fun "Hello, Spring!"printable by Heidi over at Happiness is Homemade. Isn't is so cute? I saw it on pinterest and knew it would be perfect up on the mantel for spring! Thanks to Heidi for sharing this adorable print!

Seriously, these two prints are just so lovely!

I love this picture of my Savior, which is one of the many beautiful pictures that can be downloaded for free at LDS.org. I love how His arms are outstretched, ready to receive us, to receive me. I love my Savior more than words can express. The link to this picture is here and also, here is a link to the entire Gospel Art collection.



Can I just say again how this sweet mantel makes me smile? :) It is so fun to create, in whatever form that may be. I guess for me, in this case, it was taking random things and putting them all together to make something bright and beautiful. Love it.

 

I can't end this post without a little word about Easter. We celebrated in such a special way this year by following along with Mercy River's observance of Holy Week, doing the activities and reading the scriptures that talk about how Christ spent each day of His final week on earth. It made the whole week, and especially Easter Sunday, that much more meaningful! I want to share my testimony that Jesus Christ lives. He overcame death, and because of Him, we and each of our loved ones will also overcome death. I think of those in my life who have passed on that I miss so dearly. And what comfort to know that they, all of us, will overcome death because of our loving Savior! And we'll be together again. Spring is new beginnings - new life. Happy spring and Happy Easter! :)