My Piano Mantle

I always wanted a mantle. You know, the focal point of the family room where you display pretty and meaningful things. The setup would change according to the seasons and looking at it would make me happy.

Well, while I do have a fireplace, the wood meant to become my beloved mantle remains in the garage. Sigh. But I do have a piano. It is kind of the center of our home, with little hands running over the keys or slightly more experienced musicians teaching younger siblings. So it became my mantle. I decorated it for spring/summer and can't help but smile as I walk past.

Each piece is a found item from around the house. The circle is a paper wreath I made a while back paired with white birch logs. My brother gave me the wood when one of his gardening clients had the beautiful tree taken down. The kids found the abandoned bird nest and it pops up here and there around the house. To me birds and nests symbolize family.

The vase is the complimentary type, cheap waxy glass so I took an afternoon and coiled twine around it. Drops of hot glue keep the roping place every couple rotations. I like to see varied height so I head downstairs and dug through piles of old books to match my colors. This time it was yellows and greens.

I have one colored mason jar in blue green, a perfect spot for a bouquet of wildflower or pretty weeds. The framed sheet music is a song Blake wrote for me for my 20th birthday. The tiny teal pot holds a small mound of moss.

When this sunny season comes to an end, I will turn to my "mantle" to reflect the new weather and again I will scour this place to find items to group with my new color scheme. Maybe blues, or rust colors... I never know until the very afternoon I decide to take this one down.

But I must say this has been one of my favs. Glad I could share it with you.