Our Vintage Sign Christmas Mantel

There was a hiccup with the initial post this morning - this should be correct, sorry!

Last week I shared with how my friend brought me a pickle jar because she thought I might know what to do with it. I took that pickle jar and turned into into a Snow Globe Christmas Centerpiece. It may me feel thankful that I had friends who know me well and bring me the things they don't know what to do with. Well, that beautiful NH maple syrup vintage sign that is now part of my Christmas mantel has a similar story. My friend Kathy was at the Brimfield antique fair and called me and told me what it was and asked what her budget was. I didn't even see a picture. Within ten minutes, I had a call back and my girl had negotiated a great deal and the sign was mine. Did you know that my husband grew up on a dairy and maple farm in New Hampshire and his parents still live there? The sign has been hanging in our basement for years. It has been in a perfect spot, but not really getting the spotlight it deserves. Well, today is my sign's day in the sun. And not only is it the focus of the mantel, it was the launching point for the decorating the whole back of the house. Simple, farmhouse style, fresh greenery, simple pops of red. Once the sign was in place, it was all about layering around it. On the right side, I had a small maple bucket that I filled with a mix of simple greens and holly clippings, both of which were cut off my in-laws property in New Hampshire. It only seemed fitting. I added a couple of votives, some more greenery and a few ornaments. On the other side I used a taller maple bucket from our shop and did the same layering with greenery. I also tied some red and white baker's twine on the buckets for a little bit of red. I found the white deer at Target several years ago and they have made their way on my mantel before. And that was it. Of course, there was lots of trial and error to get to this point, but I think the formula is pretty easy to recreate. If you don't have a vintage sign, no worries, just make your own. You know me, I love a good DIY project. Now that it is all done, last night I was looking at it and I feel like some little twinkle lights might make a great addition. You can see my mantel from last year - Galvanized Wreath Christmas Mantel The year before - Simple DIY Chalkboard Mantel And what the heck, the year before that as well - Advent Calendar Christmas Mantel Stop back tomorrow when I will share some fun new holiday products in the shop and on Monday to see the rest of the family room. As always, thanks for reading.