No Mantel to Decorate...But I Do Have a Baker's Rack

(Copyrighted photos of gorgeous decorated mantels go here)

Truly, too many beautiful mantels to choose from! But you know what I'm talking about; totally swoonworthy mantels decorated to a "T" for every season, holiday and occasion.

 I have no such thing in my house. Sad.

But, making the best out of what I've got, I DO have a totally cool custom made wrought iron baker's rack made by The Welding Man. That's it in my header above at top left, loaded with gorgeous cobalt blue glassware. LOVE.

And here at our new home I've been decorating it for the seasons, holidays and special occasions. I'm nothing if not resourceful.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2013/12/black-and-white-and-red-christmas.html

Here's the baker's rack today...but who knows for how long? lol!

I painted the Clason Mountain artwork to commemorate the beautiful view at our old house. I painted the middle piece because I wanted to use the same colors. So much BLUE, go figure. 

And then I started pulling things together from the rest of the house. As usual, I don't subscribe to the "less is more" school of decor. Load it up, baby!

                                 

I "frosted" the glass in the lantern for a soft glowing look, then added a string of Christmas lights. Go here for the details.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2012/10/wax-paper-frosted-glass-twinkle-lantern.html

I still collect cobalt glass but I've slowed down and asked the fam to slow down also. But it's hard to resist that gorgeous color!  And yes, I collect the letter "A." I have over a dozen so far and I'm ready for more.

On the bottom shelf I added more blue glass and lots of vine balls and decor balls for texture. The silver blingy button decor ball is one of my favorite decor projects. Go here for the details....

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2010/04/silver-button-blingy-decor-ball.html

I also made the glass marble decor ball out of a Dollar Store Christmas ball and half marbles. Yeah, there's a post on that, too.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2013/05/glass-garden-balls-diy-part-1.html

Just a few short weeks ago the baker's rack looked like this....

.....loaded up with all the music themed, green and white decor for my sister's wedding. So who needs a fancy shmancy mantel? I've got these neat baker's rack to decorate and soon...it will be time for Mother's Day decor!

Absolutely Blown Away

Ladies, I had a jaw dropping moment on Etsy today, and I just had to share. LOOK at this!

It is a round table topper made from peacock feathers! The creative artist is Shawna Chriestensen and her Etsy shop is called Ivyndell. She is based in Gresham, Oregon and I am absolutely giving her some free exposure, because her store is FULL of beautiful things like this. But wait, there's MORE.....

She also makes full, to the floor table coverings. I am almost speechless. Even The Welding Man was astonished at the beauty of these pieces. AND she does placemats, round centerpiece mats and MORE. 

 I do not know Shawna and I'm emailing her to let her know about this blog post. Go here to see her shop on Etsy....

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ivyndell?ref=seller_info

Visit her shop and maybe give her some email love. I know I appreciate it when somebody emails unsolicited praise.

And here is Shawna's very sweet email in reply.

Hi Ann!

Thank you soooo much for showcasing some of my peacock feather creations. . . what an honor and I so appreciate your kindness. :-) 

I am such a newcomer in the wedding business and it was just two years this month when I started with a single peacock cake topper. . . and now 1100 weddings later, I am still overcome by the blessing of so many brides who have trusted me with their most Special Day.

So thank you again, Ann. . . I tried leaving a comment on your blog but I don't have a profile with any of those accounts listed. I've been working 16-18 hour days now for more than a year now so I rarely peek my head out of the Etsy Universe. My husband has been working with me full time for over a year now and one of our sons is helping too. . . so my goal is to start having one day off each week, YAY! :-) 

With love and gratitude,

Shawna

P.S. Your comments inspired me, knowing you have survived cancer and have been creating your own art and keeping up your own blog! Thanks so much again! :-)

Enjoy!