Mantel Decorating Tricks

When I need to decorate my mantel quickly and beautifully, I use this simple formula. These tricks work every time, and I love how our Christmas mantel decor turned out this year!

I start with a blank slate. Everything needs to be cleaned off of the mantel, and this is also a great time for me to dust!

Next is a focal point. For this year's Christmas mantel, I used a large piece of artwork I made. You can download it for free by visiting my blog post.

Next, I anchor the mantel with a pair of items on each end. Here, I've used some lit tree ornaments.

Then, I divide a group of three items and put them on each side of my focal point. Candlesticks work great!

Next, I fill in the rest of the space with smaller ornaments. Here, I've used bottlebrush trees, coffee filter trees and wooden blocks.

For a Christmas mantel, I finish the look by hanging stockings and a jingle bell garland.

Here's a video of the process!

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11813277/christmas-mantel-decorating-tricks site