This is NOT a Pottery Barn Mantel ~ but We love it just the same

Through this wonderful world of blogging, it appears that everyone else has it going on ~ flawlessly.  I highly doubt that’s true and as a matter of fact, most bloggers I know are working their butts off from one obligation to the next just to meet the deadlines.

Enter Christmas, the one time of the year when we’re all supposed to slow down and celebrate the true meaning of the year.  Sad part is, it seems like every other thing that could possibly be scheduled falls at the same time of year ~ sigh

We all think our houses have to be decked out, presents wrapped, cards out in the mail and cookies in the oven ~ YEah, right!

Not me, I can barely find time to shower, let alone deck the halls.  My house as of this morning looked like this.

The Christmas tree has officially been plopped in the corner.  It’s made it’s annual journey back from mom’s where it lives all year long because our 7′ Michigan basement ceiling is too short to house the tree.  The ribbons which I so carefully pin into place each year seem so be destroyed on the five mile ride in the truck.  

We’ll get the tree decorated later this week after we figure out why all the lights aren’t going on, but today… the goal is just to throw together our mantel.

I had 15 minutes to spare while my Sihlouette Machine cut the vinyl for one of my custom subway signs so I took odds and ends of what we have and threw them together for this year’s mantel.

This is not a Pottery Barn or Pier 1 Mantel, this is not a look coming out of any high end design magazine, but it is OUR mantel.  Everything in here is special to us for one reason or another.  Most capture memories from days gone past.

Some are dear gifts of family members who are no longer with us like this shell teddy bear given to me by my grandma.

And some things just rock, at least they do to us.

and with that… I’ve gotta fly.  Paint orders to pack and ship and signs to finish up for clients…