november mantle + yarn wrapped garland

I've tucked away (most) of the Halloween decorations, and I've kept out the general Fall decorations.  But the mantle needed a little something extra for November.  The littles and I have been picking up acorns and pine cones galore on our afternoon walks, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate them into a garland.  I found a few sticks, drew inspiration from a Martha project, and decided to wrap up the sticks in some ombre yarn!  If you'd like to make your own to tie into a garland, or to just stick in a vase, here is what you'll need.

1.  Some sticks!
2.  Yarn of your choice.  I chose both the burgundy/red/green and the turquoise/sand/brown yarns.
3.  Glue gun.

Start with a dot of glue on the stick, and after securing the end to the glue, start wrapping your yarn.  You'll want to pull tightly.  I added glue along the way to keep the yarn secured.  Once you get started, it's not hard at all.  I did two large sticks for a vase, and a handful of smaller sticks to string together as a garland.  After I was finished wrapping, I added a couple pine cones and acorns by gluing them on. 

I tied the small sticks together with twine, but you could also use the yarn.  That's all!  It's beautifully rustic and woodlandesque, so no need to try and reach for perfection.  I think I love these cozy looking sticks.

The rest of the mantle was put together with pieces from here or there.  I left out my raven painting from Halloween, and the aqua bowls, camera, and books are up on the mantle pretty much year round.  After much deliberation, I put up this antique mirror earlier this year since it, um, "mirrored" the fireplace decoration.  Oh this house.  It's such a mishmash of eras, so I just try to go with it.

I put more of our acorn and pine cone treasures into a jar, added a few stacked pumpkins, and displayed the massive fall bouquet that my mom made me with dried flowers and plants from her yard.  The pitcher and the big vase on the floor were both made by my talented uncle.  I obviously love color, and I'm not afraid to show it, ha!

This little project is just enough to tide me over until it's time to deck the halls, because that's what I'm REALLY dreaming about right now!  Even the kiddos keep asking if it's Christmas time yet.  All the store decorations and Christmasy sights are getting us all into the mood prematurely.  Don't worry, we won't jump the gun on Christmas.  Yet.

 

Do you keep up fall decorations through November, or do you start making things merry and bright?