Too Hot!!

OK, the reason for my title will become clear in a moment. Promise!

Our kitchen has a woodstove. It sits on brick pad, with a woodbox next to it, for storing logs. The mantle is relatively high, but narrow. The room also has wood beams in the ceiling. All of them were a nice 1970s walnut brown, which I painted white.

Last year we didn't have stove at Christmas, so we actually hung the stockings on the mantel and had three lit trees in the hearth. Not so this year... We use the woodstove for supplemental heat, and it gets HOT! So, I'm not hanging anything combustible on the mantel!

I wasn't sure what to put there, afraid of the heat. But I did my best, and this is what is there:

I found this child's crib frame in a dump back on some property here in Maine. I am hoping to go back and look for the rest of it. The wreath is a wire form, wraped in aqua ribbon and lace, with a little cement angel at the bottom.

I also deocrated the adjoining kitchen. One of cabinets is open on the top (which BTW, was the squirrel's hiding place...) and I put all of my carolers up there. These were a gift from my mom. She had collected them for a number of years, but then grew tired of them. I added some twinkly white lights for a little magic.

I made these mittens last year for our Etsy shop. Each has a set of vintage earrings on it. The black and white toile is very festive and classic.

The blue and brown looked perfect with the corduroy!

How is your decorating going?

Hugs- Lee