Late winter, early spring mantle using what I had on hand

15 years ago

Since we're due to get up to 16" of snow today through tomorrow, I'm not feeling all that spring-like. :-)

This mantle arrangement has just 4 colors, ivory, black, green and gold. This look isn't for everyone, as it's 'lighter' than my winter mantle, but quite subdued.

I wanted to use my eBay silk shades (4 for $11 including shipping!), so I made the lamps from old English barley twist candlesticks. On either side of the old clock are brass English candlesticks, and on top of the clock are old miniature English beehive candlesticks. All candlesticks are from eBay. The mirror is from Craigslist, and my guess is it's 30s - 40s. I wish the irregularities in the glass that I love would show up in pics.

I left my winter mantle cache pots in the mix. More spring-like flowers may come later, but colors will be limited.

Green silk hydrangea heads lightly sprayed with Glossy Wood Tone spray make them look dried. I had some sheer ribbon in green and in gold, so tied some at the base of the hydrangeas at the top of the mirror.

The antique plates are from a local antique shop and were marked down to $3.75 each! They are Mason's Ironstone, with a mark that puts them around 1891. Having a 100+ year oak tree next to my house, I love the oak and acorn border on the plates. I DON'T like to rake the millions of each that my trees produce each fall, though!

I found that the plates without a transferware design on them are called their 'Oak' pattern in 'cream'. The print on the 2nd plate pic below is their 'Vista' pattern, but I haven't been able to find the pattern on the other. And, even on Replacements LTD, I can't find these plates with the black transfer. Darn!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (25)

lynninnewmexico
15 years ago
Beautiful, M3D!! I really love the new shades you've found for the barley twist lamps. The fabric detailing on them is wonderful! The Ironstone plates are so pretty and what a steal for only $3.75 each. You have such a good eye for decorating!
Lynn
leahcate
15 years ago
Aha! I was just thinking about you this morning, missing your posts, and pics of your pretty home. Lovely arrangement, per usual. Speaking of spring and your home, I have a request: Please post photos of spring when it arrive in your yard. I think you have a creek, too? Should be beautiful. Do you get azaleas and dogwood that far north? Guess I'll have to wait until May for spring pics from up there.:>)
Related Discussions
Too late/early to plant spring bulbs???
Q
Comments (8)
First, daylilies are not bulbs - they are fleshy-rooted perennials that are incredibly tough and hardy and can be planted anytime of year the soil is workable. Not all iris are bulbs either and many varieties can be planted similar to the daylilies. Most true bulbs that bloom in spring need a period of vernalization to set roots and develop flower buds, that's why they are planted in fall. If insufficient vernalization is provided, they won't bloom, or at least not that first season in the ground. The pre-chilling of spring flowering bulbs in warmer climates achieves the same purpose. IME, January is pretty much the limit on when one can plant spring flowering bulbs and expect them to bloom that spring. And that may be difficult to accomplish in zone 5.....I'd imagine your soils to be pretty well frozen at this time of year :-) The other aspect is that spring flowering bulbs available for sale this late in the planting season tend to be leftovers and of lesser quality....the good stuff's already been sold! One needs to maintain dormant bulbs under proper storage conditions for them to remain viable and they simply don't last forever out of the ground. If you don't have any bulbs on hand to plant now, I wouldn't recommend searching any out. The combination of unsuitable planting conditions (frozen soil or snowcover), the lack of quality bulb sources and the lateness of the season will just serve to produce unsatisfactory, frustrating results. Wait until later when the soil is workable and the weather cooperative to plant perennials like iris and daylilies. And look for already started bulbs (in containers in leaf and often in bud) available at garden centers or other plant outlets when they come in season - February and March in my climate, perhaps a bit later in yours. Or wait until fall to plant the dormant bulbs for the following spring. And pretty much any spring flowering bulb will work in your climate. You just need to do some research on what are bulbs (corms, tubers, etc.) and what are really rooted or rhizomatous perennials.
...See More
Early winter or late autumn flowers?
Q
Comments (5)
The Clematis has been a big seller over here recently... and I thought a little expensive, so i was pleased i spotted them as young plants before the weekend workers had chance to ruin them. It flowers in the winter so i wonder how hardy it is? The Dicentra is Dicentra scandens. Has lovely light foliage and they will scramble through things, but never seem to overwhelm cause the foliage is so slight. That is why I think you don't see them in nurseries. They just would not stand for weeks without damage. They are easily broken by people passing, wind etc. Once they are in the garden and scrambling they are OK. Good garden plants but nightmare for nurserymen. Easy from seed though.
...See More
Late winter/early spring garden
Q
Comments (6)
Forgot to insert this link about the Dallas trials of the newer 'Double Take' flowering quince cultivars; there is even one that is thornless. Would look for these if buying today. The generic plant we inherited with the house was unfortunately planted within a foot of the side-yard spigot. While I got pretty adept at reaching through the thorns to attach the hose, it had to be removed when plumbers eventually had to service the underground shut-off/bleed valves. Dutch Iris is another naturalizing bulb for some grass-like texture during the winter months; puts up leaves in late fall/early winter, though does not flower until the spring.
...See More
Will the roses blooming now (early winter) bloom again in the spring?
Q
Comments (8)
Even though December is statistically the coldest month ever-blooming roses are often still out at Christmas here, with January being about the only time of the year when roses don't seem to be doing anything - I've had problems with rooting rose cuttings in the ground and then never getting them transplanted because they were in leaf most of the time. Spring for roses here is Feb. In fact a local weather professor says spring in general for us is Feb-Jul, with the annual summer warming and drying not fully overcoming the lingering winter wetness until Jul.
...See More
brutuses
15 years ago
Stunning as always.
teacats
15 years ago
Simply the best! I can't get over your sheer talent for the mix-and-match, balance and color in your arrangements!

Brillant! And my DH admires the lovely clock! :)

Jan
My3dogs ME zone 5A
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi, leahcate,

You may need to wait til June at that rate we're going! Yes, I have a small river in my back yard, and I have planted some azaleas, but I don't have any dogwoods.

These first two pics were last June, and show part of my front yard and the river out back. The white shrub is an azalea, and a Purple Passion rhodo in the foreground. The third pic is a mostly shade area beside the garage, and I love that Nova Zembla rhodo color! I do only perennials, so you don't always see a lot of color, but lots of varying greens and textures.

And just a couple of day lilies in Late August..
bettymnz4
15 years ago
Absolutely. Stunning. The scale is perfect and I like how the entire mantlescape complements your paint color!
tinam61
15 years ago
Love your gardens! I wish I had more shade because there are so many shade plants I love. Although I do have azaleas, rhododendron and dogwoods.

I have a lamp that has one of your silk shades on it! I'm going to look for some type candlesticks to do lamps for my mantle too. I love yours. Great idea - spraying the flowers.

Lovely as always.

tina
artlover13060
15 years ago
my3'dogs: I love your mantel. Do you have other pictures of how you change it seasonally? I would love to see them.

You really got a bargain on the plates. The antique store around here charge a min of $25 ea for transfer ware plates like that. I want to start a collection of white ironstone plates, but I can't afford the prices I find locally and on ebay.

Now about your gardens - they are to die for! I am landscaping challenged but I love flowers. I paint them since I can't grow them and lilies, tulips, and irises are my favorites. I am so jealous that you have all this natural subject matter in your back yard!
My3dogs ME zone 5A
Original Author
15 years ago
artlover, I am SO lucky to have this yard, and I appreciate it every day. It's a lot of work for one person, but a labor of love.

I just started decorating my mantle seasonally last fall, believe it or not. I had done a simple Christmas garland in 2006, but not much again til last fall.

Here was the first, with faux garland, a cone and nut garland, tiny white lights and some of my glass ornaments. Above it, I had an oil painting of a Brittany, the breed of dog I am 'mom' to three of.

This was fall 2008, and most things are from CL or eBay, as usual. Vintage or antique 95% of the time!

Holiday 2008 after trying some more Christmas-y ideas that didn't look like what I wanted. And then this AM, I put together what you saw up at the top!
loribee
15 years ago
How very lovely!
leahcate
15 years ago
Thank you for the spring 'preview'. Having that creek, and all you have done with a large property just amazes me. Yes! I should think a lot of work for one woman! You have my admiration for your talents at arranging/making a beautiful home, and also for your workhorse stamina! Of all the pretty pics, the one I just love is the pups by the fire. If you have the full shot, or even if not, I think I'd frame it!
ronbre
15 years ago
all of them are beautiful but i esp like the first one on the top of the page..and i love the gardens..make me really yearn for mine to bloom
Sueb20
15 years ago
Hang on now; tell us more about this Glossy Wood Tone spray that made the silk hydrangeas look dried! I like that idea.

Now, I can't decide whether I like Holiday 2008 mantle or this latest one best, but I wish you'd come over and dress mine! (I have a similar "dogscape" near my fireplace, but mine are bulldogs!)
My3dogs ME zone 5A
Original Author
15 years ago
HI, sueb20!

That spray is called a 'floral tool' and can be bought at most craft stores. You'll likely see it in the paint section with some other colors..I like the Glossy Wood Tone best.

It was just an idea I had to take the 'heads' of the hydrangeas, which were green, and make them look a bit more realistic and 'dried' appearing by spraying them lightly with the spray. It's quite sheer when done in a light hand. It worked like a charm. The stuff smells to high heaven, so if you're in a climate where you can do it outside, I would.
threedgrad
15 years ago
My3dogs, wow, your mantle is just gorgeous! Lovely work! Love the dogs too!

I am in Phoenix and now at 7:21 pm we are at 80 degrees. That is higher than our usual temperature. It's just been wonderful weather here in the winter. It was hard coming from Wisconsin to adjust since the bad season here in Phoenix is summer while the other 3 seasons are good. The garden shops are filled with flowers including roses. This is the time to plant here.

Sometimes we have people drive down from Prescott or Flagstaff, both of which get cold and snow because of the higher elevation. Two years ago Mesa AZ got a touch of snow. The kids loved it since we don't get snow here very often at all.

So I think I will change my front door wreath to the forsythia one rather than the eucalyptus with pine cones I have on there now.
livestrong
15 years ago
My3Dogs, I didn't think you could make a better change from those "winter mantle" CL lamps, but your spring edition-- barley twist with ebay silk shades are simply scrumptious! Enjoy thoughts of spring as we get through this March NorEaster!
Carol
littledog
15 years ago
How beautiful! Everything.

Where else do you post garden pictures? I'd love to see more of your drool worthy space. :^)
tammy518
15 years ago
I love what you've done. The fall and holiday mantels were beautiful also. I'm going to have to try some of that spray on some silk hydrangeas.
cooperbailey
15 years ago
Just gorgeous! As always! Especially your pups! We are having snow today too! Wish it was as much as you all are getting! But I am enjoying looking at your photos and drinking my coffee and watching it snow.
cliff_and_joann
15 years ago
My threedogs, Your decorating is marvelous as usual, however, your yard is outstanding.
I showed my head groundskeeper and he said, Oh wow!
He's a gardening nut, and wants to know what state you live in? He wants to move next door to you!
He said he could go right from gardening to fishing!
Have you ever put in Purple palace? We have the red kind and it looks like a little shrub with red oak leaves.

Joann
stinky-gardener
15 years ago
Your the queen of creativity, my3dogs! As always, your latest vignette is beautiful, unique & very special.
My3dogs ME zone 5A
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Joann! I'll trade my yard for his woodworking skills!

I'm in Maine, next to our largest city of Portland. They refer to us as the southern coastal area. Today, we're getting a walloping of snow.

I bought several new huecheras last year, and I think Purple Palace was one of them. I discovered a local grower who grew all of this own perennials in his incredible property. Sadly, it was his last year, as he was finding that the Home Depots and Lowes were taking so much business away. I have several huecheras, including Lime Rickey and a Caramel one I bought last year that has rusty orangey leaves. I'll be looking for them all when this darn snow finally melts. In this shot from last August you can see the Caramel and a Lemon Frost lamium in that front border.

I also LOVE pulmonaria, and have several of them also. My trees have grown so that what used to be sun gardens are now mostly shade. The front yard gets sun in the later afternoon.

This is at the end of my driveway turnaround. I have many beautiful hosta and I love Solomon's Seal.
jaybird
15 years ago
It is beautiful!!!!!!! It just gets better n' better!!!!
Thank you so much for posting.
writersblock (9b/10a)
15 years ago
Lovely, as always, my3dogs. You really have a gift.
jaybird
15 years ago
PS: Would a candle holder/lamp tutorial be a possibility??
Thanks,
J