Beach Inspired Summer Mantle
I read an article once about different types of creativity. I was, quite obviously, The Borrower. I struggle to come up with new ideas, but I'm great at taking others' ideas and expanding on them to create my own vision. For my summer mantle, I was inspired by 3 different photos that I combined and put my own twist on: Erin's @cottonstem soothing sea glass bottles, Cynthia's @cynthia_harper_ hats on the wall in her bedroom, and Jessica's @idreamofhomemaking glass vases with greenery.
Aren't those photos all gorgeous? I love the beach and have really been missing my home away from home Pensacola so I knew I wanted to incorporate a beach vibe for my summer mantle. Now you get to see the evolution of how I decorate my mantle. Here is the blank slate I started with:
I added my plywood arch I made a few years ago. You can find something very similar here from Feather and Birch.
Then, I added a floppy beach hat. I think it's so fun to add unexpected elements to the wall. You can find the hat from Walmart here.
Next, I pulled out all the bottles I wanted to use (most of which just came from thrift stores) and arranged them how I wanted to get a feel for which bottles needed to be painted.
I made my own sea glass bottles from mini coke bottles I had on hand from our weekend Galveston vacation. I cleaned them and used a razor to remove the painted label. I followed this tutorial on using Mod Podge and food coloring to create the frosted sea glass look I wanted. I did 3 coats for each bottle.
I love how the bottles came out: It goes on streaky, but those streaks disappear once the Mod Podge is dry.
I added the painted glass bottles back to the mantle.
I cut apart a greenery bush I bought half off at Hobby Lobby and stuck the sprigs into a few of the bottles.
And there you have it: a beautiful beach inspired summer mantle that isn't too beachy.
