A Mantle for Thanksgiving

The season of thanks is made for chilly temps and fireside cuddles. I don’t know about you, but when I’m sitting in front of dancing flames, my eyes tend to stare at the fireplace mantle—it just kind of sticks out there, you know? Mantles are a natural focal point for the entire room, and when you have a natural focal point, you should take advantage of it! During most holidays, the mantle is the only thing I decorate for a few reasons; it’s seen frequently, and the creative options are endless!

This year’s Thanksgiving mantle creation cost me five dollars, yes FIVE whole dollars! How did I do it? Well, allow me to introduce you to engineering sized prints! They are the perfect size to take up space on the wall above my mantle. I simply chose a fun graphic from Pinterest and then sent it over to my friends at Staples for a 24 x 36 inch engineering print, which only cost me $3.89 pre-tax. If you have a larger space to fill, a 36 x 48 inch print will only cost you 8 bucks. You can’t beat it!

You can choose to frame your print or use cute washi tape (hit up the $1 Target section for this) to hang it on the wall. Either way, your large engineering print will make a bold and stylish statement.

To complete the mantle design, I added painted pumpkins, green & beige colored hydrangeas, a candle and a “last-season 70% off” floral stem. 

Originally, I added greenery to line the mantle and taped a burlap banner to the bottom, but I took it all down. Even though using those items would have added more texture and color to my mantle, I liked the look of my stripped down and simple design.

I strongly believe that we create and design in a way to represent ourselves, to show who we are, what we want to be, and what we desire. For me, during this current season of life, I am craving simplicity.

In the past year, my family has seen health scares, job changes, financial troubles, barriers in relationships and just some straight honest-to-goodness brokenness. After all the ups and downs, all I want is stillness. It’s in those moments where I am longing for nothing but silence, that God speaks the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 into my heart (ESV), “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Giving thanks during hardships is well…hard. Trust me I know. But today, as it stands, my family may not all be healthy, but our hearts are still beating. We all have jobs and are learning how to live freely within our means, and even though we have been hurt, we are healing.

Walking through life in God’s grace is a beautiful thing and even though things aren’t always perfect—I am thankful. For I have a Father who knows me, leads me, holds me, teaches me, and saves me- everyday.

So today my prayer is to relish in simplicity and to be thankful in all things, and even with something like my mantle design, I can share that truth with everyone who sees it!

Since Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, I thought I would create a quick design for you to print for your own mantle. I can't think of a better verse than Acts 2:46 to represent a holiday that celebrates the gathering of loved ones! Don't have a mantle? Don't worry! Slap this large print (or one like it) on your wall. You can even treat it as a photo booth backdrop to capture priceless moments with your guests!