Patriotic Mantle

Ever since I found this mantle frame in an outbuilding on our property I have been falling in love with all the different ways I can decorate. My latest project has been this Patriotic theme that I am sharing with all of you today.

The first part to creating a great mantle is the center piece. I like to go for a big main focal point. This time I took an extra canvas that we had and decorated it to imitate the flag. The first step I did was to tape off the upper left hand corner and paint the blue portion of the flag.

Next, I glued on some paper doilies I bought at Walmart. If you don’t have any doilies you can always take regular paper and fold it up like you would to make snowflakes and cut out a desired pattern.

The final step was to glue red ribbon and burlap ribbon in an alternative pattern to replicate the stripes.

Next, I made this pom pom garland using red, white, and blue yarn. The best part about making pom pom garlands is you can get a pom pom maker at Michaels and it makes this project quick and simple.

The required materials for this project are yarn, scissors, and your pom pom maker. If you don’t have a pom pom maker you can always use your hands. Also note that the best yarn to use with the maker is not the soft and fuzzy yarn, but the rough yarn that resembles carpet.

The first step to tackling the pom poms is to wrap the yarn around the half circle parts of the maker.

Once you have wrapped your yarn around both half circles it should look like this.

Next you cut the yarn in half. Don’t worry they won’t fall a part.

You then tie string around the center and tie a couple of knots. After you tie your knots, your string should be all secured and you can open the circle and pull out your pom pom.

You can then cut your pom pom to your desired size and even out any stray pieces.

You should end up with a pom pom just like this. I made about 10 of each color.

You then take each of the pom poms and tie them to a string. For this look I braided the three colors together. I then took each pom pom and attached it to the string in the pattern of red, white, then blue.

After the pom poms were all attached to the string I hung them to my mantle.

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After I had created the center piece canvas and pom pom garlands, the final piece I made to add a little more handmade touch to my mantle was miniature patriotic flags.

These are simple and so much fun to make. I first picked out my fabric and then cut out the flag shape. I took white fabric and stamped words on it and then cut them out. I sewed the words on to the fabric shaped flags and then sewed the front of the fabric to its back. Lastly I glued the sticks into the flags and you end up with something like this.

Once your flags are done you are ready to put it all together and create a beautiful and fun patriotic mantle.

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First clear your mantle of everything and then attach your pom pom garland.

Next, put your main focal point piece up in the center.

Next I added this patriotic tray I got at TJ Maxx along with two picture frames of Fourth of July themed prints I got off of Pinterest.

I then added candles.

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Next I added an American flag I got at Michaels to a mason jar I had filled with blue tissue paper to the right side of the mantle.

To the left side of the mantle I added these adorable felt wands of red, white, and blue that I had bought of The Honaker Homemaker on etsy.

I also added the patriotic flags I had made and placed them into a mason jar and placed onto the left end as well.

Finally to finish off my mantle I placed this star shaped lighting to add the finishing touch.

This completes the look of my patriotic themed mantle.

I absolutely love a fully decorated mantle and I hope this post gave you lots of inspiration to add a little more spirit into your home decorating. Just remember simple, colorful, and lot’s of fun is always best!