LA DOLFINA

A big THANK YOU to everyone who left me a comment on my autumn mantel ! I was so encouraged that I went a few steps further... and added some feathers around the base,   and some branches that Trader Joe's carries this time of year,   that have those cute miniature pumpkins hanging off them.   I tried to keep it light and not overdo it.       So now what do you think? I've never been one to arrange flowers, I'm the kind who buys one type en masse and plunks them into a vase, so this was a big step for me!

There is so much fall inspiration floating around blogland that I was encouraged to dress up my fireplace mantel for the cozy seasons ahead. I have to admit that while I'm a huge fan of the fall season, I'm not especially fond of decorating my home in fall colors. That was until... I attended an auction earlier this week and purchased this pair of lovely large ginger jars. I brought them home immediately placing them on the mantel of my chinoiserie fireplace hoping they'd provide the drama I was looking for. Now I don't know about you but I've always found mantels (and bookshelves) very challenging to decorate.  I stood back to take them in while scanning my inventory to see what I could come up with to create a pleasing vignette. First I grabbed a pierced compote and a large piece of coral and placed it in the center.  Then I remembered I had a stash of my favorite Chinese mushrooms which I then placed among the jars and coral centerpiece. ...