I guess when you take a vacation and don’t blog for a while, things sneak up fast. It’s already time for another Pinterest Challenge! Seems like only 4 posts ago that we had the last one. LOL – it WAS only 4 posts ago. Anyway, today I’m joining several of my super fun blogger friends for a Summer Mantel Refresh and Pinterest Challenge. If you’ve hopped over from Bluesky at Home then welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. I love these challenges so let’s get started.
Summer Mantel Refresh
Below is our summer mantel inspiration photo. It’s from Samantha at Little Bits of Home. I love her traditional brick and trim mixed with shiplap and all the bright yellow flowers and blue glass. It’s so crisp and fresh looking. Perfect to finish out the rest of summer.
Pinterest Challenge Obstacles
This months challenge brings 4 obstacles.
1. Our dining room mantel is black.
2. I don’t have yellow flowers.
3. I don’t have pretty white vases.
4. I don’t have a gray scrolly type mirror.
But I’m okay with it. I don’t think every inspiration photo has to be exactly the same. That’s why it’s inspirational, right? 😉
I know you’re probably thinking, what the cuss girl, that isn’t anything like the inspiration photo. But it is! Bear with me.
The Mister isn’t the kind of guy to come home with a bouquet of flowers so I have to go out and buy them myself. Not to bash the hubs. He has many other great qualities, just not flower giving. And my birthday month doesn’t start until September. Most importantly, I’m going through a save-money-because-college-fees-are-coming-up-again phase so I chose to go with something we’d use again. Lemons! Really, this phase looks like it’s going to hang around for another couple of years so I’ll be very budget friendly until it’s over. 😉
Side note: My middle child and I made lemon strawberry cupcakes and oh my golly, we need to open up a cupcake shop and sell those suckers. Not only were they super lemony but the real strawberry icing was the perfect combo! My mouth is watering even now. Yum!
Back to what’s important. Instead of using two white bowls to hold the lemons, I’m using the lanterns I already have. Plus, the mantel is much taller than I am so the lemons will be seen better stacked inside.
Just like in the inspiration photo, the color really pops off the wall.
Next is the blue glass jars. You know I love my blue bottle collection and any excuse to use them but this time they are the perfect substitution for Samantha’s blue glass jars.
Samantha used white elements in her books, vases and candles. I went with faux white flowers instead to pull in the color white and the use of flowers.
The last thing the inspiration photo has that I don’t is a round scrolly type mirror. While digging around and shopping the house, I realized I don’t have anything round that’s large enough not to look ridiculous up there so I am using the sheep with lamb print. It’s not super summery but it’s gray and it was in the closet.
Did you stay with me? Do you see how my summer refreshed mantel has very similar qualities to the inspiration photo but works in our home? No? Maybe I’m going through a dark phase as well as my tightwad phase? LOL. Next up in the Pinterest Challenge group is my friend Laura at Decor to Adore. I adore her coastal vibe this summer!
Don’t forget to click on every photo below to see how one inspiration photo can look so different!
Happy Summer and Happy Decorating Friends!
It’s darling. Lemons are super trendy right now but they are a classic and will always be in style. I love the print.
Author
Thank you Katie. I’ll have to figure out what to make with the lemons pretty soon. 😄
Love the lemons in the lanterns!!!
Sadly I don’t have a mantle in the new house, but my entry table needed something. Lanterns with lemons, perfect! Thanks Cindy😘
Author
Yay! I’m so excited you commented and found something useful on the blog! Send a picture. 😃
Cindy I love your mantel and how you have it styled. The addition of lemons are perfect. Love your collections of glass bottles adding the daisies was also perfect. Love the look. Thanks for hosting this fun challenge every month.
Author
You’re welcome Terrie! I love the challenges and how some are harder than others.
I love what you did!! Those sheep are so pretty and the other black touches are perfect with the art. Lemons are never wrong!
Author
Thanks Stacey. Black seems to really stand out in that room. And the lemons stand out even more! Makes me smile and that’s what matters. LOL
Hey girl, this is why we call it Inspiration, not copy~cat. Lemons and flowers both add the pop of yellow color. Vases and lanterns are both made of glass and a mantle is still a mantle. Love the sheep picture. Classic. Thanks so much for hosting. P.S. we need to get together.
Author
Yes Carol, I’d love to get together with you! Thanks for the encouragement. You are right about it all – as usual. ❤️
I think it’s beautiful.
Author
Thanks Wendy! Hope you have a great day!
I need the cupcake recipe! LOVE the lambs and lemons. In the inlinkz roundup, my post is missing the “L” at the end of HTML which is why the link is broken. It’s a quick fix! Hint. Hint. 🙂
Author
Thank you Laura. I’ll make the cupcakes again and get the recipe on the blog. Link is fixed!
Hi Cindy! LOVE LOVE your summer mantel! the lanterns filled with lemons is so fun. So now for my most fave part, oh my gosh that lamb print is perfection. I have a real “thing” for sheep and lambs, so I’m really lovin’ it! I love your take on the challenge!
Author
Thank you so much Debra! I love that print too. Got it a while back at Hobby Lobby. Have a fantastic week!
Well, you did a fantastic job with what you had and i love it,you used the same colors and the big object over the mantel,look lovely. Don’t talk about cupcakes if i don’t get one or two, they did sound good. Thanks and have a great day.
Author
Thank you Marlene. And I’ll make some more cupcakes and will put the recipe on the blog so everyone can taste the yumminess. Enjoy your week.
Cindy, your mantel looks beautiful! I love the flower filled jars and the pop of yellow. Using what you have, is up my alley! College is expensive!
Author
Zamira! It makes my day to know you saw the blog and commented! Thank you! I love using what I already have. It makes me feel good about not spending more money on something I may not love in a year or so. And yes, college is expensive! The payments for two kids put a real damper on my shopping sprees. 😉
I love, love, love the idea of using lemons instead of the yellow flowers, Cindy! And I love your black version; just as crisp and fresh as the original. I love adding a little black to every vignette; pops all the other colors so nicely. Love your black mantel! Beautiful display!
Author
Thank you Lora. I have a lot of black touches throughout our home and feel the same about adding it everywhere. The Mister likes it too because he thinks white gets dirty so easily. Whatevs
Simply love the sheep and lamb print.. Anytime you want to pass it on, I have a perfect place for it! Looks beautiful with the lanterns, lemons, jars and flowers.
Author
I really appreciate you saying that Barbara, thank you! And I’ll definitely put your name on the back of the print so I’ll remember your request. 😂. Thanks for the visit and comment today.
Your mantel is so beautiful and the lemons are so crisp and summery looking.
Author
It’s interesting to me how one color can be so refreshing, even when it’s not a favorite color. That’s yellow for me. Bright, happy and great for summer. But just meh to me. 😬. Thanks so much for the visit Rachel!
ooh, I love this! I felt the scrolly thing in the inspo pic was too small anyway, and heck! I love the sheep! Your dark phase is what I am going through as well. I’ve been dealing with using my black bedroom furniture that my hubs adores. It calls for different decor than my all white and woods first love, but it’s his home too, and he needs to feel like it is. So there’s my challenge. I also went on a 30 day no spend personal challenge almost two years ago and it changed the way I shop. Additionally my word of the year in 2018 solidified things for me (Intentional) and now I rarely buy anything new. all that beings said, of the mantel refreshes I’ve seen I vote yours as my fave! Thanks for the inspo!
Author
Wow Crystal, we sound like we’re in the same boat. We have black furniture in our bedroom too! I’ve added teal and taupe colors in there and even though it doesn’t go with the rest of the house, I’m okay with it. It’s soothing and different and I like different. I think if someone were to walk through our house they’d say my decor choices are all over the place and I should calm down. LOL. Oh well, I’ll get it all together one day. It’s the journey of collecting what we like anyway, right?! Greatness takes time. 😉 Thanks so much for the sweet comment on the mantel too. Made my whole day! btw, I love your 2018 word! We could all adopt that way of living.
The way you incorporated blue, yellow and white is lovely, Cindy! Hope to rejoin you next month! Such a fun blog hop!
Author
Thank you Julie. It was a fun challenge.
I particularly enjoyed your explanation of how You got to the print via the mirror. I’m looking forward to the cupcakes!
Author
Well I’m happy that you’re happy. Sorry we ate all the cupcakes. But I’m making something lemony for your visit on Sunday!