Expert styling tips to decorate a Harvest and Thanksgiving Mantel, using Vintage Gold Frames and natural beauty.

It’s Harvest time and Thanksgiving is fast approaching. Time to give your mantel a seasonal makeover! With a foundation of vintage gold frames (I found mine on the curb;), you can create a bountiful seasonal display by layering what you have with natural accents. Here are styling tips to help you decorate a Bountiful Thanksgiving Mantel with Vintage Gold Frames.

For today’s post, I’m joining my Creative Vintage Darling’s Facebook group friends! If you love vintage finds as much as we do, you may want to join in the fun of sharing your latest finds and getting decorating ideas, too! You can join us, HERE.

If you’re visiting from Home to Heather, welcome!  I’m sure you enjoyed Heather’s great style. I’ll have all the rest of the Vintage Thanksgiving inspirational links down below! I can’t wait to see them all!

Bountiful Thanksgiving Mantel with Vintage Gold Frames

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Harvest and Thanksgiving is a time when I especially love adding all the classic vintage touches to my home. It reminds me of times gone by and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Of course, I am never at a loss when it comes to vintage treasures;) Most of my secondhand finds are found curbside, and this past Spring, I accumulated a boatload {“Curbside Junking Vintage Finds, Best Ever”}.

Decorating the mantel is a great excuse to use some of my “new” finds, along with some I repurposed. Because of the beautiful gold Fall sunshine, vintage gold frames are the perfect backdrop to create a bountiful Harvest scene. With nature-inspired additions and fresh clippings from the yard, you can beautifully decorate your mantel easily with these styling tips!

Start with a Backdrop of 3-4 Vintage Frames

Begin by leaning 3 vintage frames against the wall behind your mantel. The great thing about decorating with vintage frames is you can use them alone, or put something inside them. The old dresser frame in the middle has a chalkboard in the middle, so I can change the look to whatever I need. I wrote the lyrics to an old christian contemporary song I always sing around this time of year by the Imperials, “Lord of the Harvest, place your fire in me…” Anyone else remember that one?

On either side, I put square gold frames with beautiful detailing. Across the front is my newest repurpose, an old divided mirror that we upcycled with gorgeous vintage ceiling tin. Any time I can add this stuff to a piece, I know I’ll love it. {For more vintage ceiling tin application ideas see, “Vintage Ceiling Tin Ideas”.} I’ll be sharing the how-to next week!

Add Something Pretty to Each Frame

Like I said, vintage frames are the ultimate decorating canvas. For this scene, I hung a classic wheat wreath in one frame and a print called “The Gleaners”, depicting peasant women gathering wheat. The small print is in another beautifully detailed gold frame. I simply pounded a little nail in the wall behind to hang.

The repurposed ceiling tin architectural piece got a simple ribbon, suspending the word “gather”.

Each of the 4 frames was treated to a little something special, adding vertical interest. You could also add garland or bunting draped across for another look.

Ideas to add to a bare frame:

• wreath
• another framed print
• garland/bunting
• accessory hung from a ribbon/twine

Add Vertical Interest to Your Mantel Display

To bookend all the natural-inspired pretty on the mantel, I placed 2 taller vertical elements at either end. Decorative corn became a bouquet when stood on end in a glass fishbowl. For filler interest, faux acorns are around the bottom. A thrift-store lantern got un-electrified and holds a battery-powered birch log candle. I love mixing real candles and battery-powered ones.

Use Repetitive Shapes in your Accessories

When choosing accessories to fill out your mantel display, play with shape. Repeating many variations of the same shape on different items can be pleasing to the eye. Notice how the round vintage clocks mimic the shape of the wreath. Had you even noticed it before I told you?

Add Something Living to your Mantel Display

A vintage pottery pheasant vase brings life to the whole vignette. Whether it’s an animal or even a little bug, adding a living thing to your vignette adds a touch of whimsy and real-life.

Pile on the Natural Elements as a Finishing Touch

Does nature go half-way in the Fall? No way…it goes all out as it’s final hurrah before winter! A Harvest/Thanksgiving Mantel should be no less. “Bountiful” is the perfect word to describe Autumn in all it’s glory!

I added the natural elements in this order:

1. start with a faux foliage garland as a base
2. insert sprays of colorful fall leaves
3. add evergreen clippings (I used juniper)
4. dried hydrangea heads add great lacey texture
5. add feather balls in varying sizes and squash/gourds
6. votive cups with little pumpkin candles for the win!

I love how this Autumn Mantel display reflects what’s outside the window. We get a beautiful, colorful Fall display in our yard, which you can see in “Decorating the Fall Porch with Vintage Junk Finds”.

Time to put a log on the fire and enjoy some Fall coziness!

Has this post given you more confidence to create a Harvest/Thanksgiving Mantel in your home? I hope so! It’s really just like adding layers. Starting with a grouping of vintage frames is a great way to begin.

If you’re going in hop order, visit Little Vintage Cottage next! You’ll love Tania’s Thanksgiving vignette.

Hope you enjoyed this Bountiful Thanksgiving Mantel with Vintage Gold Frames. Thanks for stopping by!

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Very Vintage Thanksgiving Blog Hop

One House 2 Barns / Home to Heather / Lora Bloomquist

Little Vintage Cottage / Vinyet Etc.

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DIY Salvaged Junk Projects

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