Simple and Neutral Fall Mantel

Thanks for all of your kind comments here and on Facebook regarding my post on Friday. I usually try to keep this blog my own happy corner of the internet, but sometimes life is really hard and it felt disingenuous to not share. So thankful for all of your support! 

On a much lighter note, I started decorating for fall! I love this time of year! My body does not deal well with heat, so the cooler weather makes me so excited! Not to mention how gorgeous the leaves are and the anticipation of the holidays right around the corner! 

I decided to do something completely different this year for my fall mantel. You can check out my past mantels here and here. Now that we have a much cooler color pallete in the living room, I decided to do a neutral fall display. I was afraid I would find it bland or boring, but I have to admit, I'm loving it! 

On the right side, I simply tweaked my everyday decor by adding some burlap and leaves to the vase of cotton. When the pumpkins come in, I'll add a little white pumpkin by the clock. The clock is a recent purchase from World Market. I had the worst time finding cotton at a reasonable price! I finally found some on Decor Steals. I also recently found some more at Michael's in their fall florals. Finally! Man, I wish I knew a cotton farmer... 

Side Note: I am still without a computer, so have no way to edit my photos. So please excuse the coloring in these pictures! 

On the left side, I brought out my candlesticks that I made over a couple years ago and plopped some pumpkins on the tops. I layered in a photo of my Little Man playing in the leaves last year and some acorns.

I was going for neutral and kind of rustic with the pumpkins. The blue pumpkin is from Michael's. The others are also from Michael's that I've had for a while and gave a makeover. They were a bit beat up, so I covered them with burlap. The lighter ones are covered in strips of burlap hot glued to the pumpkin. The darker ones are covered with a larger piece of burlap secured with hot glue, using twine to create the lines. To make all the pumpkins easier to cover, I popped off the stems, then pushed them back on when I was finished. 

I found these adorable burlap leaves at Michael's for only $1.99 per pack! I strung them on some twine to create a leaf bunting. It's one of my favorite parts of the mantel! 

Now before you scroll to the picture of our entire fireplace, I need you to use your imagination, ok? It is still under construction, so just imagine the paint touched up, beautiful white planking from the mantel to the ceiling, and the TV mounted on the wall with NO CORDS hanging down. Imagining that? Ok, now scroll...  Hahaha! 

Always a work in progress, right? ;) Happy Fall! 

Linking up to The Turquoise Home, Thrifty Decor Chick, and Enchanting Inspiration!