Above the Mantel by Nicole

Hey everyone!  Nicole here on the blog today.  I've become a little obsessed with the space above my fireplace mantel.  I keep changing it out with every holiday and find that I absolutely love having this focal point in our living room. When we started decorating for the holidays I knew I wanted to make some kind of Christmas wreath to hang in this space.  I wanted it a little homemade looking and also knew I couldn't spend anything to make it.  That's when I remembered the holly shape from the Santa advent calendar.  I'm all about using elements from cut files in a new way.

To begin I opened the file in the Silhouette program and copied/pasted the holly leaf filling the whole mat.

I cut the leaves from three different hues of green cardstock and then a few from book paper.  

I inked the edges of the green cardstock leaves to add a little dimension and contrast.

 The book paper leaves I outlined in glue and sprinkled with green glitter.

The base of the wreath is a piece of cardstock I cut into a circle.

Before gluing the leaves to the base I scored the middle and folded slightly to add dimension.  

I then glued all the leaves to the base overlapping them and spacing the book paper leaves evenly around the base.  

I finished it off with some holly berries and ribbon.  Not a very complicated project, but the perfect finishing touch to my mantel space.  My silhouette and Samantha's cut files made this little project come together quickly. 

Here is a look at the whole space:  the chalkboard is actually the back of an old cork board that I painted.  The 3D deer head is made from foam core and was requested by my son after spying something similar at a boutique.    

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and are gearing up to decking your halls.  Thanks for stopping by the blog today and happy crafting!