S is for....School Mantle

It's that time of year again!  This year is especially difficult for me because my baby...starts Kindergarden!!! I can't believe it!  I'm going to be a giant puddle of tears come Thursday for sure!  Anyway, July is over and I got tired of looking at my patriotic mantle that I decided I needed something different.  It's too early for my Fall Mantle (sad face) so I came up with this...

It's my Back-to-School Mantle.  It's pretty simple really.  I just added a few of my staples, my old window, a couple of initials for SMITH or SCHOOL, some pictures of my family and my cuties and some candles.  I also added these in the apothecary jars...

Yes, those are some extra school supplies.  And there are my cuties!  I also found a really awesome Chalkboard at Target this year at the Dollar Spot!!

The one on the right is the one I found. Of course, when I realized that I actually needed 2 and went back to get it, they were sold out...figures.  So I found the framed chalkboard on the left at Hobby Lobby and made it to look similar.  Most of the words are permanent so I used a paint pen to create those but left the blanks so we could use them year after year.  I just wrote the rest of the info in chalk.  Can you believe that G is going into 3rd grade this year!?!?!  And M...Kindergarden?!?!?!?!  Again, puddle of tears.  I also added a clock behind the chalkboards to signify that ever so fast ticking away of time. 

 

They will never be this young again...ah...oh well.  I hope you enjoyed this Mantle and are ready for your kiddos to head back to school!  

Grade Signs - FREE Download!!

I'm sure this time of year is just as busy for you and your family as it is for ours!  I love all the first vs. last photos of the kids school years.  I've found several great signs for the first day of school, but none for the last day of school.  So.....I created one.

AND....since I'm sure you will love them too, I'm offering them here to you for FREE!!!  I have signs for all years, preschool through senior year and even a bonus sign for GRADUATION DAY!!  Enjoy!

First Day of Preschool

Last Day of Preschool

First Day of Kindergarten

Last Day of Kindergarten

First Day of First Grade

Last Day of First Grade

First Day of Second Grade

Last Day of Second Grade

First Day of Third Grade

Last Day of Third Grade

First Day of Fourth Grade

Last Day of Fourth Grade

First Day of Fifth Grade

Last Day of Fifth Grade

First Day of Sixth Grade

Last Day of Sixth Grade

First Day of Seventh Grade

Last Day of Seventh Grade

First Day of Eighth Grade

Last Day of Eighth Grade

First day of Freshman Year

Last Day of Freshman Year

First Day of Sophomore Year

Last Day of Sophomore Year

First Day of Junior Year

Last Day of Junior Year

First Day of Senior Year

Last Day of Senior Year

Today is Graduation Day!

Fall Mantle

I just LOVE Fall!! It's my favorite season of the year!  Partly because my birthday falls in this season, but also because the weather cools off, the leaves change and I can wear clothes that will cover up my body more and hide all the weight I gain from the Summer cook outs. I mean, let's be clear! :)

To celebrate this wonderful time of year, I have started to decorate our home! AND since our New Home has a beautiful fireplace!! I can decorate the mantle!! I searched Pinterest over and over (as any great decorator does) for ideas and finally came up with this!!

 

Isn't it adorable! I of course don't have a lot of money to spend on decorating, but wanted to be festive, so here's how I did it!! This entire mantle cost me only $20!!! I know what you're thinking...HOW?! Well, let me tell you

 

I picked up the old window at a garage sale for $8, bought a dollar store grapevine wreath for $1 and some leaves/berries at Wal Mart for $0.97 each (2 bunches).  The cute sunflower I got on sale at Hobby Lobby for $1.  (I know, fall hasn't even begun yet and they have stuff on sale) All this = $12, clearly the most expensive stuff on my mantle. :)

 

 

To make the wreath, I just pushed the leaves and berries into the grapevine wreath to make it a little more full and voila...an adorable mantle-sized wreath. No hot glue needed. I then embellished it with the bling sunflower! Gotta have some bling somewhere in this all boy house! :) To attach it to the window, I just took some twine I had and taped it to the other side of the window.  You could also use ribbon if you prefer.

 

 

The candle sticks I had, but got the leaves that are laying on the mantle and pumpkins/gourds from my sister who is living with us.  I bought this for her as a birthday gift one year.  I also got these on after the season clearance for something REALLY cheap...sorry sis. :) Also, accompanying the mantle foliage are 2 more bunches of $0.97 flowers from Wal Mart.

 

 

On the other side of the mantle, I picked up these candle holders at Target just a week or so ago on clearance for $3 each! I originally got them to stuff Christmas ornaments in for the upcoming Christmas season, but couldn't wait to use them.

 

 

I stuffed the bottoms with left over leaves from the bunches and some acorns from our front yard.  The acorns were supposed to go all the way around the candles, but they and the candles are too big, so I had to settle for what I could see from the front. :)

 

Now my favorite part! M and I went walking with G on our way to school yesterday and found so many sticks on our way.  I needed some height to the mantle, so find an empty vase and there you go! This will also transition really well into my Halloween mantle that will debut next month!!

 

 

The Fall Banner, I made out of stuff I already had: scrapbook paper, ribbon, tape and contact paper. I just thought the mantle needed a little more warmth.

 

 

So, breakdown:

Window - 8

Wreath - 1

Leaves/Berries for Wreath - 2

Sunflower - 1

Candle holders - 6

Mantle Flowers - 2

Acorns - FREE

Sticks - FREE

Vase - FREE

Fall Banner - FREE

 

Total cost of Mantle Decor = $20

 

Cost of enjoying a season of festiveness = PRICELESS! :)

 

 

 

Want to know how to make the cute Fall Banner?! Click here!!

 

 

 

Fall Banner How To

You may have seen my new Fall Mantle and thought to yourself, I want to make that same banner!  Well, you can!  This is a little tutorial on how to make that cute banner. Here's what the finished product looks like:

 

 

Now on how to make one yourself!  Bear with me, there are a lot of photos, but I'm a visual person, so I hope it helps.

 

Supplies:

Fall type scrapbook paper or card stock

Clear Contact Paper

Ribbon

Scissors

Computer & Printer

Masking Tape

Ruler

Pencil

 

 

How To:

I found some 5.5" x 8.5" really cute handmade paper in my scrap booking stuff that was PERFECT for this!  However, you can use any paper, card stock or even construction paper for this project.  The "laminating" step will strengthen the paper, so it will be strong no matter how thin it is.

 

If you do use a larger paper, decide how big you want your letters.  I think the size mine is is perfect for the size of my mantle, but that is a decision you will have to make.  All my measurements are based off my 5.5" x 8.5" paper, just so you know.

 

Go into Microsoft Word or any other program you like really and create a word art of each letter.  Choose a font you like, shape and color.  I used Algerian Font size 470.  Make sure you change your Page Layout to the size of paper that you have chosen.  Center your letter and make 4 different pages (one letter per page).  You could customize it with different fonts for each letter, or different colors of ink on your papers.  I chose black because my paper is very ornate.

 

Print each letter onto your papers.  You should then have 4 pages that look like this:

 

 

Next step is to draw where you want to cut your design...if you want one.  Even though the paper was interesting, I wanted a little pizazz to my banner.

 

I found the middle of my paper (2.75") and made a mark. 

 

 

Then I decided that I wanted my design to come about 1" high, so I made another mark 1" up on the page in the middle.  Then I placed my ruler at the top mark, and then the corner of my page and drew a line with my pencil.

 

 

Now comes the "laminating" step.  If you have a laminator at home, have at it.  I do not, so I went the easy route and used clear contact paper to "laminate" my letters.  The purpose of this is just to make it a little sturdier and to hold it together better so that I can use this again next year!

 

Take your contact paper and fold it on itself BEFORE you cut what you will need.  Then lay the letter on top to measure how much paper you will need.

 

 

There, now you can cut off the contact paper.  Remember to do this 4 times (one for each letter).  You can see I used about 12 inches of contact paper.  I wanted to make sure it would be enough.  After you have cut your paper, peel the edge off and gently place your letter onto one side of the paper.  Then carefully fold the paper onto itself to "laminate" your letter.

 

You will need to smooth out the contact paper over your letter.  Be careful!! This is VERY sticky and can cause wrinkles.  Unfortunately, if it is not smoothed well, you will either have wrinkles or have to do it all over again. I messed up once and it tore my paper when I tried to remove and re-smooth...hence the no picture for this step. :)

 

Next, cut out your letter.  You can cut all the way to the paper edge, this will not separate!! Make sure to cut out your pencil design as well!

 

 

Here we are so far!  Getting closer! Now it's strong AND waterproof! :)

 

 

Next, you need to cut a slit for your ribbon.  I used my exact-o-knife, but scissors will work just as well.  Again, I'm a perfectionist, so I measure everything.  This measurement (because you are dying to know) was slit a total of 1.5" from the exact middle of the page.

 

 

Now, push your ribbon into the front side of your letter and tape it on the back. I chose ribbon cut to 12".  Again, look at your mantle or place you are hanging this and decide how long your ribbon will need to hang.  Then add 2" to your measurement to secure the paper to the ribbon and the ribbon to your mantle or shelf.

 

               

 

Voila! There you have it.  Do this to all 4 letters, then take your tape at the other end of the ribbon and tape it to your shelf or mantle! What do you think?! :)

 

 

To see pictures of my entire Fall mantle, that I created for only $20, click here.  Happy creating!

I'd love to hear how yours turns out!