A Harvest Mantel of Fruit and Flowers

Ahh, the end of fall – the perfect time for a harvest mantel! At my house, the holiday season starts with our annual fall party in late November. Which is basically when I start decorating.

However, the progression from fall to Thanksgiving to Christmas is a quick one in the decorating world. So to keep it easy, I wanted something multi-purpose for my harvest mantel. Something that could transition through the whole season – from the fall party, all the way to New Years. All I need to do is switch out the fruit and flowers from one holiday to the next.

Evergreen Garland

So I started with something that would last – a faux evergreen garland. Back when I was a tiny little girl, “faux” meant “plastic,” which was not very pretty! But the faux evergreens we have now are beautiful! And just to prove my point, I’ll tell you this little story.

My first version of this mantel involved faux fruit as well. I thought it looked pretty good, but my husband thought the fruit looked too plastic! So I agreed to switch to real fruit for the party. However, here’s the amazing bit. Even though he gave my mantel a serious once-over, he never even suspected the evergreens were faux too! In fact, I think he still doesn’t know!

After my garland was in place, I started thinking about what look I wanted for the party. I had been so inspired by Suzanne @suzanne_zingg‘s beautiful harvest mantel on Instagram, that I thought I’d use her idea as a foundation. Plus, I was doing a sort of bread-board-cornucopia theme for my food tables, so I carried that harvest idea over to the mantel. (You can check out part of the chocolate board in this post!)

The garland already had pine cones in it, so I didn’t need to gather any from the yard. But to vary the texture a bit, I did add some fresh greenery from the camellia bush.

Harvest Mantel Elements

Then I put in just a few things that are specifically fall, like wheat and Lotus pods. There’s nothing that says fall and the harvest quite like wheat.

Luscious Fall Fruit

I really wanted that bountiful look – an abundance of fruit and flowers. So I went into the kitchen, and grabbed up the rewards of my recent grocery shopping trip.

Beautiful pears, grapes, apples, and walnuts – it was all I could do to not eat them on the spot!

Bright Flowers

I also got some gorgeous variegated orange roses to fulfill the flower portion of the program.

A small little aside, here. To keep the roses fresh, I put each stem in a little water tube. Those tubes were one of the best finds ever! You can get green or clear, and they blend right in with whatever arrangement you’ve got going. I’ve linked some for you in the shopping section below. I love them!

Golden Sparkle

After I got it all up there, it looked pretty, but it needed some sparkle. So I took a quick trip downstairs to my present-wrapping area, and came back with some shimmery gold, wire-edged ribbon. Along with the candlesticks, the ribbon added just the right amount of glamour.

Our harvest mantel looked great for the party – especially with the candles lighted and a fire in the hearth! And it still looks great several days later. Every time I walk by, I’m reminded of the bounty of the harvest, and all that we have to be thankful for.

Like you being here! Grateful Thanksgiving Blessings to you all!

———- Shop the Harvest Mantel Post ———-

Click on the pictures for links to pieces I used for this mantel. If the exact item isn’t available any more, I chose a similar option.

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