Winter Mantel Decor After Christmas

If you’re looking for ideas that are beautiful as a DIY Christmas garland, but also work as winter mantel decor after Christmas – to keep the sparkle and merriment going into the new year – try this DIY beaded snowflake garland idea!

But First – Whose Blue Fireplace is This?

I should explain where this mantel is, for new readers who might be confused!  If you missed the makeover post, my Mom’s apartment has a fireplace, which is such a lovely feature to have.  To make it even more of a focal point, I painted the fireplace a rich blue with chalk paint.  Not one to shy away from blue, I actually painted the whole wall the same color, for a bold focal wall:

Here’s what the fireplace looks like now, decorated for Christmas and the winter months beyond:

Supplies Required:

I actually grabbed this faux evergreen garland from the landfill’s Good Neighbor Shed, so it was totally free!  You can use any greenery you like – the fuller the better.  Here’s what I used for this winter mantel decor:

• Lush and thick layer of faux leaf garland (we used three strands, this one looks more lush)
• Generous sprinkling of fairy lights (battery operated)
• DIY beaded snowflake ornaments (here’s the tutorial – and here’s a similar buy-it-now option)

Here’s What We Did:

1. We laid down a lush and full amount of wired, faux evergreen garland – folded back on itself to be the exact length.
2. We wrapped around the battery operated winkled lights and hid the control/battery pack in the garland.
3. We hung beaded snowflake ornaments on ornaments hooks (you can also use string) along the front.

I love how the beaded snowflake ornaments pop against the dark blue fireplace.  You can make your beaded snowflakes any color!

For Extra Sparkle – Add Faceted Plastic Beads to the Garland:

We also added little plastic faceted beads which, don’t laugh because they’re such a little silly thing, are actually sentimental.

They belonged to my maternal Grandmother, who was very frugal and really treasured any type of beautiful little thing that crossed her path.  I don’t even know where she got these, but she used to put them in a bowl or the bottom of a vase.  I remember her commenting about them once, and she was so sheepish about liking such a silly thing.  I was struck but how much joy she derived from something so little, so that random little memory always stuck with me.  When she passed and we cleared out her home, I took them.  I told the story to my Mom and gave them to her and we tucked those into the garland as well.  They catch the light really beautifully – I think it would make my Grandma happy to know they bring us joy too.

The end result is so pretty and still minimal (my Mom, like me, tends to prefer pretty simple seasonal decor).  Plus, while it looks great now and complements the nearby Christmas tree beautifully, it’s also suitable winter mantel decor after Christmas too.  It’s really just “wintry” and not super Christmassy.  The best part is, we re-imagined and re-used things we already had, so this was 100% free (which would also make my thrifty Grandmother proud).

I hope you like this winter mantel decor after Christmas idea.  You might be wondering why there’s a Christmas tree when we don’t celebrate Christmas anymore? I’ll give you the scoop on that soon!

P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!