Remember how I said that I needed to give myself more grace? Well, this post is exactly what I meant. I took down my Christmas decoration last weekend, and although I love Christmas, and decorating for it, something in me takes a huge breath of relief when all the decorations are taken down. It’s like the house has room to breathe. But it was time to do something with my mantel for winter décor, and I didn’t have any “new” projects to put up. So I did what any frugal design person will do—I shopped my house.

And I gave myself a little grace and didn’t make a new project. Instead, I unmade one, and used another old project that was just collecting dust.

How do you unmake a project? Very carefully. J

Seriously, I made this sunburst mirror from an old clock.


I loved it, but when I took it down to make room for some holiday décor…some little “helpers” broke off a couple of the spokes. Not a big deal, but the more I looked at the mirror…the more I wanted to take the spokes off. They had outlived their place in the house. So I simply pulled them off (yay for hot glue when you change your mind often!). The spokes actually came off pretty easily. And that’s how we took a couple of steps back to the simple (still blue) mirror.

And then I kept the pallet boards that have been up on the mantel since this fall. I like them, they create awesome texture, and…well, I like them. Keeping with the blue theme, I also pulled out my colored mercury glass candle holders. I love them, and they weren’t getting the attention that they deserve where they were, so now they are front and center on the mantel.

And then I just kept shopping around my house for fun items. A silver bowl that had been hidden in the bonus room made it way to the mantel. And then I found a little brass box that my husband found at an estate sale that says it came from India. That lantern came from Ikea and the gear came from Hobby Lobby (and I love them both—probably why they are now regulars on the mantel). And the blue glass pedestal dish? That came from my dear husbands grandparents, I think—he’s had it since before we met.


And one thing that wasn't really a part of the mantel...a new fireplace screen. My friend Amanda got rid of her fireplace...and I was blessed enough to receive the screen. No more uber traditional brass screen!  My husband and I couldn't believe that we had lived with that old screen for so long!


And...that's it. Giving myself a little bit of grace is perfect as I start this new year with new projects. And more grace to my pocket book: amount spent on this project: $0!