March Mantle

So, the Christmas decorations came down and basically nothing has been on the mantle since then. I have been inspired by other blooger's mantle decorations to try to liven things up over the fireplace. 

The greenery is real (from backyard)...the flowers are fake (from the attic).

Pottery Barn has been big on clear containers with flowers, branches, fruit, assored fillers for their past few catalogs.  I had been reluctant to cut the stems of the fake flowers and branches but then I read this in a recent Pottery Barn catalog..." Don't be afraid to alter the length of the stems of faux botanicals just as you would a real branch.  Use stone vase filler to act as a flower frog, which both secures stems at the base and hides their clipped ends."  I also added water to (as suggested by other bloggers) to add some realism (but as I look at these pictures, I need to add more). 

Ooops! These little bugs must have been "wintering" in the bag of pebbles from the backyard.  Sorry guys...I feel bad for you but not enough to try to rescue you.

I added some greenery to this tall vase to add some visual weight to it and also hide the fake stems. Most of these vases came from Ross at one time or another and were $12 or less each.