Mantel Refresh

I did a quick mantel refresh yesterday.  Out went the rabbits and in came the flying pigs. 

I am in such a styling rut at the moment.  I kept pulling out different candlesticks, lanterns, vases.  It all just bored me to tears.  Part of my problem is a debilitating case of symmetrical-itis.  It's incurable.  

It makes it hard to style things when they have to perfectly balance yet you don't want to over do pairs of everything.  As I look at the pictures I should have either picked the urns or the candlesticks.  Not both.  

I love that little cherub.  My mother in law gave him to me years ago.  He's napping in a clam shell.  

I think part of it is that we have lived here for five years (and three days…) and this isn't a house where you can easily move the furniture around to freshen things up.  The placement of the windows and doors makes it kind of hard.  So everything is feeling a little stale to me.   The only option is to play around with all the accessories.  

I am pleased with the color palette.  I find the whites, muted greens and shimmery crystal very soothing.  It's funny when you look at my Instagram account there is a lot of pink but in real life not so much (and before you say anything Rick – I'm not talking about my sweater collection….). 

I tend to favor a kind of retro, muted green (not quite mint and not sage) and if you pair it with too much pink it goes into that overly shabby chic circa early 1990's look.   Next thing you know I'm wearing stirrup pants with my sling back flats.  Or was that the 80's?

I'm not Catholic but I do love my Immaculate Heart of Mary statue.  She is another peaceful element to the decorating.  I'm starting to warm up to the mantel a little bit.

Here's another thing – I'm very drawn to eclectic styles of decorating like Linda Rodin and Betsey Johnson but I could never in a gazillion years see myself styling my own home like that.  Or do you remember when Mary Englebreit had a magazine called the Home Companion?  I loved that magazine and everything in it.  So warm and exuberant. 

I think what I'm going for is calm and nostalgic.  Like the Virgin Mary and flying pigs which is a bit eclectic in its own right.