Looking for creative spring mantel ideas? Here are some of my favorites that I’ve ever created and a little spring inspiration, too.
When I was doing a little mantel research on the blog for this decorating with texture post and putting together all the spring mantels that have gone before…
…I discovered something amazing.
None of the spring mantels that I decorated before was perfect.
Not. A. Single. One.
Not even close.
I almost didn’t post them because when I looked at them all I could see was the flaws (which I’m not even going to point out to you because then you’ll see them, too).
And even though I’m not about perfect. Even though I preach that perfection is TOTALLY OVERRATED. Even though I constantly remind myself that my word of the year is AUTHENTICITY.
Just between us?
Those flaws gave me pause.
Especially with all the perfection that swirls around us on blogs and social media.
It’s not for the faint of heart.
Seriously.
Everyone’s wearing the perfect outfit with the perfect wide-brimmed straw hat—standing on a beach in the middle of winter with their hair blowing in the wind–holding a latte and snacking on broccoli. I think last week I liked a picture of someone weaving linen for their beach house windows and I’m pretty sure I left a heart emoji for someone growing their own grain for fresh herb bread for a picnic on a rock at sunset.
Now don’t get me wrong.
I love weaving my own linen as much as the next person.
I love wheat and beaches and picnics and hair blowing and fresh herb bread (except when I’m giving up gluten and sugar).
I mean—I’m the one in the grocery line reading about the top 10 ways to live healthier and happier in the next five minutes.
I get it.
Who am I to question anyone’s hat fashion choices?
But just for a moment—I want to shift the paradigm.
Self—I’m looking at you.
Instead of focusing on other’s perfection.
Before we feel smaller when we scroll through all that beautiful.
Before we feel less than when we look at ourselves through the lens of social media.
Before we decide we’re not speaking ice cream anymore and start spending hours deep conditioning our hair and add another skincare product our regime or search forever for the perfect purse to match our flip flops….
…can we just stop for one moment?
And remember how amazing we are?
Sometimes we are in such a rush to make ourselves better or wish we were walking in someone else’s shoes that we don’t even recognize the amazing that is right under our nose.
You know when you were younger and your mom wanted to take your picture and then she did and you looked at it and you didn’t like it because you didn’t look like a supermodel and your hair was flat and your shoes didn’t match your dress and you told your mom that you never, ever, ever, ever…
…wanted to see that picture again?
And then?
One day, years later you found the photo and you realized you were so thin and beautiful and your hair was super cute and the shoes were perfect…
…and you looked amazing.
But you missed it.
Because you were too busy looking for what you thought needed to be fixed.
So can we pause?
Just for today.
We can all go back to trying to be perfect tomorrow.
I promise.
Today we are going to remember all the things that make us amazing.
Today we are CELEBRATING US.
Today we are taking the imperfect and recognizing how beautiful it truly is.
So put down your coffee tell yourself in the mirror or tell your friend or your mother or cousin or aunt or the check-out lady at the grocery store what a great organizer, mother, crafter, singer, diyer, daughter, brother, baker, sister, painter, wife, dancer, roller skater, hula-hooper, world-traveler, talker, listener, chef, movie-watcher…
….that you are.
We got this.
Truly.
Here’s to the amazing that we almost missed….
….right under our nose. 🙂
And now?
Here are my 5 imperfect spring mantel ideas with tons of texture that are absolute perfection.
Click on each of the links below for more details on each of the mantel.
PS Today is my birthday. Happy birthday to me. 🙂
Rustic spring mantel ideas
spring mantel ideas with rustic wood art piece
birds and painted branches spring mantel
classic spring mantel ideas
Click here for more information
free spring mantel
Click here to see more details
And now? Here are a few more ideas on decorating with texture for spring from some of my favorite bloggers.
Happy Birthday Kari Anne. Have a lovely day.
Thank you for reminding us to enjoy where we are and who we are in this moment . Thank you for sharing terrific mantel ideas -they are so lovely. And Happy Happy Happy Birthday to you .!
Happy Birthday KariAnne! Thank you for all of your positivity and wonderful ideas! You are always such a bright light no matter what the day brings!
[…] 5 Creative Spring Mantel Ideas by Thistlewood Farms […]
Did you just try to sneak in the fact that it was your birthday??? Thinking we wouldn't notice???? Love you KariAnne! You are such a light in this world! Your words, your voice, your encouragement to us all . . . oh - and that texture! All of you is most definitely AMAZING! Happy Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear KariAnne! Happy Birthday to you! (me singing :))
Thanks for always being an up person! Have a fantastic birthday 🎈🎂🎁🎉
Thanks for the Beautiful message of self acceptance!! it can be so hard to do in todays most critical world! Happy Birthday to you my friend! Hope you have many many more!
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A TRULY BEAUTIFUL LADY! WISHING YOU MANY MORE TOO. I HOPE YOUR DAY IS GREAT!
Happy birthday, Kari Anne. OH MY, am I eight years too late to ask about the bunny mini conservatory in the "Classic Mantel Ideas" post?
Happy Birthday KariAnne! Thank you for bringing all your gifts, talents and kindness into this world!You are holy and dearly loved! GOD bless you today and always friend!
Wishing you the happiest and bestest birthday yet YOU amazing Rockstar!!!! hugs and smiles<sparkle and shine!!!
Love the barley twist table in one of your photos, p[ease do not paint it. I am not a fan of milk glass or cluttered mantles, but this one is a great one to view. Love the burlap bows, too.
Happy Birthday, KariAnne! Have a wonderful, fun day, for yourself. I love reading your blog.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! You had me at broccoli!
Happy birthday, you sweet young thing! BTW, perfection is boring. And I don't want to see the decorating ideas that look like what everyone else is doing. I want to see what YOU are doing. I like mantels #1 and #3 the best--I think it's because I like birds. Oh, and another thing--THANK YOU for spelling "mantel" correctly. I don't know why, but when I see bloggers spell it incorrectly, it brings out my OCD. Ha.
Happy Birthday Blessings Karianne! And thank you for today's uplifting message - you rock!
Happy Birthday 🎁🎊! I’m so glad you were born....you have truly inspired so many people!! As always, love your decor and creativity!! Now go out and make it a great day!
AMEN. Happy Birthday! Another one for the books. Birthdays are a gift, one you won't always get.
Happy happy birthday beautiful KariAnne! The world is definitely a more wonderful place with you here! And that free spring mantel is perfection for me!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!♥
KariAnne, wishing a joyous birthday! May you be blessed today and always!
A very Happy Birthday to you KariAnne! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are! I love your spring mantle inspiration - I think I'll dig out my spring storage box and see what I can do here at home!
Your birthday and in total KariAnne style, you gave us the gift: A Perfect post on being perfectly imperfect that we all NEEDED and wanted! Enjoy a perfect day!!!!
It's not just your decorating that I love KariAnne, it's your positivity and your beautiful soul. Thank you for always saying something we all need to hear!! (and I love the mantels - especially the "free" one!) And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!! Wishing you a day as wonderful as you are! Sheila xo
Warmest birthday wishes!
Happy, happy birthday!! I love those little colored birds.
Happy Birthday, KariAnne. You are my Rockstar of all things home, happiness and decor. Have a delightful day. Hope your day is as bright as you make mine!
Happy Birthday! Yes to all of this! Mindfulness I think they are calling it. Stopping to think about and enjoy what is right there in front of us, my goodness there really is SOOOOO MUCH!!❤️ Hopefully you are skipping the sugar fast just for today!😁
Happy birthday KariAnne!! Sending to you, all the love I have in my heart, on your special day. I truly feel the love poured out in your posts and I receive it. I hope you feel the same today! Enjoy!!! XOXO
Wishing you the Happiest of Birthdays! So glad I found your Blog. You are "REAL" ! So correct about pictures. I remember when some were taken and I thought I looked "FAT"--- I would kill to look like that know!!! I think, as we age, we come to realize not to sweat the small stuff. Thank you for being you!
Happy Birthday! I hope that it is the best one yet! Thanks for the pearls of wisdom, we all need to remember who we are, beautiful daughters of the one true God.
Happy Happy Birthday! Wishing you a year full of love and laughter!
Happiest of birthdays to you.....have an absolute wonderful day of celebrating the amazing you!!! 🌺🎂🍾🎉🥳
Happy Happy Birthday! You are indeed a Rock Star!
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KARIANNE, HAPPY BIRTHDAT TO YOU!!!! Love the picture of you and your husband with the beautiful eyes, and keep asking myself, why are you cutting out gluten and sugars? You need to eat a big 'ol piece of birthday cake girl!!! Love you, Carol
Ah...Aquarius...love the beautiful imaginative vast thinking Aquarian. So have a joyous day and dance in the beautiful world you have created. LOL---in the 70's I was grinding my own wheat berries to bake bread. Those were the days- so much energy. Now I don't eat wheat so much, but happy memories. I LOVE the birds and branches in that one post. So cute. Now I need to add branches to the somewhat involved thing I have done on our very big and long mantel.
Happy Birthday-the dawning of the age of Aquarius (Have a fur baby named Aquarius) :0 Hope you enjoy the signs of springs in beautiful Texas! I love the ideas....what is not to love...birds, flowers, branches....nature!
I tried so hard to look for the imperfects and I couldn't find them, not one! I love this post and I know each and every one of us can relate. It's like when someone would give me a compliment and instead of graciously accepting it I would say, thanks but....and give them information they didn't even need to know. Now when I hear my co-workers or friends do it, I whisper, "just say thank you!" :) Happy Birthday Karianne, I wish you a beautifully perfect day! Christie
Happy KARIANNE Day!! What a great organizer, mother, crafter, singer, diyer, daughter, baker, sister, painter, wife, dancer, roller skater, hula-hooper, world-traveler, talker, listener, chef, movie-watcher, writer, and ENLIGHTENER you are!! And, you make each of us that much better, too! It does not go unnoticed!
Happy birthday KariAnne, you are Amazing!
I luv luv luv you KariAnne! You are the MOST uplifting & positive place online. Can’t wait to open your posts because they ALWAYS bring happy & joy to my day! I know I’m overly mushy here but it’s true. Keep up your good work💕
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR ROCK STAR.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUU.... (and many more!)
KariAnne- I hope you have the most amazing birthday ever! You should make it a birthday weekend...kind of like President's Day, but to honor authentic birthday celebrations. I'm taking the day off just to make sure it happens. May the next year continue with good health, happiness, and more amazingness that you can now imagine.
Happy, happy birthday, you beautiful woman! I love your blog. You are a bright light in this crazy world! And I love your mantels. No mistakes that I could imagine. Have a wonderful day!
The 20th? You’re kidding. Today is MY birthday too! And one of my first cousins. Hope you are having a glorious day! It’s raining here 😢
May you have a Happy and Beautiful Birthday!! You have such a good eye for mixing colors and marrying the old with the new and fresh!
Happy Birthday! May you have the brightest red lipstick, perfect hair, gorgeous earring, glittering kind of day! Have a great day my friend!
Happy Birthday! You are an awesome girl for sure. I can relate to that picture - one day my Dad decided to trim my bangs, and he sat down and cried afterwards because he kept "trimming and trimming" until they were about an inch long - oh, did I mention that I was missing both my two upper front teeth and it was school picture day? I am in my late 60's and I think of that picture a lot. A cute story - today when waiting for my paint to be mixed for a project I am working on - a man who was also waiting said to me that I looked familiar - but he couldn't place me. I asked him "who is your favorite movie star?" He said Sophia Loren - I said, well, that's my name! My husband and I laughed all the way home from Home Depot.
Happy happy birthday! I hope you have a rock star day! I love each mantle- the imperfections make it that much better!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Thanks for sharing all of your amazing-ness with us... :)
Happy Birthday!! May you be blessed with a wonderful year ahead.
Happy Birthday to you!
Wishing you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I LOVE - LOVE all your blogs. Thank you for all you do. Suzanne😄
Happy Happy Happy Birthday ! You Are a beautiful person....inside and out. Have a great day. God Bless You.
I love that image so much! such pretty inspiration. Have a wonderful birthday friend!
Eat lot’s of cake!!🎂🎂🎂. Beautiful post, you are so right!❤️
Oh I love this post even though it interrupted my weaving and hanging the linens at my windows. I needed the laugh today. Now I am going out in the snow with my straw hat to feel the wind and enjoy the sun!
And just in case YOU missed THIS, Karianne, your super-power is slipping quietly into the homemaker's mid-day chores slump and giving her something to smile widely -- and sometimes laugh wildly!! -- about which, blessedly gives a boost of energy to get back up and get on with the mopping. So that she can get to the good stuff like going for a hedgerow walk to gather any greens for her Spring mantel!! Thank you for making my heart lighter this afternoon... and I can't even see if your flip flops are matching your purse right now! And even if they didn't match (according to me) I would just think you were making fabulous fashion inroads... Happy Birthday to you, Lori
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KARIANNE HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! See what I did there....yep wrote it all out. Saved your ears the pain of having me sing to you and let’s be honest...me a ton of embarrassment Not to worry, we all get lipstick on our teeth every once in awhile. Some, well me, every time. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder.
Better late than never, i hope. I pray you had a day full of gobs and gobs of God's blessings and your night is full of starry skies!! Hugs from me to you, Happy, Happy Birthday!!!
Dear you are a hoot and a half! You bring so much sunshine every day. I hope this is your best birthday ever.
Happy happy birthday Karianne! Wonderful post! What I needed to hear today!
You are a great cheerleader! Bless you for always encouraging others! I love those wooden trees. I wish Hobby Lobby still had them. {sigh} PS Sent you a birthday ecard! :D
Happy Birthday sweet lady!! ;)
Happy Happy Birthday! Always enjoy your blog. Thanks for the inspiration and words of encouragement.
Happy Birthday!!! What an inspiring post today Karianne. You have such a gift for reaching in and touching our souls!
Happy Birthday Karianne🎂 I love the mantle with the white roses decor. xo Pat
Your mantels are beautiful and so are you! Happy Birthday to a beautiful person!
Happy birthday from a fellow Pisces! I see that very first photo apparently came from a 2012 post. I absolutely love it! Do you still have that wonderful glass rabbit case?
Well......What IF I said you needed more practice and I happen to have TWO fireplace mantles that you are more than welcome to come and make imperfect for me!! (Kidding of course!) No, really if you want to!! Happy Birthday!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KARIANNE! May you be blessed with a wonderful year! You are so special and so amazing! We love your posts and they always bring us that special ray of sunshine! Such a wonderful post today wherein you have challenged us to live each moment and live each day to the fullest. Such great advice! Such lovely mantels you have created! Thanks for always bringing us such wonderful decorating ideas! We thank God for you! Don't ever forget that YOU ARE SUCH AN AMAZING GAL! BLESS YOU, KARIANNE!
Happy Birthday KariAnne. We all have those pics that we disliked and now look at and say what was I thinking. “ I looked great.” Your story is true of all the time we wasted disliking who we were and what we looked like, when we were the only one who really thought that about ourselves. Nice to be older and realize it really doesn’t matter, as long as you treat everyone you meet kindly.
[…] 5 Creative Spring Mantel Ideas by Thistlewood Farms […]
Happy Birthday Karianne!! Hope you have had the best day! I loved reading your thoughts on authenticity... you have such a great heart! And your spring mantel ideas are so simple and so pretty-- my fav combo!
Happy Birthday my imperfect friend! Hope your birthday was as joy-filled as you are!!!
HaPpY, HaPpY BeLaTeD BiRtHdAy!!! Hope your day was special. You are.
Happy God blessed birthday, KariAnne. I pray your day is filled with sunshine, laughter and joy with your loved ones. I wish you had been around when I was growing up. This post would have helped me while in the awkward stage of life. This post can still be converted to reach the younger generation. They truly need a pick-me-up. They need to understand that trends are flighty (and at that age, friends are, too) and that they are better than chasing after wind. No one in this flawed world will ever achieve perfection. We can only strive to be the best us God created us to be. You have a beautiful way of communicating that. Have a wonderful birthday weekend.
Happy Birthday KariAnne!! xoxo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARI ANNE🎂🎂🎂
Happy birthday KariAnne!
Have you been celebrating all week? I hope so!! I like to stretch out the bday cheer, so have a fun, beautiful weekend! Thank you for your big heart of love, joy, and encouragement. You're a gift to us!
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Happy Belated Birthday To one of the most Amazingly encouraging Honest people I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. You help me see the good in Simple things To be thankful For the little things To truly count my blessings I am truly blessed by your writings
Happy belated birthday! I’ve been traveling and missed your post! Hope you had a wonderful day!! ♥️
Thanks for putting perfection in its place: the bottom of the list! And yet,,, here's hoping you have the most perfect birthday week ever. 😁😊
[…] • relationships: how to repair little things so they don’t become big things • if you liked our dollhouse ideas, this takes it to a whole new level. • this tour with fun boho style • how a lack of gratitude kills relationships • these awesome streamer/confetti ideas • this recipe • 5 creative spring mantel ideas […]