What I call the “mantel” is actually a shelf in the dining room. I picked this up for free about three years ago in our apartment building in Brooklyn. So glad I did!

My theme this year is pretty eclectic as far as colors go. My goal is to find new ways to use what I already have. I love decorations that can be used in multiple ways.

The wooden santa is a favorite of mine! A couple of years ago I asked my moms friends if they has any old decorations that they weren’t using anymore and this santa was in the box of cast-aways. The wreath was a recent purchase from Magpie and Cake. I am 100% in love! I’ve been wanting to make a yarn wreath of my own, but when I spotted this one on sale, I couldn’t resist. I love how beautiful it is with my Christmas decor, but also love that I can use it year-round.

The apothecary jar was a wedding gift. I’ve used it for everything from holding crafting scissors, to moss for my jewelry display. I simply filled it with last years Christmas bulbs for a festive addition to the mantel/shelf.

The candelabra is from Goodwill and was used in my Halloween display. I might polish it for the holidays.

The red candle holder is from the college party days. I’ve used it in centerpieces with wreaths, or just a simple addition to the coffee table.

The knitted stockings were purchased at the Joanns after Christmas sale a few years ago. The felt stockings were gifts, and the glitter skeleton key was a recent Wal-Mart purchase for a dollar.  The glitter garland is from Michaels (half-off) and I’ve been using it on my jewelry table.

And there you have it, Holiday mantel decorating!

This guest post is written by Miranda who found a way to turn an often dreaded day into a memorable holiday tradition with her Mom. Here are her tips for making Black Friday a success.

Chances are you’ve heard the horror stories about Black Friday and maybe you’ve seen news clips of stampeding crowds at WalMart.  But I’m willing to bet you know a few people who have score some killer deals by dragging themselves out of bed at the crack of dawn to go shopping.  (I’m one of ‘em.)  Whether or not to shop on Black Friday is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.  If it’s not your thing then I fully support your decision to stay in bed.   But if the siren song of a door buster sale proves impossible to pass up (there’s always someone to buy for – family, friends, Toys for Tots, you) let an old Black Friday vet pass along a few tips before you find yourself standing outside an electronic store at 4AM.

Plan ahead.

I don’t care if you’re a free spirit every other day of the year; Black Friday is a day for planners.  The absolute worst thing to do is decide at the last minute where you’re going to go or what items you’re after.  This is not a time to play it by ear; this is a time to strategize.  Pick up the local newspaper on Thanksgiving Day and sort through the Black Friday ads.  Be prepared to see more ads than actual news stories.  Ads are great because they give you a tangible way to see who has the best deals and what time each store opens.  They’ll help you prioritize where to go and when.  Keep your store locations in mind too.  Strip malls are your friends.  That iPod might be $10 cheaper at a store across town but is it worth the time and energy to go so far out of your way? Probably not.

Go to bed early and eat some breakfast when you wake up.

One year I stayed up all night in line at Circuit City with my friends and it was one of the most miserable experiences of my life.  By 7 AM we were cranky, exhausted, and mostly empty-handed.  Not worth it.  Unless you’re willing to camp out all night for a shot at being one of the ten people who gets a deal on a flat screen TV your best bet is to ride that turkey coma to an early bedtime on Thanksgiving. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep.  Take a shower when you wake up and make sure you eat a decent breakfast.  Remember, protein is your friend.

Be nice.

This seems self-explanatory, right?  It’s true there are some crazy, nasty people who hit the stores on Black Friday.  Some people will try to jump the line and get inpatient waiting in long checkout lines.  But you’re better than that.  A little kindness goes a long way with fellow shoppers, with your shopping companions, and with – wait for it – store employees.  You think you’re frustrated waiting in line?  So is the person who had to haul their cookies into work to run a cash register at 4 AM.  Smile.  Say please and thank you.  Make polite conversation.  Be a decent human being.

Divide and conquer.

Your goal at any given store should be to get in and get out as soon as possible, but you’re going to spend a lot of time waiting in line.  There are never enough cash registers to keep up with the shopping crowd.  This is a reality of Black Friday shopping and you need to accept it now.  If you need several items from one store your best bet is to split up from your shopping buddy (mine is my mom) so you can grab what you need and hop in the checkout queue.  If it looks like you’re going to be waiting for more than 20 minutes it’s not a bad idea for one person to hop in line while the other grabs one last item but do not, under any circumstances get in line with one item and hold things up while your companion tries to grab everything on her list.  Not cool.

Treat yourself.

I think if you’re willing to put in the Black Friday effort you should get something out of it.  It’s a great feeling when you score a deal on a gift for someone you love but since they won’t unwrap that present for a month I’m a big believer in the smaller, more immediate reward.  So get yourself a nice bottle of lotion while you’re shopping at Bath & Body Works or add some door buster DVDs to your personal library.  Every year when we’re done shopping my mom and I go to Bob Evans for a big, comfy, late-breakfast.  We laugh and rehash our deals (past and present) over pancakes and coffee.  It sounds silly but that’s one of my favorite holiday traditions.