Mantle Refresh and DIY Spring Garland Using Dollar Tree Flowers

Well, somehow it’s now April! Can someone please explain to me how this happened?! I’m not complaining though because Spring weather is really coming around and it’s a dream. I get so excited for new seasons to begin and that’s why I get right to work with adding little touches of the new season in my home. To me, it’s a way to wave goodbye to the past and accept all the new changes coming our way.

The first place I look to decorate when seasons change is our fireplace. It’s literally smack dab in the middle of our house, the first thing you see when you walk in and since our home is older- it adds so much charm!

We have a traditional brick fireplace that was a less-than appealing shade of red brown when we bought. About a year ago I finally white washed it as well as painted the built in cabinets white. It’s now one of my favorite spots in our home and I’m so excited to share how we dressed it up for spring with a few simple accessories and a gorgeous DIY garland made with Dollar Tree flowers! I just can’t seem to get away from the Dollar Tree can I?

Here is a quick before. Leftover Christmas garland and a spring banner I bought from Target…

Making the Garland

I love decorating with greenery first so I was already dreaming of a beautiful (and a bit dramatic!) fresh spring garland for the mantle. I headed straight to Michaels to pick up a few garlands. I chose this one and bought two because I wanted a nice and full look.

Next up was a little shopping at the Dollar Tree for florals! I went with soft pinks and some soft yellow touches because a good yellow is my jam! Here was my bouquet. I think I bought 5 different bunches, which means $5… hollllaaa!

I started with layering the two garlands on the mantle. I placed it on top of my driftwood piece to add some body and a little unexpected visual interest.

From here, I just took each bouquet and cut each flower loose from the bunch. I started with one flower at a time and would place it into the garland at the three different spots such as the end, the middle, and the other end. *Tip: make sure you use wire cutters so you don’t hurt your hand trying to cut the wire from the flower bouquet… I’ve done it before and ouch, it’s a pain!

Just keep working until you’ve used all your flowers or you think it’s just your look! I didn’t end up using all of the flowers, and and had extra that my daughter was happy to take off of my hands for some fancy tea parties..!

You can see the flower placing process here:

All done!

Once the garland was squared away I knew we had to rework the bottom half. We had been meaning to replace this screen since our kids broke it awhile back, but I knew a better idea would be to do away with it completely! Getting rid of stuff I don’t love is also my jam… yay for spring cleaning right?!

I tossed the screen and cleaned up the ol’ chimney. Immediately it opened up the space and created some fresh spring vibes…

*Important note: Since we plan on using this as a fireplace in the colder months, I did NOT paint the inside. I would have loved to paint it matte black but my husband (an ex firefighter) advised against it for safety reasons.

I knew I wanted to fill the inside with some pretty white candles so I sped to Target and grabbed these unscented pillar candles in three varying sizes. One large, Two smaller, and two smallest.

Up close there are many imperfections because we actually burned fires in this space, but I think it adds some extra character and charm! We also have a spot on the front of the brick where the flames licked up and washed away my white washing… a little ironic right? I plan to get to that, when I get to it, haha.

And of course it wouldn’t be spring decor without some REAL greenery. I knew we had to have a plant in a basket! While I grabbed the candles I also picked up this adorable basket for 10% off at Target.

The gorgeous plant is from Home Depot! I chose this Peace Lily plant for it’s low-maintenance appeal. Indirect sunlight, plus purifies the air naturally, I’m all over it..! And look how perfectly it fits in the basket! We cut down the top of the plastic container in came in and placed a terracotta plate at the bottom of the basket for watering.

And now for the final look!

Sammy looks quite pleased with the end result and I’m not mad at it… Even if I had to bribe her with a slice of pepperoni…

I love the cozy element of the candles and the open hearth, the gorgeous mantle with flowers and volume, the Peace Lily… It all makes me super excited for this new season of love and life!

Does this inspire you to welcome Spring with open arms? I’d love to hear what your plans are and I hope you enjoyed this little update of our favorite corner of the house. Happy first of April friends, until next time!

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