Valentines Mantel and Decoated Heart Boxes

It was definitely a mantel building weekend for me.  This is the mantel in my dining room and it got the Sweet Heart treatment to go with the pennant banner I have hanging against my lace window curtains in that room.

I love these Victorian candelabras, with their dangling crystals they look like they are right out of the movie Pollyanna.

The sweet kissing cherubs in the oval frame was brought home from Treasures Antiques to provide the centerpiece.  I especially love these two because they break the rules.  Normally a human like figure with bird wings is an angel and those with insect wings are fairies.  In this case, I think they are both cherubs (angels) but one of them has bird wings and the other has insect wings.  I guess the classical artist (1800's) didn't know about the wing rule.

I drafted my sweet 40's plaster head vases to stand in as Valentine royalty.  I love their deco lines, so different than the later, 50's head vases which are ceramic.

Next I actually got around to decorating these velvet chocolate boxes with some of the best pieces from my antique lace collection, then added rhinestone broaches, cameos, ribbon, sheet music and buckles. The boxes have been in my stash for a couple of years, so it felt good to actually do some reinvention with them.

In the end I added a couple of turn of the century 'gift books', which were made to be both romantic and elegant.

Of course when it came time to find a sweet young thing for my tiny silver heart frame, Graphics Fairy saved the day once more.

I hope you have enjoyed my mantel as much as I enjoyed putting it together.  Happy Valentines!