Hanging Mason Jar Candleholders and Dangling Bead Strands

It started out as a summer project, but it was the winter that surprised and gripped me!  Mason jar candleholders and shiny beads to hang in our beloved Maple tree!  Summer evenings bring grilling outdoors and sitting around the fire ring.  How lovely it is to linger under the canopy of maple leaves and see the candles glowing in the jars and the strings of beads dangling in the breeze.

Rustic Winter Mantel Display

A home can look so bare and empty after the Christmas decorations are taken down and packed away.  Usually I automatically leap to the typical, expected Valentine's decorations.This year I felt like I needed a change, but what?  Rather than go out and buy new decorations, I decided to rummage around the house and see what I have that I could use to decorate the fireplace mantel for the remainder of the winter.