Decorating Your Mantle for the Holidays with RAZ!

Christmas is the time to turn a simple mantle shelf into a stunning masterpiece of beauty and elegance. The decorating theme of your Christmas tree can be carried over to your mantle and table top decorations and centerpieces, or a different style all together as long as some components of the decorations are the same or similar.

In the pictures below you will find great ideas that you can use to decorate your home. But first remember a few basic and safety tips.

• Be mindful not to drape garlands or greenery so low that it can be reached by children, or too close to the heat if your fireplace will be in use.
• Protect the surface of your mantle with some sort of protective cover if you are using real branches that will leak sap or items that will scratch or dripping candles.
• A protective cover can be disguised with elegant  fabric, snow, etc.
• Remember to leave space on your mantle for glasses when you are entertaining
• Use an odd number of items, tall on one side, short on the other, the ends don't always have to be balanced.
• Consider using battery powered candles for safety. Pillar and tea-light candles in a variety of colors and styles are readily available, some can even be recharged

 Winter Twinkle Collection by RAZ

 This mantle decoration is made of an assortment of different colored balls, some solid, some polka dot but generally the same size and all glittered. Balls are positioned around a collection of lighted sisal boxes, multicolored ball sprays are used for adding spikes of color and pieces of wispy spray in red and lime green swirling down.

 This arrangement also uses items from the Winter Twinkle Collection. Notice how the snow seems to be piled up. This effect can be achieved by using a small bowl turned upside down and covered with fabric or plastic and then snow sprinkled for a mounded up effect. Large striped Christmas light bulb style ornaments are added and glittered pine sprays.

White flocked, glittered branches  provide a fresh contrast to the dark evergreen and large Christmas light bulb style ornaments that are scattered about the boughs to give an old fashioned look with their bright colors. The bulbs are decorated with glittered stars for extra sparkle. White glittery snowflakes would work well this arrangement also.

Richly Red

 The name says it all, Richly Red! This is a stunning collection of red decorations for a formal, elegant look. Pre-lit spiral trees on the left and beaded cone trees on the right. Flickering beaded candles add a soft glow and even the mixed pine and cedar garland is glittered and pre-lit. The large finial ornaments hanging provide bold color. Red velvet poinsettias are clustered in the center as a focal point under the mirror. The red metal glittered JOY sign demonstrates the use of combining similar items, but all different. In this case....all are Richly Red...from RAZ.

Red and Green

Red and Green...a very traditional, classic design. Holly Garland is used with varying sizes of white flickering pillar candles. Note that some of the candles are positioned behind the red glittered Merry Christmas Sign. When using real holly branches for decorating, the branches and berries can be dipped into floor shine products for "no wax" floors. This acts as a preservative and also gives a glossy look. They can also be spray painted with clear coat paint for shine and while the paint is still wet, sprinkle silver or gold glitter on the leaves.

A very fresh and elegant look for this mantle and only one item was used - a poinsesttia with acanthus garland. Can't get much simpler than that and such a beautiful look!

Home for the Holidays!

This mantle piece is one the whole family will love! Natural look pine garland with pine cones and whimsical metal Christmas stockings in all sorts of styles  - stripes, polka dots, curley toes, dangling jingle bells. Whimsical stocking ornaments range in size from 11" to 16"

Happy Holly Days

The Happy Holly Days Collection is just that - HAPPY! Whimsical packages decorated in stripes, polka dots and holly twigs! This mantel piece is called Holly Swirl Present Mantle Display and is a RAZ exclusive design by Paula Buttel and Carol King. The same effect can be obtained by using single box ornaments and arranging in a similar fashion. Whimsical package ornaments and boxes are made of metal so these would be good choices if you use your fireplace for heat.

This photo shows the simple use of polka dotted ribbon intertwined with poinsettias for a whimsical look.

More to come!