I used to dream about having a fireplace with a mantel so that I could decorate it for holidays. Now that I have one it has proven to be quite difficult for me to actually come up with decor ideas. Some people are really good at styling mantels, I am not one of those. Please teach me your ways people! This year all I wanted was a bunch of bottle-brush trees and I did try to make my own yarn ones but they were too time consuming to be realistic (says the woman who spent 6 hours making that pom-pom garland ha). So after that attempt I brought out my trusty balsa wood and fashioned a whole forest of colored trees and it took maybe an hour and was much cheaper than buying 15 trees!
See all the fun angles and colors you can use? I was limited in width by the size of the balsa board I had so I also just went ahead and made a few trees from multiple triangles that you can see above.
You probably don’t need directions on these little trees, but click through for the super simple how-to just in case!
- Materials
- Balsa wood //
- Painter’s tape //
- Paint //
- Paint brush //
- Glue //
- Scissors
1. Cut out triangles of multiple sizes from the balsa wood.
2. Use painter’s tape to block off sections of the triangles.
3. Paint the exposed wood.
4. Wait for the wood to dry and remove the tape.
5. Use a small section of balsa wood and glue it on the bottom to hold the wood up.
When I started placing my trees up some of them stayed put better than others so for a few of them I used regular scotch tape to secure them to the mantel. I love my modern wood forest although I just want a white fireplace so badly! And in case you are wondering, the tutorial for the lovely beaded garland on my deer’s head is here! 
How did you guys decorate your mantels or shelves for the holidays? I would love to hear what you did and any styling tips you may have! For now I am still just admiring my little cozy corner and simple white tree :)
