Rustic holiday mantel: snowflakes & evergreens

Thanks a million for your kind words about Quinn's birthday!   You know how to warm this mama's heart :-)
Does anyone else enjoy decorating the mantel more than the tree this time of year?  I do.  Last week, we got festive as uh, fudge over here (I'm working on my swearing as Quinn's like a parrot lately #supermom).  I'm not a seasonal decorator, but I do make an exception for the winter holiday season.  This year's theme was "reuse-recycle-rustic" ;-)  Except for a couple faux berry stems, I worked with what I already had.  Thanks to the abundance of evergreens in our backyard, I was able to pull together a mantel-scape we quite like.  Bonus: the evergreens smell amazing.
I'm linking up to a couple of my favorite gals Carmel & Michelle , who are hosting their Holiday Cheer in the Blogosphere Merry Mantel link party here & here.  Check out their marvelous holiday mantels, the endless other inspiring links, & link up your own!

Here's my simple, rustic snowflakes & evergreens mantel.

{I get lots of questions about that sunburst mirror.  It was an impulse buy from Home Goods back in 2008 or 2009.}

cable knit stockings (Target 2012)

wooden initials spraypainted gold (Michael's 2012)

Apparently plaid is back this holiday season?  

I've been hanging on to this plaid throw for 12 years & it finally came out of hibernation.

Though we have lots of evergreenery at our fingertips, we're lacking in the berries department.  I picked up faux berry branches (Target) & spruced up the credenza.  If you follow me on Instagram, you might've seen that I swiped Mr. FC's post-snowboarding-sore-muscles-Epsom-soaking-salts to use as faux snow in the lanterns.  It's like everybody wins (except for Mr. FC).

I probably need to stop it with the symmetry, but I cannot.

And the mudroom got in on the festive mood, too.  

More to come (hopefully before 2014).

Have a wonderful week, friends!