Our Early Fall Mantel

The surest sign that fall is nearly here is that early fall mantel. It celebrates everything I love most about fall: the colors, the warm drinks, football, pumpkins, and wool blankets.

I’m saving apples, also another one of my fall favorites, for another spot in the cottage.

I think some of us have houses that are really made made for certain seasons.

And this cottage is an autumn gal.

It may be 90 degrees outside and peak hurricane season here in Florida, but there’s no denying how cozy our little home becomes once she’s awash in plaids and earthy colors.

There’s something about the literal and metaphorical center of the home reflecting the very best parts of the season really has us wishing for those cool, brisk days.

I love to try to create mantels that have some sort of thematic element.

This year’s early fall mantel theme is “Fall Tailgating.”

Sometimes, the vision comes as a result of one element that I purpose to style everything around. Other times, it’s a vintage collection.

This mantel is brought to you by months of squirreling away these vintage thermoses. I’ve scoured thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales to put together this humble little collection.

Some other mantel highlights:

The gorgeous green vintage cooler that Rob found surprised me with last fall. The gold/bronze “Atlas” lettering is gorgeous. Try not to be too jealous when I tell you it’s absolutely immaculate inside.

The incredible vintage Stanley dispenser. I’ve never seen these in the wild, and I had to employ my very best yard sale negotiation tactics to bring this guy home without taking out a second mortgage on the cottage. I’m joking. But seriously, this was a super cool “in the wild” find.

The collection of vintage wool blankets. One of the first areas I check the thrift store first is the linens section. I absolutely snag these whenever I find them. Most times, I can walk away paying $3 or less. On a side note, I’ve also been collecting these as part of an ongoing fall craft project I’ve been working on behind the scenes. More news about that soon.

The set of vintage boys books. These books were all published in the early 1930s and revolve around football stories. Perfect for fall. The best part was that I snagged these on 50% off day at an estate sale. They were hidden (along with a ton of other young boys’ sports and war-themed books) on a huge book shelf. Once I spotted them, Rob grabbed the nearest cardboard box he could find, and I absolutely loaded up.

The linen handprint anchoring it all together features the most gorgeous mill and fall scenery. It’s perfectly muted and ties all of the colors together perfectly.

What’s your favorite part of the mantel? Does its nostalgic vintage touches bring back any memories?