On my mantel – September

I love reading Tales from a Happy House and how her mantel charts the seasons in her house. When I saw her invitation to join in I knew I had to, albeit a little last minute as usual. Our fireplace is pretty nasty but I love the mantel in our living room, it’s a real focal point and I just had to share what’s on my mantel this month.

I’ve said before that we haven’t decorated our living room since we moved in last April. The room is painted a neutral colour which means most things look good.

The two brass candlesticks were made by my great-grandfather and are always there, as is the large mirror. I have my beautiful vintage bus blind, a vase of white roses, and a sweet print my husband bought me a few years ago.

I love living in London so my mantel currently reflects that with my vintage London bus and Beefeater, and the Chisel and Mouse model of the Hoover building. These days I’m a West London girl and I adore driving past the Hoover building, even if it is a rather dreary Tesco behind the beautiful facade.

There’s a little picture of me and my Big Sister, a clock (set a couple of minutes fast to make sure we’re never late for the school run) and a yummy Yankee Candle. I’m a huge fan of candles and this one is great for eradicating the smell of the small people at the end of a long day.

Just out of the picture is a pretty acorn mobile I just picked up yesterday in Tiger and my colourful DIY banner which currently says ‘Home Sweet Home’ – I’m itching to change it to Halloween.

We have a little nature table where the children place their treasures – mainly conkers and Tinkerbell hats (or acorn caps as they’re commonly known). You also can’t see the chaos of their art gallery wall. It’s covered with pictures of Boxtrolls and leaf prints, slightly more seasonal than our mantel.

Autumn is definitely here so I’m hoping some more colour will creep in over the coming weeks. Do you have a similar area in your house? Does it reflect the changing seasons and what’s going on in your life?