Beauty in a Summer Mantel.

Use all of your favorite items (and some random items that don't look good unless their with other stuff) and create a grouping.  Grouping in odds numbers helps a moment look more chic and less posed. 

Just trust your instincts!  Play with the "moment" until you like it.  Try walking into another room for a few minutes and re-entering the space to evaluate.  Remember, your home is your view for a lot of your time.  So it IS worth it to push yourself a bit and be creative with what's in front of your face all the live long day.  We couldn't quite get this moment to work, until I brought in another item with scale (the cream wrought iron mail organizer) and balanced the grouping.  I love the canvas piece just off center.  It says "bloom" in the prettiest leaf green.

We have also just added a few pieces of birch wood logs inside the actual fireplace.  When silver birch (the tree of our neighbor conveniently reached over our yard in a precarious way) is fresh, it has a lovely green cast.  Perfect!

I wish your summer popsicles and fireflies...

May you have eyes to see the beauty. --Meg Tess