We use advertising and affiliate links from Amazon and other retailers as a means of generating revenue on this website. We do not recommend services or products we do not personally resonate with.
Friday, March 10, 2023

Decorating for St. Patrick's Day

Unique St. Patrick's Day Home Decorations That You'll Love


Get your home ready for the holiday season with these fun and unique St. Patrick's Day mantel decorations! Easily create a festive atmosphere on your mantel in no time.


Decorating for St. Patrick's Day


Every season I try to come up with new inventive ways to decorate our mantel.  Sometimes I have a plan, and well others?  I just wing it by gathering my favorite items and seeing what I can come up with.  


You can imagine how excited I was when Debbee with Debbees Buzz invited me to participate in the Lucky Charms Blog Hop!  Since we are celebrating St. Patty's Day, I knew I had to come up with something different than any other year for March!  


If you are visiting from Barbara with Mantel and Table, Dia duit, pronounced dee-ah gwit which means hello in Irish!  Isn't her Pot of Gold and Rainbow tablescape adorable?


When I began planning for this blog hop, I thought oh, I do not have much in the way of Irish to decorate with.  I had planned to make a wreath for the holiday, but that just would not do the holiday justice in my mind.  

I called the one person on my Irish phone tree I knew could provide the magic I was seeking, why my sister of course.  When she was bit by the travel bug a few years ago, she was enticed by a leprechaun while doing a jig to travel to Ireland, and so she did.   




When the travel bug sunk his mighty teeth into her, she set out to explore England & Ireland.  She found that Ireland stole her heart immediately and decided to focus her two week stay there.  So unlike her sister, who likes to stay stateside, she set out for the perfect seaside vacation.    


Decorating for St. Patrick's Day

  
Many of the pieces I am sharing today came from Ireland during her stay, and other pieces came after her travels.  I can assure you when my sister sets out to begin a collection, she is all in.  The pieces I am sharing with you today are just a small sample of her collection.    


When creating new mantel decor, gather items you enjoy seeing in your home.  Then build your mantel by creating smaller vignette's within your entire mantel design.  I have always found placing items in groupings of three or five work best.  Odd numbers just seem to be most aesthetically pleasing to the eye.


Decorating for St. Patrick's Day


This is the reason I began with these three items above and then continued to arrange and build our mantel on each side.  The cross is actually a wrought iron piece with some weight to it.  Since it was the tallest of the three items I placed it in the middle to draw the eye up.  I also enjoyed the neutral color palette of these pieces grouped together.  


 

 


As you can see, she provided so many goodies for me to share with you today.  When I recreate our mantel each season, I like to begin with a clean slate.  I remove everything from our mantel with the exception of the mirror.  It has been in my family for over 100 years!  


Yikes!  In my opinion, it is in pretty good shape, but of course the frame is beginning to crack a bit so the less handling it has, the better.  I have loved it since I was a little girl.  It is difficult to capture the details of the mirror since it is so dark, but it has some really beautiful details.





I continue to "play" (that is what decorating is to me, I get to be a kid once again) until I have the look I am after.  After I have arranged the items I intend on using on our mantel, I begin adding greenery for more  dimension and texture.  I reuse many of the same pieces from season to season to keep storage and budget to a minimum.  




No St. Patrick's Day mantel would be complete without a cane!  It reminded me of Darby O'Gill and the Little People so I knew it needed to be added to our mantel decor this season.  I even chuckled to myself when I placed it wondering if any leprechauns may pay us a visit.  





It would seem the Irish of the 1950's and I have something in common, imagine that...  me forever stuck in traditions of the past.  Have you heard of an Irish Good Room?  The Irish Good Room was the one room in the house that stayed perfect any day of the week, any time of year.  A room where guests were received, the perfect sitting room, if you will.  Are you getting a visual of how this perfect room should always be?  




It would seem we also have a room like this, but not something I would have thought to call our Irish Good Room, until today that is.  I am so happy I can now tell my husband we are submerged in past traditions with what he currently calls our "Non-Living, Living Room."  


When our home was filled with the love of one wild & crazy pup, I realized very quickly our home could be destroyed in the blink of an eye.  Oh, he sunk his teeth into brand new carpet, table legs, you name it, and puppy teeth were embedded in it.  Up the baby gate went to keep one room in our home untouched from puppy life.  It is the one room in our home that is always clean, always in order, no matter what, our Irish Good Room!  




What a relief to have one room up to par and to my liking, isn't it?  I am hoping those Irish wives of the 1950's would agree our mantel decorated for St. Patrick's Day is in line with their Irish Good Room.    




My mantels tend to be a bit over the top with so many items on them, but that is just me, I like a bit extra, do you?  I like to think our living room is the one room preserved from the madness of the rest of our home.  It is where I like to ponder my next project since I find this room so calming.  




Find below items made in Ireland from Amazon, some very similar to what my sister found during her stay.  




We hope you enjoyed our Irish mantel decor for St. Patrick's Day.  Below you can find some beautiful photos of Ireland from my sister's adventures.

Ireland Photos

Photos of Ireland

Photos of Ireland

Photos of Ireland

Photos of Ireland   
Photos of Ireland 
Photos of Ireland


Join me in discovering new inspiration and lovely home decorating ideas, along with new bloggers you may not have met yet today for our St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop.  



Howto Make a Beautiful St. Patrick's Tablescape 🍀 Peacock Ridge Farm

Irish Town and Country Tablescape 🍀 Panoply

Erin Go Bragh 🍀 Home is Where the Boat Is



Irish Ancestry: Genealogy, DNA & Visiting Ireland 🍀 Debbees Buzz

St.Patrick's Day Seed Box Vignette 🍀 Common Ground

TuathDé Danann on a St. Patrick's Day Table 🍀 The Cat's Whiskerz



Lucky & Blessed St. Patrick's Day Tiered Tray 🍀 The Painted Apron

13thEdition of the Keeper of the Shamrock Cloth 🍀 Corner of Plaid and Paisley

Pot of Gold & Rainbow Tablescape 🍀 Mantel and Table



Decoratingfor St. Patrick's Day 🍀 Vintage Style Gal

DollarTree Monogram Shamrock Pillow 🍀 Life as a Leo Wife

Casual,Rustic St. Patrick's Day Table 🍀 Me and My Captain

Shamrocksand Gold 🍀 Life and Linda


Now, hop on over to see what Niki with Life of a Leo Wife has in store for you!  

Ciao,

Cara

Would you like to comment?

  1. Cara, So many pretties on your mantel! I wasn’t familiar with an ‘Irish Good Room’, love the concept! I am familiar with the damage puppy teeth can do 😊 Love the photos you included from your sister’s trip to the Emerald Isle, it’s on our bucket list! Such a treat to hop with you today, Erin go Bragh ☘️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mary, it was wonderful to meet you this morning through your blog! I love your dishes & those vintage postcards are the best. I recently picked up vintage valentines and they were quite the treat for me, I'd be over the moon to find St. Patty Day cards. Your pups look so we behaved, I sometimes wonder how we ended up with such a destructive pup, but he's our kiddo and we love him to pieces, no doubt about it. I'd love to make the trip to Ireland one of these days... time will tell. Have a lovely weekend! I look forward to catching up with you again soon.

      Delete
  2. Hi Cara, your mantel looks lovely with those special Irish souvenirs from your sister. How much fun to have a sister nearby to borrow from! I love the greenery you tucked in and the cane adds a whimisical Leprechan touch! I enjoyed reading about the Irish Good Room, we used to have a living room like that, but these days it's turned into a toy room for my grandchildren! Thanks for including those pretty photos from your sister's trip, I too am more of an armchair traveler :) Happy St. Patrick's Day!
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jenna. It is nice having her close by, and I enjoy borrowing her decor pieces when I can. That cane made me chuckle, it is usually in our entryway. I am sure your living room is well loved by your grandchildren and they enjoy visiting. I'd much rather have it filled with toys than an off limits room as it is now though. I like your description, armchair traveler.... we can go anywhere our imagination allows, and maybe take the internet along for a ride too. Happy St. Patty's Day to you too!

      Delete
  3. Very pretty. Happy St. Patrick's Day (almost). Hugs and blessings to you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cara, I love how you've decorated your 'Irish Good Room' (and I've never before heard that expression). All of your sisters mementos make for nice groupings along the mantel, and I especially love the crosses and claddaghs (that little mirror with claddagh is cool, but so in the antique one!). I'm happy to be in your company on this hop and to get acquainted with your blog! Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so happy to have joined you Rita and that you are here. I was lucky she has quite the collection to be able to participate in this blog hop. I had a lot of fun going through her collected pieces and seeing what she planned to bring to me. I had an even better time moving items around on the mantel and figuring out how to display everything. It is like "playing" for me and reminds me of being a child again, great stress reliever!

      Delete
  5. Cara, I love your decorated mantel - it looks so pretty and very Irish! How great to be able to borrow from your sister. I loved reading your post and chuckled at the Irish Good Room. We have one of those here - it lasts about 24 hours after its cleaned lol. It was really nice to "meet"you on this hop, and I'll be sure to pop back to your blog for a longer stay. Wishing you a very happy St. Patrick's day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so happy to meet you too Kim, it is so nice connecting with new faces blogging. Life happens, and things do not stay picked up, but hey, we try! HA! I used to think wow, bloggers have such perfect homes... until I began sharing myself. When you are always changing things up, your home is in constant turmoil, or at least for me it is. I feel like I always have a mess somewhere! Hope you have a Happy St. Patrick's Day and I look forward to chatting with you again!

      Delete
  6. Hahaha...I love the Good Room idea...I also have the non-living, living room, but not for guests, it's just that no one ever really sits in there. I'd like to have a Good Kitchen!! Is that a thing?? Well I think it should be, since mine is rarely ready for guests! Haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am ALL IN having a good kitchen Kim! I need that, stat. When I saw what this destructive stinker could accomplish in a few minutes, I put my foot down and said, oh, I am having one GOOD ROOM in this house, and so I did. I have had dogs and puppies my entire life, but this one, wow! He took this home by storm and it was never the same again. It's a good thing we love him so much...

      Delete
  7. Cara, I'm so delighted you joined our hop, and really enjoyed seeing the styling of Irish inspired mantle in the Good Room. That's a new expression to me and I love it! Most of the time our living and dining rooms would qualify. We use them, but with the empty nest, there's no one here to play the grand piano. Our Scottie dogs have never been allowed in either room, although they have sneaked in on occasion to retrieve an errant ball. Your sister brought home far more wonderful pieces from Ireland than I! Mine were all textiles; blankets, shawls and sweaters as holiday gifts and my dreamy coat. Lucky to have received Waterford stemware when we were married. Adore your fabulous mirror!!! My favorite element of your Irish styling was the cane --- such a clever and fun idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so happy you invited me Debbee, I found I had a lot of fun putting this mantel together. Your pups must be better than our ornery kiddo, if there is not a gate up keeping him out, it would not matter whether he was not allowed in, he would just wander in anyway and wreak havoc where ever he could. I think he is our very own leprechaun under roof! You were lucky to receive such a wonderful gift for your wedding. That cane was just waiting to be invited into the fun, and I am happy it made it in. I like to add a bit of whimsy whenever I can.

      Delete
  8. What a lovely mantel Cara! Your sister was very generous to share so much of her collection and her photos with us - I especially love the crystal shamrocks. They're just beautiful! I know what you mean about your family mirror. I have a couple from my grandma that go way back, and they're really heavy too, so I hate to move them too often. Yours is lovely. I zoomed in to see some of the detail on it, and it's just lovely! I laughed at your "good room" because one of my favorite places of my childhood was a friend's gated living room. We had to get special permission to go in there, and promise to be tidy! I hope your puppy appreciated the run of the rest of the house! 😊 So nice hopping with you, and Happy St Patrick's Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was wonderful to meet you Barbara! I love those old pieces handed down over the years, they have such sentimental value to me. That mirror is heavy! I struggled getting it up on the mantel the first time and so I clean around it without disturbing it too much. It is one of my cherished pieces. Our pup loved ruling the roost around here, I do not think he even misses having access to our living room. I will share with my husband that we are not the only ones who have a gated room! He thinks it is nuts. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

      Delete
  9. Cara,
    You styled your Irish mantle perfectly!! So many pretty things!! You asked where I found my Saint Patrick's Day ornaments...I had been buying the few that Michael's would have every year for quite a few years...I also found a few at estate sales and I found some at Christmas...Thanks so much for stopping by!! I hope you are having a great weekend!
    Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Deb. I loved your ornaments! I have not been to an estate sale for quite some time, I always forget about them, but I need to check them out again. We purchase from online auctions quite frequently. I really enjoyed hopping with you, have a wonderful weekend and happy St. Patty's Day!

      Delete
  10. Hi Cara, oh yes, love the concept of an Irish Good Room or "the Parlor" that is kept for company and no kiddos or pets allowed. Love all the wonderful Irish goodies on the mantel and gorgeous photos from your sister. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Debra. It's my one room in our home that I can go to and relax for an afternoon, no running pups, or balls flying through the air! Happy St. Patrick's Day to you too!

      Delete
  11. Your sister has quite a beautiful collection! Your mantle looks great. I also attempt to keep our living room the "good room." We still have younger kiddos, but they know when Mom says clean it up, they usually do so pretty quickly. We have an open floor plan, so the kitchen has to be part of the good room too lol! It was great hopping with you!
    Niki | Life as a LEO Wife

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed hopping with you too! Thank you, I enjoy decorating the mantel every season and seeing what I can come up with. I was lucky she leant me her lovely Irish beauties. Some days there is a pup running through here full speed ahead, flying around corners while sliding across the floors, chasing balls, so it is nice to have one room where I know items will not be broken to bits. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

      Delete
  12. Oh your mantel looks lovely! And I am loving the mirror too. I bet your space is amazing. I would love to visit Ireland one day.

    Allie of
    www.allienyc.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Allie. That mirror tends to be the icing on the cake when it comes to our mantel decor.

      Delete
  13. Kari @ Me and My CaptainMarch 16, 2023 at 11:31 AM

    What a lovely concept...an Irish Good Room although I grew up with a Irish grandmother who always referred to the parlour...I don't believe that room ever changed it's design as she liked the way it "presented itself" she would say. It was a pleasure to hop with you and have a great and wonderful week. Kari

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a pleasure to meet you too Kari. When I was researching information on something else, I stumbled upon the term and I thought how fitting for our Non-Living, Living Room.

      Delete

Comments