I did the March (spring, really - with a few additions it can serve for Easter) mantel decorations yesterday evening:



This is an overview. You can see there really aren't many candles this month (mainly because I'm a bit concerned about the silk apple blossoms).

The apple blossom garland was something I bought - it's funny, a few years ago I would have rolled my eyes a bit about this kind of a "dustcatcher" but now I think it's quite cheerful and nice.

I also have my "Little Nutbrown Hare" stuffie in there - I think that was a gift from a friend some years back. He's there on the left, under the silk flowers.

One of the really fun things about doing these mantel decorations is that I get to pull out little odds and ends of things - little critters from my collection, stuff I've bought at antique stores, interesting plates or things like that.

Here's a close up of the "spring" blocks I bought:



The little hedgehog is one I made a number of years ago from a kit. The little turtle (that's what the guy on the left is) was being sold as a dog toy (if you can believe that). I think he makes a nice decoration instead of a dog toy.

You can also see (in the back) my lovebird-vases. All three (two are identical and one is a little different) were made by the same company - they are from Japan and the only other marking is a little symbol stamped in orange that looks like the Mercedes-Benz trademark.

I've turned the heel and done the gussets on the first Feather and Fan sock, and this afternoon I'm finishing up cutting all the pieces for the Tumbler quilt (I realized that you can cut 3 1/2" strips FIRST, and then just use the template to get the angled sides of the tumblers - much, much faster.) I will probably have a picture of the first row (or more, if I get more done) of the quilt tomorrow. And maybe a shot of the sock, too.