Mantel help

I decided to do some FREE decorating today. My mantel is getting boring, and a little too country-ish for me. I love the picture display above my sofa (only showing part of it in that link) and I like the younger feel it has rather than the older/country feel of the mantel. I do enjoy looking at older things, and I love owning them, so I do need to find a way to incorporate that but in a younger way. I'm 30, not 80!

So here is where I started:

The rabbit weather vane is staying. No if ands or buts. I love that. My kids have named him Bernard and he even gets a scarf and bells for Christmas.

The floral print, I think I bought it because it was only a dollar and the colors matched the fabric of the chairs I reupholstered. Problem there lies in the fact that I think the print and the fabric look TOO OLD for me. I want something more vibrant and young.

The other pieces, I like but can go somewhere else in the room. The wreath, well my dear honey pointed out that it looked like marijuana and now that is all I can think of when I look at it. I might have some reggae in me from my previous years, but I AM above hanging a pot wreath in my living room! lol

So here was attempt #1:


Stupid. I was trying to bring in a pop of vibrant color with the tray of leaves. I DO like how that turned out though, just not there. It's actually tilted on the wall and not in a safe way. The ducks look like bookends. As much as I said I wanted to go more modern and less antique/country, I LOVE that aluminum pitcher ($1) I found awhile back and I think it's actually a great mix of modern (silver, sleek) and country, especially since it's filled with greenery rather than flowers.

Attempt #2:


Hate it. Aside from Bernard, everything is basically the same height. The rabbit has to stay, but does it have to stay in the middle?

Attempt #3:


I like the layering here, and the silver accents, but the pitcher and the pear are almost identically shaped.


attempt #4:


This one I kind of like. I think the colors flow all over, rather than being one-sided. The layering is great, the varying heights are nice, but that stupid flower print is back. The more I look at it, the more I hate it. It brings out everything I hate in the fabric of my chairs too. I would put a mirror in it's place, but all it catches is the ceiling fan and I don't want to reflect that even if a mirror would look fantastic there.

attempt #5

Well, I took the picture away and added the tallest of my accessories in it's place trying to keep the height. It looks ...I hate it.

attempt #6


I moved the pitcher to the center because it is actually taller than the other item I tried. It looks better, but I'm still not satisfied. I'll have to try again when I havent been messing with it for an hour and over-thinking it.

Any ideas? Here is a better look at it in perspective to the room:


I love the "younger" feel of the art above the sofa. I do not like the formal/old lady feel of the chair fabric, but it has to stay for awhile. I know I need help with the lower section of the fireplace, but for now, I'm just going to focus on getting the mantle right. Looking at it here, I think I need to simplify. It looks like 80 small things when 4 items could probably do the job and look less cluttered. Hmm....Giant fireplace..tiny accessories. Crap...

Ps..see what I mean about that ceiling fan light? I've tried a mirror on the mantel and all you can see is the reflection of that light in all angles.