How to Decorate a Fireplace With Logs

Fireplace logs are not just for burning. They can provide year-round decoration for your fireplace as well. With materials you can find in your back yard or cupboard, you can create an inexpensive display. Your fireplace then becomes an attraction with or without flames.

Instructions

1

Clean your fireplace thoroughly. This is especially important if the decor will remain untouched for months until the next fire season. Sweep out all the soot and ashes; wipe down the grate and the wood rack; and clean any other visible metal fixtures.

2

Place the logs in a pyramid in the grate. If your fireplace is small, you may only be able to fit two logs as a base and one on top. A larger fireplace may accommodate three on the bottom, two on the next level, and one on top. Make sure the logs are steady.

3

Put the rest of the logs in the wood rack. Line them up evenly on the side visible to most of the room.

4

Tie ribbon bows around the logs. By changing color, you can use ribbons all year long, not just at Christmas. Pass the ribbon around the bottom of the grate and tie a large bow with long tails near the top front of the pyramid. As an added touch, notch the tails of the bow and arrange them artistically. With the wood rack, just tie the ribbon around the logs themselves.

5

Add seasonal accents. Tuck a few silk poinsettia flowers into the log pyramid for Christmas or scatter seashells around or on the pyramid in summer. (Make the accents easy to remove if the fireplace will be in use.) Add one or two matching accents to the logs in the wood rack, but reserve most of the decoration for the pyramid in the fireplace.

6

Arrange pine cones next to and under the grate. This adds texture to your log display and tinder for lighting the fire.