Monday Funday: DIY Spring Mantle

I love a good DIY project and I also love to save money. This mantle is both things. In February, when I started preparing for our "switch" to a Spring/Easter mantle, I knew, as I was pinning inspiration, that I wanted to make a simple/fun mantle without breaking the bank. Find my post about inspiration here. Would you believe me if I said I spent a total of $20 on the entire mantle? Here's how...

What you'll need:

-scissors

-glue

-White Vase

-Various flowers from Dollar Tree 

-Monogram letter

-2 mason jars

-burlap ribbon

-ribbon to secure burlap ribbon

-a large, old frame

-ribbon to hang wreath

-8x10 frame

-chalkboard paint

-chalk

-paintbrush

-floral wire

The white vase I found at Goodwill for $.49. The "L" was a Michael's find for $3.00. The flowers are front Dollar Tree (there are two sets of flowers in the vase).

The mason jars were given to me as a gift when I had Riley. Some students at my school made salads for me when I was on maternity leave and they were brought to me in these mason jars. I wrapped burlap around them and secured it in place with some green ribbon. The burlap was a Target $1 section find. 

The wreath and flowers are a Dollar Tree find. Dollar Tree is currently selling flower wire so it makes it easy to secure the flowers to the wreath (and bonus easy to switch out each season!). The frame was also from Goodwill. See the details of how I made the frame look like this here. 

To create the bow, 

I took a 2 ft long piece of burlap and laid it flat, horizontally. 

Next, I took either end and criss-crossed them over each other, making sure they met in the middle and the loops they created were even. 

I then grabbed the center of the ribbon and secured it with another piece of ribbon (about an inch long), gluing it in the back.

Then I secured it to the wreath with floral wire. 

This is our Easter section of our mantle.

The family figure is from Willow Tree and we received it as a gift from my parents when we had Riley. The cross in the front is from Dollar Tree.

The framed chalkboard I created myself using an old frame I wasn't using.

To make the chalkboard frame..

I took the glass out of the frame and painted three coats of chalkboard paint right on to the glass. I let it dry overnight and then the next day I used chalk to write the Bible verse on the front. Simple as that. Both the chalkboard paint and the chalk I found at Joann Fabrics. The chalkboard paint was originally $6 but with a 50% off 1 regularly priced item I only spent $3 on it.

I want to encourage all of you to get creative with this! Look for coupons on some of these items, check out your local thrift store (you'd be surprise what you find!) and do some research! Decorating can be fun and rewarding without spending lots of money.

I hope you all were inspired by my Spring/Easter mantle and I hope it helps you create your own mantle without breaking the bank!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!