Summer Mantle: 4th of July

Today, I wanted to share with you all some DIY Summer mantle inspiration from my home to yours.

Here's how I created this mantle decor for under $20.

I found the vase at Goodwill for $2 (I always check there first before spending money elsewhere when it comes to home decor items. One of the ways I save a lot of money on home decorating!). The flowers & cross are from Dollar Tree, the flag from Joann Fabrics (only $1), and the "L" from Michael's for $4.

The mason jars were given as a gift from some students, but you can find them at most craft supply stores like Joann or Michael's. I found the burlap in the Target dollar section. The seashells are from the many Saturday mornings collecting them with Riley over the past few weeks (I have been decorating with them all over our home). I simply glued the burlap to the jar in the back and wrapped navy blue and red ribbon around the front and tied it in a bow.

The banner was really simple, I will explain how to do this in another blog post next week. For a tutorial on how I created the frame, look HERE.

The ship in a bottle was also a Goodwill find for $0.50! The Willow Tree statue was a gift from my parents when we had Riley. The frame is one we had in the house. I just painted the glass black and used the other side (not the side with paint on it) to write out the saying using a chalkboard marker ($4 at a craft store). What I found when I wrote on the side with paint, is when I went to erase the marker it wouldn't come off without a lot of scrubbing, which then chipped the paint.

So that's our Summer mantle for you! Easy, simple, afforable and fun!

Linking up for Titus 2 Tuesdays & Good Tips Tuesday!

Happy inspiration!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

-A

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!

Saving Money: DIY Mantle Decor

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Pinterest. I really love looking at home decor ideas in particular. I am always browsing looking for new ways to spruce up my home decor. 

Last week, I saw this idea, on Mom 4 Real, and knew I had to do it (without breaking the bank).

I know large frames usually cost upwards of $50 and so I ventured to Goodwill with Riley on Sunday to check out what they had. I ended up finding a large framed picture (in gold) for $2.99. Can't beat that! 

I brought it home and stripped the picture frame down so all that was left was the frame (no glass, no picture) and set it down on an old towel on our kitchen table and painted the frame white using white Acrylic paint. I applied the paint with a paper towel to give it a worn, vintage look.

After letting it dry, I tied red ribbon around my Valentine's Day wreath and hung it on my mantle. I did a twist on the idea from Mom 4 Real based of this image. And also did a smaller version of the large one (far left).

What I really love about this idea is it is easy to use all season/holidays, you just switch out what hangs from the frame.

I love this idea to personalize a space using a letter.

 This is a fun summer time look, or a way to dress up your mantle for a birthday party.

I also LOVE this idea, a Christmas card holder! A great way to display all those holiday cards from loved ones.

In other news, we are gearing up for a huge snowstorm here tonight. They're calling for 30+ inches where we are. Ry and I are headed to the store after her nap to stock up on diapers, water, & chocolate (the important things!). Hope you all have a wonderful Monday morning! 

-A