DIY: Upcycled Mantle...

My new friend Kim posted her adorable 4th of July mantle last week and inspired me to get it in gear and redo my own mantle for the season. The only problem was I didn't want to buy anything, and I didn't. I rummaged through my attic, looked around the garage and moved things from other shelves and in about 20 minutes, I had the perfect summer mantle. 

And while I realize not everyone has as much junk as I do laying around (well, except my momma) you'd be surprised by what you do have that you could use!

1. Picture frames - The two frames I used are normally in the master bedroom. And guess what y'all - no one but me and Ryan go into our room. Who cares if a frame or two is missing. And, those pics... I just printed them on cardstock from our printer. This is an inexpensive way to display pics that match your decor/season. 

2. Junk - This is an old pair of binoculars that normally sit on a different shelf. I needed something with height and interest and I thought these worked great. 

3. Wreath - This is a styrofoam wreath wrapped in burlap that was hanging in my attic. I took off the rosettes from last summer and used some left-over fabric scraps from a July 4th project from a few years ago. And the center of that pom is a rosette I made for Emmy for her first July 4th. 

4. Flag - This was my grandfathers - it only has 48 stars. Y'all. That's so cool!

5. Random - I needed a filler so I grabbed some start serving dishes from my "party supply" cabinet. The third one of the set is sitting on my front porch.

6. Random - This is a water pitcher I bought several years ago with a tiny flag - I really need a few more flags but the rest are outside.

7. Old books - Kim also used books on her mantle and I couldn't agree more. You may recall this fall I fell hard for books on a mantle. So hard that I kept them up for Christmas. Well, I pulled them out again and just grabbed shades of red and blue to match the theme. 

8. Rag garland - I made this for a different wreath when Radley was a baby. I still had it hanging in my craft closet and thought it was perfect for the front of the mantle. I'd really like Shelly's wreath or I may try to copy Kim's creation, too. Who knows!

What's your favorite way to celebrate seasons?