My $9.56 Fall Mantle

I can NOT even believe this summer is almost over!  Or that I'm about to have another birthday, or that my little boy is almost ONE.  The past few months (more like the past year) have seemingly disappeared.

I am not particularly excited about the end of the summer because it seems like we didn't get the chance to do many fun summery things due to a busy schedule and the infernal temperatures for most of the past 3 months.  HOWEVER, the end of summer means the beginning of fall, which I am definitely excited about.

There is a new epic time-waster in my life (Pinterest) which I'll write more about later, but the upside to the countless hours I've spent on that dang website is lots and lots of inspiration for all kind of things, including fall decor and recipes.  I've been wanting to change up our mantle for awhile now, as it has been the same since we moved a year ago and it's not really anything to write home about; just a smattering of some random vases, candles, and so forth.  I got a lot of ideas on Pinterest for a fall mantle, but I really didn't want to spend a lot of money.  So here's what I came up with:

Things I already had: mason jars (they seem to be all the rage these days, good thing I have lots!), coffee beans (used to fill a couple of the jars), yellow vase, votive and pillar candles and jar candle (I seem to hoard candles, I forgot I had all these), candlesticks, and frame.

Things I bought on sale at JoAnn: garland ($4.79), berry sprigs (2 @ $1.79), and a package of leaves ($1.19) one which I put in the frame, and the rest I'll also use for a centerpiece.

I would be prouder if I had done it for less, but 10 bucks isn't bad, right?