Summer Mantel

As soon as I heard TDC and 3 other ladies were going to have a combined link party for next month, I knew I had to jump on board with the "summer mantel" and "spray paint project" train! Here is how I combined the two, to create my thrifty, summer mantel.

First, I needed a focal point for my mantel. I have been looking for a mirror to place over it for longer than I want to admit. I bought one on Craigslist that I thought needed just a bit of TLC to bring it back to life. I was dead wrong. That mirror was going to cost more to fix than I bought it for. Well, luck finally came on my side when I found this at my local thrift shop on Monday:

A perfectly sized mirror for only $9.10! All it needed was some white spray paint to cover up all that dated brass and it would be like new again! On the same trip, I saw this cute birdcage that I couldn't pass up.

Although it wouldn't fit on my mantel, I knew it would look adorable in my living room. The birdcage was only $3.50!

Here is my finished mantel with items I already had, and most of them were blogged about since I found them at thrift stores.

 Yes, those are sticks... that I found... and spray painted white. The moss balls and birds were from the Dollar Tree. I spray painted the birds, mirror frame, and sticks white.

Remember my birdcage? 

It looks precious on my side table. I'm still debating whether I want to fill it with anything or leave it as is. What do you think? Is anyone else getting ready for the link party? Well, I'm off to the gym. Got to get in that last workout before the royal wedding!

Linking up to: Christina's Adventures, Funky Junk Interiors, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Thrifty Decor Chick, Keeping It Simple, House of Hepworths, Christina's Adventures