Chic and Cheap by Chacha.: Home Sweet Home : Faux Mantel

It wasn't my original project after all but it worked out perfectly.
I had a totally different idea of what today's post was going to be for Home Sweet Home.
It all started when one of my favorite DIY bloggers from Shanty-2-Chic posted a simple, affordable sign/picture holder. I immediately started collecting some of the items needed. The only thing missing was the board to make the sign. At first I thought I could use one I have at home but when I checked the measurements , it was too small.
So I didn't have the main item to do the project, but lucky me (that's what I said to myself) on my way home I found three beautiful pieces of wood (boards to be exact) all tied up like they were waiting for me to pick them up. I was super happy, I got three instead of one. Another bummer, they were also a few inches too small for what I needed them for. Freak time!! What Am I going to do for my next post? Brainstorm time. I went into my Pinterest board Holidays-crafts-decor-ideas and saw one pin on how to make Fall Mantels decor. Bingo! And the Faux Mantel came to life. ( I call it The Faux Mantel because they are usually on top of a fire place.)
I searched for my tools, grabbed one of the boards and got to work.
Below is the list of things I used and the cost of some but most of it I already owned:

Rustic wood board/ shelf: Free found on the street
Two white wall brackets: $1.49 each
Mini pumpkins: $1.00 each
Leaves: Free courtesy of my neighborhood trees
Planted pansies: $1.00 at the Farmers Market
Flower pot: Free, it was a heavenly smelling candle from Anthropologie.
Coral seashell: Free (part of my Seashell collection)
Antique pulley and mini wooden shoes : gifts
Wooden coasters: gift
Shell Mirror: Made by me (story coming up in a future post)