Merry Mantels Under $10! Photo gallery

Gold Wreath

Total cost-―$3.23
2 (50-count) light strands: $2
florist foam: $1.23

The stockings are hung by the bare mantel with care, but a glance in your wallet leaves only $10 to spare. Not wanting to disappoint jolly St. Nick, it's imperative you come up with something inexpensive and quick.

Nature's Finest
Take a spin through your yard before hitting the crafts stores. Purchase a grapevine wreath or make your own. Wrap two 50-count light strands around the wreath, and tuck in dried leaves for a dramatic effect.

Create simple arrangements along the mantel with evergreen cuttings and nandina berries tucked into water-soaked florist foam. Christmas tree lots usually give away tree trimmings at no cost, so stock up when you buy your tree. --created by Lisa Powell Bailey

All That Glitters

Total cost--$9.73
large bottle of glitter: $3.50
3 sheets of poster board: $1.50
2 (50-count) light strands: $2
florist foam: $1.23
bottle of glue: $1.50

Use a sheet of poster board for each large topiary. Purchase one extra sheet for the smaller trees. Apply glue to poster board in a swirl pattern, and then sprinkle glitter on glue. Allow glue to dry completely; shake off excess glitter. Staple two ends of poster together to form a cone-shaped treetop. Repeat for more trees.

For the base, use terra-cotta pots you have on hand. Cover each base with moss or greenery from your yard, and wrap strands of lights around it. Cut pieces of florist foam, and place one in each pot; position a 1-inch dowel in the center of the foam, or use sticks from your yard. Balance each treetop poster on the tip of dowel or stick.

Line the mantel with nandina berries and greenery from the yard, and add mini trees. Finally, attach pinecones to ribbon or string, and allow them to dangle from the mantel. --created by Mary Leigh Fitts

Holiday Greetings

Total cost--$9.36
tea light candles: $1
3 pears: $1.50
1 container of kumquats: $2.99
1 spool of gold-and-silver cording to hang letters: $3
florist wire: 87 cents

Coat hangers take on a whole new look when spelling out a favorite holiday word. Bend wire coat hangers to the appropriate shapes. (Be sure to wear gloves.) Consider simple words such as "Noel," "joy," "jolly," or "merry." Using florist wire, attach greenery, such as boxwood, from the yard to the hangers. Boxwood is a great choice because it lasts a long time and dries beautifully.

Continue to arrange greenery on the mantel, and add seasonal fruits to the display as well. The combination of green pears and orange kumquats is a fresh alternative to the standard Christmas color palette.

Use glasses from the cupboard to serve as votive holders. They don't have to match; mix martini, wine, and water glasses for variety. Float tea light candles and kumquats in each container. Hang greenery-covered coat-hanger letters with pretty cording, and drape along the mantel to spell out your greeting. --created by Julie Feagin Sandner

Rustic Refined

Total cost―-$8.87
4 galvanized containers: $8
florist wire: 87 cents

Fashion a grapevine wreath with materials from the backyard, and cover it in fresh juniper. Make a garland for the mantel by attaching pieces of greenery with florist wire. Add greenery sprigs and candles in galvanized bowls for a glow. --created by Rose Nguyen

Star-Studded Branch

Total cost―-$9.69
square vase: $4
ornaments: $3.99
moss: $1.70

Turn a single branch into a fabulous tree with simple decorations. Secure a large branch in a glass container filled with gravel. Tuck in moss to mask the gravel. Wrap the base with a festive ribbon.

From the branch, hang ornaments and stars folded or cut out from gold paper or leftover scraps of wrapping paper. Scatter a few stars and ornaments along the mantel. (Note: You can purchase an origami kit at a crafts store.) --created by Alan Henderson

Spicy Trees

Total cost―-$6.84
1 can of red spray paint: $2.38
1 florist cone, cut in half: $2.96
1 strand of lights: $1

Thinking chili peppers? Actually, they're magnolia leaves. Attach small leaves to half of a piece of cone-shaped florist foam with U-shaped florist pins. Start at the base, and work your way to the top. Apply a coat of glossy red spray paint to the leaves, and allow to dry completely. Repeat process to make a second magnolia tree. Line the mantel with greenery and berries from the yard, and then add a strand of white lights. Balance the arrangement with two trees on one side of the mantel and a simple bowl of red apples on the other. --created by Cari South

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Total cost―$9.73
2 sheets of handmade paper: $3
5 cardboard boxes: $2.50
red and green raffia: $2
florist foam: $1.23
cellophane: $1

Handmade papers are works of art that don't cost a fortune. Here, two sheets of vibrant green-striped paper cover plain cardboard boxes in various sizes.

Place dry florist foam in each box, and tuck in three elaeagnus branches, stripped of leaves, into each piece of foam. Gather the tops of branches in each box, and secure with red and green raffia. Tuck small pieces of decorative cellophane into the base of the boxes.

Scatter a few more paper-wrapped boxes without branches for extra color. Finish the display with additional elaeagnus branches, leaves included, draped along the mantel. --created by Buffy Hargett

Garden Theme

Total cost--$8.38
ribbon: $2
spray-on snow: $1
gold spray paint: $2.38
clay pots: $3

This mantel comes straight from your yard. Pinecones stand tall in clay pots that have been spray-painted gold, becoming miniature woodland trees. Venture outdoors to cut greenery such as cedar, pine, holly, and magnolia. Blanket the mantel with the greens, snuggling the pinecone pots among them. Suspend some simple ornaments above the arrangement using red ribbons. Dust greenery with a light drift of spray-on snow. --created by Ellen Ruoff Riley

Southern Charm

Total cost--$9.30
6 votives: $2.10
6 glass votive holders: $7.20

Glass votive holders filled with red, scented candles sparkle when lined down a mantel. A living room is an ideal place to use fragrant candles. Keep heavily perfumed versions away from kitchens, breakfast rooms, and dining rooms so they won't interfere with your taste buds.

Gather clippings of magnolia and nandina berries from outdoors. Place greenery, berries, and pinecones around the votive containers. --created by Julia Hamilton

Touch of Whimsy

Total cost--$9.27
felt place mat: $1
ribbon and pom-pom fringe: $1.88
felt snowflakes: $1.50 per packet
10 felt sheets: $1
4 glass votive holders: $1
4 votives: $1
faux snow: $1
red paint: 89 cents

A cheery place mat from a discount store inspired this display. Glue ribbon loops to the top back of mat with a glue gun, and then hang from a wooden dowel or a stick from your yard. Attach ribbon in varied lengths to the bottom of the mat. Finish with felt snowflakes.

Give lamps a makeover with help from your kids. Trace their hands onto pieces of felt, cut out the prints, and attach them to shades with a glue gun. Tie strands of ribbon to the top of the lamp. Give lamps a lift with empty snack cans that have been painted bright red. Embellish them with fringe and ribbons. Scatter faux snow and votives down the mantel. Note: The stockings, hooks, and lamps were not included in the budget. --created by Rebecca Bull Reed

This article is from the December 2005 issue of Southern Living.