cheap, merry & bright christmas mantle [decor]

Linking up today with My Sister's Suitcase Mantle Party.

Here's mine: 

Part of my Christmas decoration spruce-up included my mantle. 

I splurged a little on the stockings, but everything else you see was found at thrift stores or year-end clearances. I made the red burlap wreath, redid the advent calendar, and up-cycled the stocking holders.

For our apartment that doesn't have the greatest light, it sure brightens things up for the holidays.

This is what it used to look like:

This year instead of having our nativity on our mantle, we'll be using it for a 12 days of Christmas, where we add a new piece each day.