mantel makeover

With the fall and winter decorations down, I'm finding my fireplace mantel is...boring.  I'm not quite sure what to do with it.  I really don't want to spend a lot of money but I would like to spice it up a bit.  Here's what I'm dealing with now.

See?  Blah.

Sarah, over at pewter + sage, changes her mantel several times throughout the year.  To see her various looks, click here.  Here are some of my faves of hers:

Here are few others I have found for inspiration:

We will see what I can come up with!