Kicking up the Cozy Factor

My mantle is finished...finally. I was able to hang Christmas stockings, and "deck the halls"...or mantle rather, in all kinds of holiday festiveness. I know, I know, I should have posted pics of the blessed event, but my house was still in total and complete disarray...which brings me to the why I'm posting today.

After the mantle was done, it occured to me that it might look even better flanked by a set of chunky shelves. Coincidentally, Studly had a nice, sturdy pair collecting dust in his office. I thought they would be perfect. In my mind I was envisioning a built in look, only at a fraction of the cost...or hassle.

So, a few days prior to Christmas, Studs and I decided to lug the beasts into the family room so we could see what they would look like in their potential new home. There was quite a bit of, arguing...err discussion that took place regarding the necessity of "cluttering" up the walls, and "overshadowing" of the mantle, yada yada yada. So, we decided to leave it alone and see how we felt about it after a couple of days. And of course, hubs couldn't deny the fact that the shelves definately added to the ambience of the room {even if it meant giving up all of his storage space}. I didn't say anything to him at the time, but he never reads my blog so I'll say it now...I told ya so. Wanna see how the mantle looks with it's two new friends?

In my opinion, they ought to be painted white to match the mantle, but even still, I really like the way everything is looking. The mantle definately added warmth to the room, but adding the shelves into the mix kicked up the "cozy' factor exponentially in my opinion. And I have to say that I am pretty giddy about having oodles and oodles of shelf space to accessorize. I can hardly wait for the tchotchke hunting to begin.

So, what is the moral of this post? Well first, be careful when trying to take away a man's shelf/storage space. Apparently they get extremely attached. And secondly, if you want to add some coziness to your home... just add shelves.

I've still got several projects to complete before I can call the room finished...painting the walls and shelves to name a few, but I'll be sure to keep posting progress pics for those of you who care. I've also got several other projects in the pipeline that I'd like to get to before next Christmas, so check back soon.

My {almost} completed mantle

Studly and I worked our kiesters off this past weekend trying to get the mantle finished.

Tomorrow, I will hopefully be applying the final coat of paint, and then the real fun can begin...getting the gal all spruced up for the holidays.

I realize that I only have a few weeks left before the season's over, but I'm just so darned excited to have an actual fireplace mantle that I really don't care.

Today I am just posting "the evolution of a mantle" pics, but I may try to post a mini tute later.

Please try to ignore all of the crap lying everywhere.

Here's what the fireplace looked like when we bought the house. {this pic gives me the heavies}.

Here's what the fireplace looked like after Stud's and I removed it, then centered and lowered it and added a little marble accent. Already, a big improvement, no?

That's lil red's {aka. sassafrass} forehead. Can you tell she had been neglected? Her crazy mop was in dire need of motherly attention, but mama was to busy getting her Bob Villa on.


There's Studly's leg...taken a little football break.

And here's the final product...almost.

Not to toot my own horn...okay, maybe just a little, but I made this mantle box with my bare, dainty little hands. It's actually square, can you believe it?

And see the little trim just under the mantle...yup that was all me too. I totally owned the miter saw.

Just another little look at some of my handy work...okay, not too close.

I am so glad to have this project done...mostly because I just love looking at it. I actually enjoyed the process of fabricating and builiding the mantle... although Studly may beg to differ.

Rembember my inspiration pic:

My mantle could totally be this mantle's sister, right?

Okay, so stay tuned. There's still more mantle fun, plus a few other fun projects in the pipeline.

Fireplace Remodel

A few weeks back, just before Thanksgiving, Studly and I started on a new project. It has been very slow going due to the holidays and other unexpected events. But, this past week we were finally able to buckle down and make some progress.

I was able to convince Studly that our house just wasn't a home without a proper mantle above the fireplace {I firmly believe that every home should have a mantle...it's is a women's right to have a mantle for decorting at her will and with the changing season's}. I have waited three years to have a mantle and finally decided to plead my case. And, it appears that Studly bought it {telling him he could get new speakers for the surround sound may have helped seal the deal, but whatevs}.

One would think that adding a mantle to an existing fireplace would be no biggie, right? But one thing I've learned since moving into our money pit is that no job is ever as easy as it seems.

Allow me to show you the before pic of the fireplace...get your barf bag ready.

This is a picture from when we moved in three years ago. Allow me to point out that the fireplace insert is not even centered on the wall. You might also take note of the awesome, lone halogen light above.

The first job was to center the fireplace on the wall {we want to be able to add built in shelves, or even premade shelves on either side eventually. It just wouldn't look right if the walls on either side were different sizes}.

We also soon realized that if we wanted to add a wood surround and mantle to the fireplace, we were going to have to drop the insert down as well...otherwise I'd have to whip out a ladder every time I wanted to change the decorations...or dust it for that matter.

So, that's we did.

We started by removing the drywall.

Then we removed the fireplace insert {this included disconnecting the gas and electrical lines, and detatching it from the exhaust pipes. Admittedly, this was the biggest hassle of the project...at least so far}.

Once the insert was removed we cut out all of the framing that once held the fireplace and built new supports and framing that were centered and lower on the wall. Then we replaced the insert.

Then we replace the drywall and added some tile around the insert.

We chose a neutral, natural stone. I know it's not very innovative, but I am always thinking resale when I do renovations. What I've learned is that the masses prefer something that is good quality {which is why we chose a natural marble tile rather than porcelain or brick} and something that is not too trendy {mosaic tile, colored tile etc.}

The plan is to finish the grouting tonight, so that we can {fingers crossed} begin constructing the wood surround and mantle this weekend. I just might get to hang Christmas socks by the fireplace after all this year. Merry Christmas to me.

Thus far, we have spent just under $200 for all of the materials and tools needed for the project {half of that was just for the tile, which we bought extra off, so it'll probably end up being closer to $175}.

Hopefully, this weekend I'll have pics of the completed project ready to share. Just in case you are curious, here is the inspiration pic for the mantle and surround we are going to make {from scratch...wish us luck}.

Oh, and one more thing, I have procured a butt load of wood pallets for my next big project, but I probably won't start on it until this project is done. I fear that if I did, Studly might say he's running out to Home Depot for supplies and never come home. Stay tuned. It's gonna be flippin' awesome.

Creative Juice Transfusion

Seasons Greetings peepsies. I am finally feeling ready to get going on some projects. My creative juices have finally started flowing again.

I attribute that mainly to a little thing I call Pinterest...perhaps you are acquainted with her. Whenever I am in a creative slump, or just need a little jump start, that's where I go to be inspired.

I have added five new projects to the to-do list just because of this one picture I found.



Did you happen to notice that the bed is made from old shipping pallets. Why, oh why, does other people's junk make me so week in the knees?

I placed a couple of phone calls today and have secured myself a little stash of wood pallets. I am so excited, I don't even know where to begin. Here are few ideas of what I might start with first.

Perhaps a simple project like a coffee table to ease me back into things?




Or maybe a simple, little wall shelf.



Or maybe I should just go all out and give one of my walls a much needed makeover.




I really love these pallet wood art pieces. Land horse, or seahorse...can't decided which I love more.



Oh, I bet you're getting pallet envy now, aren't ya?

Wait, there's more.

What about using pallet wood for flooring.


Looks good, but I wouldn't recommend trying to roller skate on it.

I found another cool, pallet bed. I'm thinking one of these might be fun as a daybed in the kiddies' playroom.

These headboards are pretty awesome too.

Whatever I decide to do, you'll be the first to know. I can't tell ya how excited I am to go pick up my junk. It's just like waking up on Christmas morning.

Catch Up

I have been such a slacker. I can't believe that both Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone since my last post.

There is a lot to catch up on.

Not too long ago, I received news that a close friend of mine from high school had passed away from breast cancer. It came as quite a shock and was very sad news, as she was only 35 years old. Every time I think about the holiday's, I think of her cute family and I get a lump in my throat. My heart aches for her husband and four, sweet kiddos as they prepare to experience Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year without her. I take comfort in knowing that she is in a better place and that she is still watching over her family in spirit and that they will all be together again someday.

Just before Thanksgiving, my sweet grandma passed away. She was 102 years old and lived a wonderful, long life. But somehow her passing still came as a surprise. I think I had begun to believe that she was invincible and would live forever. Needless to say, the Thanksgiving holiday was a bittersweet one for my family and I. Her passing brought together almost all of my immediate family and most of my extended family members. Grandma was always planning parties and get together's...and this past Thanksgiving was her final hoorah I suppose. While I will miss my grandmother daily, again, I know she's in a better place; catching up with her sweetie pie who has been waiting for her for 43 years. I can't think of a sweeter reunion.

Consequently, these recent events have caused me to really think about what's important in my life. And for me that is my family...although throw pillows are at a close second. I made the choice to put my personal interests on hold for awhile as I focused on just being with my family, creating memories that didn't involve a paint brush or power tool. I am finally feeling ready and motivated to get back to the ole blog. It feels good to write again. It's like cheap therapy. I'm just sorry that you all have to be on the receiving end of it.

All that said, I hope you all had a spooktacular Halloween and a gut-bustin' Thanksgiving. I'll be back soon...no really, I will.

Here Comes {Halloween}!

My project/things I really wanna do list continues to grow, while funds seem to keep shrinking. {Studly and I just had to replace the hot water heater. I would have postponed this $3,500 investment and used the money for more important things...like throw pillows {you could buy a lot of pillows with that kind of dough} and lumber, but the constant seepage of water from said water heater onto the basement floor made it a little difficult to overlook.

So, since the budget is a little thin currently, I have had to resort to inexpensive projects...and by inexpensive I mean {free}.

Wanna see what I've been up to?

I have been wanting to make a "vintage" style garland for awhile and came up with this super simple, super cute, super cheap version.

I made one for a friend using black lace that I had in my craft supplies and pages from an old book I had from previous projects. I'm old school when it comes to my lettering...I don't have a fancy paper cutting/di-cutting machine or anything like that, so I just picked a font off of the computer {Algerian} and printed the letters onto my book pages {which I strategically taped onto a piece of printer paper...old school remember}.
Turned out all right, no?



After I made hers, I decided I wanted one too. I was out of lace, so this time I used pieces of scrap fabric tied together.

I found the cool vintag-y pumpkin image online and used it to divide my words. I love how simple and classy they are...just the right amount of "festiveness" for my dining nook. Best part though, they were free and took only minutes to make.

I figured since I had the book pages and glue gun already out I may as well make some paper wreaths to accompany the garland.

I started out using black lace again and a spooky, cat image.

I still had some time on my hands so I made a second one using glitterized bats and little black gem for the center.

I still had some time on my hands so I made a third. This one is my favorite of the bunch. I used an old frame with a festive greeting, printed from the computer, which I embellished with more glitterized bats and glued it to the wreath with crap loads of hot glue. It turned out fan"freakin"tastic, if you don't mind me saying so.



The frame is actually made out of plastic instead of wood, so it's fairly lightweight. I'm thinking a solid wood frame would be to heavy to work for this project.



And again, the best part about these wreaths is that they cost me nothing, just a little of my time.

After finishing all of these projects I had to see how they would look in their new home...the porch.



This just goes to show, that you don't need expensive equipment {though it doesn't hurt} or a lot of money to create cool things. You'd be surprised what you can come up with limited supplies. As the old adage goes "poverty breeds creativity". Okay, so I just made that up, but it works. Happy crafting!