Update your Fireplace on a Saturday...

The Before Picture:

As you can see to the left, my fireplace really lacked visual appeal... I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but wanted to update it. The dirty brown tones in the original brick really dated it and the lack of any mantel to center the large brick fireplace needed to be addressed.

The Process:

I started by taking left over trim paint that I had and created a white wash. ( mixed 50/50 with water) I used Behr Marquee Paint from Home Depot. I painted on the white wash in sections about 2ft x 2ft at a time. Make sure you really pay attention to the grout. Then I took paper towel, scrunched in into a ball and blotted the area that I just had painted, to leave the desired amount of paint on the brick. Either leave a lot of paint or a little, do what appeals to you. Proceed to the next 2x2 section. It took about an hour to white wash this fireplace.

The Process Continued....

I created a mantel, which is honestly quite easy! You create a box with wood. Go to your local Home Depot and pick out some trim boards that look good layered together. Cut to size and glue to the wood box you made and top with a piece of wood. I bought the corbels on Amazon and screwed those thru the bottom of the box. A little wood putty to hid mistakes, a light sanding, some stain and my favorite polyurethane and There you have it, a mantel like non-other!

At the same time that I was buying the corbels, I decided I wanted to buy an electric fireplace insert that would fit inside my traditional wood burning fireplace that was currently so drafty in the Winter it was unbearable... There are a lot of options of electric fireplaces on Amazon, so make sure you measure the inside of your existing opening to ensure that it will fit.

Now is the fun part!!!! Going to your local Hobby Lobby and picking out fun things to display on your mantel and make it oh so pretty....

I wanted to keep it simple.. I loved the Stay awhile sign, it makes the statement that I always say to my nearest and dearest, stay awhile.... So this artwork is SO fitting for me! I love how the vase of flowers adds a touch of softness and femininity to the mantel. the color contrast and shine factor of the metal car adds another dimension.