Have I ever told you how much I hate my fireplace and mantle? No? Well, girl, let me tell you…
An entire wall in my already dark living room is brick. The non-functional fireplace (thanks, previous owners, for telling us it didn’t work before we lit a fire and almost had to call 9-1-1!) is dirty and, well, non-functional. And the dark mantle stretches the entire length of the wall. ALL TWELVE FEET OF IT. These huge canvas prints get swallowed up, and let me tell you, that’s no easy feat! How’s that for a decorating challenge?
Oh, I see you, all you cute perky mantles with white moulding and drool-worthy mantlescapes. Those tiled fireplaces with drywall above so you can hang a print without it looking like an episode of the Brady Bunch in your living room. And I’m talking to you, built-in-bookshelves flanking a new electric start fireplace tiled with travertine. I loathe you. But only because I want you so much.
Here’s where I attempt to make the best of an ugly situation. The living room was on my to-do list until we go the baby news, so it obviously got pushed back in favor of other projects. I keep saying I’m going to paint it, YHL style, but each time I even think about picking up a paint brush someone starts gushing about how lovely the brick is. I asked a painter to come in to give an estimate on doing it, and he refused. He said it would be criminal.
Therefore, until I find the time and money to cover the brick with drywall (and install an new fireplace, tile it, and build bookcases on either side– oh yes, I have a plan) I’ll just need to make do. Christmas was fantastic because I filled it with my white feathered wreath, garlands, and cards. But now it’s just there, looking like this:
Here’s my closest approximation of how I attemped to create a winter wonderland on my mantle:
luminaries with tap lights
winter or love in the frames
prints
wreath
rule of 3
We have big plans for 2010 housewise….
a)Brand Spankin’ New DIY kitchen (To save some money we are doing a lot of it ourselves)
b)New hardwood flooring downstairs, carpet upstairs, and tile in the bathrooms. The old owners trashed the flooring like rock stars.
c)If we aren’t completely exhausted by then- adding wainscoting in the guest bathroom and doing a new faux finish on the walls.
d) This is totally above and beyond but new closet organizing systems!
This looks like a long list…e-gast! But we do have a year right 🙂 Can’t wait to see Noodles design boards because I am sure it will be fabulous!
Our DIY list starts this spring with more serious landscaping. We built 2 years ago so last year was tree mania & we landscaped 3 sides of the house. This spring we landscape the walkout, put in a firepit, and a paver patio. My hubs is going to LOVE me!
I’m loving that shower curtain!
We need to tackle our bathroom and our kitchen! AUGH!
~Amy
It will be fun to check things off your list!
Oh I DREAM about redecorating this place. *SIGH* And every year I sign up for the HGTV dream home and come up empty handed. It always seems beyond our budget. I guess I will look through your ideas and see if there is anything I can recreate.
Stopping by from SITS.
ooooh oooh oooh….that shower curtain!!!