Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

New Mantel

This was our mantel last Christmas.

~~~*****~~~
What would you do if you woke up on a
Saturday morning and your husband says,
"I feel like building something,
do you have a project for me"? 
~~~*****~~~
  What I did was... 
I got that man in the pick-up and headed 
to Home Depot, before he changed his mind.


This was our mantel when we bought the house.
The first thing that I did was get rid of those 
1970 dome light shades and replaced them,
but that was about all that I could do,
 except decorate.

 Our home was built in 1905,
but one of the owners was a mason and he built 
this fireplace in the 60's or 70's. 

I think that it is beautiful, 
but it doesn't look like it belongs 
in a 1905 cottage. 
So . . .
 now it has a new look.
The white ties in nicely with our
white woodwork and molding. 
 I think it works very well in
transporting us back in time from the 1970's,
back to 1905 (or at least to a cottage feel).


~~~*****~~~
If you wake up next Saturday 
and your husband wants a project,
what will you ask for?
Whatever you do, don't pass up 
an opportunity like this . . . 
they don't come around everyday, LOL. 
~~~*****~~~
Please forgive me for all of my early Christmas  posts . . .
I'm not forgetting

Thanksgiving

How can I, when I have so very much 
to be thankful for.

God Bless You All 
&
Happy Thanksgiving!

Connie :)
 

55 comments:

  1. If I woke up on a Saturday morning and my husband said he felt like building something I would know that I was still asleep and dreaming....lol I don't blame you for whisking him off to Home Depot when you heard that. It looks awesome.

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    1. Hi Ann, I hope that I don't wake up tomorrow and find that this was a dream, LOL. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  2. I love the new look fire and mantel, it certainly does give it a cottagey look. Your Christmas décor is looking good too. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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    1. Thank you so much . . . here's wishing you the best Thanksgiving ever :)

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  3. Wow! Your hubby asked you that? Good for you for thinking so quickly and you both did a terrific job of transforming the fireplace ! I love how it looks and your Christmas decorating on it!
    Happy thanksgiving!

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    1. It was one of those moments that you cannot pass up . . . Thank you for your sweet comment and Happy Thanksgiving :)

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  4. Well, for one thing, I think I would pass out if my husband woke up and wanted to do a "project"...lol! Yours did an awesome job on that mantle!

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    1. Oh, he is a prince among men . . . really, I was pleasantly surprised and I always have a project in the back of my head, so surprise or not I was ready :)
      He did do a lovely job and I like how it softens up the cold edges of the fireplace :) Happy Thanksgiving!

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  5. Connie, I just love it!!! You guys did an amazing job. Looks beautiful. What a huge difference it made and now you have all that space to decorate. Well done! Happy Thanksgiving. Xxx Maria

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    1. Hello Maria, well, you provided our inspiration and I thank you for it :) When I first saw yours, I knew right away that it was the perfect answer for softening our cold hard fireplace. The new mantel makes the room cozier, even when there is no fire in it :) Happy Thanksgiving!

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  6. Wow. This is amazing. A i was reading I thought you must be going to just box the whole thing in. I love your new look. hugs Mrs A.

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  7. i LOVE your new mantle! Your hubby did a great job!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    deb

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  8. Your inspiration plus his talents in the shop make for a great-looking mantel. If I were asked that question one Saturday morning, I'd ask for a small cabinet in the bathroom.

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    1. Hi Lorrie, it's good to always have a project in mind, you just never know when your hubby might ask you that question :)

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  9. Oh! GREAT job! He might have done the building but I am betting it was YOUR design! It looks perfect and fits your home beautifully. Love it- I don't think MyHero has EVER woke up and said he felt like doing ANY KIND of project. lol YOU are a lucky woman! xo Diana

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    1. Hi Diana, I am blessed and grateful. Happy Thanksgiving :)
      I'm so delighted that you like it.

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  10. Awesome Connie! Smart lady...getting him in the truck headed to get the lumber before he changed his mind! LOL! Seriously though, I love it! It is just beautiful and the white stands out so much better than the former mantel. This one has more substance to it as well. Everything looks beautiful! I am hoping to find a tree tomorrow so I can do what little decorating I am doing this year. I'm ready to see some Christmas in my house too. Have a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving my sweet friend.

    Hugs, Vicky

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    1. Hi Vicky, I think my trips to town seeing all the Christmas in the stores has just got me in the mood. I'm decorating much earlier this year than I ever have in the past. Then maybe it is because we are alone with no family visiting for Thanksgiving, so why not start early. Steve's off work all week so I'm going to get him to set up the tree this week. Oh, it started snowing yesterday, just flurries, but we woke up this morning to a winter wonderland :) Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. We are getting together with some friends and relation for an old geezer Thanksgiving dinner:)

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  11. Love the mantel.!! We have a stone fireplace in our basement family room with a concert mantel. My husband is a woodworker...I need to show him your new mantel, because I think something like yours just might work for ours too.
    hugs,
    Cindy

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    1. Hi Cindy, I am so happy that I could inspire you. I actually got my inspiration from another blogger and what they did with theirs. If you visit my Pinterest boards and look for my Mantel Board you can find more examples of similar designs. It's always nice to get more ideas before you start your project.

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  12. Your handy husband did an amazing job. I wish my husband and I were much better at building things and didn't have to hire out all the time. Your mantle is decorated so nicely for the holidays, Connie. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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    1. Hi Brandi, thank you so much and here's wishing you the best Thanksgiving ever :)

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  13. Hi Connie! Oh my gosh, it is s.t.u.n.n.i.n.g! It made such a difference. Happy thanksgiving to you and yours - thanks for your wonderful blog, I always enjoy your posts! Jane

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    1. Hello Jane, thank you for visiting and for your sweet comment. Love your Christmas barn tour :)

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  14. I was dreaming of having a nice mantel for my whole life and now I see it's actually not so difficult to make... I think I need to try.

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  15. Beautiful new look. The transformation is priceless. Happy Thanksgiving.

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    1. Thank you so much . . . I think that we are going to enjoy it even more, now with the new mantel :)

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  16. Hi Connie! What a man!!! If I woke up one morning and my hubby said what can I built you today i would take his temperature! LOL He does do things for me though so I can't complain too much! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Nancy

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    1. Oh, Nancy you made me laugh out loud reading your comment. Happy Thanksgiving, dear friend :)

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  17. Connie, I would love for my man to tackle the floor sanding..it's needs it. I like the mantle maker over very much. Wishing you and your crafty man a beautiful thanksgiving day. xoxo,Susie

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    1. Hi Susie, thank you and good lucky with the sanding. We have done it, it's a job!
      Happy Thanksgiving!

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  18. What a lovely mantle. Tell your husband, he did a great job!!

    Our youngest son is renovating an old house, and he doesn't have a mantle. We want to build one for him, and surprise him for Christmas.

    Thanks for sharing with us, and for the inspiration too! I can see that by adding a mantle, it will be a make a huge difference.

    ~K.

    p.s. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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    1. Hello, what a wonderful gift that will be . . . he will be overjoyed. Thank you for the sweet compliment and Happy Thanksgiving :)

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  19. Congratulations on your husband's unexpected urge to be useful. It reminds me of the time mine suddenly started dusting and vacuuming on a weekend morning, much to my surprise. Later on after we met his dad at a restaurant for lunch it turned out my FIL and his lady friend were coming back to see our house afterward. He insisted he told me about it, but I never heard it. He asked in an exasperated tone "Well, why did you think I was doing all that cleaning, then?" . He was not amused at y honest reply that I thought he had gone completely crazy, but wasn't about to interrupt this newly productive behavior! Your new mantel is a beautiful transformation.

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    1. What a funny story, thanks for sharing. Have a marvelous Thanksgiving :)

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  20. Oh my how lucky are you, I haven't heard what would you like me to make you in quite a long time. Your Hubby did an Excellent job on this mantle and it is just perfect now!! Such a change it gives to the fireplace, wonderful statement! Your decorating of it is just beautiful too!

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    1. Good Morning Connie, thank you so much. He has been on vacation since last Friday and doesn't go back to work until next Monday so he's enjoying having time to putter around in his shop. He and our neighbor are also building a canoe together. I need to post some photos of it. Happy Thanksgiving :)

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  21. Isn't it fabulous to have a handy husband??? Mine is too and he is ALWAYS working on some project!! We built this house 3 years ago so there have been alot of projects to tackle to make it our own. Your new mantle is extraordinary!!! Great job!!! I will be happy to follow you!

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    1. Hi Pinky, thanks for the visit and yes it is wonderful to be blessed with a handy man. Mine wasn't this way when we married, he just started evolving into the woodworker that he is today. I love that he enjoys it and I know that it will be something that will bring him much pleasure after he retires and has more time to putter. Happy Thanksgiving.

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  22. I LOVE the new mantle. It totally changed the look of the fireplace. First of all, I would faint if my husband said he was in the mood to build something! I sure wish he would get in the mood to do something around here.

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    1. Hi Penny, I am delighted that you like it. The photos really don't do it justice; I think that it is much prettier in person. I'm going to have to come visit and see what you decided to do with your windows. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  23. It would not surprise me one bit if my husband decided to build a mantel since he is building our house. If he does you're probably going to hear me all the way from Indiana YELLING NO! No more getting side tracked ! I want this house done! But hey, your mantel looks lovely!

    Cindy Bee

    Ps. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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    1. Hi Cindy, I agree . . . things like mantels are like the cherry on top of the cake, first you need the cake baked. You guys have been doing so much traveling this last year, the poor fellow doesn't have time to build, LOL. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  24. Looks very nice Connie and I love the warmth of the colours too.

    Happy Thanksgiving

    All the best Jan

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  25. Hi Connie,
    Your hubby does lovely work. It's beautiful. Aren't we blessed to have husbands who love to do projects? Over the years I would often come home from shopping or work to discover my honey had gotten bored and was in the middle of a new project. In fact there was a time or two when I came home to find him knocking out a wall!! I even came home from a three week mission trip to find he had torn out half the front lawn and was enlarging the driveway He has slowed down a bit but I am still reaping the benefit of all his pent up energy. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. I see you have already started on your Christmas decorating. It's looking beautiful too. :)

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    1. It is nice to have a hubby with tools and that likes to build things :)

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  26. Oh my gosh Connie, what a transformation! Your new mantel is beautiful!
    Everything you used on top is perfect too!
    Have a wonderful weekend!
    Kimberley

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  27. Your man is a keeper, Connie (Hi, Steve. . .well done!). He's so good to you. Of course, you're a good wife, too. I LOVE your new mantel. And now you've achieved transforming your fireplace into a style that is perfect for your sweet cottage. Are you crazy in love with it? Do you just stand in front of your fireplace and sigh? I bet you do. :-) Hugs, Nancy

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    1. I have to admit I'm pretty smitten with it, Him, too :)

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