This dough bowl filled with pine-cones
is sitting on the mantle. . .
quietly waiting to be put away
so that the mantle can be
decorated for Spring :)
so that the mantle can be
decorated for Spring :)
but this post isn't about spring decorating,
it's about transformation
from a 1970's fireplace
to a fireplace,
better suited to our 1905 home.
better suited to our 1905 home.
When we moved in the only thing that I did
to change the fireplace was to clean it
and remove two round crackled glass globes on
and remove two round crackled glass globes on
the sconces and replace them with lampshades.
Then a year later
Steve built me this new mantle.
I think it made a big difference
This is the fireplace today.
We plugged the fireplace hole with insulation
because we were still losing heat up the chimney.
Then built a surround
and installed this thermostatic
and installed this thermostatic
real flame fireplace.
What do you think,
Does it say Cottage, now.
I love the new look :)
Before I end this post,
See what my Steve was doing this weekend.
Yum!
Six smoked chickens . . .
two to keep . . .
and four to give away :)
Have a lovely week
&
Keep Smiling!
Your blogging sister,
Connie :)
What do you think,
Does it say Cottage, now.
Before I end this post,
See what my Steve was doing this weekend.
Yum!
Six smoked chickens . . .
two to keep . . .
and four to give away :)
Have a lovely week
&
Keep Smiling!
Your blogging sister,
Connie :)
Hello Connie, It's been a while as we have been traveling and still are. I love your fireplace. It fits very well with your cottage. My hubby made our beautiful fireplace as well. It's especially nice to have a nice large mantel to decorate. I really like that dough bowl as too, perfect for fall and winter decorating.
ReplyDeleteHi Gloriade thanks for popping in to say hello . . . It is fun to decorate especially at Christmas, I'm happy that you like it :)
DeleteThe fireplace is great. I bet it will look amazing when it it dressed for Christmas xxx
ReplyDeleteI can certain wait for that decorating job, LOL We still have a little bit of snow that is taking it's sweet time to melt. This has been a very long winter . . . I'm so looking forward to Springtime. You too! By the amazing tent you purchased . . . thanks so much for visiting, it's great to see you again :)
DeleteI love, love, love the fireplace transformation. I miss having a fireplace. Both of our previous homes had fireplaces and nice mantles. I miss having that spot to decorate. Yours is perfect for a cottage. The chickens sound yummy too.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
We enjoyed smoked chicken for dinner last night and then I made Steve a chicken salad sandwich for his lunch today. Every time I walk by the fireplace I smile . . . I'm happy to be out of the seventies. I think that putting a fireplace with a 1970 style into a 1905 home is like someone dressing me in pink spiked hair, and rhinestone jeans . . . it just looks out of place. My home is vintage and so am I . . . we both like a bit more refinement and coziness, LOL.
DeleteOh WOW!!!! What a transformation. It's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's going to be much more energy efficient, too :)
DeleteWow, your fireplace surround is gorgeous! Steve built this himself?! The two of you are so talented, you should take your act on the road. ;-) The white really brightens up the room and gives it a whole new look. Fabulous job. And smoked chicken? Yum-yum!
ReplyDeleteI love it ,too . . . every time I walk by I smile. If you were here we would have sent you home with one of those chickens and yes they are Yummy :)
DeleteYour new fireplace looks absolutely wonderful! Great job! It must be fun renovating a 1905 home!
ReplyDeleteFun, but costly . . . new are not bringing it to a modern state, but rejuvenating the seventy remodel that the previous owner did and bringing it back to simple country cottage. We love our old home. it's small and simple :)
DeleteThanks so much for your encouraging words, I am delighted that you like what we have done.
Love it! I was raised with a 70's fireplace, and I have to say I much prefer your new cottage look!
ReplyDeleteThank you. The old fireplace look was lovely and a feature that we appreciated when we bought the house, but ever since moving in I have been planning how to bring it back to a more cottage feel.
DeleteYou guys did a beautiful job! Yes, it looks like a cozy cottage now for sure! Mine still looks like the 70's version which it is but I did manage to 'jury rig' a mantle of sorts with bookcases on both sides and a big chuck of board across the bookcases. A girl has to do what she has to do! Love yours!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you made a cute improvement. I am a huge fan of uniqueness! Whether it is (like you said) "jury rig" or construction, if it has a flare for not being "cookie cutter" then I usually love it:) Cottage, Farmhouse and BoHo are my two favorite styles.
DeleteBeautiful fireplace! You have such a lovely home!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much . . . it's just a very simple home, but we love it :)
DeleteLOve the new fireplace. What a great idea!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, Janie
Thank you . . . we should have thought of doing it before winter, because we lost a lot of heat up that chimney. I'm sure that we will see a difference in our power bill, now :)
DeleteWhen is my chicken getting here I want to know!?! LOL LOL They sure do look good. I bet they freeze good, too.
ReplyDeleteLove your fireplace. You guys did an awesome job on the remake and it looks a lot better since you revamped it---although it wasn't awful to begin with. This suits better, I think.
Have a wonderful week- xo Diana
It does suit our home better and it just make me smile. The chickens are wonderful, Steve has been getting phones calls today from the friends that we gave them to . . . so far the reviews are great! Sorry you don't live closer :)
DeleteThe fireplace looks gorgeous Connie, your husband did a wonderful job. I love how you have decorated it. It ties in nicely with your kitchen table in the foreground. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI know I told him that we need to have a romantic fireside dinner now :) Instead of eating in front of the TV, LOL
DeleteIt's a great transformation of the fireplace. It looks great and ties in with the rest of your home. The chickens look yummy too.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Kyle, thanks for stopping by to visit, it is always a pleasure :)
DeleteOh wow that is quite the transformation, it is just gorgeous now and yes I will say it does scream cottage now, He has done a fabulous job with it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy with it, your little home look better all the time :)
DeleteWow - gorgeous transformation - I really like what you've both done - and neat to see your beautiful decorating too!
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteHi Connie! I love your fireplace. I wish we had one in our home... we have a fire "mantel" with a gas heater that looks like and old woodstove placed under neath it. It is cute but not the real thing. :) My grandmaw just recently had to plug her fireplace hole with insulation as well. They loved using the fireplace in the winter but ultimately they were losing too much heat. Have a great rest of your week!
ReplyDeleteNot only do you loose heat, but it's a mess carrying wood and then taking out ashes, plus the dust it creates. I'm just not up to extra work . . . I like my extra time for quilting and gardening :) I hope that this reply goes to your email, because I have not been able to log into your blog. One of my other blogging sisters mentioned that she also couldn't log on. There must be some gadget interfering with it. I don't know a lot about technical computer stuff, but sure hope that it starts working soon. I will keep trying:) Have a lovely week and thank you for visiting.
DeleteConnie, I can understand why it is that you love the new look! WOW! what a difference that made. You have it decorated so beautifully, too. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou are so sweet, thank you :)
DeleteThe fireplace looks perfect for your home and your decor now! How smart you both are! And too bad you can't do a giveaway with one of those smoked chickens! heehee! Yum! Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeleteA Chicken give-away would be fun, but it would be hard trusting it to stay at a cold enough temperature while mailing. You and I live about as far as you can travel and still remain in the continental USA, but if you make the trip, we'll smoke you a chicken, LOL Oh, and I am delighted that you like what we did with the fireplace, I am truly enjoying the new look.
DeleteConnie, I love the fireplace transformation. And YUM -- those chickens!
ReplyDeletexo
Lynn
To bad that I couldn't have a way to serve sample tastes for all of my lovely visiting blogging sisters :)
DeleteLove the new look for your fireplace!! Building those was part of the kind of work my DH did before he retired.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am truly enjoying the new look :)
DeleteOh yes, the transformation is fantastic. So much better for the character of your home.
ReplyDeleteI think so too . . . our little home is getting back some of the charm that it lost with the previous owner's remodel :) Every one has different tastes and what is in fashion at the time can dictate choices . . . I just want cottage details that are more in tune with the age of the house. They make me happy :)
DeleteYour fireplace is dreamy, Connie. And, yes, it says cottage.I love it! Those smoked chickens look very tasty. Enjoy! xo
ReplyDeleteWe are slowly bringing our home to a finished project, that is as finished as a home gets. We all know that making changes and repairs are an on going project. I still have three light fixtures in boxes that we have never put up. It hurts Steve's shoulders too much to do work that means reaching up over his head and I know nothing about wiring. We have a friend that works for $25 an hour but he wants us to have at least 4 hours work for him when he comes. I'm thinking that this spring we came manage 4 hours easy :)
DeleteGood Morning Connie, What a wonderful transformation. It is hard to believe that the new mantlepiece is covering lots of brick. I think you have done a marvellous job.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen home smoked chickens, in fact I have never heard of smoked chicken. Do you know, by visiting so many friends, not a day goes by when I don't learn something new.
Have a lovely day.
Best Wishes
Daphne
Good Morning Daphne, smoked chickens are wonderful, you will have to try one someday. I'm sure the chance with come along. If you lived close we would smoke one for you:) I know what you mean about learning new things by visiting other bloggers . . . that is one of the things that I love about blogging. We are never too old to learn and I am amazed at what some of my blogging sisters are creating. My favorites are sewing, quilting, gardening, re-purposing and cooking . . . there is always something new :)
DeleteWOW and double WOW!!!! Can you hubby come down here to Madras and build one for us? I mentioned before in your fireplace post awhile back, that our f/p is almost identical to yours (the before pictures)!!! Our plan is to have a white mantel (well my plan anyway) but my hubby is not handy (neither am I)... so it sits and remains the same. We did plug up the hole and put an electric insert in, from a big black unit that we had. The big black unit now is used as a storage shelf and the hole has a big basket inside to hold my tableclothes.. and on top sits a big hutch shelf (we sold the bottom part). But oh our f/p needs some TLC and needs that white mantel and the surround your hubby did with the bead board is my dream! I'm going to print out the picture and show my hubby... maybe we can find someone around here to make us one. It definitely speaks "cottage" to me! Your are SO lucky to have a "handy hubby"!!!!! Marilyn
ReplyDeleteHi Marilyn, I am delighted that you like it that much . . . I hope that before next winter yours looks just the way you dream it will. It's always a joy to do something to fix up our homes, isn't it? We are suppose to have a day that reaches the mid 50's, so I'll not be sitting here for very long . . . I'm going outside and enjoying the nice weather :) Have a great weekend!
DeleteYour fireplace makeover suits the cottage look perfectly. We switched our inefficient wood-burning fireplace to a gas one, and now it heats our entire home (unless it gets really, really cold). And it's so cozy for sitting beside. I'm like a cat who likes to curl up in front of it.
ReplyDeleteSmoked chickens - oh yum!
A gas conversion sounds perfect. We would have to get one of those big propane yard tanks to do something like that. I do love the new look and smile every time I look at it. Last night while we were watching TV my hubby says, "did you see that" talking about something on the TV . . . I replied, "no I was watching the fireplace", LOL. Oh, the chickens were wonderful, thanks:)
DeleteYour fireplace really does suit your cottage, and I love it! What a great makeover you did, and it is so comforting to sit near a flickering fire. Happy weekend Connie.
ReplyDeleteHelen xox
Hi Helen and welcome to my little blog . . . I am delighted that you like my re-do . . . it makes me smile every time I walk into that room :)
DeleteWow Connie...I love it! It looks fantastic and very well suited to your adorable cottage. The smoked chickens were delicious I'm sure. That's something we have never done. My hubby had been more interested in grilling lately so I might mention this to him. He could build a smoker and smoke me some meat! Thanks for sharing and have a delightful weekend.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Vicky
Hi Vicky, I just love it when you visit my blog . . . we will probably never meet in person, but I know that if we did we would hit it off. You have such a warm and friendly personalty and you seem to be well grounded and easy going. Life's too short to be wired too tight. The chickens were great. Steve smokes a lot of different meat but chicken has always been my favorite :)
DeleteWow! What a transformation on that fireplace Connie. Love how it looks now. My hubby loves smoking meat. I bet the chickens were delicious!
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
Hello Jann, thanks for stopping by. Of all the meat that Steve smokes, chickens are my favorite :) I'm happy that you like our new look . . . I am delighted with how it turned out. It really lighten the mood of the room.
DeleteConnie, you two are sooo talented! I never know what you are going to do next! What a transformation with the fireplace! We have a genuine Art Deco fireplace which was probably installed when the house was built in 1925. And smoked chickens too - they sound quite delicious! You are quite amazing, the things you do. Thank you for your visit and your kind words - I am certainly feeling a lot better now and looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. It's a bit frustrating how tired I still get, though!
ReplyDeleteShoshi
Hi Shoshi, thanks for stopping by. I am sure that your energy will increase with time. Have a sweet week :)
DeleteHi Connie, How come I don’t have neighbors who will smoke chickens and give me one? You guys are so kind! On your fireplace … I think you did just an excellent job. Not only does the new one look a lot better but I’ll bet you are enjoying much more warmth without all the work from a log fire. Great post and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi John the truth is we have never built a fire in that fireplace since we moved here, that was three winters ago. When we moved in I took three wheel barrows of ash and mess out of that thing, that the previous owners left behind. We just appreciated it for it's looks and had an electric log set-up for ambiance and any heat that it gave went right up the chimney even with the damper shut. This is prettier and so much more efficient :) The chickens were great, wish you lived closer, too. You and your wife would be a nice addition to the neighborhood :)
DeleteReally like the transformation, I think the fireplace does fit well with your cottage.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great to have a lovely mantel to change and decorate with the seasons ...
All the best Jan
Decorating the mantel is fun, especially for the holidays :)
DeleteI really really liked the new transformation!!! It looks so nice now!!! Those smoked chickens just look so tasty:) Thanks for sharing.Jessi
ReplyDeleteHello Jessi, and thank you so much for visiting and for following my blog. I love making new blogging friends and I am delighted that you like our fireplace makeover. I am enjoying it so much and smile every time I give it a look :)
DeleteDon't have a mantel but I love seeing them in homes. They are beautiful decorated for different seasons and events. Great job on all these. It is a amazing how fast a change there can change the whole room.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam thanks so much for stopping by to visit. I'm happy that you like our mantel make-over, I sure am enjoying it :)
DeleteI love the 'new' fireplace! It SCREAMS cottage! lol I like it so much better than the old one. Yep, put away the pinecones...it's time for warmer weather! Don't know where it is, but it's time for it! Gosh I wish I lived closer. That chicken looks delish! That man of yours is handy!
ReplyDeleteCindy
Handy as a pocket on a shirt :) I know that I should decorate it for Spring, but on the days that I'm actually feeling like it's Spring, I head outside to work in the yard.
Delete