My Fireplace Mantel Makeover

It’s been a long time since I’ve participated in Between Naps on the Porch’s Metamorphosis Monday. Welcome if you are visiting!

This is a post on my fireplace mantle re-do. The mantel in my family has annoyed me for a long time. It had no character. It didn’t do anything for my revolving artwork and accessories. No pizzaz. The finish on the whole wall of bookcases(not shown) and the mantle were a reddish-brown stain, and the wood is oak. I’m not a huge fan of oak. The opposite side of this fireplace is our kitchen, in a dark cherrywood.

I debated a long time of whether or not to paint the mantle, bookcases, or both. Resale value of our home was the biggest factor, as people around here still prefer wood (even oak). Well, we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re not moving anytime soon as we are pretty settled in our neighborhood. So, testing the waters, I mentioned to my husband that the whole wall of built-ins and mantle were not doing anything for me. He agreed that it was looking dated, and that I could paint everything if I wanted… I love my husband….he has no fear of paint. :)

I decided to start with the mantle first. This was my inspiration:

Ledge from Pottery Barn

Here is a before of the mantle:

After much distressing, and layering of colors to achieve a worn, chippy look, here are the after pics:

I know this isn’t the look for everyone, but I love it, and I think my artwork looks so much better! Best of all, my husband loves it as well!

I will write a post this week on how I achieved this chippy look. Thanks for visiting, and check out all the other great makeovers on Metamorphosis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch!

A Nursery

Welcome to Monday Metamorphosis hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site. There are so many wonderful before and afters!

I have been working on redecorating my oldest daughter's room for several months now. I work on bits and pieces of it when I get the chance. She is now 9 years old, and going through a metamorphosis of her own. She is ready to shed some of the little girl room she has and wants more of a "Tween" room, with her style and colors. I have been sad about this, because it means she is growing up.

Working on her room makes me reminisce back to her first room, the nursery. It was in a different house, and me, being the excited first time mom, went all out and worked like a madwoman trying to make the perfect nursery for our firstborn. I did not take before pictures, as always, because it was 10 years ago, and I had no idea I would be blogging then! Her room was the craft room. Imagine something like this:

Yikes! What a messy room! This is my current studio (photo taken after Christmas, in my defense!)

After several weeks of painting and sewing, with pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, and eventually, preeclampsia:

Since we hadn't found out the gender of our child, I wanted a fairly neutral theme. I thought an outdoor theme fit perfectly. I painted a mural in the entire room. All four walls and the ceiling were painted in the mountain outdoor theme.

Little ladybugs, bees, and butterflies were stapled onto the wall.

If you look closely, you can see some butterflies in the sky. There were clouds in the sky walls and ceiling that you can't see in the pictures. My parents brought the cuckoo clock back from the Netherlands during their European tour. I bought one of the teddy bears on the shelf in Cambridge, England. I was very huge and pregnant at the time of my visit there.

My brother made an airplane that hung from the ceiling. The plane was made from balsa wood and tissue paper. (My brother is an engineer, and this airplane could fly if we wanted it to.) I found some sheer fabric with star details, and I used blue gingham for the cornice and tieback. A blue and white striped fabric was used for the roman shade. I wanted the curtains to blend in with the sky walls, but also have character on its' own.

I wanted the baby to feel like it was in the trees, so I painted a tree on either side of the crib. (Not that the baby would even know it!) There are wooden birds stapled onto the branches.

The bunnies painted on the wall had company from a big stuffed bunny.

I know that all of this was more for myself than for the baby. Really, what baby would know the difference between a room of murals and a plain white box? But, in my mind, I wanted our child to feel special, and it was my way of showing her/him my love through all my labor in that room.