Story of a Fireplace Wall & A Fall Mantel

what to write on the chalkboard…?

Have you ever started out with any kind of project not knowing where it would end?  This is one of those.  Both the mantel decor and this blog post, so wish me luck…here goes…

So apparently Fall Mantels are a thing.  Well, mantels of any kind are a thing.  I defer to Pinterest to prove my point.  I don’t actually decorate my mantel because I want to keep redecorating.  It’s just that I have some pretty and seasonal things that have jumped into my shopping cart at Homesense over the years.  And I need a place to put them where they won’t get food on them, or get covered with someone’s homework or yesterday’s mail.  So the mantel is where they end up.  And that’s the story.

adore this vintage twine and scissors stand from my bff

So instead let’s talk about the whole fireplace wall for a minute since that actually has a bit of a story.  When we moved here that wall  was finished in the same brick as the exterior of the house…veneer…orange…bleh…and had a little piece of ugly wood attached to it up above eye-level that was varnished within an inch of its life.  Also known as the mantel I guess.  And the fireplace was brass.

Opportunity knocked when we bought a whole pallet of slate tiles from a tile outlet (where I buy almost all our tile) to cover the front porch which was plain concrete, thinking that “someday” we would also cover the walkway or maybe use some in the backyard.  Someday never came and once the tiles had sat taking up space for too long we decided to use them for this wall instead.

changed my mind about the pumpkin on the end

Also Mr. P painted the brass on the fireplace with black BBQ paint which made a huge difference.  My dad constructed a new mantel at a normal height, ‘cuz he’s engineerish that way.  Or an actual engineer.  We pried off the old brick veneer and tiled over the whole facade.

should I put something in that little tin box?

So I say that in a single sentence like it was no big deal.  Ha!  The thing is…apparently it needed to be a mathematical, engineering and aesthetic puzzle of monumental proportions.  Here’s a joke:  What happens when you put a perfectionist and an engineer in the same room to finish a tiling project?  Well, the perfectionist lays out the pattern of tiles on the floor the way it will be on the wall, then rearranges them, and exchanges them for tiles piled at the back door, and rearranges them again.  And repeat.  Lose sleep.  And repeat.

if it’s blurry you can’t tell it’s a craft, right?

The engineer then points out that certain tiles will have to be cut in places that now make them aesthetically unsuitable in the spot the perfectionist has chosen, and the exchanging and rearranging cycle continues.  No one else may enter the family room during this time to risk disturbing the layout.  This whole process may or may not take days.

there are always books on the mantel

But now that it’s all said and done, this is one of my favourite views in the house, and I look at it a lot.  My desk faces this wall and the TV wall is right beside it, plus you can see it from the kitchen eating area.  So I love that I have a spot to put some pretty things where they’re out of clutter’s way.  Apparently a lot of people feel the same way and have made seasonal mantel decorating a thing of Pinterest proportions, and I’m throwing my version in with the crowds…so pin me pin me pin me!

seriously what should I put on the chalkboard? not happy fall y’all

What part of your home do you decorate seasonally?  Or maybe you’re not a sucker for that front display at Homesense like I am!  And if you feel like doing a burlap craft that doesn’t require sewing you can see how I made my Fall banner here.

Thanks for sticking around to hear my story.  Believe me there’s lots more like it…a whole house’s worth actually!   If you don’t want to miss them, put your email address over in the sidebar sign-up spot to get them delivered to your in-box once a week.  For your weekend reading pleasure.

See you then!

xo andrea

linking to thoughts from alice, be awesome, diy dreamer