Faux Fireplace. The Miracle Makeover.

Ain't she a beaut?!  Not so much!

This "grand" headboard was sitting at a garage sale...looking all lonely and sad.

But I didn't see a headboard at all.

I saw...

a fireplace!

So I beefed up the piece with some added trim, reshaping a few areas.

Then a solid coat of white, and later a glaze treatment for some age and depth in the finish.

This is where I must apologize. 

JunkFest was fast approaching and the camera wasn't at the top of my priority list. 

I had removed the mirror, removed some of the silvering with an acid treatment, and put a gorgeous red velvet fabric behind.  The acid treatment removes only some of the silvering so you can see mirror in places, but fabric in others.  Way cool!

Here it is at the sale, right there behind the naked chairs.  I hope the new owner is enjoying it!

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Chippy White fireplace mantel

One of my goals for the coming year is to spend more time creating....to nurture my artistic/creative/diy self. This includes everything from paper goods to the blood, sweat, and tears projects for JunkFest. What better way to nudge myself than to join the gals over at CSI (Create Something Inspiring)? Each week they choose a theme and select a winner from tons of entries. My intentions are to be inspired by the upcoming themes and create something new.....either for my home, or for JunkFest. Since I just jumped on the bandwagon today, I chose a project that I had already done, which you may remember seeing here. This week's theme is "white" and the first thing that came to my mind was time-worn, chippy, cottage style. This style might not be for everyone, but it is definitely my favorite and white is the perfect color for it. One consistent color, even in a mix of styles, can create a coherent look. On to the project.

What do you get when you mix 2 old chippy white square columns, some weathered corral boards and a fleur de lis? A fireplace!

Here are the two columns I started with. Don't they just scream "fireplace!" to you? After taking apart the columns, only to discover that 2 of the 4 sides on each had a one inch lip sticking out, I sawed off the lip so that the boards would lay flush side by side.

Next, I layed the boards out flat to determine the width of the mantel....and hope like heck I had enough to make this work! Sketches, rough drafts......even measuring were not part of my plan at this point. I was working purely from the vision in my head...and eyeballing as I went along.
I don't really recommend this, it's just how I roll sometimes.

Next, I flipped the boards over and secured them with some horizontal planks. So far, so good.

After adding the sides, I trimmed the top & bottom and added a thick piece of plywood for the back. Then (this time I measured) I cut the opening in the front. It appears as though the opening is a bit small, but I still had a decorative element to add above it.

Dry fit the mantel, eyeballed some more....looking pretty good. Attached the mantel and a beefy corral board for the bottom. After darkening the top & bottom with a "secret" stain/paint formula, I added the metal fleur de lis to the front to "French" her up a bit.

And there you have it! A chippy-white, faux fireplace mantel.

If you're looking for more "white" inspiration, head over to CSI this week! Just click on the button below. Thanks for stopping by!

Wish upon a Star

I am still in love with this star I received as a gift from Lynette a few years ago. It was initially very silver, but it has tarnished some and I love it even more now.

This year I've got it hanging on an empty frame on the dining room mantel.

Next to it are some thrift store candles with old keys and a strip of burlap attached...

Vintage playing cards tucked nearby in the greenery...

Wood bundled up with burlap and greens in front of an old gate...

...and old book pages lining the bottom.

Oops...got off subject there - wasn't I talking about stars?

Oh yeah, I love my rusty stars!

On the coffee table they warm things up by the candlelight...

I always make a wish when I see a falling star.

Do you?

Faux Fireplace

What do you get when you mix 2 old chippy white square columns, some weathered corral boards and a fleur de lis? A fireplace!

Here are the columns I started with...not sure what they were from. Don't they just scream "fireplace" to you? See those 2 unfinished pieces to the left? They're screaming "quit procrastinating and finish me!!"

After de-constructing the columns to learn that 2 sides from each had about a one inch lip on the edges, I set about removing that lip so the boards would lay flush side-by-side. Sorry for the blurry picture.

Next, I layed the boards out to determine my width and hope like heck I'd have enough for the sides. Did I have a plan sketched out? Did I measure? Nope...100% eyeballing at this point!

Next, I flipped the face boards over and secured them all together with some glue and horizontal planks. So far, so good.

Once I had the form all together, I trimmed the top & bottom and added some thick plywood for a back. Then (this time I measured) I cut the opening.

Dry fit the mantel, eyeballed some more...lookin' pretty good. Attached the mantel and a beefy corral board for the bottom. Darkened with a secret stain/paint combo for some contrast...

Next I embellished the front with a metal fleur de lis to "French" her up!

And her she is....finished and ready for JunkFest! Are you?

I'm showing this beauty off at Miss Mustard Seeds FFF, over here, and Funky Junk Interior's SNS...over here. Pop over to see all the great repurposes & inspiration!

Faux fireplace to warm your holiday.

What do you get when you challenge a bored teenager to cross an antique mirror frame, an old door, a couple closet doors, odds and ends boards and some miscellaneous trim? Answer: FAUX FIREPLACE !!!
With all the posts in blogland of wonderful Christmas decorations and ideas, I worried this post would be a bit out of place. But just imagine the cozy addition of a glowing fire at Christmas....er, uhm....maybe not with THIS fireplace, but we can pretend right?! Even a faux fireplace can add a certain sweetness to a room, fulfilling a warm and cozy touch that's perfect for the Christmas season.

In the blurry scurry of JunkFest preparation, I knew I wanted to re-invent this antique mirror frame into the front focal piece of a faux fireplace. Time was not on my side...so when Middle Child (will work for food) proclaimed his boredom one fine day, I put this challenge in his lap. "Take this frame, take those boards, find some scrap wood, measure twice and cut once....a fireplace...MAKE IT SO." Off he went to the barn, tape measure in hand.

Of course, old Mom checked in on him quite often, adding suggestions and advise when needed and not. I was impressed at his handywork, might have to hire him next year!

I did finish up the fireplace after he got busy. Added some trim, a "door" mantel, and some fresh coats of paint and poly. One of the repurposed trim boards had "September 7, 1905" written on the back in pencil with a name I couldn't make out. How sweet is that!!!
This is a picture of the fireplace on display at JunkFest 2009. Soon after the doors opened it found a new home to go to. I hope the new owners are enjoying the warmth even a faux fireplace can offer for this holiday season!
**This post has been added to Mustard Seed Creations, Funky Junk Interiors, Kimba's DIY over at A Soft Place to Land....go check out all the great projects!!

Before & After

One of my favorite pieces at JunkFest this year was a faux fireplace mantel that I "rehabbed" from it's original state. The mantel was pretty much already assembled and in place as a faux fireplace. It was just really ugly and in need of a facelift. You may recall from earlier posts that I'm a bit forgetful when it comes to taking "before" pics of anything. I did happen to get one shot of it before I tore it apart.

There she is, in all her fake brick beauty. She was actually sitting on a hearth made of those very same realistic looking bricks, but I decided to leave them behind. It was work enough just wrestling the fireplace away from the wall, what with the 40 or so 6" nails it was secured with! Okay, there were only 2 nails, whatever. I removed the top trim pieces so that I could re-use them, but had to cut a new top...one that would be deep enough to accomodate the most fabulous vintage corbels that my father-in-law found for me (yay Ed! keep it comin'!)

After much color contemplation, I decided to do a white/stain overlay finish. First, I primed the entire piece with Kilz spray primer. I was liking how it looked so far, but it needed some extra "oomph" so I took apart an ornate little side table and used a piece from that to adorn the panel below the mantel shelf. Here she is primed and painted with flat white paint. Just needs a good sanding and staining for that time-worn look.

This last picture is the best "after" shot I had, and it was taken the morning of JunkFest...just before the madness began. I used a vintage chippy mirror in the insert and some ornate gold frames on top of the mantel. I was secretly hoping that no one would want her so I could bring her back home with me! But, shortly after the sale started, she was going out the door and headed to a new home. Oh well, lesson learned! Just so someone gets to enjoy her!

Check back soon for our very first give-away! And no, it's not a fireplace mantel...sorry!