::About That Fireplace::

PSSSST...I'm no longer blogging here!

You can now find me at

www.acottagegirl.com

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It's been more than 2 years since we redid our fireplace, and I still get emails asking how I did it.  I'm totally not kidding you, I lay awake at night sometimes kicking myself for never doing a tutorial.
Bad blogger.

Today I intend to remedy that by giving you the deets.  THIS POST will give you a brief history and some before and afters and all that. It's still in the top five most viewed posts I've done.

So before I get into my actual process, I need to show you all the ways I decorated it over the last few years.  I'm doing this mostly because we just moved out of that house 7 weeks ago, and the fireplace is about the only thing I was sentimental about leaving.  *sniff*

So this is my tribute to that blessed wall of brick in chronological order. Linked dates will take you to the posts for more pictures. (cue Barbara's Memories track)

Christmas 2009, just a month or so after starting ye olde blogge

Winter 2010

Halloween 2010

Halloween 2010 #2....had to change it up 'cause the wee punkins in the above shot done molded.  Ew.

Thanksgiving 2010

Presto-Chango!

Thanksgiving #2 (hadn't done the beefy trim under the mantel yet)

Along with painting the brick, I painted the mirror, we added beaded board wallpaper to the ceiling and molding around the top of the room, and I painted the gold around the door black.

Boy did I go nutso that first Christmas....I glitterfied every ding dang thing I could.  I was darn proud of that fireplace makeover.

Christmas 2010 (trim added)

Blurry Spring 2011

Fall 2011

Christmas 2011

Spring 2012 

Halloween 2012

Thanksgiving 2012

Christmas 2012

Winter 2013

So there ya have it....a parade of seasons on my beloved hearth.

Now I shall tell you how I got that painted effect.  Ready?

First things first.  Paint Colors.

White: Valspar's Woodlawn Lace at Lowes.  Which happened to be the color used on the paneling in that room as well as my kitchen cabinets and all the trim throughout the house.

Beige: Ralph Lauren's Canvas Natural at Home Depot.  Which happened to be the color used in several other rooms in my house including the foyer/hall that led to this room. Unfortunately they no longer have the formula for this discontinued color in their computers.  :(  

1. Paint all the brick and grout with 2 coats of satin latex.  Make sure the brick is completely covered.  No, I didn't prime it. 

Use a thick-ish roller for rough surfaces and an old brush (which will get pitched after this project is finished  'cause painting in between the bricks destroys it. Be prepared.)

2 Used a foam roller for smooth surfaces with the second color of satin latex.

Here's the tricky part:  Load the roller, then roll OFF as much paint as you can. Then begin GENTLY and LIGHTLY rolling the bricks. Barely touch the surface of the brick.  My brick was highly textured, so the paint come off heavy in some places, lighter in others, not at all in some areas.  I rarely went over a spot twice.  For corners or areas the roller couldn't reach, I just used a brush to try to match the uneven, random way the paint was laid on with the roller.  Here's a close up:

If your brick is more flat and even, you can try pulling sections of foam off your roller so only the raised parts will paint the brick.  Or try looking for the rollers for faux finishing.  The key is use a LIGHT hand and don't go over any areas more than once unless you absolutely have to.  

Here's another shot of last Christmas' mantel where I fiddled with the picture so you can get a better look at the random paint pattern:

It really wasn't hard, and when I goofed and laid on too much in one spot, I just waited for it to dry, repainted with the first white color, let that dry and gave it another shot with the second color.  And I only needed to do that in 2 areas.

Hope this clears the mystery up....if not, leave a comment or email me.  And thanks for reminiscing with me :)

Have you tried this technique or something similar?  Or are you a fan of natural brick?

Partying at:
Primp Your Stuff @{Primp}
Power of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours
Party Junk @ Funky Junk Interiors

::Winterfying the Mantel::

Well, Friends, the Christmas decor was dismantled on Christmas Day.

It took another 2 weeks to get the room dressed for Winter.

I like lots of browns and neutrals with some hits of white to brighten the dark days ahead.

Just used stuff I already had.

And lots of pinecones.

Of course.

Much of the pinecone stuff is left from my daughter's Vintage Chic Barn wedding last December.

This is my attempt at a brown artificial flower arrangement.

That right there is as good as it gets for this gal.

I sat on the floor for this shot.  Duh.

Here's a sneak peek at some of my other Winterfying....

I'll get that post up soon.  

Didn't want to overwhelm ya with too many pictures.

And I want to get back in the habit of at least 2 posts a week.

This is my favoritist room in my whole ding dang house.  

For Reals.

The view from my perch on the couch.

Obligatory artsy shot.

Even makes the dead plant and black cord look not-so-goofy.

Like everyone else in bloggy-land, I am contemplating lots of changes for my blog.

But the biggest change in my life will be placing our cottage on the market by month's end....

Where we go next is, well, we don't know yet!  Build new?  Buy existing?  Rent for a while til we decide?

We are staying in the same city.

Letting go of the dream of moving south to warmer climes has finally died as reality sent a one-two punch...but it's all good.

(psssst....you can get hints of my future dream dwelling if you follow me on pinterest.)

I'm excited about what the new year holds for me and my family.

Last year was an exercise in adapting to the stress put on us by others.

(read here and here for the inside scoop)

It was full of beautiful moments and times of extreme pain and even despair.

I've never spoken much about my struggles with chronic severe depression, 

but last year tested my fortitude further than ever, and I've come out of it feeling bewildered.....

but ready to take charge of my life again.

This year I hope to adapt to stress of my own making.

Because if you're gonna deal with stress, better it be from taking charge of your own destiny while you have the chance.  

I've decided life is very short, and going after my dreams is my first priority.

My resolutions for the new year are legion, and can't be articulated yet.

But my word is HOPE.

source

Thanks for stopping by. 

Here's to a new beginning with much joy in the journey.

And a mantel that makes you happy every time you look at it.

Wait. Did you say halloween is almost here?

My husband took the initiative to pull down the fall bins from the attic in hopes of jolting my out of my stupor.

Since Mom died last month, I haven't had a spit of creativity or motivation to fallify the house. 

Instead, I've watched with dread as the leaves turned and prepare to fall, knowing I'm facing the first holiday season without the person who taught me to embrace the those seasons with awesome, unique touches.

It just seemed like a waste of the little energy I have.

Then I got a surprise visit from my favorite little person, and decided to just get to it, because my family appreciates those decorative signposts of the coming holidays....and as I did, I found some of my creative muse returning.

(Robyn Rose just turned 6 months!)

Here's the results, readers.

Ready for Halloween and easy to switch out the scary-specific for rotund punkins and turkeys come November 1st.

 Get yerself ready for all-angle shots of my family room....

Lighted branches make me happy.  

Added browns to my kitchen hutch.

Little crafty thing I made last year.

 Twine wrapped votives left over from last my daughter's rustic chic wedding.

Gotta have birds, dontchaknow.

Please excuse the mess on my dining room table...too lazy to re-edit.

Shelf above the Black Beast.

Cozy-ness.

What one sees when walking in from the hallway.  

 What one sees from the dining room.

And a bit of fallishness in the entry hall.

So I finally got my fall on.  Er, I got the house's fall on.  Whatev.

Mom would be proud :)

See past fallishness here, here, here, HERE, HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Wanted to say thank you all so much for your kind words after my Mom's passing.

I wish I could respond to everyone as so many shared their own pain in losing a beautiful person in their lives.

Please know I was deeply touched and received much cyber love and support thru your words.