::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

::Refining Those Instincts::

What happens when the house you were sure was supposed to be yours ends up being an obvious dud?

(source)

We toured *that house* again on Monday with a contractor and heard all about the issues, mainly lots of water damage, termites (!), and a pool that is non-functioning.  Needs some work on the sewage (ew), gutters, a roof, and perhaps a new garage.

Here's the pooch I mentioned in the previous post.  We let him in, and he grabbed his rawhide bone and happily followed us around the house.  He was fat and at-his-ease...pretty sure he rules the roost)

We walked away feeling satisfied that we gave it the ole' college try, but neither hubs or I felt like going down that road with that house.  The ruined pool pretty much sank the ship.  And I was totally ok with it as I drove away.  It was an interesting part of this journey, and I learned important lessons, honed my instincts more, even thru the ups and downs....the excitement and the disappointments.  I felt relieved when we closed the door on this possibility, knowing there are others out there waiting to be discovered.

Source: hgtv.com via Cindy on Pinterest

See, here's the thing.  I get all excited and see all the possibilities and believe and hope and dream about a new house every week.  I'm wicked good at it.  Hubs is my grounding force, but sometimes he comes off as a wet blanket. We had some frank discussions (ok, we argued) about how I need him to dream with me sometimes instead of trying to protect me from falling from too high when reality hits. 

Maybe that happened years ago (pretty sure it did), but in my midlife, I can disconnect pretty quickly from the hopes and dreams so long as I'm presented with cold, hard facts.  I don't throw too many tantrums over broken house dreams anymore.

Source: brooksandkendra.blogspot.com via Cindy on Pinterest

So we're moving on.  Actually I had already found another property with awesome potential before we even went on Monday.  I think it was my way of having a back-up plan in case things don't go according to my dreams.  :)

Having passed on *that house*, I again went back to my cottage instincts, our priorities, our wants and needs.  Hubs says our intuition simply pushes us in a direction with no specifics....but our brains engage and take over, assigning specifics that may or may not be where our intuition was leading.  Hmmmmm......

So what if I told you now we're looking at a property that would give me both old and new for even less than *that house*?

Tomorrow we'll check out a one acre property in the city that includes that cape cottage up thar on half and an empty lot on the other where a home had previously lived.  Not sure if it burned down or what, but an empty lot with trees is an empty lot with trees.  And a driveway :)

My brain says, live in the cutie-patootie cape cod and build something smallish next door.  Then rent or sell the cape to our kids.  Way out there, yeah?  I'd get to enjoy the character of the cape, help the kids make it theirs after ours was built, but mosey on next door to my new house with lots of windows and my soaking tub :)

Source: bhg.com via Cindy on Pinterest

But there's potential....that's how my brain works.  I believe the impossible until it proves it ain't possible.  And so many things would have fall in line for this property to work out.  I'm not going into this completely blind to the improbabilities, but I don't let them squash the hope in possibilities.

Just for funsies, we'll be looking at 4 other newly built homes, one that is $100K more than that cute little cottage up there.  I need to step inside and 'feel' them too.  It would give me an idea how 'new' strikes my instincts.

But hold up. I thought my intuition said building wasn't our style.  Upon further digging, (and seeing the reality of an older home) I think I could live in new OR old....it's just a new neighborhood that cramps my style.  The cottage/lot is not in a neighborhood....no restrictions, no one making sure our lawn is perfect, no association dues.  No Jones to keep up with.

And the lot is deep, but narrow, so it limits the type of home we could build there, meaning smaller, which is fine by me as all the homes along there would qualify as either ranch, cape cod or farmhouse.  I'd build something to blend into the landscape...which means cheaper, by about 50 grand that what we were previously considering.  And yes, I've already found another floorplan that would work....the graph paper has already made it back to front and center on my desk.

Source: southernlivinghouseplans.com via Cindy on Pinterest

I was also reminded how this journey began...but visiting a friend whose new home 'looked' old.  And realizing we could afford it.  Which doesn't mean that's what we will do, just that the idea of building shouldn't be completely abandoned if the right lot/style/price can be found.

Source: pinterest.com via Cindy on Pinterest

So I suppose I'm saying my cottage instincts don't lead me down a path to a particular place...but that they keep me true to what I love.  And oh how I love cottages....beachy, craftsman, farmhouse, capes, both new AND old. I love 'em all.  I'm not gonna get stuck on a certain place thinking it's the 'only one'....like some folks do with spouses.  I believe we become 'the one' after we risk and take a leap.  I'm looking for a home that will support our over arching priorities (not spending the upper limits of our income on housing is the biggest).  I'm looking for the potential that it will BECOME 'the one'.  And for every dream home that falls thru, there are always other fish in the sea, yeah?

Source: aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Mumford & Sons is my favorite band right now (my brother happens to be their booking agent).  This refrain is in one of their new songs:

"'Cause I know my weakness, know my voice

And I'll believe in grace and choice"

Source: inmyownstyle.com via Cindy on Pinterest

I still believe in magic (grace).  But I believe we create that magic by staying open to the possibilities that line up with our priorities (choice).  I also believe signs are real, but that they don't necessarily mean specific things....more like general leanings.  I think we have to create our realities after we've done the hard work of understanding ourselves...what we like, what we love, what makes us unique.  

Source: jonesdesigncompany.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Then there are all kinds of opportunities, each with gifts and each with issues.  Kinda takes the pressure off.  No need to worry and fret that we've missed out on 'the one'.  I believe in 'the many'....and for this season, we're gonna hope to make the best choice out of the many, trusting that we have the vision to make any home we buy or build 'the one'.

I hope sharing our windy path toward our next home is helpful to you guys.  I know it can sound like I have no idea where I'm going....but as I navigate my way thru this, I'm learning so much about myself, and I hope it can encourage especially those of you who feel like you can't trust your instincts to guide you.  Even in that moment when I thought "I missed it again" after our second visit to *that house*, I knew my cottage instincts could be trusted...that there must be something else out there for us.

And I believe we'll find it.

::Trying to Keep the Faith::

Well, we saw it.

THAT HOUSE.  

And, dear readers, it was plain awful.  

In the eeewwww-awful-est sense.

We learned upon entering, after maneuvering around a ripped up filthy sofa in the middle of the breezeway, that it was a bank owned/short sale.  Which explains the low price for that area and the extreme yukkiness we met as we toured the home.  Including space heaters as they'd turned the heat off.

Clearly these owners wanted to make it hard for the bank to kick them out.

(all pics are from the listing....it wasn't this clean when we walked thru)

(what you can't see in this pic is crooked cabinet doors, layers-upon-layers of grease on the stove, and peeling laminate floors that sit 3 inches above the hardwood in the ajoining rooms)

I kept heart and continued walking thru, noticing horrible paint jobs, dried spaghetti sauce on the cabinets, a sink full of dirty dishes, broken doors.....and a miserable looking dog just outside licking the door begging to be let in.  (*please see update about the dog at bottom of the post)

We steadied ourselves  while tiptoeing down to the basement using cellphones as flashlights since there was no power down there, which revealed walls covered in graffiti and tacky strings of lights.

Dirty laundry all over the floor.  Musty, dirty smell.

(One of two decent rooms, this dining room passes muster except for a slip-shod job with the molding and some cracks in the ceiling plaster)

Upstairs we braced ourselves against the onslaught of ickness we faced...yet still trying to remain positive.  There had been water damage to the wood floor just outside the bathroom, creeping insidiously under the new-ish tile floor.  The stairs had been treated to a half-a-- job of refinishing, wallpaper was half painted, banister hanging by a thread.  Closets painted closed.  Beds unmade, clothing (including men's underwear) thrown around.....and cold...the whole house was freezing cold.  

And it had begun to wind it's slinking tendrils around my heart.

(the living room was also decent, but that mantle is barely connected to the brick and they drilled into the brick to hang the big black eye)

My daughter's FIL is a police officer, and mentioned the owner was a mean man, and had been arrested a few times.  There was a messy divorce.  I'd say Mean Man had taken his frustration out on the house via sheer neglect.  I saw signs of a loving homemaker's touches here and there....but just shadows.  Even in foreclosure, a woman would never let people walk thru her home in that state.  My guess is that no woman lived there now, and hadn't lived there in awhile.

(just out of the shot, but a bit noticeable is the graffiti SPRAYPAINTED all over the ceiling and walls of this boy's room...just like in the basement...the hardwoods upstairs were in terrible shape.)

Hubs then noticed the pool hadn't been winterized.

Just frozen over with black moldy leaves stuck in the ice. 

These folks just ran.outta.money.  

(this room has great potential, so long as you can make it up the nasty staircase to get there.)

The house reverberated with tension, silent cursing, and signs of outright rage.

It was stiff, leary, holding its breath. The air was heavy, and the place was bone-tired.  

We left the place dejected and outraged that someone could be so cruel to such a beautiful home.  

I had lost hope I'd ever find a house so perfect, then there it was, and the pictures were so deceiving.... WHY OH WHY did it have to be so trashed?!

I sensed Hubs just didn't want to go down the 'fix it up' road again.  He couldn't shake the awful feeling he got walking thu it.  He couldn't envision it's potential, and worried about all the repairs...horribly disappointed.

I withdrew into myself, came home and got busy doing other stuff that needed done with a lump in my throat, fighting hard to cling to that newly recovered trust in my cottage instincts.  It was hard.  

It's still hard, folks.

(Tiniest room at 10 X 8....no door, just hanging beads)

I arose early this morning with THAT HOUSE on my heart.  It truly had everything I wanted.  Even a corner sink, for goodness  sake!  I kept thinking if it was all cosmetic, if the bones of the home were still ok, we could hire out any work that needed done....even the cleaning as the price is so far below what we were considering previously.  

(this room looked like the owner had just threw back the covers and jumped outta bed...junk laying on the bedside tables, shoes nearby.)

Talked with hubby about it....took a drive thru the neighborhood and those surrounding it, even called on a for-sale-by-owner nearby.  We decided to continue to work on our house, keep our eyes peeled (and our friends' eyes peeled) for newly listed homes, and....

(didn't even make it onto the front porch, but doesn't it look like it has great potential?)

 ...called a contractor we know to walk thru THAT HOUSE with us on Monday.  :)

I feel I can't let it go til I get some straight facts....is it structurally sound and how much and how long to bring it up to my (very reasonable) living standards?

I had hoped we'd get a definite feeling one way or the other when we saw the house.  I leaned in hard to my gut, turned my inner ear to my heart, tried to see it as 'my house'.

Instead I got a jumble of 'yikes' and 'oh! there's beadboard ceiling in here!' and 'ok, um, no.' and 'ooooo there's buildins!'  Reading my feelings was like reading chinese.  

Backwards. 

In the dark.

(at least there's granite counters, custom shaker cabinets, and all the appliances stay)

Hubs just got more agitated the longer we stayed.  His dark mood affected mine, as I'm the eternal optimist when it comes to crappy homes.  Though even I was overwhelmed with the work that would need to be un-done before we could even start getting the fun stuff done making it look all cozy-cottagey.

(other side of the kitchen behind the bar stools.)

But oh my heart.  My heart has to follow the emotional trail until we hit a brick wall.  And a dirty house with shoddy work isn't a brick wall.  A broken foundation would most definitely be a brick wall. Literally.

  And I figure the least we could do for the poor house is give it a fair shake during daylight hours wearing     down coats and knit hats, armed with flashlights and someone who knows what they're talking about. Yeah?

So the saga continues, even as we walk thru some open houses tomorrow.  None old, most too far out of town to please me, but just honing my instincts.  And it will help get my mind off THAT HOUSE until we visit again on Monday.

I'm ready for the game to just be freakin' over, but evidently I haven't played my whole hand yet, and I can't deal with the regret of folding without seeing my opponent's hand.  I'll call his bluff for now.  I'm holding a full house of vision, ingenuity, and cold hard cash.

And honestly, I don't want Mean Man to win.  

That house deserves better.  It deserves a cottage chick with loving hands, experience listening to what a house really wants to be, and respecting it's integrity.

That chick just may not be me.  If it comes to that, I'll fold graciously, knowing there's something even better just around the corner.

And besides, Robyn Rose has faith in my cottage instincts.  She told me so.

*Edited to add: I've received some comments/emails/fb comments about the dog.  Yes, he looked pitiful, and yes I wanted to let him in.  No he didn't look abused, maybe he was scared of us?  He also had one of those strap-on blanket dog coats on, so I don't think he was cold.  He was fat and groomed.  He just looked sad to me, and seemed to match the mood of the house.  If I see signs of actual abuse on Monday; I will report it.  I love how tenderhearted my readers are!