Sunday, September 4, 2011

Where You'll Find Me....



There's just something about having a fireplace in a room
that brings one word to mind ~~

COZY

Right?

If it were up to me
I'd have a fireplace

(or at least a fireplace mantel surround)

in each and every room of my house ~

loos included.

Oh, yes.

But I would need a pretty big house, I guess.

So, when I saw a this beautiful thing
sitting all by herself at the antique market,
I knew that she would be coming home with me

one way or another.


See the white wicker settee and round blue wicker table?  They came home with me, too.


And she did.

I knew exactly what room she would grace.

Her chips and patina were absolute perfect imperfection.
She was missing a piece of her base on the right side,
but that didn't matter to me.




Is that not the most perfect shabby chippiness?




Did it make you sigh....?

It did me.

The paint color was a tad too 'dirty white' for me.
So, I hauled out my trusty ASCP and swiped 'Old White' on her ~
carefully avoiding the chipped places.




An hour later,
(and this is part of the beauty of AS paint)
I was sanding and smoothing and distressing
(with my new palm sander).

Fifteen minutes after that,
she was in her new home.



Maizie thought it was her new doggy house.


Five minutes after that,
Maizie and I were happily floofing.


I never tire of making book bundles...









 The sweet set of angel wings was sent to me by
in memory of my sweet little Toby
who traveled to the Rainbow Bridge recently.

I still miss him so deeply.

Every time I walk into the kitchen and see those wings hanging there,
I think, "Heaven has one more angel...."


I turned my large chalkboard sideways to "fill up" the opening.




Styling this beautiful piece of history with the seasons
is going to be so much fun.

Can you see her with little white pumpkins dancing across her mantel for Thanksgiving?

Can you visualize cedar boughs draped and swagged across her for Christmas?

Springtime she'll be dressed with white lilacs in rusty pots... 

She is going to be so Jeanne d'Arc.

A weathered basket full of driftwood will be placed on the floor in the fireplace opening
for the fall and winter months bringing an even cozier feel to the room.

(I have a tutorial on weathering and aging baskets coming up soon.)

In fact, come to think of it,
I actually love her more than the gas fireplace we have in the living room.
I think it's her size and beautiful shabby patina.

Hmmmm...I just may have to take my sander to the one in the living room....


So, if you're looking for me anytime soon,
you'll find me here...





{ cozy hugs }







Linking with the parties located at the lower right of my sidebar.
Just click on the buttons and get ready to be inspired!










61 comments:

  1. Beautiful Laurie! I'm sure she will be styled in many wonderful ways ... you did good!

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  2. It is such a beautiful addition to your room Laurie! I LOVE the way you decorated the mantle.

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  3. Oh it turned out just beautiful!! Those angel wings are just the sweetest reminder of you sweet little one.

    bee blessed
    mary

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  4. Laurie- It is just gorgeous! You did a great job painting it and yet still keeping it shabby-freshly shabby! I love the blackboard in there and think it would be great backed with a piece of black painted plywood even-that would cover the whole of the back. She's a beauty no matter what else you do to her. Where'd you put the wicker settee and table?

    I love having a fireplace. I have a small front sitting room (where the old dinette used to be) and there is a wall that separates the dining room. When we were rehabbing we built a see through fireplace in there that burns real wood. I just love it -even though we don't use it all that often but it does give me two mantles to decorate!

    Lovely post- as you always do! xo Diana

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  5. Your mantel looks great. Who says you can't have one in every room. I am working on my 4th and I have no real ones to speak of. Have a wonderful Labor Day.

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  6. How sweet of Sandi to send you those wings. It fits perfectly with your vignette. Of course I love the beautiful photos.

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  7. Hi Laurie,
    Yes she did make me sigh, and maybe turn a bit green :-) She is shabby perfect!! I am always on the lookout for mantles and the good ones are hard to find! She looks happy in her new home:-)
    Hugs,
    Bella

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  8. She looks perfect in her new spot! I have one out in the shop just waiting for me to put her in my bedroom.....you've inspired me to get moving:-)

    xoxo
    Kathleen

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  9. I would have brought that one home, too- looks so good and you fluff so well. Maizie looks so sweet...maybe she needs a victorian doghouse inside.
    We had a magnificent oak surround with columns in the mall and it had a pricey tag to go with it. I got to decorate it for a few years until it finally sold. The columns were tiger oak and she had a fun long oval mirror...oh, I miss her.
    The mantles are so hard to find around here and Rebecca, my bestie, had such a hard time finding one for her parlor.
    I wouldn't even mind a reproduction if it looked that great!
    Have a fun weekend and show us some more!
    Hugs- Tete
    PS- Love the Toby wings...so sweet.

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  10. Laurie, you have so much talent, and skill, you make it look oh so easy!!! I miss my mantel that was in my childhood home, especially at Christmas, loved decorating it. xo,

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  11. Love it, I have a mantle on my to-build list, I want one! Yours is beautiful. Love how you styled it. It will be lots of fun to decorate this holiday season I'm sure.

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  12. Hai Laurie,

    You've made the right decission (lol). I am also very fond of mantles. We could decorate them in so many ways in all seasons.

    I wish you have many cozy evenings!

    Bey, Sylvia

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  13. It's great that you didn't leave this behind for the silly lack of a real fireplace to use it on. It is perfect in this spot, and you did a great job on it!

    Please tell me that this is attached to the wall to keep it from falling. (It looks like a couple of screws into your chair rail and baseboard would do the trick nicely.) We had a really scary thing happen here last year. A mantel was leaning against the wall in what is now my sewing room, and the kittens did something to make it fall. When I heard the crash and ran upstairs and saw the mantel lying flat on the floor, I thought one of the kittens was underneath it ... turns out Dorothy was hiding under the bed and both she and Alice were fine, just frightened. If it's not fastened, please learn from my mistake.

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  14. It looks gorgeous. I love the way you've dressed it too, very pretty and your right it will be great to keep changing it through the seasons.

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  15. What a beauty !!!...i love it....so nice decorated !!!.....love and blessings from me...xxx.

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  16. Beautiful mantle, Laurie! I love how you did the inset, too. You'll have lots of fun decorating and I think it definitely makes a kitchen area very cozy.

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  17. I'm your latest follower, so glad I found you!! I just love your mantle and your beautiful chippy whites!

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  18. This just "made" the room. It is perfect! I am sure it will be decorated perfectly for all seasons.

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  19. You are such a stinker....getting that all painted and foofed lickety split!It looks STUNNING! I love everything about it. You did a wonderful job my friend!!
    xo,
    Beth

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  20. I LOVE that mantle Laurie!! I would love to have one in my house although I have no clue where I would put it! HA!!
    Blessings~

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  21. I love it laurie!! It's the perfect spot for your gorgeous mantel.

    Kathy

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  22. Your mantel is spectacular! There's nothing like it! I put a huge mirror in the fireplace opening of mine, and plan on placing some flameless candles and twinkle lights in front of it for the winter.
    Enjoy your new beauty!
    Blessings & Hugs,
    Karen

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  23. Your new perfectly shabby mandel is perfect for the room. The angel wings are such a sweet gift.

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  24. I just love it!! I love how you floofed it and can't wait to see it as the seasons change. I love the chalkboard there too and it all looks so pretty!!
    Enjoy your cozy little spot. :)
    xoxoxo

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  25. Just gorgeous!
    What a find!
    And the settee too.
    So perfect for the room and can't wait to watch for it to change through the seasons.

    Your newest follower.
    Alison
    :)

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  26. mmmmmm...so lovely, and cozy. Can't wait to sit in your dining room and soak up the beauty.
    Looks wonderful, sis.

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  27. hi laurie,

    thanks for stopping by my blog! i became a vegan in about 2 minutes flat so it's hard for me to suggest ways to do it slowly. probably just the obvious. maybe give up meat one week and then ease into giving up dairy. all it took for me was to watch the trailer to the movie earthlings. you can google earthlings and watch the trailer. that's all it took for me. i know a lot of people become vegans for health reasons but i'm a vegan first for animal rights so it's very easy for me to never waiver from the diet. anyway i wish you much luck. it's one of the best things i've ever done.

    xo
    janet

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  28. Laurie,
    I love her and she looks beautiful where you put her.
    Enjoy many days by the "fireplace"
    Suzann ~xoxo~

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  29. Oooh, I would be there right next to you Laurie! What a perfect, Jeanne D'Arc mantel you found. Can't wait to see its' seasonal decor. Lucky you!
    - Susan

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  30. Laurie, you have such wonderful vision when you are shopping. :) Everything you do to your home looks beautiful. Your angel wings are the sweetest thing I've ever seen and brought tears to my eyes.

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  31. What a wonderful treasure you found in her. Love the way she looks now and can't wait to see what else you do to her.

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  32. Oh Laurie this is beautiful!
    What fun you're going to have changing this mantel up for the seasons!
    Its gorgeous and I love how you chalk-painted it!
    Love, love, love it!

    Deborah xo

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  33. I love it, Laurie! I have a fireplace surround in one of our guest rooms. There's something about a fireplace in a room that just makes such a difference - whether is "works" or not! Great purchase!

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  34. I am so glad you brought that home Laurie it looks so beautiful! And is that an "L" I see on that old seltzer bottle?

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  35. Oh, what a good find! I love how you fixed it all up and floofed it. Those angel wings are so sweet. How are you doing without Toby? I sure miss my kitty...I think about him all the time.
    xo Tricia

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  36. I totally agree- every room should have a fireplace!
    I just found your place from A Beach Cottage- LOVE IT! My favorite colors are white, white and white! This is Heaven's Walk for me!
    Kerry at housetalkn.blogspot.com

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  37. It's so beautiful! I'm glad you found such a treasure to enjoy.

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  38. Hi Laurie I am your newest follower I just love your blog and Loveeee this fireplace! I just found one to put in my large bedroom that I am remodeling. I love the chippy white of yours mine has been painted green but I will get her back to chippy white. Thanks for sharing!

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  39. Oh! I am just a LITTLE jealous! :P

    LOVE it!

    ~Liz

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  40. Hello, Laurie!

    I came by your blog today through a friend. I think your mantel project turned out beautifully! You did a marvelous job of it, and I am feeling inspired. I am looking forward to seeing those cedar boughs at Christmastime...It's going to be glorious - I can feel it. SMILE. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful ideas and talent.

    Best regards,
    Linda at Beautiful Ideas

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  41. omg laurie! it looks amazing... wonderful job! love. : )

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  42. She looks lovely in her new home :) Thanks for linking up at Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays.

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  43. ...love it!
    and another the A.S. paint fan shoutout makes me wonder if i should give her paint a try?!
    Adore how you have already adroned the top of your new mantle:)
    xo, Rosemary

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  44. Hi Laurie, the fireplace surround is lovely. I love fireplaces....have four of them and would have one in every room, if possible. ;-)

    Such a sweet post.

    Barb ♥

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  45. OMG the Mantle is fabulous... I adore Architectural Salvage, especially Old Mantles... and loving your Book Bundles as well, right now I'm having a Major Love Affair with Old Books, not to read, but to decorate with. *winks*

    Dawn... The Bohemian

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  46. Gorgeous! I love this faux fireplace and all you did to "fluff" it! And Maizie is pretty cute claiming it as her own. Simply beautiful!

    ~Shanon

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  47. I love mantels too! You made it so pretty! All your pictures are just lovely.

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  48. You did a beautiful job on the mantel, your pictures are lovely. We are a Michigan/NYC blog team, on the Michigan side we live in an old cottage. I'll be your newest follower, it will be nice to see what is happening at another Michigan home. Thanks, Laura Cottage and Broome

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  49. Hi Laurie, Nice to meet you! Love your blog! This mantle is fabulous!

    Debbie

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  50. Bless me, Laurie, you have one wonderful blog out here! I have my share of bias love for fireplaces too. Honestly, cozy is all I can think of when I see or even hear the name of it...a cup of tea, a good book, a crackling fire, while it snows outside. There cannot be anything better!

    I ABSOLUTELY love your new mantle. Its gorgeous. And I specially love that little glass bottle on top with lace on it. Tempting.

    Thank you for visiting my blog! Grabbing your blog button now! Have a nice day.

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  51. She's stunning! I just love how you decorated the mantel and the chalkboard inside is a great idea. Fabulous makeover....love that chalk paint:-)

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  52. Hi Laurie,
    I love mantles and I absolutely love the way you breathe into these piece of history new life . Your blog is simply wonderful , charming and elegant ..Thank you so much for being my follower and writing kind words .It is truly means a lot to me .Be happy !

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  53. Oh, Laurie! That is absolutely fabulous! I love the way you put the chalkboard inside...so clever! You added the perfect accessories to it and we are so glad you shared this with us at Inspiration Friday! :-)
    Vanessa

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  54. Dear Laurie... thanks for stopping by... Minnie actually created and made that wonderful altered Art Rosary Necklace she was wearing... I was trying to talk her into making some for the Shop, I fell in Love with it too! Most of her fabulous fashions she also makes and many are available at the Shop, SIRENS & SAINTS right there on 7th Ave just North of Indian School Road in Phoenix.

    Dawn... The Bohemian

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  55. very chic, I can see why you brought it home. x

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  56. Laurie,
    It is wonderful! What a great addition to your room. I love decorating a mantel. This one has a lot of charm. Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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  57. Wow, how gorgeous is that new mantle!!!!! Can't wait to see all the awesome ways you decorate it!

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Bless you and thank you for visiting! I read each of your comments and treasure them all. So, please make sure your settings will accept emails, or leave your email address so that I can reply! ♥ Laurie