Fireplace Upgrade

Good Afternoon!

Have you ever tried to finish some last minute renovations before the Holidays? 

Well, that's what happened to me.  I couldn't live with this fireplace for another 4yrs.

 The fireplace surround and hearth was a green marble.  We tore that out when we first moved in.  It would be perfect now that Pantone named Emerald the color of 2013.  Oh, well!

Some people..I won't name names actually came to the house saying how much they loved the gray around the fireplace and what stone that was. Too funny! (yes, they were serious)

We enlisted our friend to help with this renovation.

The floor underneath was extremely uneven.  I wanted a concrete hearth.  I personally don't like tile pieces for the hearth but I love one solid piece be whatever it is made of.

 First step done..

 Coming back for final coat..

We used left over tile from when we put in our woodstove in our family room.

Then bad news..hearth was really weird!

Way too much troweling which caused it all to become uneven..so, here we go again.

 Tear parts of it out.

and now an even floor.

Here it is stained.

 I am so happy with it.

Now ready for Christmas decor : )

Unconventional Christmas Trees

Good Afternoon!

Christmas is just around the corner and I can't wait to go to our local tree farm and get our Christmas tree.

(us last year)

Not everyone likes real Christmas trees or fake ones.

There are those "Artsy" people who always think outside the box and inspire us to think beyond the traditional.

Here are some that have caught my eye..

Source: catascraft.com via Laura of Lovely Wren on Pinterest

Would be great for a library.

Whirly Candleholder Christmas Tree

Great idea and when the season is done make them into terrariums : )

(Via)

Love how the logs are cut to size.  Gorgeous!

Here is one that was inspired by CB2

My daughter drew this for my laundry room.

There is our Unconventional (artsy) Tree.

I will have a lot more to share with you in upcoming posts : )

Have you done something in your Holiday decorating that is different than "normal"?  Would love to hear about it.

DIY : Making A Side Table

Hope your Holiday's were wonderful!  It's been a very relaxing time for us.
We were invited to a lovely dinner with some new friends at their house.

Betsy was an interior decorator in Upstate New York.  They moved into the home her husband grew up in and they have shown it some love.

Love this room.  So very cozy.

Look at the treasure I found : )

Hanging out...my husband playing guitar with one of their kids.

I get so inspired by DIY projects that are showcased in blogs like Design Sponge that I did one for my husband.

I bought a breakfast tray at a local store and decided to make it into a table for my husband's office.

I bought the legs which had to be the right side table length.

I purchased the top plate which came with the screws.  However, the screws were too long and I didn't want them to come through to the other side.

The wonderful man at Ace Hardware found me screws that were half the size in length.

Attaching leg number one.

 Here is the result with the legs not stained.

My husband and I decided to stain it the same color as the lamp you see in the above picture.

Final result..

 Here it is in his office..
The chair I refinished with the table and a vintage lamp.  I am just beginning.  I have many more projects in the future for this space.

Have a great week all : )

That's a Big Candle

 Happy Friday!

Not too long ago we took a trip ...

 My kids were so exhausted.

We thought it would be a treat to stop half way at the place with the Big Candle : )

That really is a mighty big candle!

 This place is amazing

 It's like stepping into Holiday Paradise : )

They have hundreds of candles that you can only get from this store and the scents are amazing!

Holiday decor for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 I fell in love with this.  

Here is how they got the grain sack to stand up..

  chicken wire.

 This place is massive.  They told me they are going to double the square footage of this store in the very near future.

 Jellies and Sauces

 I love that they put a little restaurant in the store.. it gives you more time to think about what you want to buy and doesn't disturb your shopping groove : )

Their food is all made from scratch

My son waiting for his chili and was it worth the wait!

The bathrooms are amazing!  Yes, I did take pics in the bathroom..heehee

My new favorite saying..

In the men's bathroom

No, I didn't take the pic my husband did.  LOL

This store is a must to go visit.

Check out the websites

http://outletstore.warmglow.com/

or

http://warmglow.com/