New Fireplace Mantel With Fusion Mineral Paint

Our family room has gone through many changes over the years.  Half round log siding, an addition, changing couches and changing colors.

But one thing stays the same.... it's a well used room.

I mentioned that I would like to update the mantel to something bigger and brighter, and the man with the power tools and Fusion Mineral Paint accomplished both.

When we built this house it had a rustic-living-in-the-woods-by-the-lake feel.  Most of that style has been gone for quite a while, but the old worn rustic wood mantel stayed on.

The Brawn of the Operation Makes Beds

With Valentines Day coming (and my husbands birthday) I was inspired by a post on Miss Flibbertigibbet and how she gave Mr. Flibberti a nice photo of herself as a gift.

Brawn and I have been married for 30 years.  Blissful?  Well mostly yeah, but he's not getting a photo!  Brawn also happens to be one of the only two people in real life who know I have started a blog. 

I'm almost certain he doesn't really know what a blog is or how to find it on the web, he just knows I've been putting stuff on mantels, taking stuff off mantels, putting it back up again, taking pictures and staying up late. And that he's a been a bit neglected.  I'm gonna go to bed earlier tonight.

So in honor of the man who fetches me ladders and moves stuff around for me, all for the sake of the Bliss Ranch blog, I wanted to show you just a couple of the gazillion things Brawn has made for our home.  (Forget that he built the home too.)

I showed you the dining room furniture he made when I posted about gearing up for a country pine redo.  A few years ago when I wanted a new bed, being the cheap son of a gun he is, he said ok, I'll make you one.

OOOkkkaaaa then, can I have a dresser and nightstands too?  Sure.  I don't have those yet, but 25 years ago he did make the night stands we are still using.

It's hard to tell but the enlarged photos next to the bed are of our history..... one is the sign of the town he grew up in and the other is a California road sign from whence the raven haired beauty came.

If Bliss wants it, Brawn builds it

My Fairy Tale

The bedroom mantel is due for an accessories makeover, it's pretty dull, but I'm not up to it after the beginning of the week and the family room mantel re-do.  I also have a 3rd mantel in the game room, but you know..... I just decorate that one with dust.

My mom's Primer, with her coloring, sits on the mantel

At the base of our bed is a crochet bed cover that my mom made.  When I was a little tot- long before internet- that's how she spent her time.  She made three of them.  The detail is wonderful, so much texture with the raised nubbies.  And heavy..... if we ever had an intruder I could throw it at him and he'd be out cold.

My hunk of burning love letting our 3 youngest kids dress him like a pirate.

Arrrrr. I'm linked up at:
Time Travel Thursday @Brambleberry Cottage
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

Mantel Take #2 & #3..... & 4

OK, everyone chime in please, I'm looking for opinions.  The moving items around on the mantel portion of this post is finished.  Voting and opinions still welcome, but I'm not moving that stuff around any more today!!!  I messed with the mantel this morning.  One son is home sick and he had to offer up what he wanted to see.  He wants the Seed Sign back up there.  Last night after the sun went down the mantel looked too dark (see post Mantel Take #1).  I sent Brawn out to the back shed with instructions to find me a window.  He supplied.  So this morning I disassembled, and put together a mantel for take #2.  Then I updated this post all morning with #3 and #4.  The big question really ended up being the seed sign or no seed sign?

Take #2

#3 The Fiona

#4 at least till Feb. 14th

 I linked the Mantel Extravaganza to what else...... 52 Mantels party!

I also linked to White Wednesdays at Faded Charm Cottage, #2 is white right?

Mantel, take #1

When I got up this morning I had two things on my list.  Make bagels from a recipe at The Whimsical Wife and put something - anything - on my naked family room mantel.  You can read about bagel making here, it wasn't an easy process for me and the day was perfect for whipping up something new as the kids had a two hour late start due to ice and snow.  They didn't get to try a bagel before they left.  I was challenged.

This is the naked mantel.  At Christmas it looks beautiful.  The rest of the year not so much.  Before work I asked Brawn to take the picture down.  He forgot so I had to do it.  I've been channeling Donna at Funky Junk lately, and today was no exception.  Her morning post was about her mantel which was very appropriate for me today.  Go look at her's I love it.  Now when I started out I had no intention of doing a copy cat, in fact I was going to do a Valentine mantel to share with 52 Mantels but after my sad bagel making attempt I decided to follow the map Donna had laid before me rather than try something new on my own.  I wanted to finish it today, and I was already short those 2 early morning hours, plus the bagel making time.

First step, put on my boots and walk through this......

To get some of these........

I have more junk around this house than I know what to do with, so finding stuff to put on the mantel really wasn't a problem.  I do have a window but I would of had to walk through that white stuff again and hunt it down.  I opted to continue with out a window.

I had a seed sign that never had a home, so it was recruited.  Old wire bakery mixing whip that holds a candle, yup going up there.  Old box, well I have to take out what's in it, but sure.  Bird house - daughter does ceramics so she'll be happy to see that on the mantle.  License plates, ummm hmmm, those are in the closet waiting for a great idea for my son's room.  So I put all the junk I had handy up there, and then sat down and ate a bagel while I looked at it.  I'm not sure I like it (the mantel, the bagel was tasty).  I love the Funky Junk mantel so I'll have to play around with mine for awhile and get used to some stuff up there and not where it's been for 10 years.  Guess I fear change.

I've been telling Brawn I want to take down the log siding.  I would probably like all the "junk" on the mantel if I had a cleaner back ground.  I'm tired of the wood.  I haven't convinced him yet to take it down, so for now this will do.  I think I want to rough up the railroad tie and maybe varnish it to give it some shine like Donna's.  At least it's not empty today, it's a long mantel.  I think I might be more a family photo and frame on the mantel type girl.  Tomorrow I may experiment with that idea, and have Brawn fetch me a window.  But for today this stays.  My favorite part?  Those dog wood branches I trudged through the snow to clip!

I've got rocks in my head

Yup.  It's official.
 
I've got rocks in my head.

Why?  Because I'm the lady who doesn't like Facebook 'cause then everyone knows your business' - yet here I am sharing info on a blog!

On purpose.   Crazy I say.