The Stockings Were Hung...

We have finally finished our fireplace. As you can see, the room has drastically changed since we moved in. The first pic was taken from the MLS when we bought the home. Then, wandering in late one day from work, I was met with a pile of artificial rock. According to Diana, she couldn't take it anymore. We got the debris cleared and tile up pretty quick. The delay came with trying to decide on a mantel. We checked out dozens of books from the library without any luck. Diana found this mantel in a magazine. Not a woodworking magazine (a plan would have been nice), but a decorating magazine, and only part of the mantel was showing. So we winged it. We used one sheet of birch plywood, 4 planks of popular and trim (about $100 from the lumber yard). We got the last coat of paint on it this afternoon. We still need to put up base molding in the living room that will run across the front of the mantel. We are also still hunting for the perfect mirror to hang above it. But for now, we're calling it done.

[The stockings and tree skirt are a Diana creation]