Christmas Fireplace

Here is this years fireplace all decorated for Christmas!

Here are some of the ones from years past:

2012

2013

 2014

2015

Family Room & Front Porch Christmas Trees

Here's the family room Christmas tree:

I added the red snow flakes this year.  Other than that it's about the same as last year.

The front porch is pretty much the same as last year as well.

Christmas Mantel 2014

I decorated the mantel a week ago but we have been so busy with work I never got a chance to share it.

Mantels from years past:

And this years again:

Linked up with:

Mantel Restained

This past week I restained our mantel.  It went from a dark walnut to the java that I love so much!

This was how it used to look with the walnut stain:

Now it's stained with the java gel.

Art Above The TV

The area above the tv in the family room was a big blank space.  I came across several chevron art ideas on Pinterest and especially liked the chevron growth charts.  I already made a wooden growth chart  but I liked the chevron idea so I used a scrap board to make some art.

I took an old left over piece of oak.  It was already stained on one side so I flipped it over and used Minwax walnut stain on it.  The same color as our mantle.

Once the board was stained & dry I used some scrap scrapbooking paper cut into strips.  The strips are 2.5" wide.  I used spray adhesive to adhere them to the board.

I used some left over white paint to paint the areas between the strips of paper.

After I was done painting I pulled the strips off.  There was some bleed through with the paint but I didn't care. I then used sand paper to clean p the lines and distress it.

 I attached some picture hangers to the back of it.  Then marked where I wanted to hang it on the wall and put wall anchors in to help hold it.  Then hung it on the wall.

I know it looks crooked but it's very much level.  The floor isn't level so the tv stand & tv aren't level.

Picture Gallery Wall

I've added more pictures and still have a few more to add to finish filling in the wall.   I really like how it is turning out.

Here is the in progress picture.  I still have a little space left to add a few more frames.

This is how it started out.  These are pictures of before hubby built & put the new staircase in and during and then the red paint........I loved that red paint at the time but then quickly got tired of it!

 Pictures 3 & 5 are of the stairs before we tore them out.  Picture 4 was before we finished staining all the parts of the stairs.  Picture 6 was the red paint after we finished the stair case and dry walled the basement.  7 & 8 are in progress to what I we have going on now.

The gallery wall is coming along.  I like all the mismatched frames.  I also like gallery walls with matching frames! 

Christmas Mantle ~ 2013

I decorated the mantle this weekend for Christmas.

I had debated on painting the hat & scarf of the the glass snowman black but then decided today to keep it all red.

I made the stockings and the little pinecone elves.  The vases came from Lowes.  I spotted those babies the minute they were putting them on the shelf!  I grabbed 2!  The tall glass snowman came from Target several years ago as did the spiral trees.  The vintage little red Santa was my grandmothers.

Christmas Mantle From Years Past:

Linked Up With:

Pieced Pastimes

2013 Family Room Christmas Tree

I can't believe I put up and decorated  a Christmas tree this early!!

I've only put up the one so far in the family room.

The horse is part of some plastic farm animals I bought, added some hooks to them and then spray panted them.

The tree topper is made out of some small branches I cut off our cherry tree outside.

Posts about the ornaments:

Clothespin Snowflakes

Tree Shaped Ornaments

Decoupage Ornaments

Tree Letter Banners

Plastic Animal Ornaments

Tree Topper

You can see the way the tree was decorated in 2012 HERE

Linked up with:

 Pieced Pastimes