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I looked through a gazillion photos and can't seem to find a good "before" picture, but I can give you a good idea of the original fireplace.This is a photo of what the front of our home looked like before I redesigned it.
See that wall of rock? Now, imagine that exact same rock wall as a fireplace. What you may not be able to see is that some rocks jut out so far that my boys would literally rock climb the fireplace (as well as the front of the house). There was no mantle, and because of the strange rock formations we couldn't hang a picture. I managed to hang a huge wreath off one of the protruding rocks, but it wasn't centered in the middle. It also had an over-sized, rock covered hearth that stuck out an additional two-plus feet into the room. Just getting rid of it gave us a lot more usable space.We tore that monstrosity down all by ourselves. Our three youngest sons did a lot of the work. It was our practice run for tearing down the rock on the front of the house. It was a HUGE, dusty job! We re-purposed all of the rock into a dry stream bed in our back yard. We hired a friend to put up sheet rock and then my husband and I built the mantle. We used this picture, that I had torn out of a magazine, as our inspiration.
Do you do that? I can't throw a magazine away until I've gone through it and torn out anything and everything that interests me. Right now I have three stacks waiting to be sorted through and torn apart. Magazines are a wonderful idea source for making improvements in your home.
23 comments:
I do that too Joy. That's why I don't have time to read books - too busy reading my decor mags! You did a wonderful job on the remodel. I can't imagine how hard that must've been. You and hubby must have alot of patience! Looks so beautiful now!
I have a huge note book full of magazine pages. Some of them dating back to the 80's when I was still in high school. I now save photos I see online and have a vast file called "future perfect" Some of your great ideas are in the future perfect file too :) hopefully once I get moved and into the new house I can refile some of the photos under "done and done"
What a huge transformation! Great job!
Wow, what a project to tackle and it is so inspiring! My husband has wanted to redo ours but I get too nervous about it and try to put it off...maybe I should rethink that!
I do the same thing with magazines... and my husband laughs because I cut out the pictures and articls I like and tape them into notbooks...
Thank you for letting me know that I'm not the only person who does this. I feel I have a *crazy* amount of magazines waiting to tear from! lol As well as a *crazy* amount of already torn pages! Can I really do that many projects!?
Jennifer
I bet that remodel was a ton of work....literally!!!! It is beautiful now. I too tear out inspiration pages from magazines. Who knows if/when they might come in handy.
Yup, I too have a binder full of magazine pages. Each one placed into the proper section or room I want it to go into. Your mantle truly is a masterpiece.
I love that you tore out all of the rock yourselves! My mom has a rock fireplace just like you described. It must have been a big feature in the 60's.
I'm even worse than you with magazines. I'm afraid to throw them away at all because I'll go trhough later and find things I hadn't noticed before. Bad...
I am truly impressed!!! we redid an older home but nothing that creative!!!!
Oh gosh, that is funny. Especially when you said you could hang a wreath from the protruding rock. What is it with builders even in 2009? He did the same thing: put that matching rock from the front of my house on my fireplace. MEN! Women builders wouldn't do that.
However, love your fireplace now. The real question is: where do your boys rock climb, now?
Speaking of magazines...did you see this month's "Country Living". Big feature on feedsack use in decorating! It reminded me so much of your wonderful faux monogramed feedsack crafts. You're ahead of your time!
I love your header and your lovely fireplace mantle. I agree, magazines can be such a great resource for inspiration.
I'd love to see what you've done with the front of the house!
Here's the post where I show the front of our house now.
http://joysofhome.blogspot.com/2008/04/story-of-our-home.html
Now you have me curious, what does the outside of your home look like now?
I'm a page tearing girl, too. I have a whole huge drawer just full of pages I've torn out of magazines. One of these days, I'm get organized and get them put in page protectors and put in a 3-ring binder ;o)
Just want to say, I always love your entries!
My dream was to be an interior decorator. I picked the practical choice though, being a teacher.
Yes. Yes. Yes! I have a whole binder full of inspiration straight from the pages of my magazines - and many more waiting for me to go through. My sister comments to me frequently that she just isn't creative and can't come up with any decorating ideas. I told her that not very many people can. The sidea are usually something they've seen someone else do and then copied or tweaked for themselves. So, thanks, Joy, for all of the inspiration you send our way!
XO, Pam
I have two binders full of pages and photos I've torn out of magazines or downloaded from the internet. I call 'em my Dream Books. I've used ideas for decorating, and if we ever build a place of our own, my Dream Books will get some heavy-duty use! I enjoy just looking through at all the pictures on occasion. It inspires me!
I do! Wow! You really re-created it!
Joy you post is wonderfl. I was playing the if only game.
I hadn't put much out since Christmas. Needless to say I was even more down about the house. I've made a huge effort to decorate again and it's really changed my outlook.
Great advice.
Where do you put all your torn out pictures? I do the same thing and they are all thrown in a file. Kind of hard to look through.
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