Anniversary Fireplace

 ...I make dinner...he makes a mantle!!

Ric and I decided this year to not buy anniversary gifts but to spend time together and make something for the other person.  So, I made dinner, dessert and planned an at home date night.  But Ric took the "homemade gift idea" to a whole new level.  He sat me down on the couch and said "Are you ready for your anniversary present?"  ...and then he took a hammer to the fireplace mantle.

He is so good looking!!!

 He had a drawing of his idea of building out the sides, adding height, extending the depth of the mantle shelf and adding brick veneer to the surround.

The brick veneer is Boston Mill by BRICK WEB.

I love learning new skills...so I was super excited to get to install brick veneer for the first time and learn to use a tile saw. 

Ric had a plan but he gave me one official task...to pick out the grout color for the brick.  I had no idea there were so many colors.    I wanted a very natural rustic look, not too light and not too dark. We went with Oyster Grey

BEFORE

AFTER

I LOVE HOMEMADE GIFTS!!

Staircase Remodel- Painting and Staining

So much has happened around our house in the past month, including the completion of our stairs and railings.  Remember my "dream staircase photo" from my first Staircase Remodel post, well my dream has become a reality. 

Just to recap, we ripped off the carpet, removed the staples, sanded the stairs and railings, built an extra step at the top, and planked the landing at the top of the stairs.

The look really came together when we started painting and staining.

We stained the railings in Varathane Wood Stain ~Ebony

I love using stain cause even though it appears black, you can still see the wood grain.

Now on to the stairs!!!  I love white in a home, it just looks fresh and clean, but sometimes can look plain.  To add some depth and texture we added bead board to the risers, and then painted the stairs with multiple coats of paint.    We used Porch and Patio Floor paint on the stairs, in a low-lustre enamel, for a durable, easy to clean surface with a low sheen.  I love this paint, it dried really fast (which is key when painting stairs in a house with 3 dogs, and 3 kids)   

We had the paint mixed in my FAVORITE trim paint color..BM White Dove. 

White paint comes in a ton of different hues.  I wanted the fresh clean look but with a creamy base. Pure white would be too bright and distracting, a white with a light ivory hue to it gives a clean, creamy, comfy look to a space.  

Changing the staircase changed the entire look of our house. 

BEFORE

AFTER

And it looks so great with a little touch of Fall!!