MANTEL: BEFORE AND AFTER

We moved into this house seven and a half years ago. The location was perfect, there was room to build a barn, the house.... we could work with. One of the things I didn't like was the fireplace mantel in the family room. Too dinky for the high ceilings, I thought. Conversely, the seller thought it was a real selling point. Handcrafted by the builder, she said. Hmmm...dinky. Just a long rectangular box. If I'm ever called upon to give a snake a proper burial, I'll have just the thing.

Going through some old magazines, a couple of weeks ago, I saw a picture of the mantel I wanted. I showed it to Mike. Do-able, he said.

So he did.

I love it! It's exactly right. We were so excited about this upgrade, that we were inspired to hit the furniture stores, and found the perfect  entertainment center. It had such a cavernous space for a TV, however, that our poor little television looked silly and lost , and you can probably guess what happened next. I'll show you the entertainment center and new TV next time. Also, the sofa. Oh dear, "if you give a mouse a cookie." Do you know that book by Laura Numeroff? It was a favorite when our children were small. If you give a mouse a cookie, he might ask for a glass of milk, then a story, then a pillow, a nap, and so on. It's like that with decorating, don't you think? One upgrade leads to another. New drapes can make a rug look shabby .New end tables make the lampshades look a little sad. And so it goes.
Now, I'm on a fall cleaning binge. Somebody stop me before I hurt myself.
XO.