Hey Guys - I am really excited to share this project with you! I have been working on it for 2 weeks, finally got it all setup last night.

As you may know, I posted back in June (CLICK HERE) about how much I wanted a faux fireplace. I was mourning the loss of our wood burning fireplace in our old bunaglow, and knew that at LEAST I needed a proper ledge to hang our stockings on come Christmas time.

I have been keeping my eye out on Craigslist.org for a very long time, but the mantels were either $100 and have NO character whatsoever, OR they were $500-$700 and gorgeous and huge and WAY out of my budget.

But I was patient...

Then finally... One day a few weeks ago the perfect mantel popped up. And the post literally said "looking for a good home... someone who will take care of this gorgeous antique." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Burley and I went to pick it up from a really awesome lady... I should have gotten her digits and planned a play date. She moved here from Lousiana, and this puppy survived hurrican Katrina with her, and made it all the way here to CO. She said she had wanted to do something cool with it for a long time, but didn't have the space or the time, so she was glad that I was going to put it to good use. It only cost us $90!!!

Fate? I think so. 

So here is the project. I also included a "How - To" for glazing... which I have posted a lot about before, but have never given the steps on my methods. So.... ENJOY!

*** POST ADDITION: Thanks to a question Laina over at Recycled Interiors, I am adding some info on the type of glaze that I use for all of my projects. Here it is! I get it at Lowes.



{Via}



And now for more pictures of the process & final product...

Do you love it?! I am obsessed. Last night, I sat in bed with a few candles lit on the mantel... And I fully intended to turn the TV... but I forgot becuase I was staring at this finished project. Haha. I am sick.

Happy Wednesday,

Mrs. Thriftary