Fireplace Facelift Part 1

At last I got up the courage to paint my fireplace! As I was sitting watching Mr C cut wood planks for our new patio, I was suddenly overcome with the 'burning' desire to paint the dreary red brick surround. I had all the supplies I needed so I just jumped right in! Turned on my 50's tunes and painted til my heart was content (well, til the fireplace was painted). So without further ado, here is some iPhone pics documenting the event ;)



First vacuumed the surface and wiped it with a damp cloth to get all the dust off.
Next, I used 1 coat of KILZ primer to seal the entire surface.



2 coats of a General Paint dreamy white and it is perfect!
I used a paint brush for the entire job. No roller was harmed in the painting of my fireplace ;)



What do you think so far? So this was the first part of my transformation. Yet to happen is painting out the brass on the black gas fireplace. As you can see, I left the slate (or whatever the black stone work is on the base) for now. Mr. Cupcake and I will also change the mantle in the near future.



Wanting some before shots? Remember this post? I still have to change out the light fixture for a mirror or something pretty. What an odd place for a light! I cant wait to see this through. Stay tuned for Part 2 and 3 in the weeks to come :)

I am on 'hot coals' here waiting for what you think! Any experiences with high heat paint? Any tips? Have you transformed your fireplace from drab to shab (or fab!?) Tell me all about it! I would love to hear from you!

xoxo
huggs n loves,

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Cat Tree Tutorial

A couple days ago, Mr Cupcake and I decided to spend a hot afternoon outside making Charlie a cat tree from 'scratch' haha! pun intended ;) Here is the finished cat tree/scratch post! Turned out pretty good! We are pretty happy with it and so it Charlie!!



Here is a super fast tutorial of how we did it!

Materials you will need: plywood to cut 2 rectangle shapes
4x4 cut to 30"
carpet remnants
sisal rope 1/4" (we used 50 feet)
staple gun and longer staples
utility knife
Drill
wood screws (3")

Step 1: Cut wood to sizes desired. We cut the base larger than the top and the 4x4 post was 30" high.

Step 2: Cover base carpet and secure with staples



Step 3: Wrap the sisal rope tightly around desired of 4x4. We chose the top so Charlie could reach and stretch. Secure with staples at each end. Next take the carpet and wrap around the post. We actually wrapped the sisal around the top if the carpet to finish it neatly and so Charlie wouldn't just fray the carpet edge.



Step 4: Attach the post to the bottom carpeted base.

Step 5: Cut a piece of carpet, center and secure with staples onto underside of top platform. Attach the top piece of plywood to the top of the post. Measure to ensure proper placement. Now cover the top of the platform with carpet. Be sure to pull carpet tight around edges and staple in place on underside :) You are done! Just vacuum and trim any stray carpet hairs (pun intended again!)



Charlie loves it!



I am pleased to say Charlie, our newly adopted feline, is settling in nicely. Mr Cupcake and I are so happy he is here with us...part of our lil family. Charlie seems to be quite nocturnal and lazy in the day. He is on 2 medications and we are having a hard time getting him to take it. We have tried mixing it in his food (wet) but he is new to wet food and doesn't seem to be a fan!
le sigh...any tips animal lovers??

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Huggs,

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Fresh Coat Fridays! (on Thursday)

Once again, the Lovely Holly is holding a painting party! Check out her amazing blog In the Fun Lane here. Her blog is one of my ALL TIME faves! She is so inspiring and very talented :)

I found this little side table at Value Village (a second hand store) for a pretty decent deal. It was $16 if I remember correctly. I really liked it, it came with a glass top insert and I figured I could change the fabric or paper underneath to change with decor. Cute. Here is a before and after!!



I sanded it, primed with KILLZ and the gave it a nice coat (or 2) of white paint!



I distressed the edges that would naturally recieve the most wear...
And here it is accessorized in my living room:



Hope you like it! Have a wonderful Friday!

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