Mirror, mirror, on the fireplace wall.

I spackled at least a dozen large holes on our fireplace wall before I painted it.

  Before I make any new holes,  I'm going to try out a variety of old mirrors
 (from my stash under the beds) to see if there's one I like better than the mirror I took down.    

Here's the before photo taken 2 years ago.  Please ignore the sofa leg in the jeep.
In case you're wondering, I've still got the sofa it belongs to.
I'd advise you not to sit in the middle.

This mirror is a craftsman bookcase door I hung horizontally and mounted a mirror to the back side.
  It weighs a ton, but fits in with the craftsman details of our home.
It also provides the perfect spot to hang my beloved Kmart Martha Stewart wreath.
The wreath holds a special place in my heart, since I bought it the year
 our good friend Martha was thrown in the clink.
Tsk, tsk.

  

This chippy mirror looks rather lonesome up there all by itself.

 I don't want to lean a mirror on the mantel because the only thing it will reflect
 is our textured ceiling (which will remain intact because I'm not actively seeking any more projects).

The ceiling has mica flakes incorporated into the texture which I think resemble newly fallen
 snow glittering in the moonlight.  Can you hear angels singing in the background?

Our grandchildren think it's sparkly.  :)

  I like the warmth of the dark brick so I'm not going to paint our fireplace.
We converted our wood burning fireplace to gas because the external chimney height
 didn't meet local fire codes and the bricklayer didn't have enough old bricks
available to raise it to the required height.

When we had our chimney repaired, the bricklayer informed me that it was built

 from the very same bricks used to build our historic high school, pictured above.  The original owner

of our home was a teacher at the high school when it opened its doors in 1920,

and built our house the following year.  Did he leave work with his pockets filled with bricks

 at the end of the day?  It is a slim possibility since our house is less than a block away.

While you're here, I thought I'd give you a quick tour of the high school auditorium.
 Take a look at the gorgeous hand painted details and all the chandeliers!

Bob Dylan (known then as Robert Zimmerman) performed
on the auditorium stage while he was a student here in the 50's.

 Our youngest daughter's good friend was the first bride to be married on the stage just last summer.
The string quartet the couple hired played a lovely rendition of a Bob Dylan song.

Graduation ceremonies, concerts, prom grand marches, coronations, plays......
  oh, the stories this auditorium could tell!

Okay, back to business.

This oval mirror lends a softness to all the hard angles in the room.
I like the lighter wood tone and beveled mirror.

This sideboard topper I picked up for $20 would require some TLC

 on the wood corbels where I peeled off the broken veneer.  I'd also want to order a
custom beveled mirror to fill the opening, which would be pricey, I'm sure.
I've got a mirror propped behind it and wood holding it up for your viewing pleasure.
It's a contender, but I wish the scale was a bit larger.

This mirror has some pretty etching on either side,
but it would also require a bit of repair work.

Before I start making holes in the wall, I'd like to know,
 which one would you choose?

Mirror # 1
Craftsman bookcase door.

Mirror # 2
Chippy mirror with appliques.

Mirror # 3
Wood framed oval beveled mirror.

Mirror #4
Sideboard topper in need of repairs.


Mirror #5
Triptych mirror with etched design.


#6
A portrait of the crotchety senior Mrs. W with a look of dismay
on her wrinkled face because I've painted her wood trim!



The answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind.
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to cast your vote!

Vickie

*I'm joining the parties at:
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Mod Vintage Life Mod Mix Monday
Common Ground Be Inspired 

To paint or not to paint, THAT is the question.

First of all, I want to extend a great big thank you to all the 

weirdos who commented on my previous post.  At least now I don't

feel like I made a complete a_ _  out of myself.  hehe

 If I could rename my blog today, I think

The Procrastination Station would definitely be in the running,

 and you'll see why when you view the photos below.

Get ready for color overload!

Here's the room I've shown you snippets of over

the past 3 years.  Our very colorful living room.

We inherited the wall color, and that was okay at first because it's pretty close to the color

 we had on the living room walls in our previous house.  I don't dislike it, but after 9 years of 

looking at it here and another 4 years at our old house, I'm more than ready for a change.

The upholstered furniture is old.  Not vintage, but old. 

 23 years old and starting to show its age.

Most of the furniture was purchased for our previous

 old house and I've tried to make it fit here. 

 If our house was a ship, I'm afraid it would sink. 

 All the heavy cargo is on the starboard side.  

SOS!!!

I took the photos on a bright sunny day because that's the only time I actually like the room.

  It's a dreary place to be when the sky is overcast and during our long dark winters.

 The armoire is too big for the corner and blocks light from the piano window. 

 I bought the unfinished pine piece 30 years ago, and I've painted it several times over the years.

It needs to go, but for now it serves the purpose of hiding my big old TV and stereo.

It looks like a grandma lives here.

Oh, no!  I'm the grandma who lives here!

I've even got my basket of yarn in the photo below.

I really do not like this side of the room.  The ceilings are high, but they appear to be low

 because of the dark crown molding.  The baseboard trim was painted by one of the previous owners,

currently serving a life sentence for the crime.      :o)

The love seat is like new because nobody ever sits here!

The folding screen was inherited from Bill's grandparents.

The awkward arrangement on this side of the room will remain as is until the piano is adopted. 

  Both of our girls took lessons for years, but the only pianists interested these days

 are Finley and Mack.  Maybe I'll wrap it up for one of them for Christmas!

   Shhhhhh....

7 inch crown molding with original 1921 finish.

This is one of the things that's been holding me back.  Anybody who owns an older home has

probably wrestled with the decision of whether or not to paint the original wood trim.

I invited the builder's daughter-in-law (in her 80's now) over for lunch shortly after we

moved in.  She and her husband were given the house with the stipulation that

nothing could be changed as long as the parents were alive!  It seems the 

senior Mrs.W didn't approve of her daughter-in-law.  Well, the day the

old bat kicked the bucket, junior Mrs.W hired a contractor to build her

a kitchen!  She had been saving pages from Better Homes & Gardens for 

years while she waited for........well, you get the picture.

My theory is that the senior Mrs.W would have been a much more

pleasant person if she had simply brightened up her dark, dreary home with a little white paint.

The cracked plaster walls throughout the house were another roadblock to sprucing up

 the main floor rooms.  We've repaired the foyer, stairwell, upstairs hallway,

 and guest bedroom walls and ceiling. It's a time consuming, messy job and I've made the decision

 to live with the imperfections in the living and dining room.  So, last winter I finally bit the bullet

 and painted the walls and trim in the dining room and I've

recently started painting the living room. 

I've got one wall done.

Stay tuned.  More to come........eventually.

Thanks for stopping by to see my baby steps towards an updated room!

Grandma Vickie

*I'm joining the party at:

Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style  Wow us Wednesdays

Mod Vintage Life Mod Mix Monday