Farmhouse Inspiration Roundup... (Home Decor, Favors, and More!)

It's hard to believe it's the last week of school before our summer vacation begins!

While we are all very excited, I always get sentimental this time of year. Our oldest son will soon be an eighth-grader with just one more year until high school! (What?) Our middle son will be all done with his elementary years and will be heading to middle school (6th grade) this fall. (Totally unbelievable because he can't be older than six...at least that's how it feels to me.) Our youngest son will be in second grade (And because he's our little caboose, I can't help but think, "We will never do first grade again...").

And if you're new here, that's right. We have three sons. And white slipcovers. 
While bolstering the bleach industry, it can be done!

Anyway, since I'm in a nostalgic mood, I thought we could reminisce over some highlights of the past month here on the blog. Just in case you missed anything...

Farmhouse Style: Shiplap Above the Fireplace (Natural or White?)

Well, we finally put up shiplap (actually, underlayment to look like shiplap) above our fireplace. It's been on our to-do list for awhile. 

There are lots of great step-by-step DIYs out there. We bought a 4x8 piece of underlayment at Home Depot (about $12). I measured the width and had them cut it down to 8" wide strips. (Some people go with 6", it just depends on your preference.) Home improvement stores will usually make six to eight cuts for free, and then there will be a small charge per cut.

It Was Free! {Re-Purposing A Yard Sale Find}

So, we were on our way to our son's football game last weekend, when my car (almost) automatically hung a right at a huge neighborhood sale sign. I knew we had about two and a half minutes to look, otherwise we'd risk being late to the game...

So I did the visual "sweep." (You know what I'm talking about.) That's when I spotted this outdoor fireplace on the curb with a sign that read, "Free." No sooner did my car come to a safe, screeching halt, and we were loading this bad boy (lovely lady?) up.

Adding Character with a Mantel

Bringing a mantel into a room has to be one of the easiest and most affordable ways to add character and warmth (or at least perceived warmth! :) to a space.

The fireplace pictured below is the only working fireplace in our home. 

(You may recognize the rusty antique headboard I found at a yard sale last spring!)

Along with adding architectural detail, I love that mantels provide a great place to decorate. So if you can't get over them not being attached to a functioning fireplace, just think of them as upcylced shelves. ;)

We found the vintage mantel below on Craigslist for $25! Stacking wood inside adds more texture and depth to the room. 

The antique mantel below, also purchased on Craigslist for $75, gave a whole new feel to our dining room. It definitely upped the "cozy factor." You can see the dining room before and after pictures here.

I made a simple drop cloth curtain for the inside of the mantel that is hung from a small tension rod. Since we don't have window treatments or a rug in this room, the mantel curtain softens the space.

We probably have enough mantels in our house now. But, if I found the perfect one for our master bedroom... I'd be okay with that. :)

Do you use mantels to decorate your home? Do you have a perfect place for one in mind? Or, are you a purist, sticking to true functioning fireplaces?

xo

Sharing with:
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From My Front Porch To Yours