How My Fireplace Heater Grew Up {makeover story}

As I mentioned in my master bedroom reveal, 

the heater/fireplace used to look like this:

It did NOT look nice in my newly painted bedroom and since we need the heat in the winter,

it need to stay in the bedroom. So, I gave it a makeover. On the cheap. With lots of repurposing.

 I took a kitchen cabinet that I got from the Habitat ReStore for $2;

removed the doors and cut out the center post. Then I took the board

that had been the top for the 'mantle' and put it inside the cupboard and glued it

in place. After the glue was dry, I also nailed it. Then I took a piece of 

trim I had leftover from another project (I think it's called cove molding)

and tacked it around the 'cupboard door opening'. This gave me a

recessed panel. I had planned for this to be the bottom as you can see in this picture.

However, after I had it sitting like this, I decided it didn't look right so

I switched them around. What is the top part in the above picture is a

1 X 8 board that I had left from another project. I just cut it and screwed it 

into a rectangle the size I needed then sat it on a piece of plywood from my scrap pile.

To bridge the gap between the top and bottom, I found 2 cabinet doors

at the Habitat ReStore ($2 apiece) that were almost perfectly the size I needed.

They were just a tad too short so I reused some of the trim I had removed

from the original mantle. I applied it at the top because I planned to partially

cover it with another piece of cove molding when I had the mantle top on.

Now the only place I needed to 'fill in' yet was the sides on the front. I didn't have

anything in my stash/scrap pile that would work so I bought a piece of fluted MDF

trim (the widest I could find; I think 5") from Menards. I think it cost around

$10 for the piece. I also purchased a piece of trim for around the bottom

to give it a finished look. I think that piece was around $10 also.

After piecing this all together, the last thing to do before painting it was to apply

the wooden applique. I had this on hand because I had purchased it for another project

but it ended up being too big. I had planned to return it but hadn't gotten around to it yet.

Since it was the perfect size, I used it on this project. I think it cost $8 - $10 but I don't really remember.

I gave the whole thing a coat of Kilz primer. I wanted a quality blocking primer

since some areas were stain. After priming, I spray painted 3 or 4 coats of white paint.

For the mantle top I used cedar fence boards that my DH purchased

at an auction several years ago. He bought a huge skid of if for a little bit of nothing.

We have used it for different things like lining the walls of a storage shed, siding

for the playhouse he built for the boys, a desk top, and now a mantle top.

I cut them to length, sanded them to even out the color and used an anique oil finish on them.

I sealed it off with clear wax.

Here's the whole thing, decked out in my master bedroom.

And the obligatory 'before and after' picture:

The picket fence on the mantle is from beside this shed.

It is on the left in this picture behind the bush. Anyway, this shed is

coming down and everything around it. I wanted to rescue the fence

before DH decided it was kindling. :) I took the fence piece and cut it

in half. It was green algaeish and yucky. I gave it a good scrubbing

and it came out perfectly chippy and just right to put above my mantle.

The lantern on the left is from Hobby Lobby (purchased when 1/2 off). I have it sitting

on some old books my MIL gave me. She knows I like old things and will 

periodically bring me things she has rescued from the trash. :)

The letter 'B' (for our last name) is a wooden letter from Hobby Lobby. I painted it white

then traced it over on a piece of vellum scrapbook paper that has a gray damask design.

I cut out the B and spray glued it to the wooden letter. The gray granite bucket holding the

hydrangeas is 'robbed' from the kitchen. It was just sitting in a cupboard with no

special purpose. Now I've given it the special purpose of holding my lovely hydrangeas.

The old blue bottle holding the pussy willows was found in 'that old shed'. There is a lower

level that has a dirt floor. It is accessible from the cow pasture and had been 

used in the past by the cows for shelter. 

I ventured down there one day and was astonished at what I found.

There were old crocks and bottles galore! I don't know why they were there - my guess is

there used to be a spring and it was used to keep things cold?? Anyway, this bottle

was one of the things I found. It says "Consolidated Bottling, Lima Oh." on it. (Lima is local.)

Pussy willow stem is from Hobby Lobby. (Can you tell I love that store?) :)

The music box sitting in front of the bottle is a gift from a family friend 

when I was a little girl.

It's not valuable but it has special meaning to me..

The clock on the fence is was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law several years ago.

It has been hanging in the kitchen but I needed something to hang here. I like it

here but I kinda miss it in the kitchen. I'm not sure where it will end up.

So there it is, the story of how my little heater grew up to be a lovely lady.

And if you're still reading, thanks for following along with my rambling.

~Rachel

Linking to:

SNS on Funky Junk Interiors

Metamorphosis Monday