Fireplace

Regarding my DIY projects this past year I'm most proud of my mantel. A vestigial architectural detail (former murphy bed alcove) that most of my neighbors use as a closet, I turned into the focal point of my main room. The shelf was a cheap craigslist find and the rest evolved from there.

 I adored a filigree fireplace screen that I saw at Ten Thousand Villages but, alas, it was over $100 so I gathered and painted white some twigs to try to capture the general idea. As mentioned before in the blog, the swag lights were crafted from materials found at HD for less than $20.

 

The carved wooden snake was a Playa del Carmen souvenir, the sword a Viking replica harvested in Sweden, and the crystal was from a) parent's wedding gifts or b) a Czech Waterford 'outlet'.

The spider plants were reaped from my grandmother's 50 year old blossoming mother plant. 

In the mirror reflection are the 3 masks that collected from India (Ganesh), Italy (Carnival) and South Korea (burial), a (pretty lame) interpretation of Lascaux that I did in high school and the Civil War discharge certificates of a # great grand father.

The rug was painted courtly check ala Mackenzie Childs by a dear friend who shares my love of the whimsy.

Overview: 

 EDIT: after I posted these photographs, I added shelves & lowered the paintings.