Tuesday, July 27, 2010

An 1800's Fireplace Mantel

The shed before my old mantel...
This little white table was given to us by a neighbor whose children and grand-children are 
grown.  I moved it to the other side of the room. (To see more shed pictures, click here.)
I cleared the space...
...to make room for this old mantel.  It belonged to my grandfather.  Born in 1901, he grew up with thirteen brothers and sisters in an old farmhouse.  This mantel decorated the fireplace that kept them warm in the winters and cooked their food.  My great-grandfather moved to this house as a young man, so it dates to the mid to late 1800's.
My father and uncle were getting rid of lots of things that had been stored in an old shed (see below!)  I just knew this would be perfect to hold some old cans and various decorations!
The honey pot was a flea market find.  The measuring cups are also old.  My children use these to measure the dirt for their mud pies.
When my husband finished the shed in the spring, we had a new little visitor make a nest.  A mama wren nestled in to the window box with four tiny eggs.  Three of the little birds hatched...so cute!
The babies grew and flew away, but one little egg remained.  After a while, I moved the nest into the shed and tucked it into this Whitman's metal candy box.  It belonged to my grandparents.
I just recently used the pewter compote with shells for a centerpiece on my porch (click here.)  The moss covered letter 'T' was made by hot gluing moss onto a wooden letter from Hobby Lobby.
The large basket above was found at a consignment store.  It holds my cans and baskets for packaging vegetables from my garden. 
I changed out the shells for a nest in the pewter dish.  I will put this in our guest room (my son's bedroom!) for my sister's visit from Memphis this week. 
The white picket fence behind the bistro table and chairs was salvaged from a neighbor.
The white wicker chair was a consignment store find.  I grabbed it, because I liked the modern shape.
If this mantel could speak, what stories would it tell?  I imagine my ancestors gathered around it to stay warm in the North Carolina Mountains, telling stories and snuggling close...no TV, no computer, no phone, no power...the only thing to entertain them was each other.  It is a very sweet thought!
Why not have a 'blackout' night with your family?  Slow down, light some candles to read or play games and watch how s..l.o..w..l..y time passes.  What a lovely thought! 
The picnic basket below the fishing basket was a wedding gift from my mom. 
The little metal frame on the wall was my grandparents and the white ironstone platter belonged to my great-grandmother.
The big glass jar on the floor holding twigs belonged to my grandfather.  It used to be a collection place for his loose change!
The shed at my dad's farm (below...be careful...it is a little scary!) got to be a place for anybody in the family to store their things not in use!  After my mother passed away and my father remarried,  several of their things went into this shed.  I found several treasures, including the Henredon 1970's secretary (you can see it in the back of the photo if you look really hard!), as well as, an old butcher's block, a pair of 1950's teak beach chairs, a curio cabinet of my granny's and other miscellaneous finds!  It will take me a while to restore these things, but the old mantel was perfect just the way it was!  After my sister and I found some treasures, my aunt and uncle had a huge yard sale! 
~
See the blowfish hanging from the ceiling?  We all fought over that one!

Please join me at these great sites!
'Stuff You Got for Free' at the CSI Project
Yard Sale Finds at the Lettered Cottage
I have edited this post to join Funky Junk Interiors 'Fireplace' theme.
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56 comments :

Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute. said...

Oh my, even your shed is adorable!

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

That mantel is so great! The whole shed is fantastic. I love the basket hanging on the wall and the oar above it. You are lucky to have this space all to yourself!

Wendy said...

What a lovely space!! I love the moss covered "T"! You've done a wonderful job.

Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog. I'm glad you stopped by.

PAT said...

Your mantel is wonderful, with extra special meaning. I loved seeing all these treasures!

Erin @ The Little Apartment said...

that looks just beautiful! thanks for stopping by my mantle post too!

Katie Olthoff said...

That is very cool!

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Your shed is just fabulous. I would just move in there. Everything is just wonderful. Hugs, Marty

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Such a great mantle and I love your charming vignettes...

Terry @ La Bella Vie said...

Wow as I have said in previous posts' you have such an eye for decorating and putting things together. I simply love this little shed and the porch and your vignettes and the basket above the mantle and the honey pot...and ...and...and...

bj said...

O, I enjoyed this post so so much. I think this is my first time here (thru White Wed.) and I am lovin' every minute of it.
I love every single thing you are showing here...most of all, I LOVE that you snuggle in with things from your family. That show such a sweet spirit and heart.
I am signing up to follow. I'll be back, you can bet on it. Hope you'll come by sometime soon.
xo bj

bj said...

The follow thingy isn't working tonight....;(
I'll be back.

Christie said...

Thanks for correcting my 'mantel' spelling! How am I going to teach these children, if mama can't spell :)!!

Anonymous said...

What wonderful Stuff ! And SO well put together ! You really do have an eye... It all looks really good ! Thanks for stopping by my blog, as well... It'll be fun to keep up with eachother...and our fun adventures in decorating !

Olive said...

The mantle is just chippy wonderful. Family treasures and the tales they bring are awesome to me. happy ww♥olive

awal.ny said...

Great whites, I love how it progresses. That mantel is awesome.

Ashley said...

Wow! My shed so does not look like that! Gorgeous! I love the mantel!

Staci J said...

Holy Moly, what a shabby chic cool looking shed! The Mantle is perfect!
Visiting from justsewsassy.com

Megan Gunyan said...

I love it all. Can you come decorate my house?

My Dream Canvas said...

Very pretty!! I am hosting a Giveaway on my blog...so do drop by!!

Simple Home said...

Your beautiful images really make me want to clean out my shed :-)
Blessings,
Marcia

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

who says, you can't have a comfy shed to chill out! welp, you did great with your shed.. love the decor..

Rosie said...

That mantel is crazy beautiful...and your vignette is PERFECT...smile on Rosie

It's me said...

It's all so beautiful lovely post i love it !!! happy friday pretties !!!.....love Ria....

kecia deveney said...

awesome post! love the mantel and the basket and i really enjoyed reading about the family history involved with the pieces.

kecia

Kimberly at ArtJoyStuff said...

How much fun is it to "pick" through family history! Lovely post, thanks for sharing.
enJOY,
Kimberly

Susan @ Oh My! Creative said...

Another amazing space - I just love it!

Susan
http://entertainexchange.blogspot.com/

Beth said...

How fabulous is this? I love everything about it! You are incredibly talented with vignettes--one of my many passions. Visiting from Just a Girl and so glad I did!

Dee@FrenchBleuVintage said...

What a fantastic mantel and with a great family story too. I would love to rummage through that garage ~ is the blowfish gone:)?

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

My goodness - I'm so jealous of your mantle! What a keepsake.

mustard seeds said...

Your shed is just fabulous!

Cassie said...

I love this! How creative, and how lucky your are to be able to enjoy such a space! LOVE that mantle!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

WOW!! Just love that mantle and it is perfect just the way it is!!
I also am in love with the great Chandy too!!

Debbie

Gloria said...

Hi!! I am visiting from Joyce's Friday Pretties. I love how you decorated your shed! That mantle is perfect just the way it is, I agree...:)
I love how you described all of your passed down objects of affection in such detail. That you remember each and everything about all of them. I do that same thing, some people wonder why I remember all of those details. I think it is just the way God made some of us. I love the history behind your little shed, and that you have a memory connected to each of your beautiful objects. Enjoy!
Have a happy Pretty Friday! :)
@}~`}~~~ Gloria
p.s. you have a new follower!

Elizabeth said...

Wow! Lots and lots of pretties!
That's an awesome space you have!
Elizabeth

Mandy England said...

Your shed looks like the happiest place on earth! I LOVE the mantel. . . so rustic.

I hopped on over from Favorite Things :]

Pam Kessler said...

What a great mantel. I love that it has family history to it. That honey bucket is to die for!!!

Erin said...

Terrific! I love the moss covered letter T. Great idea, as I have an initial on my mantle! It's all gorgeous :)

Boxwood Cottage said...

Gosh I love your old shabby mantle piece and how you have decorated it!!!
Sending happy SNS wishes from Germany
Carola

Tiffany said...

LOVE your shed!! I have one too but my husband thinks I'm a little crazy to want to do something like this...guess what? I'm gonna do it anyway! :)

Helen said...

You call it a shed. I call it a wonderful playhouse!

mo said...

Amazing blog you have. I am your newest follower. So glad I bumped into you over at Cindy"s "My Romantic Home" Show and Tell. *hugs*

Sarah said...

What a fun transformation for your shed. Great job! Thanks for sharing. ~ Sarah

Mary said...

Oh Wow! What wonderful things you have in this shed...I could poke around for a long time. What a GREAT mantle :-)

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Oh my goodness Christie, even your shed is charming! I love that you have displayed so many family treasures. (I think I have the same metal candy box). I love the way you think outside the box, and repurpose things. What a treasure trove your Dad's shed is! Thank you for linking to Favorite Things Sat. laurie

Anonymous said...

what wonderful treasures! And that they are family - your family - heirlooms make them even more treasured.

KimMalk said...

This room is coming along nicely. It has a warm and collected-over-time look. I really like the nest in the box and I predict we'll be seeing moss letters around blog land. Thanks for the inspiration.

Jacqueline said...

What a shed, looks more like a boutique. The mantel is such a fab addition. Love the chandy.

Average Girl said...

That is your shed????????? I wouldn't mind that as a guest suite! Nicely done! It really is very lovely plus I love that you know the history behind all the objects in the room giving it so much personality!

Breanna said...

This shed looks better than most of my house! Good for you! I love a creative spirit!

The Tablescaper said...

The shed is great, but I love many of those items on your porch - oh so much the better.

Thanks again for being a part of "Summer Sundays".

- The Tablescaper

Reunion Committee said...

I could look at these pics all day! This is a wonderful, perfect space! Great job. I love it!
~tana

Anonymous said...

Oh my! Such a wonderful place to escape to.

DI

Blue Creek Home said...

What a sweet place to get away and make mud pies.
Can I come over and play???

I love your blog! I had to start at the very beginning and go to the end. It was like looking through a favorite magazine.

Come over sometime!
Rhonda

Design Love said...

Hi! I'm checking it all out! So nice! Love old mantles!Your shed is gorgeous...glad you have a man-servant too! Our secret!!!! lol

Cindy
xo

Kathy said...

Every little thing, everything including your shed on your blog is wonderful! I love your shed and love your blog. I've stopped by to visit so very many times!

(...ooOOh I want a shed I can call my own!!! )

Anonymous said...

How we long for the simplier life and your little shed reflects that. It's adorable. Visit me at Mel's Cabin and enjoy a cup of coffee.

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