Fireplace Facelift Part 1: Introduction

I recently attended a baby shower with a friend, who was bringing a "diaper cake" to the event. What was most surprising to me was that her husband was the one making this cake. Now her husband is by no means one of those cake bosses you see on TV or a super artistic type, he's a normal guy who has a day job in an office, enjoys sports and music, and aspires to one day have a nice deck and a basement that won't flood in spring rainstorms.

When I saw this cake I was in utter amazement. This cake was no mere mound of white diapers in a pile with a ribbon on top, it was a giant car with wheels, windows, bumpers, tires and more. It was a work of genius. I told my friend that it was an unusual gift to have a husband who can clean, iron, fix things and make diaper cakes. She better stay with him forever.

The ordeal with the diaper cake inspired me in my latest realistic renovation, which I will call the Fireplace Facelift.

 BEFORE

BEFORE

                             

I took it upon myself to demolish my two wimpy fireplace mantels and rebuild the mantels from scratch using simple pine, some crown molding, and a 7 dollar plastic miter box and saw.

AFTER

AFTER

With a little help from YouTube and the Internet, I forged ahead with a project that most people would never attempt in a million years, with my limited equipment. Even I didn't quite know how it would all turn out, I just had an instinctive sense of what to do. Through a bit of trial and error, some minor scratches and back pain, I made out in the end with two nice looking mantels that were more functional and elegant, for a mere 50 or so dollars for the whole project. And I had fun doing it-most of the time.

So, this latest series of postings is to encourage all of you out there who would never make it on Master Chef. We all have untapped potential to do things things we don't even realize. You don't have to go on National Television, you can start at home.

Coming soon: Fireplace Facelift Part 2:  Demolition Diva