I'm so happy, I'm so happy!

What a great day! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and it is 65 degrees out (from 30 earlier this weekend!). Better yet though, I am on my way to a major project I have been planning! I won't be revealing ALL my secrets just now. But my master plan (bwahahaha!) has been to add a fireplace to my sunroom. We have our kitchen table in our sunroom (which is attached to our kitchen) and I use the eat-in in space next to the kitchen for a sitting area.
Here is our sunroom (Oh yes my friends, that IS a orange room! I love it!):

And here is our eat-in area turned sunroom:

That is the area where the table is meant to go. That is the end of the kitchen island there at the bottom left of the photo. (Wow, do I need to get some photography lessons!) I actually switched the areas one year just for winter since that sunroom are gets so cold. Then I found everyone used the new "sitting area" way more than they did when it was in the actual sunroom. PLUS I had lots of company now when I was cooking! The hubs or kids would lounge on the couch while I prepared meals. I love that!

But that sunroom is still cold when we are eating dinner in the winter. I'm sure it does not bother my hot-blooded boys but I freeze in there! See how there are all those big windows? And we get a LOT of wind on that end of the house. So I decided that I wanted to add a electric fireplace in there. But I did not want it to look cheesy! I saw a couple prefab ones that were "OK" but just not what I was looking for. So I have been keeping my eye out for the a great old mantle. And here it is! I found this at The Empty Nest when I went to talk to Janet about my Milk Paint problem last week. I had already lost out on one mantle I'd had my eye on at the Lucketts Store. Now I know, if I go home and can't stop thinking about it, I need to JUST BUY IT! But it worked out because I love this one SO much more!

Look at it! I'm in love!

I had to bring it right in and set it up where I want it!

The details are what got me - look at those little finials hanging down:

It will be awesome once I sand it down and re-paint it.

Janet and I had a fun time fitting it into my car. It was a TIGHT squeeze, I can tell you. We tried it through the back one way, then the other. Had it almost in, except one little corner would not cooperate. then we had to bring it through the side. I was skeptical. But knowing Janet probably has GREAT experience packing fabulous finds into vehicles I went with it. We had to kind of swing it in the side door starting at one end. Think of fitting a horseshoe through a mousehole! Nuts!

Of course, my excitement was so built up by the time I got home I had NO problem getting it out and into the house by myself! Any...hooooo. It is going to look FAB' once I get it all set up. Now I need to buy a fireplace insert to set in the wall. And I am sure I will have to build up behind the mantle. But the first and hardest step is done! Finding the perfect mantle to build the whole project around! Yay!
Stay tuned!