My Renovation Projects – Part 2: The Fireplace

On October 21, 2023October 20, 2023 By Widow BadassIn Move to Dragonfly Cottage, Renovation52 Comments

Read about Part 1, here.

Funny story about my fireplace…I can’t have a wood-burning or gas fireplace where I live so that leaves me with electric as the only other option. I’ve had an electric fireplace before, and it was…OK. Pretty, but noisy to run and very obviously fake flames. So last winter I researched electric fireplaces and decided that the Dimplex Revillusion fireplace was the realest fake on the market and the one I was most interested in. However, it is not to be found IRL (in real life) anywhere near where I live. I didn’t want to buy one sight-unseen as they are not cheap. So I shelved the idea and went on to other projects (of which you might rightfully guess I have many! 😉).

Then I went back to Ontario in June to attend a special event for a friend’s daughter and while I was there I visited my good friends Kenn and Jonathan (who now live in my old apartment, above their museum). They show me all the changes they have wrought in my old place (all magnificent!) and lo and behold they had built an electric fireplace into a wall of bookshelves and IT. IS. THE. DIMPLEX. REVILLUSION. I practically screamed when I saw it. (Another funny story: they had also bought the exact same washer/dryer unit as I did. Can you believe it? What are the chances???).

Anywho, I got to see it in action and was convinced it was the unit for me. So I ordered one in late August.

Now I had to find a mantle to fit around the firebox. I went to good ol’ Facebook Marketplace and searched and searched. Nothing would fit it exactly. Then I found one that almost fit…and it was FREE. What did I have to lose? I could try to fix it and if I failed… well, it was FREE! I picked it up.

I had to remove the shelf in order to fit the firebox so that means I needed a new front piece. I went to Home Depot to buy a piece of wood and the helpful guy in the lumber area suggested a piece from the “FREE pile” (did you know they had one???) and he cut the perimeter to fit. So far so good! My expensive firebox is getting enclosed in a free mantle with a free front piece. Whee!!!

And here’s where it started getting expensive…Home Depot couldn’t cut out the inner piece to make it snugly accommodate the firebox so I ended up buying a jigsaw so I could do it myself ($75). And then I bought some peel and stick stone tile to decorate the front (2 x $60).

Inner piece cut out by *Yours Truly* and her new jigsaw. The tiles I bought to finish the front piece are in the centre. The tile is called “weathered granite” for some strange reason. *It sure looks like slate to me. And I am not mad about it!*

And then I stupidly bought way too much paint for this project ($85). But I was able to use it for the long overdue painting of my 2nd hand drop leaf dining table, and I will also use it to paint some other 2nd hand cabinets I have (yet another future project…sigh).

The colour is Potting Soil, by Behr – a deep earthy ~~goose poop~~ olive. I picked it to match the undertone of the ~~slate~~ *weathered granite* tile. I bought the top of the line paint-plus-primer because this piece really needed the ~~coverage~~ love.

Beginning to apply the stone to the front piece and checking how it is turning out…I just love the look and gorgeous colouring of the slate…uh…I mean *weathered granite*. 😉

Closeup of ~~slate~~ *weathered granite* tile.

I also used the jigsaw to cut out a bit of the base of the mantle so it could fit snugly over the baseboard and against the wall.

Finished project, with Bowser photobombing once again! *He MUST be in the middle of all things I do, just like a cat.*

My new living room setup – a very *Grandma’s cozy cottage* vibe, doncha think? 😁 Future plans include perhaps some built-in looking shelves on either side of the mantle (after all, I have lots of paint! 🤣). My TV, bought for the much larger living room in my old apartment, looks a tad out of proportion here but it will have to do.

Me dreaming up new projects as I enjoy my new fireplace.

I am so pleased at how this turned out. The DIY gods were certainly smiling down at me for this project. ~~Or maybe it was Beginner’s Luck.~~ I hope I am this lucky with my next project: The Cloffice. Stay tuned!

Rock on,

The WB

p.s. for those wanting to know without doing the actual math:

My FREE mantle ended up costing:

$75 for the jigsaw
$120 for the peel and stick tile
$85 for paint
Priceless: pride and satisfaction

Grand total: $280

My Renovation Projects – Part 1

On October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 By Widow BadassIn Move to Dragonfly Cottage, Renovation36 Comments

I’ve been in my little cottage just over a year now. During that time I’ve had the kitchen renovated,

Completed, almost. At this point I was still waiting on the tile backsplash.

and new flooring laid,

A much younger Bowser inspects the work.

painted walls, and created a new laundry room and a backyard oasis. Also on my to-do list for my home this year was finishing off the unfinished entryway and getting myself a fireplace before winter.

Here is the entry way, before:

View to front door (and Bowser photobomb 😂)

And here it is after engaging the services of a talented family friend to finish the space, and painting the walls myself:

I’m lining the space with old furniture (including from my daughter’s teenage bedroom!) to provide me with much needed storage.

The only piece I bought for the entry is this tiny pantry cabinet, and some shoe cabinetry from IKEA.

I’m super pleased with how this turned out. And how much more spacious my entire place feels with this area finished and providing extra storage for me. My entryway is now so much cooler in the summer and I anticipate will be warmer in the winter, thanks to insulating and finishing off the ceiling and walls.

Stay tuned for Part 2, and my fireplace dream come to life!

Rock on,

The WB

The Sunday Schnauzer – Looking Pretty

On July 16, 2023July 15, 2023 By Widow BadassIn Adventures with dogs, Bowser the Schnauzer, Move to Dragonfly Cottage, Renovation36 Comments

Bowser here. Oma has been pretty busy the past couple of weeks so I’ve had to stay over at Mommy and Daddy’s more than I am used to, during the day. There have been big white trucks in the front yard and strangers over at Oma’s. Here is a picture of me looking good at Oma’s – she just washed her ~~kitchen~~ yum-yum room mat and I am decorating it.