Our little rental is completely builder grade. That means there was no money or thought put into extra things like hardware, lighting or God forbid, a simple mantel.
I appreciate the hole over the fireplace for the TV. It’s a great space saver in a house with a tiny living/family room. But this was a major eyesore. I solved the hideousness of the naked television with shutters but now, as Christmas approaches my desire for a mantel was becoming overbearing.
I started looking for something mantel-ly and my guidelines were as follows:
*it must be inexpensive
{I spent a total of $40}
*it must be something I would use again
{I can use these in any room of my house if we ever move}
*it must be easy
{my husband wanted to build a mantle–love him, but that’s not easy}
*it must be temporary
{you know, because we are renting}
And one of you smart readers actually left me a comment months ago suggesting a shelf from Hobby Lobby. Thank you! That’s exactly what I did.
There’s a little gap between the two shelves–these were the longest shelves that Hobby Lobby carried. My man got that gleam in his eyes and assured me that he could trim off that top part on each side and butt both shelves up together. But, this would break my rule of wanting to be able to use them again when we move so I just stuck some black paper behind them to make the gap less obvious. Yes, I graduated from the Sanford and Son Skool of Design.
What an improvement for such a small cost. Now, I’m all ready for our next post: the long awaited wild and crazy Christmas garland!
Do you have a mantel or mantle?
I’ve got some freshly made tassels for sale! They are the perfect Christmas gift!
