Once upon a time....

 the mantel in the dining room needed some CHANGE.

I was so ready for something NEW...

something AWESOME...

something that I would keep going back into the room to LOOK AT.

and then I found THIS !
Isn't it just the most awesome thing, ever !

I had everything shown here....

I KNEW this would be my BLOGGER COPY CAT CHALLENGE for

DEBBIEDO'S Monthly Copy Cat Challenge.

She generally wants us to get our inspiration from a magazine or catalog.

THIS month, however she said we could copy a blogger photo if we liked.

WELL........I LIKED.

NOW...here is where I fall to my knees and all the way down to my belly on the floor

to ask forgiveness for NOT REMEMBERING WHO  this mantel belongs to.

I thought I had it marked but...........bwaaaaaaaaaaaa.
So, please let me know who this belongs to....I will add it right away.

BREAKING NEWS...

The original lovely mantel belongs to the beautiful LAYLA...
 
Here is what I wrote to her...

"Sorry you are hurt..:( I kept your mantel redo sometime back, didn't mark WHO it belonged to and for my copy cat challenge at DebbieDoos this week, I used your photo for inspiration to do my mantel like yours. I am sorry I didn't know who to get permission from so I am hoping it is ok for me to use your photo. It is such a beautiful mantel and, altho mine isn't nearly as pretty, I am happy. I had everything to do the mantel like yours....just had to buy a chalk pen. Thanks so much.....come over and see it all." xo bj

Here is the new reply:
"Thank you, BJ! I just visited your blog and I am absolutely tickled that you used our Spring mantel as your inspiration! Thank you and what a wonderful job you did. So fun!"

 ♥ ♥ ♥

ON WITH MY COPY CATTING fun.....

The first thing I had to do was to spray paint my olden, golden frame.....
I had this large frame and had made a chalk board for it last year.

I had some white spray  paint left from another project and just enuf to cover this large frame.

 I have lots of little white pitchers and a few larger ones...

I've had the square plate (Dollar Tree, I think) for a long time...

and the vinyl number was from another project.

Next, I started adding the items I had that would make

my dining room mantel look very much like the top photo.
At this point, I had the frame painted but not the chalk board writing and
I  KNEW I would need help here.
I just put the frame up so I could place the other objects on the mantel.

 I'm getting there.....

and haven't had to buy one single thing to make my mantel as pretty as

the INSPIRATION   MANTEL so far.

My sweet Mr. Sweet came through once more with his artistic talent.

Didn't he do a GREAT job on the chalk board.?

I love it.
I realize that some of you would shabby up the frame to tone down the white...
I just happen to like the white so will leave it as is.

 This is just another way for me to use my collection of
WHITE IRONSTONE PITCHERS.....
and I am going to really enjoy the mantel with it's NEW LOOK.

 Maybe a little later I can add the taller, lime green arrangements to my pitchers...
and as the seasons change, Mr. Sweet can re-do the chalk board with
new quotes.

 In the meantime, I am gonna enjoy it all....
JUST THE WAY IT IS.
I just LOOOOOVE   IT.  ♥
The ONLY thing I purchased to make my DREAM MANTEL
was a CHALK PEN.
THIS is why I love inspiration pictures...
Here, all this time, I have had the MAKINGS OF A GREAT MANTEL
but without someone SHOWING me what to do, I was left with a
PERSONALITYLESS  MANTEL...
Now, it has CHARM......STYLE....SASSYNESS....CUTENESS....FRESHNESS.....
all rolled up into ONE.   

debbiedoo's magazine copy cat challenge

white wednesday

wow me wednesday

bunny hop wednesday