Homemade Faux Mantel

After seeing a mantel someone had made out of cardboard boxes on Pinterest (just like every other man and his dog) , I just knew I wanted to try it ! 

Its one of my biggest 'dream house' goals in life, to have our own fire place with white wooden mantel. Perfect for seasonal decorating and especially hanging your Christmas stockings off! I figure you have to have these dreams when you live in a dust bowl town, living in company paid rentals. 

Anyway, I finished this in late November, and really should have shared it early but its Christmas and busy and you get the drift. 

I am an extremely inpatient person. This had to be finished within a day or 2 of starting the project , even if it killed me. I didn't have any boxes that matched in sizes , so I just made them myself ( using cardboard boxes, I cut panels the same size and taped into a box shape.) 

I then wrapped them all in brown paper and taped together to form the mantle shape. 

If completing this project, I would definitely advise in covering the middle section so you can't see the wall through it. It makes it much more realistic looking. 

So this is what was left when it was all covered and assembled. Yes, that paper section on the left really does my head in , so I would have made that panel go right to the bottom so you couldn't see the join. 

I freehand drew some flames at the bottom of the back board then painted the rest black. 

I then made a brick template (seriously just a piece of cardboard in the shape I wanted) and traced a rough pattern onto the paper. 

And then you paint. And paint. And paint! Our brick colour is a mixture of brown and red and I left the 'grout' all bare for now. 

This is what it looked like before the grey grout was painted inbetween the bricks. 

I wouldn't be too fazed when painting the bricks because if they are a little rough around the edges, you cover those up with the grout paint anyway (unless you leave the grout bare and use the paper as the colour )

Then the flames had to be done. Now let me say , I am NO artist!! Those genes were seriously all given to my sister in abundance and nothing left for me! haha

HOWEVER, flames are random and rough and thats me to a tee!!

Red , orange and yellow paint was used and I am pretty happy with the result!

Once the bricks were semi dry (basically just after I had painted all the grout , a few episodes of Gossip Girl on the TV behind me helped to entertain while I painted!!), I used a sponge and tissue in some black paint and dabbed and wiped on the bricks to create a textured look. They look much more realistic after that! 

Then ........

Ta - da!!

And all dressed up!! 

And we just LOVE it!! Ideally it would be lovely next to the tree , but given our tree is MASSIVE and we don't have much room in our living area, this had to do. Its perfect though as people see it when they walk in the front door . 

I love the festive cheer it adds to our living room . I actually love it so much, I would consider leaving it there indefinitely!! 

Another Pinterest win! You've got to love Pinterest, clever people sharing their creations .