Spring on Our Mantel

It's beginning to look a lot like Spring Time...everywhere we go..... (please sing that to the Christmas song tune just for me)

Anyway, I am LOVING this weather.  I can't believe it is SPRING in March.  I think this time last year we still had 6+ inches of snow on the ground!  With all the signs of spring coming outside, I wanted to add some to the inside of our house.  And, since we have a mantel now (and just realized right now I never posted about it -I think we put it up in late December and I stained and varnished it in January)....here is the WAY BEFORE and now with SPRING DECOR:

Taking down the old brick shelves that stuck out.

Bare brick fireplace.

Making it level.

We have a mantel now!!  (yes, I did test out the Christmas stockings hung with care)

Close up side-view.

Now with stain --you can ask me about the giant spill another time.

Here it is!

First coat of varnish.

Second coat! (you can also see where the brick shelves were -the plan is to cover the top half of the brick with sheetrock)

Finished! (well, halfway --still needs sheetrock and paint)

Now with Spring Decor!!  :)