Quick Fireplace Makeover

For the last couple of years I have been contemplating the idea of painting our fireplace.  So I added that to my living room to do list and that is where it stayed. An idea. Something I wanted to close my eyes, snap my fingers and then open them to find the project done. 

As it turns out, I will be hosting our family Christmas this year and I have a 13 year old boy who is figuring out what buttons he can push to make mom crazy. That combination lit a fire under my procrastinating bootie. 

Here is the fireplace before.

I cleared off of the decorations, swept and dusted the fireplace.

I diluted the grey paint I borrowed from a neighbor with water (3 to 1), painted with a cheap paint brush and then wiped the freshly painted surface with a rag.

With cuties...

Without cuties...

There you have it. It's not as drastic as I had hoped for, but I could always add a white wash later. For now, I'm happy with how much cleaner the living room looks!

Merry Christmas friends!