Owl Andirons

Scratched another item off my wish list...

A super cool gift from Jenna - Owl Andirons with multi-colored eyes.  Looking VERY forward to fireplace season...

Weekends

And not just ANY weekend.  The weekend before Christmas.  One could argue that this is the primo Christmas weekend.  The anticipation, you see.  A work week packed with extreme Christmas fever lies ahead.

Drinking this stuff over ice.  An annual Tradition.

Fireplace Facade

Wow, this is really impressive. 

By Halloween.Queen.

Christmas Morning

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas...

Hearth

More images here.

Hearth Mouse

Chimneys And Charlatans

Here's a weird non-Halloween topic I've wanted to share for a while, but just didn't know how to weave it into a blog post. So I'm displaying a photo from last year's mantel to make a connection and force the issue: How to fix a leaking chimney.



In my time on this earth, I've lived in two homes with fireplaces - both of them leaked when it rained. Now when I say it leaked, I mean that we had to put containers in to catch the drips of dark brown liquid which was streaming down the inside of the chimney. And empty them at least once every time it rained heavily. And before you ask - yep, we had a chimney cover.

So the first time this happened, I foolishly called a local chimney company and listened to their professional advice that my entire chimney needed to be repointed...$7,000 estimate. Being untrusting of most specialized professions, I researched online to find an alternative. I almost gave up when I stumbled upon someone praising a product called Chimney Saver. I figured $200 was better than $7,000 and ordered it. I sprayed it on the chimney with a pump sprayer from Home Depot and waited for it to rain.

After one spray, the leaking stopped. Completely.
When we moved in here, same problem. Same instant cure.

So I'm passing on a product recommendation...
Because a leaking fireplace just might ruin your Halloween.
Well, I guess a heavy rain would ruin Halloween, but you know what I mean.

Click Here if you collect brown hickory-smoked rain water from your chimney.

Halloween Hearth

Image and mantel by Kristen Thomas.

Halloween Mantels

A lot more at getitcut.com

Fireplace

Found this strong-scented candle at Walgreens.
Earthy and incensy and perfect for inside a jack o'lantern on Halloween night.

And only $4.99

Fireplace Face

Imagine the possibilities. This is such a cool idea.

(Try to ignore the cutesy scarecrows.)

Image source.