Mirror, Mirror on the wall

In our last post, we tackled the safety orange wall of our fireplace. We painted it a nice calming shade that had a slight contrast to the color on the wall, and I love how it has turned out. But that was just the beginning of the makeover. When we showed you our last update, here's what the blank canvas looked like:

And here's what she looks like with a few updated "pretties":

We painted the mirror frame, candle stick holder, and a couple of picture frames white in order to lighten up the space and also contrast against the color on the fireplace. I'll admit that in certain angles (especially by photograph) it tends to wash out and look like the same color that is on our walls. To me, I think that is part of the intrigue. The white accessories help off-set the color and the glass apothecary jars help balance it out without adding weight to the wall. 

The teal candle was something I picked up at Target the other day. It matches the Ikat pattern on the fabric I purchased from FabricGuru.com to make curtains for the large window at the end of the room. The mirror is a Kirkland's find from when we lived in Texas. The original sticker on the back of the mirror said $29.99, but I purchased it on clearance for $17.97-- a steal for a mirror not only of that size, but with a beveled detail. I think it wears its new white coat very well. I purchased the large wooden candle stick at Ross for $3.99, and the smaller apothecary jars were a thrift store gem at only $2.50 for the pair. I've got some mini starfish, sand dollars, and sea urchins packed away somewhere (yes, we are STILL unpacking things-- it's never ending) that I plan to fill them with. 

The large apothecary jar I purchased several years ago at Pier 1. It was a valentines day gift for my husband, and I filled it with several bags of chocolate. This past May it held five pounds of green apple gummy frogs for our daughters Gnomeo and Juliet theme birthday party. The jar is a bit large, and though it held the frogs perfectly, I've always found it to be too big to use in other occasions. I've always thought it would make a terrific terrarium-- something I have been wanting to make for a while. Stay tuned for that future project. The large faux cabbage head was a impulse buy from Hobby Lobby. I thought it was adorable, and used it as a prop for our daughter's birthday party.

On the opposite end of the mantle I have a few small photo frames that were also painted white. I loved the bright pop of red that they provided before their new coat of paint, but felt that it didn't quite mesh well with the light, beachy feel of the rest of the accessories. 

Hard to believe that was my little pumpkin 4 years ago. I love the way the frames turned out, and I think they really highlight the pictures well. I've had these frames since high school, and I cannot remember where they came from (Big Lots, I think). They used to be a set of three, but over the years of the second round frame was lost. 

I am loving the way everything has turned out in our living room so far. It is much lighter, brighter, and peaceful feeling, and it is just in its baby stages of transformation. I'm going to have so much fun switching out  my mantle accessories each season. In fact, I've even changed things up after making a quick run to Target. Here's a few of the fun things I picked up:

I picked up two more teal pillar candles-- a tall one for the vase between the pictures, and another short one to sit on top of my new ceramic rook. I've read that the best way to incorporate a color in a room for balance is to do it in 3's. They are almost a dead-match for the curtains, so I sprung at the chance to incorporate that color in a different area of the room. 

Here's a shot of my new white ceramic rook and another little ceramic friend I picked up in the dollar section of Target. They were both $2.50 (sneaky, sneaky Target), but a definite steal! My little brown owl friend will likely get a makeover of a new bold color that we want to incorporate in the room. He looks a little blah in brown, so we'll make him fabulous. Any color suggestions? We don't want to over-do it with the teal, if you know what I mean! Perhaps a nice lemony yellow will be a good punch of color-- call it an homage to the previous wall color. 

By the way, here's a sneak peak of my latest project. I'm finally tackling the bare window at the end of the room! Check back later to see how it turns out! 

Have you found any great deals at Target lately? It's one of my favorite stores! Have you ever bought something new with the intention of "fixing it up"? Share your stories!