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These tiles were all cool, but the price point was still too high.

And then I found IT.



And the price? Oh so friendly.


First, we knocked the slab of bricks in front of the fireplace out. The brick came out easily at first, but then it started chipping off and it was slow and tedious. 
We started with a sledgehammer and then my father in law helped with the hammer and a chisel. He used the chisel to get underneath the brick and eventually he was able to remove the rest, like a magician. I am so glad it's gone! It makes the space feel bigger and now the kiddos won't trip over it when they're running around. Now I am not sure what to do with the rest of the fireplace. I got a quote to drywall the whole thing, but it was too expensive. But it would have been so pretty! Sigh. On the more cost effective tip, I could whitewash it.

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I could plank it. Or plank it and build a mantel. Or just paint it all.

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The only thing set in stone (get it?) is that I am laying the tile down in front on the floor. I plan to wait and see how it all looks once the walls are painted and the flooring is in.

The drywall is going in this week and our whole house is a dusty mess. I start painting the trim this weekend and  the walls next week. We're getting closer!

I've been doing a lot of thinking & planning regarding the basement. Once finished, it's going to be a central hub of laundry, playing, art projects, movie watching, dance parties, storage, etc., so my brain has been operating on (hopefully) all cylinders to plan out the space.
I hope I get it right.
We have a wood-burning fireplace upstairs and we currently have a wood stack in the basement. And by "wood stack", I mean a pile of wood spilling out all over the floor, leaving bits of bark and dirt to intermingle with my laundry pile. And by "laundry pile", what I mean is whatever clothes are overflowing from the laundry chute basket because I haven't done laundry in awhile. 
Ahem.
Here's the thing: I don't want to build some special wood closet because a.) it's not worth the expense b.) there's something sort of rustic/charming about having a wood stack on display. Or so Pinterest tells me.  
We have a fireplace in the basement & I'd like to have the woodstack next to it. Here's some images that have inspired me:

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Some of the above woodstacks are just for aesthetic. But we will be regularly pulling wood out of ours, so I know I will either line it with something (tin?) or at the very least, paint the inside black so it doesn't look scuffed all the time.  I really like the last photo that has some slanted metal (?) shelves to give the woodstack a zigzag appearance. Does anyone with a woodstack (either indoor or outdoor) have some suggestions for a liner? I'm so excited to get this project underway!