From Used Brick to White (ick!) and Back Again

It's home-improvement project time again at my house, and I am beyond excited! This little job (with a BIG pay-off) is something I've wanted to do for ages; and to tell the truth, I had begun to think it wasn't even possible. Thanks to my daughter-in-law (or maybe I should say my dil's friend), I now realize that the seemingly impossible can actually be accomplished!

What is it in my home that I intend to improve? Well, first let me show you the inspiration...my daughter-in-law's newly faux-painted fireplace:

Sadly, her previous homeowner had made the lamentable decision to paint what was originally a used-brick fireplace white...nothing short of blasphemy, in my book. The good news is that her talented (and very generous!) friend has wielded some considerable artistic skills to return the fireplace to it's former glory. Pretty nice job, eh?

Imagine my delight when I blog-hopped upon this bricky marvel! It was exactly the solution I'd spent 20 years (give or take) seeking. You see, my former homeowners apparently suffered from the same decorating deficit as my dil's. Yep. They painted my used-brick fireplace white. (It pains me to even say it.) Over the years, I considered every kind of remedy, from sandblasting the thing to tearing it out entirely, and then one day I clicked on my daughter-in-law's blog and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a very realistic-looking (as you can see) replica of everything her very real but sadly disfigured brick fireplace once was and now richly deserves to be again. I just know that fireplace is happy. We all love a makeover that takes us back to our glory days, right?

I think you can see where I'm headed with this. I, too, am going to restore my fireplace to its original state of grace ...or rather, the faux-painter I hunted for with an intensity that would probably be more appropriate if I needed a brain surgeon is going to restore it...And she promises me that I will not be able to tell the difference between my faux-painted hearth and the unpainted used brick hearth of yesteryear. Be still my heart! Hearth? Whatev. The point is...relief is on the way, big-time!

Okay, the cost is going to be a little on the big-time side of things, too, but it's not too far above what I had in mind, and it sure beats tearing out the fireplace entirely (or tearing out my hair trying to figure out some other option). Note: I don't need to tear out my hair; it's doing a great job of removing itself from my head all by itself, more's the pity. But I digress...

The salient point of all this rambling: I am having the work done next week, and it will be completed by Thursday night. I will then take a photo and post it here for all to see. Let's hope it's as good a result as I'm anticipating! I feel pretty confident about this artist, but if any of you want to cross your fingers AND your eyes in my (and my fireplace's) behalf, go for it.  Please.

=)

PS. Here, for your viewing pleasure (?) are the proverbial "before" pictures:

WAAAAAAY TOO MUCH WHITE