Firplace Makeover! (2)

Ok so between juggling groceries, taking care of a toddler, cooking, and trying to get this new house cleaned up and decorated I've finally made some progress concerning the fireplace.  While my daughter was sleeping this past week I'd sneak in a few paint projects and hopefully have them dry before she's up and running again.  I painted the fireplace mantle two layers of white and started to get the "almost" final project completed.

First I washed the mantle with a mild soap and warm water then I hand dried it.  I also let it air dry completely for a few minutes.  The water became so dark and murky because of how heavily used the fireplace was.  Here's the "after wash" photo.

I then applied the first coat of paint to one side and along one edge and left it to dry before flipping it over.

I finally waited until it dried and until my little monsterette fell asleep and put it back on the fireplace and added a few belongings here and there to make it look more warm and homey.

Note: I still have to paint the firebox with the black fire resistant paint that I mentioned before and add some candles before this makeover is completely complete. 

I'd love to know what you think of it so far.

Night! Night!