DIY Life

The living room in my house has a slightly unusual layout. Its got a nice brick fireplace; the interesting thing about it is that it's not smack dab up against an exterior wall. It stands not in the center of the room, but several feet off the back wall. It serves as a separator between the living room and the dining area/breakfast nook. Because of this, it's got three sides that just beg for artwork. But how to attach a secure hanger on a brick surface? It's easy and cheap!

What You'll Need

• Electric drill
• Masonry bit
• Chunk of dowel
• Picture hanger
• Screw (3/4 inch long)
• Drill bit a bit smaller than the screw
• Wood glue

The Procedure

1. Grab a masonry bit that's just a hair smaller than the mortar joint between the bricks.
2. Drill straight into the mortar joint about an inch.
3. Blow or vacuum the mortar dust out of the hole.
4. Cut a piece of dowel the same size as the drill bit, slather some wood glue on it and tap it into the hole.
5. Once the glue dries, drill a pilot hole and screw in the picture hanger.

The beauty of this is that you can always drill the dowel out and re-mortar the hole.

Sure, it is one thing to see a great mantel display and reproduce it in your own home. In fact, it is a great idea, because inspiration from other sources is what this feature is all about.

But what if you could learn to create your own original mantel displays using the same techniques the professionals use? Now there is a DIY skill you can apply time and time again.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine has a tutorial online that teaches basic design points that you can apply to your own mantel designs.

So in the spirit of being inspired, and tutored in basic mantel design elements, I set out to create three show-stopping mantel displays in my home, one for each fireplace.