This is photographic proof that Ellen is good at getting people to do things that they otherwise would never think of doing. Here's our builder Jim, and Carl the Carpenter following Ellen's direction to get this shot of how our fireplace is going to be built. The horizontal 2 x 4 is where the mantle will be mounted. The cardboard arch is a niche that will be built into the face where we plan to hang a seasonal wreath or fine art, if we ever acquire fine art.

This is an 'eye of the beholder' shot. You may be saying to yourself, " Wow, that looks like a cheesy fireplace idea." To me, it looks like $20,000. That's how much it would have taken to put a wood burning fireplace in our home. A woodburner was our original concept, because there's so much wood on our property. A wood decision would have required a masonry chimney though, and that had to be footed in the basement and built up through the ceiling. All that stonework was bid at $20K, so the builder's suggestion of a ventless fireplace with a stone veneer facade seemed like true genius to me. Propane rules.