A Blank Canvas

Being creative in a room is, to put it quite simply, fun. You just have to look at the room as a blank canvas and....GO!!. 

After talking to the room's occupant that is. It is their room after all. 

Years ago, the first bedroom I did was Adrienne's. She was all about the ocean and lighthouses. We had a mix of blues up top and a sand colored bottom half of the wall, separated by a border of lighthouses. We used fish nets for curtain valences and hand-stenciled verses about the ocean all around the top perimeter of the room. Since Adrienne moved out, this has become a stopping place for Amy, who is also semi-out-of-the-house and she's added some of her own flavor to the room and it's now an artsy retreat at the beach. And it's storage for my adult kiddos moving out and on. 

Excuse me while I sigh deeply, happy and sad and nostalgic. 

If you were wondering why Amy isn't in her own room that we did in a variety of teal blue, brown, green, coral and white, then wonder no more. When she left for college and then Thailand, I may have gravitated my sewing, scrapbooking world into that room.....it's still a work in progress. 

Heather's room, I did blog about once upon a time. Purple, Purple, Purple (Say that 3x fast), 

Organizing the organization, So white....then add color!, Color Me Bold, and Pictures from Heather's Room Redo . Enough said. 

I always had good intentions to do a room for Aaron. I really did. We envisioned a Lord of The Rings feel, with Lothlorien trees painted on the walls with a corner reserved for a hint of Mordor. (His idea, not mine. Not a fan of Mordor where I want to be sleeping.) I blinked, I barely blinked and he was moving out and as my artistic ability for trees is somewhat lacking and it would've taken me as long as it took Frodo to vanquish the Dark Lord, it just never materialized into reality.  He and Lisa-Anna have a new (old and awesome!) house now with lots of blank walls as canvas.....

I still can't draw trees though. 

After Aaron moved, Ryan claimed that room as his own. And it's been about 1 1/2 years and I did his room in an adventure, outer space, kind-of-theme. We papier-mached planets and hung them up, I started a compass rose around his light fixture, using my cell phone to accurately depict N-S-E-W. And he picked the colors and definitely wanted chalkboard paint, which we used as his border and on the old chimney that runs through his room. (I still haven't quite figured out the chimney bit.) I just never blogged about his room because it wasn't quite Pinterest worthy enough yet. 

Yesterday though, we tackled his room with a vengeance, purging the mounds of paper, sorting his clothing, and getting ready for school. It still isn't "Pinterest-perfect", but it is Ryan's and it is his version of perfect. I love that my almost-teenager still has his favorite animals and a few toys about. He's not quite ready to send them to the attic (and neither am I). He was happy to find his old hand-held video game and I was glad he didn't find it until after our 8 hour ride in the car for vacation. The beeping, oh the beeping. He is in his almost-man-cave, and cave's weren't meant for Better Homes & Gardens. 





















Here's after we'd started. It was worse, much worse. Boys. Gotta love them. 

He never liked putting clothes away. He probably never will. I'm apologizing to his future wife now.
But, he does do better with open baskets and as long as they are somewhat put away, I'm happy. And yes, those are his "Ida Maust Monkeys" sitting there on the drawer-made shelf.

Ryan really did help. This was at the end of the day when we were finished and I was trying to inspire him to take a few minutes every day and keep it "this way". I'm sure he is paying close attention and his distracted gaze at his hand-held game is all a ruse.

I'll just keep telling myself that.

Here's to all the blank canvases in the world!

Love, Dianne

Project for the Day

I worked a daylight shift yesterday. I had 2 alarm clocks set; one for 4:30am and the other for 4:50am. I figured that way I'd be sure to get up on time. (For the record, I hit snooze many times and then got up at 5:00.)

 I worked as staff nurse for 4hrs, then had education stuff the rest of the day. Even though the time frame was the same as if I'd worked a night shift, it sure seemed a lot longer. I was home and in bed, asleep by 10:30pm, which is early by my standards.

So, I was up and ready to start my day at 7:00 this morning.

Not.

It was more like, almost 10:00. I work tonight and I needed to recover from yesterday's trauma of waking up at an unheard of hour. At least that's what I told myself.

I had good intentions of working on paperwork again, but I just don't feel like it. I might for a little bit, but not all afternoon. Instead, I want to finish a project that has been waiting to be finished. I have an old dresser that used to be just stained wood, then it was pink for the girl's room, and now it is a rusty red color in the kitchen.

I removed the drawers and inserted baskets (for potatoes, onions, and misc. magazines). But the bottom half has been left undone. It is a great place for the guys to put their lunch boxes, and for me to put my basket of "quick to grab as I go out the door" gardening tools. The top is being used as a place to harness those things that belong in other places (like clothing borrowed from a friend, library books, etc), a basket with CDs (to listen to while washing dishes), and another basket with chalk to leave messages with.

I am kinda throwing around the idea of turning it into a coffee/tea bar. Maybe someday.

But today, I am going to sew a curtain to cover up the bottom half. That's my Today Resolution. The one thing I want to accomplish (besides the usual laundry, dishes...)

And now, 2 hours later...

I like it! Okay, next project....

Love,
Dianne

Pictures from Heather's Room Redo

Except for finishing details, like pictures on the walls, a place for jewelry, a few paint touch-ups, and possibly a new rug, Heather's room is done. I think it turned out pretty and feminine which matches Heather. 

The doors before.....

...and after

The "new" dresser

Color Me Bold

I really don't think that "coloring your hair" means to streak it with various shades of primer white, Chilled Wine, and Wild Geranium.

I am not a neat painter.
I get it on my hands.
I get it on my face.
I get it in my hair.
Here and there, I get it everywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. (oops, wrong story)

Yesterday, I got the ceiling painted. Not sure I will ever do that again. Of course, after I was done I discovered that, yes, we do have one of those pole extender things so painting a ceiling is easier. Sigh.

 I got the bottom painted in the chilled wine color. The first coat was spent with me wondering what on earth I was thinking of when I picked the color. Bold, really bold, was the word that came to mind. It needed THREE coats to get good coverage. Whew.

First coat. Yikes!

Amy, Heather and I painted the top with Wild Geranium. Today I will attempt to color-wash with Keepsake Rose. It is all such a dramatic change from the whitish color it was before. I am hoping it will all pull together with the border, curtains, linens, and floor covering. Right now though, I'm second guessing myself.

This morning, before getting back at it...

Sometimes change is welcome. Sometimes it is scary. Sometimes you just have to be bold (like the color!) and step out in faith. In my life, change is usually of the scary variety, or at least I make it that way. Not all change is by choice either. My choice however is what I will do with the changes. Embrace it? Push it away? Trust that the God who does not change will walk me through it? 

Until that moment comes, I'm not sure what the answer will be. I wish I could say I always embrace change with a smile, a spirit of adventure and a British accent (you know, like Agent 007), when really, I usually just want to hide under the covers. Be that as it may, whatever I do, I will certainly do it with streaks of purples in my hair.

Love,

Dianne

So white....then add color!

Mission accomplished.

Heather's room is primed and ready for color. It is amazing really how much better her room looks even with just a coat of plain white primer. I would've said her walls were pretty much white before, but in comparison, they were not even a nice shade of off-white. Maybe more like the color of teeth left too long unbrushed.

Gross, I know.

The whole process makes me think about my life and how I may think I am "just fine" the way I am.
Why change?

But when I allow myself to see, to really see myself, I see the dingy, ugly parts of me.
         The negative thinking (I am a failure as a mom, as a wife, I am no good, etc...) ,
                     ...the way it is easy to think myself better than that other person,
                              ...the way I can get angry and all bent-out-of-shape over something
                                 that in 10years,
                                 5 years,
                                 1 year,
                                 even a week from now is not going to matter.
          And the list could go on...

Thank God that He sees me for who I am. The real me. And loves me anyhow.
That He loved me enough to give His life in place of mine, so that I can be primed; that I can become as white as newly fallen snow.

I can't wrap my mind around it.

 I can't comprehend how He loves me.

I just know that He does. 

He's real. 

Psalms 51 says so much more than I can say.
I took time this morning to read it, all of it, and to think about it. No, I didn't commit the sins David did, but I do sin. The writer of the Psalm wrote from his heart and it has touched mine.

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalms 51:7

Be cleansed, be primed and then, look out! Are you ready for color?!
Love,
Dianne

Organizing the organization

I picked my vacation time this morning.  Christmas week was still open, so I took it. Maybe Christmas in New York City?? I remember being in Louisville KY for Christmas and there is just something really neat about a city with Christmas lights and decorations.  I like that I have 11 months to plan too!

Planning....
       List-making...
               Organizing....

I like doing these things. Maybe a little too much actually. I saw a book today when I was at Lowe's and it was a week-by-week organizer with hints and ideas to get your household and life in order. I was drawn to it like a moth to flame. I ended up putting it back on the rack; after all, I already have a shelf full of books along the same vein of thought. Maybe I'll go alphabetize them....

I was at Lowe's picking out even more paint colors for Heather's room. You see, I ordered her wallpaper border and when it came, the colors we initially thought would match didn't.

New color scheme, in some way or another:

       Main color:

                     Chilled Wine

                     Wild Geranium    

                     Keepsake Rose

       Accent color:

                      Cavern Moss

                      Dark Sage

        2nd Accent color:

                      Stone Gray

                      Gravel

                      Stonington

We aren't using every one of these colors, but at least elements of them. I don't think I'm going to post the pictures of the actual colors yet...they will be revealed later....

Now, I think I'm going to go organize something...anything...

Til tomorrow

Dianne

                     

Purple, Purple, Purple (Say that 3x fast)

I love all the names they come up with for paint colors.
Coffee Rose,
    Ballerina,
        Crocodile Tears,
            Thyme Green,
                Morning Breeze,
                   Ship's Harbor,
                       Sundrenched White Plum,
                            Serene Shade Tree,
                                Cinnamon Bear,
                                    Antique Lace.
They names put an image, a feeling into your head. They make you think of food, of places you'd like to visit, of gardens you'd like to wander through. They make you dream. 


I like to take a winter vacation every year. I like being housebound with a project. Over the years I've painted the living room and staircase, the family room, Adrienne's room, and Amy's room. This year I'd like to tackle Heather's room.

Heather's current bedspread

Last night we were looking at paint chips. We knew a little what direction we wanted to go in, so we laid out the piles of colorful cards. I almost started drooling.

We have been thinking purples and greens

Sooooo many purples, and these are just a few!

And more purples!

We finally decided to go with purples and grey with some green thrown in here and there. Maybe.
Now we need to decide on painting technique. I'd like to try some color washing; she'd like to just paint it plain. We're still thinking. To wallpaper border or not? That is the question. (Or at least one of them.)

Vacation starts January 21, so I have a little more time to prepare. I'll keep you posted.

So what were the paint colors we went with? Or at least the ones in the final running?
          Violet Blusher
                     Romantic Purple
                               Regal Purple
                                          Defense Armory Gray or New Zealand Fossil

Drool. I can't wait to start!