I Just Wanted To Paint: Project 2

 Good morning, friends! Have you ever started a project thinking you only had to do the one thing to complete it? 

That's how this project went! I had finally decided on colors for our bedroom, bought the paint, was all ready to go, then the weather didn't cooperate, other things needed attention, and so on.

These are the only before pictures I have of the room. This was after I painted it Revere Pewter but before we moved up here full-time.

As you can see, the room is fairly dark. The grey didn't help.

Finally, last weekend I had the time and perfect conditions in which to tackle painting our room. After removing the pictures from the walls, taking out the smaller pieces of furniture, I had Bruce help me move the large pieces.

Ugh. I knew I'd need to vacuum but I wasn't expecting to find the amount of dust bunnies I uncovered.  I mean,  I do vacuum and dust regularly but we do have 2 large, hairy dogs (border collies) that sleep on the floor next to the bed so dirt happens.

But yikes! What a mess under the bed and dresser. All I wanted to do was paint but now it had to be put on hold for cleaning.

We pulled the area rug out and laid it on the driveway where I scrubbed it clean (yay for indoor/outdoor rugs!) then left it to dry while I tackled the floors in the room.

A thorough vacuuming then I pulled out my Hoover Floormate and washed the floor. Much better! Finally, it was time to paint. I had Benjamin Moore's Chopped Dill for an accent wall and Sherwin Williams' Ancestral Gold for the others. Bye-bye grey!

The next day, I painted another coat on the walls, let it dry, then we put our room back together. Our red bedspread looks great with the new paint colors and I replaced the plain white curtains with the pretty bird print ones that used to hang in the old living room turned office.

I absolutely love how it turned out. So much brighter! Plus, I have a really clean room, which of course, is a bonus. 

This was a big project that I've wanted to do for awhile. I'm so happy it's done.

Springtime Projects: Project 1 - Shower Door

Hello friends! It's been awhile since I posted last. I've been busy with all the springtime projects besides doing artwork. But they're getting done!

Our first project we worked on was a door for our shower. When we redid the bathroom several years ago, we weren't sure if we wanted a glass door or not. To be honest what was available just wasn't very pretty. I didn't want chrome and there really wasn't enough room for a swinging door. So we opted to hang a shower curtain. 

It wasn't a great choice as the opening was larger than a normal shower and finding a curtain that fit was a challenge. The one I found wasn't quite wide enough and then it tended to blow out and drip water all over the floor. Frustrating.

Then last year, my sister redid her bathroom and they put a sliding door on their shower. It has the hardware that looks like barn door hardware. What could be more perfect for a farm? Finally! A look I was happy with! We had someone come give us a quote - wouldn't you know the one I wanted was more than we wanted to pay? 

Our next step was to go look at Lowes and Home Depot. We found one we liked and thought would work.  With information in hand, we came home, looked it up, figured out what we needed and ordered it. It didn't take too long for it to come in. When Bruce got home with it, he had me try to lift one end up. Boy, that glass was heavy! There was no way I could help him unload it and get it in the house.  He had to get our neighbor to come over and help. Then, a few days later, again with the neighbor's help, Bruce installed it. It was quite the process but it went up without too much trouble.

All most there! Just have to let the caulk cure.

It turned out great! I am so blessed my husband is such a good handyman. 

Yay! No more water leaking out onto the floor!It felt really good to get this project done.

There's many more springtime projects to share - lots of gardening and painting a room. I'll be back next time to share those.

On The Artist's Doorstep #6: Productive Procrastination

Procrastination: (noun) the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying.

I'm still in a mode of "resting" although it might look more like procrastination to some. Come to think of it, I believe a lot of artists are good at procrastinating I know I am and I've always felt guilty about it. However, as I've read through "Steal Like An Artist" by Austin Kleon, I came to the chapter called "Practice Productive Procrastination". 

He said, "Take time to mess around. Get lost. Wander. You never know where it's going to lead you."

Scotland railroad bridge -somewhere I'd like to go again

What? Permission to not be busy but to play? To stare out the window, take a walk, scroll through Pinterest? 

I need those times to just be and let my mind wander. It's  a "refilling of my creative well" that helps me increase my creativity, find new ideas, and make the desire to create strong again. 

So that's what I'm calling it - productive procrastination. Therefore, you will find me for now in the studio, not creating, but letting my mind wander while I do the mundane tasks of cleaning, organizing, and decluttering.