The B Farm

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago...

(Isn't that how all great stories begin?)

We bought our house in the city.

It had decor stuck in the 80's. I was determined to make it ours.

So I started changing things up - painting, rewallpapering, etc.

To keep up with paint samples and all, I got this notebook, added paper to it and started a Home Decor book.
I added envelopes to hold wallpaper samples, pictures, paint chips.

Later I got a black folder, added black construction paper and again used it to hold paint chips and samples.

They were simple at best, plain at the worse but the best I could come up with those many years ago.

Today, there's a new book on the horizon. This one from KariAnne Wood of Thistlewood.


It's cute.

It has worksheets.

It has projects and how to's along with loads of tips

And pockets for samples...everything you need to decorate your home and help make it uniquely yours.

I sure wish it had been available all those years ago.

But I'm usin…

One of the things I really wanted for the studio was something to store canvases in. Right now, I have them stacked against the wall...not great. I found several inspiration photos on Pinterest.
This one uses a metal shelving unit...very doable. I knew I could get the shelf unit fairly inexpensively but that meant figuring out how this one was built.
Then inspiration struck! Enter the crib rails a friend gave me before the wedding where I used them to hold directional signs.

I told Bruce, "Hey! How about using the crib pieces for the canvas storage rack? They already have partitions!" He agreed it was a good idea. Then he remembered the half table top our neighbors in the city were going to throw away. (We rescued it out of the trash).
He asked if I thought it was a good idea to use that for the top...all he had to do was build a bottom. Why yes! That's brilliant!

We bought a piece of plywood for the bottom and using leftover boards, Bruce got busy building my storage …

Remember when I found this chicken line feeder in Canton?

Yikes, has it really been 2 years? It's been sitting in the barn waiting for the day the studio was done so it could become part of the decor.
You see, I figured it would make the perfect over the worktable lamp. All we had to do was run wire through the pipe and put sockets in each "shade".
And I was right. Bruce got it wired and ready to hang a couple of weeks ago. 
Then this weekend, we went and got the rope, hooks, and toggle bolts to hang it.

Whoop! It's even better than I imagined. I have the perfect industrial, crusty light hanging over my worktable.
Just check out all the light over the table!

Another project that got done was hanging metal pipes for curtain rods. Then I clipped drop cloths on for the curtains. While they will stay open most of the time, it will be good to be able to close them up when needed. 
I hung up these small metal shelves my MIL pulled out of a neighbor's trash too. There …

Our farmhouse is not where I want it to be...yet.

But it's come a long way from where it started.

However, I still struggle with where it is and the dreams I have for it.

I look at rooms and know amazing is just waiting to happen.

I know that day is coming.

There's a long list of things we want to get done before we move there.

We're far from done but getting closer with each and every project we do.

I know some day it will all come together.


I'm trying to wait well. Make things look the best they can.

I have lots of dreams and reality doesn't quite match them yet.

But truthfully? I'm happy. Happy with our progress.

Happy with our journey.

This place tugs at my heart. It's our happy place. Our lifelong dream.

So here's to dreams and seeing what can be; and to reality and knowing the journey is just as wonderful.

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To help me on my journey of making dreams come true is this wo…