Tuesday, August 30, 2016

I couldn't do it.


One pinkish room is enough!

I mixed up my Pink Swirl and my creamy white  and took a swipe.   :{  I'm not feeling the luv!

Then I remembered the left over paint from the sitting and dining rooms.  If I mixed them together...

 I do like the colour but this is NOT a good quality paint. The difference between good paint and awful is the drop cloth.  Quality paint goes where it is supposed to and stays there.  Hence the need for the drop cloth and wet rag is negligible.  This less than quality paint combines primer and paint and is the consistency of water.  :(   My experience with contractors was not a happy one which is why I am now painting!  To be fair I did pick up a few tips. Difficult area- buy closest spray paint and 'give 'er'!!!   But I will not be intimidated by "we are the experts and so..."  never again.  Never  ;^)

My well luved blanket box has no other place to live except in the guest room.  I think the yellow is a much better fit.  So I embraced the price factor, the watery paint, dragged my drop cloth along, dabbed with a wet rag, and focused on the colour.  :]

Notice the duvet cover draped over the foot board.  I couldn't wait to try it and it just might make a curtain! 

Now for the trim.  I wish I didn't have to do it!  ;^)

Monday, August 29, 2016

I digress...


The Digression- a planner for my sister
  
Since I couldn't easily find what I was looking for I digressed and sorted papers.  It didn't help that her favourite colour is baby blue and that colour is the least represented in my choices.  So I made a quick run (digression) to the local Dollar Tree!  ;^)

Much better.  I put all my papers: scrapbook, coloured cardstock and gelli prints in the drawers.  I shall just paw through the colour sorted drawers.  There is no good way to sort two sided scrapbook paper and multi coloured mono prints so I put light mixed, warms, cools, and dark neutrals in separate drawers.  Good enough and when I can't close the drawers it'll be a circular file kind of sort!
The open drawer holds my main planner and the drawers beneath all have journal fodder. :\

I found a cute box that 'hides' lots of the stuff, I  know I need to see/find stuff easily or I buy more. So I am passing it on to Eliana who is gathering stuff for her own art corner and this IS her favourite colour.  As I cut papers I will be able to stuff it with more assorted papers.   I'm sure I will get to that corner at some point at some later date as I'm not even sure what is all concealed there.

I did eventually get two coats of primer on the guest room.  I will just reconcile myself to two coats from now on given my roller was not top quality, the walls are a wavy plaster and,  vbsigh,  my eyesight isn't what it used to be. 

Then the Rooster commandeered me for the day.  We had got a new riding lawn mower as the old one went into retirement earlier than expected.  But we got all caught up on the grass cutting although it was so long it'll take another cut to get it looking really nice . We took turns riding and pushing!  :-)   The woodland path is even done except for one fallen tree.  I could move the others but not the big one.

Now where did I leave my paint brush..Swirl with some left over White Opulence and what we get is what we get.  I am already considering curtain options.  I hope that particular diversion doesn't happen for a day or so!  lol

Monday, August 22, 2016

One more time...

And a one and a two and a three!
I've decided to just roll with the whole painting scenario.  Heck, a lot of the supplies are still handy! 

First lot of company saw two rooms painted.  Our  bed was set back up and somehow everything else found places.   But most stuff was pushed under the bed and into the closets.  

I did wonder if everything was going to fit when all the dust settled.   I really had eliminated some of my storage spaces.   I need to do some more editing but the plan to simplify and group common crafts together is working out much better than I had hoped.

Second lot saw the trim finished and things generally organized.  The bed hid most of my painting stuff and the closets were mostly organized. 

I am learning that paint should cure a bit so I decided not to rush hanging stuff on the walls.  The curtains are also missing.  I am determined that if I begin to have too many options the least memorable/desirable shall not be stored.  So my shelves are just gathering places at the moment.





Next lot of company is due beginning of September.  I certainly couldn't let them feel I wasn't sprucing up the place for them as well.  LOL


So I decided to let the walls cure a wee bit longer and just get that last room done.  This is a budget room so I will be using up what I have except for more primer.  The quart that never got used will combine with a similar leftover paint  as the room is smaller.  I really am trying to empty paint cans!   lol

It is looking like a busy few weeks are ahead of me but for fall I have high hopes of tweaking each room and tearing up the list that holds the final few things. Hopefully for the last time!!!

Monday, August 15, 2016

Happiness is...

Happiness is seeing this Canadian Sunrise rose finally come into its own.  I had planted it as a small planting many years ago but it obviously never thrived so I brought up by the house.  She is now happy!  The buds are orangey  colour and fade to light yellow.

Happiness is having the last bit of barn cleaning in sight.  It is kinda gloomy in the barn and I can't quite bring myself to follow the sunrise photo with the nightshade aspect of the barn.

Happiness is having the grass all cut but again  copious swaths of dried cut grass all over the lawn doesn't make for pretty.

My dear friend Irmgard is also downsizing in her shop.  She offered me an old paper storage cabinet.  I hummed and hawed but I'm SO happy that I  went ahead and got it.  I assured the Rooster I had gotten rid of 2-3 other things so that he would help me carry it up to the art room.

A bit of ugly-
It is inevitable to make things worse before they get better.  I had moved out one of the tall book cases to the new sewing room.  It doesn't look much better but the results will make me happy.

This is better and is the rough sort.  I will be locating all the cafeteria trays I can find.  shh, don't tell the Rooster as he has some he uses for his sausage making.  When we got the trays were wondered what we'd do with them.  Having even more would makes us happier!  But who knew???
I will be putting all my stamps out on one layer of tray and categorized by type.  whoo hoo!  Stamping is gonna be so much more fun.  :)

I got the big sort done before the second lot of visitors arrived.  Next I will fine tune the drawers that are now available since the stamps have vacated!  There is only art supplies in here.  Well, the majority of my books, quilting, design, home dec, and all are here as well.

The sewing room is looking like everything can fit which actually surprised me.  There is only fabric/fibre related  supplies here and my fine beads.  The chunkier bits and polymer clay tools are in the art room.  I really tried to think categories with the necessary supplies  kept together. There is a bit of overlap.  :}  Now for getting those last few things done so I can call that room finished.

I couldn't have planned how the two repainted bookshelves and this old china cabinet fit on this wall if I'd tried.  There is like 1/4 inch wiggle room! The bottom holds my hand sewing supplies.   When I realized I needed a second coat of colour I decided a gallon was cheaper that 2 different quarts so this room is the same as the sewing room.  Not perfect but certainly fine.  I had been thinking pink but when I started putting things in place I realize it is peachy and a warm pink so the peach cotton duvet cover from the thrift shop just may be the perfect curtain.  The basics have been covered and now it is to hang the pictures, tweak my stuff and have a comfy sit down.  It feels very cool to be back in the original master bedroom after all these years as we begin to prepare for selling.

The best will always raise the happiness factor!  Hopefully by the time the kids come for their visit this will have all had the final and best finale! 

And happiness is counting my blessings.  I may have struggled a bit with a blue funk but as I see my sister struggling with depression and dementia I am so happy to have my friends, my family,  my health and my hobbies, and the ability/desire to pursue creativity.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Losing my shingles!

Time to quit focusing on lost shingles and start counting the blessings.  We may have had a dozy of a storm and lost more shingles on the house and barn but the neighbour 2 miles south lost the metal roof on his new dairy barn.  :)  They aren't saying tornado but maybe 'sheer' winds.

This flower bed has a small ditch at the back to facilitate moving water from the back yard to the front of the yard.  It does need some leveling but I shall tell the hollyhocks to consider how the raspberries are overcoming and quit fussing over their lack of lower leaves.  Well, yes, then;  no leaves and virtually naked but then their blooms where really lovely.  ???

Eliana arrived to help get ready for the cousins.  We managed to get everything presentable 15 minutes before they arrived by stuffing closets and shoving miscellaneous under the bed. Phew!

I think I just may have ruined my best paintbrush by shoving it under the bed uncleaned and forgetting all about it.  But we did look good!  :}


  Now to deal with the aftermath of hanging about with the relatives and dodging lightening bolts thrown by particularly nasty prairie thunderstorms.

We just finished a long weekend and the Rooster was in charge of the agenda.  The main floor of the big barn was long overdue for cleaning.

This could be the before but it is actually the front door from which  everything is leaving.  At one time this barn housed the feeder hogs from our farrow to finish hog operation.  Back in 'the day' it likely was meant for horses with hay storage up in the loft. 

 We actually are starting from the back and working forward.  There will be no more animals housed here so we are giving everything a good scrubbing.  I am the shovel man and the Rooster is the man on the wheel barrow.  And that is good because I like seeing the progress from fast and furious first level cleaning.  He is better at deciding what stays and where it should go.  Not to mention my wheel barrow skills are kinda shaky!  lol

I have been telling him that if houses are styled for selling then so should a barn be looking its best.  ;^)

But speaking of losing ones shingles...

I have neglected to follow the green juice detox lately.  Things do get worse before they get better and in getting rid of blue funks and itchy eczema...  well, the toxins do leave me through my skin and what with all that needed doing I paused the program.   The blue funk has been replaced by blue skies and the breeze of ambition but I may have to rub my hands together for a bit of relief for one more day.  Then its back on the  green juice ladder if I don't personally want to lose anymore shingles!  lol