Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts

Saturday, December 31, 2011

In Which The Lass of All Trades becomes an Interior Designer...

The new year has not even begun and yet my work is very much cut out for me already! I have adopted a number of rehabilitation projects around the house, and I can't wait to begin! This will be my Course of Interior Design [on a budget) for the year, and I have many ideas. My sisters doubt my ability to pull it together, but I'm determined! Project No. 1 is....
The room over the garage. This past year it has been used in a number of manners, including miscellaneous storage, gift-wrapping area, catch-all, and Produce Refrigerator during the heat of the summer. (It has it's own a/c unit) Needless to say, it's needing major overhaul. The reason I adopted it? I plan to turn it into A Growlery of sorts--a sewing, crafting, girls' room that will be entirely for us! (when not in use as a refrigerator. :P) I have discovered that my favorite style of interior decorating, even more than Victorian, is Shabby Chic--sort of an antique, casualized version of French Provenance. :) Here is some Pinterest inspiration for the project:
Shabby-Chic gloriousness...
Must-haves. I am so going to copy this idea!
I adore those upper shelves! what a cool way to use a sloped roof!
Gotta love this chest of drawers! It'd be perfect for keeping fabric and odds and ends!





I am hoping to do something along the lines of this cute little garland in the room, somehow

My only nemesis(s) in this project is/are the problems of that room most likely needing to be used (at some level) for storage still, as well as the fact that the ceiling slopes at an angle, starting about waist-high, so vertical wall-space is limited. :)
The angle of the ceiling is very much like this, as well as the window at the end. :)
So that's the deal for the first project. Project No. 2? It has something to do with this:

An ancient Singer treadle-machine

Turning into something along these lines:

 Yes, I'm going to be converting the dead treadle-machine into a cute writing desk. (Dad's going to help me with that. :) So, what are your projects for the new year?

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Fireside Dreams: A Memory-Catching Blog Event

I happened to catch my sister in a moment where I thought, "Jiminy! This would make a smashing painting!" and I then and there promised myself I'd do a little watercolor of her later on. I began thinking how many of these quaint moments I let slide through my fingers, and what a treasure they'd be if I could capture them in a quick painting or sketch. It wouldn't take that long, and oh, how precious they would be later on in life! So I'm pledging here and now to do a sketch or painting each week of a family member, a memorable occasion, a familiar view from a window, or anything else that catches my fancy, and share it with you along with the story behind it. It'll be a weekly blog event, so mark it on your...whatever you mark these things on! :D In fact, I challenge you, if you have even the smallest amount of skill with a pencil, pen, or paintbrush, to catch these moments. I'm doing it part as a reminder of myself to remember these moments, and also as a heritage project--each sketch or painting will be put away in my hope-chest for later amusement.
I'm calling it Fireside Dreams--a Memory-Catching Blog Event. :) The name comes from the captivating moments by a fire when the cares of present and future fade away and we are left pondering the past. Memories are so golden and beautiful in those moments--any pain or embarrassment are dropped away like a sheer curtain, leaving only the polished beauty of old times. This blog event is designed to help us capture those Fireside Dreams in the present, that we may never forget them. Ready? If you want to join, just leave a comment with a link to your post below, and even if you don't have skill in this area, please spread the news around! :)
Now for Fireside Dreams Week One: "Oh, Fudge!"


My youngest sister, Gracie, is absolutely incorrigible. She's got so much personality I constantly expect to her explode. The other day I was making fudge and Gracie ran in, hair flying, cheeks dimpling. I had to pay homage to her adorableness in some way, so I handed her the fudge spoon. A moment later I peeped into the study and saw Grace standing on a strange contraption of chairs and pillows, her mouth, nose, and hands covered in fudge, with Supreme Happiness written on each cheek. :)
When asked what on earth she was doing, she shrugged and replied [in between two huge licks of the spoon] "Doing my Gyn-nastics!" I suppose she had been inspired by Curious George that morning and decided to make some sort of gymnastics set-up. Silly girl! So I painted her, much to her satisfaction, this morning. In the picture also is her Dolly, [a very real person in her mind] her crazy purple-fuzzy-hat, and several other tokens of her eclectic dress-up style. :)

There you have this week's edition! :)