The Little Dresser

36 years ago this summer I was pregnant with our first son. My in-laws gave us the little dresser that was my hubby's as a baby. His grandfather handmade it for him. 

It was a red-ish wood color with wooden knobs. I decided to paint it. In those days we didn't get to know ahead of time if it was a boy or girl, so I chose to paint it yellow.

We used a Winnie-the-Pooh theme for the room.

First son arrived.

Then the second son arrived.

It served them well until they got older and needed bigger, separate dressers. We moved it to the master bedroom. It still had the same coat of paint but now sported ceramic knobs.

And there it sat for years and years. 

Last summer I decided to repaint it a gray-blue color which ended up looking rather baby blue. Not what I envisioned.

So I took it to Dana at Color It Coastal for a fresh coat of Antique White.

And here it is:

Can you see what inspired me in this photo I recently posted?

Yup, the variety of drawer pulls. I think this one is my favorite.

Or how about this guy.

I've lined the drawers ~ with wrapping paper.

The little dresser now sits in the guest room/craft room/my office space.

She's going to hold some linens, fabric, craft supplies.

A few hydrangeas from the yard, an original Elizabeth St. Hilare Nelson collage and my grandmother's buttons in a one jar, collected buttons in another (I love buttons!).

A very fun re-use of this special family treasure. 

I'm Normal - yippity!

Yesterday a big box arrived from a favorite source. I was so excited. I'd looked and looked and studied and pinned the items before finally hitting the submit order button.

And what did I discover when I opened the box? That I did NOT like the glass on the bathroom sconces. I'm not thrilled with the sconces themselves, either. An online only item so I couldn't go see it in person. In the photos the glass looked like it had a ridged pattern to it with a bit of character. In person it is modern, smooth glass. A nice hue but not the style I am going for, I think.

I've sort of lost my vision for the room with first the tile, then the lights.

I also discovered I'd accidentally ordered two toilet paper holders and two towel rings, by mistake, even with approving the order before clicking send. What?

BUT ~ hubby, who is in the construction business, calmly said this happens all the time. Things arrive and don't look like you thought they would. No problem, just send them back.

I Am Normal - who woulda thought !!

I am rethinking things in there. Maybe I won't go all shiny with polished nickel. Maybe I'll go a bit more retro. What can I do to make the room look like I love?

How do you other bloggers/designers out there do it?

I was thinking back to when we built this house and I was even more indecisive/timid then I am now, heh. I chose affordable shiny brass lighting for the house, and loved it. I picked a gray-blue 80's carpet (cause it was the 80's) and loved it.  I even loved the vinyl flooring.  It was a low budget, not-the-dream-house but I didn't regret the decisions.

That's what I am seeking this time around. I love our bedroom carpeting and the new bathroom vanities and never have to convince myself they are okay.  The stairwell is turning out just right. Very fun sconces in there - I'll show them to you in a future post.

And the project I've been teasing you with is almost done and it is just as I'd hope.

So there IS hope. I AM normal. What a relief!!

Weekend Progress

Hubby worked on my bathroom this weekend.

A thermostat for the heated floor.

Which feels heavenly, oh my.

Nail pops on the ceiling were pounded back in place and some patching was done on them and this spot above the shower. We had a leak a few years ago before our roof was replaced.

The vanity was installed after the hole was cut in the back for the plumbing.

Then I sent hubby to the golf course for relaxation.

The patching had to dry anyway and needs another coat.

Some old wallpaper glue from behind the toilet needs to be sanded off.

Then we need to paint.

I am thankful I can use my shower in this stage of the process.

I do not like the downstairs shower.

Or the mirror.

Why does that mirror make me look older and grayer? Blech!

I want my mirror back :)

A clue . . .

So, I haven't figured out how to post from the web but I did manage to capture a photo of this magazine cover - so the source is nice and obvious, whew. No lawsuits coming my way, so there!

I wanted to show you this photo because of the inspiration for the project I'm very close to finishing. It's gonna be adorable and useful and fun - stay tuned!!

Up to something . . .

The inspiration is arriving fast and furiously ~ I'm trying to keep up! Bought sheet moss yesterday at the craft store plus a couple of birdhouses. Two pieces of art arrived in the mail. The tile grout is curing and looking better all the time. But I am up to something and here's a hint:

How are you inspired? Do you run around the shops with your smartphone on "Shazam" to try to capture the music playing? I do and bumped into a friend at Michael's recently while trying to get closer to the speakers so the app would capture the song. Still haven't found that one (it had "indigo" in the lyrics but wasn't any of the songs that googling pulls up). I just loved the music in the stores yesterday and did sneak into a couple of aisles where I could pull a few dance moves, heh-heh.

No one called security.

I've been reading this book and the author says "Nature is the best place to learn about color . . . ideas come from ocean water, seaweed, tulips, and sunflowers . . . simply step outside into nature . . . and bring those feelings home."

Oh how I love nature inspired interiors but I tend to think of them as soft and muted. Fascinating to realize that saturated colors are also from nature, duh! She recommends studying a leaf or a tomato or a petal and really soaking in the hues and tones you are seeing to "experience nature's dramatic colors". It is easy to forget to do this, isn't it?


Like so many of us I get inspired from social media - oh my, the artwork and DIY wonders out there! If I could figure out how to share the photos that set my next couple of projects in motion, I would. One of my darling nieces is sending me tips to try but I haven't figured it out yet. Most bloggers freely share photos with full source credit so there's gotta be a way.

I've got a whole gaggle of darling nieces, btw!

But the tricky thing about inspiration for me is doing something with those ideas.  To translate those things swirling and swirling in my brain into doing, into creating, without fear. To do more than buy the supplies but dig into the supplies. I am working on that!

I did translate inspiration from another blogger into a reading nook for the master bedroom. I loved her basket of books next to her chair, so that's what I did.

My chair has been around many years but I still love it with it's blue checked fabric and comfiness.

Back to work - my next projects won't happen until I get some of this clutter outta here. Can't wait to show you what I have up my sleeve!

Disheartened

"made less hopeful or enthusiastic"

Not only is the bathroom flooring too orange/gold and wrong but other things are just not going well. 

My hair is not working. My Facebook friends are all saying, NO, not the hair again. Will you quit with the hair!! I've cut the bangs three times, too.  

After losing 35+ pounds last year I am stuck. Can't seem to continue or lose the last 10.

My eBay sales are in disarray due to my typing in my email address wrong in the original auction form - not just once (which ended in a cancelled sale) but now two more times! It totally messes up getting paid. The solution hasn't been found yet. For the sales not my brain, for Pete's sake!!

I'm not getting anywhere with the master bedroom decorating. I sent for samples of the fabric for the tufted headboard I was eyeing only to receive the wrong samples not once, but twice. THEN I found out the color I really wanted was discontinued. 

Lamps - what lamps? Nothing new at TJ's that I even like. Online they are so expensive! Who can pay hundreds of dollars for two lamps? That reminds me - one time I added up the cost of all the furnishings in a bedroom I loved. $20K, $20-grand, $20,000 for one room, egads.

But the worst of it is that I battle with self-contempt down in my soul. I can't. Somethings wrong with me. It'll never happen because it's me. Etc, etc. I've learned, however, that this can be a habit. A default. I've mostly learned to say "no" to going there. To treat myself with the same kindness I would treat a friend. Instead I need to say, okay, I don't like the bathroom flooring. What are the options? Sometimes that is harder than the default. 

"At first glance it may appear too hard. Look again. Always look again."- Mary Anne Rodmacher

When I started this blog I was enthusiastic and excited about life, about decorating the master bedroom, remodeling. And that's where I want to remain - with hope, joy, fun, creativity. 

Hey, maybe it's The Psychology of Home Decor - yup!

What would you do?

Tear it out!!!

Just kidding.

Maybe.

An awesome hubby/son crew worked hard to install the tile this past weekend.

Lots of work, lots of learning, dinner out afterwards (my favorite!).

But my heart has sunk now that I see the tile in place - I don't like it!

Yes, I chose it. I had a sample in the bathroom for quite awhile so I could see it in the lighting in there.

Yes, I carried a tile around when looking at vanity finishes, flooring samples and the like.

(No, the iPhone cameral doesn't take very clear or color accurate photos in this darker space!)

Should I have gone with my gut of mosaic, vintage looking tiles? Should I have ignored the practical side that said all that grout would be a pain to keep clean?  I chose a neutral tile but the color and style aren't doing what I thought they would. It looks rather gold-ish and apartment-ish rather than cottage/farmhouse Pottery Barn-ish.

So now I've become totally gun shy to choose any of the other flooring! So disappointed in myself which feeds right into some of my wackadoodle issues, bah!

"Her courage had sprung a leak."

Not sure I can expect this tile to be removed with the cost and hassle of doing so. What would you do?

And thus is the dilema in home design. Do you ever feel like everyone else gets it right the first time? My hubby can tell me story after story of clients who change their minds, often, who see something installed and don't like it . . . At All.

Keeping it real here!