Getting by with a little help from my friends. (That'd be you)

Hubster forwarded this post to me from Seth Godin's Blog this morning. Although he writes primarily about the business world, and marketing in particular, I think it's spot-on for those of us who stagnate at times in our decorating attempts.  So I'm passing it on to you....

No, everything is not going to be okay

It's natural to seek reassurance. Most of us want to believe that the choices we make will work out, that everything will be okay.
Artists and those that launch the untested, the new and the emotional (and I'd put marketers into all of these categories) wrestle with this need all the time. How can we proceed knowing that there's a good chance that our actions will fail, that things might get worse, that everything won't end up okay? In search of solace, we seek reassurance.
So people lie to us. So we lie to ourselves.
No, everything is not going to be okay. It never is. It isn't okay now. Change, by definition, changes things. It makes some things better and some things worse. But everything is never okay.
Finding the bravery to shun faux reassurance is a critical step in producing important change. Once you free yourself from the need for perfect acceptance, it's a lot easier to launch work that matters.
(emphasis mine)

Here's my take on how this applies to being artful in homemaking/decorating/crafting:

1) Don't fear screwing up.  I truly HATE not getting things right the first time.  I want affirmation that this new thing I'm going to try WILL WORK, knowing that decorating is a very emotional investment of my time, money and energy.  I don't want to go back and say "what a waste of my ____!"  But art (like life) never comes with guarantees.

As artists of our homes, we need to embrace the truism that very little of what we do will be 'perfect' the first time around....or even the second or third in my case.  Stop laughing.

Isn't it just a matter of perspective?  What if we saw our pursuits in decorating as just that....a pursuit, a journey?  Knowing from the get-go it will need tweaked and perhaps even scrapped when it's done?  Our 'fails' are actually just evidence of our own evolution and learning, as well as a way to define what it is that really lights our fire....our LOVES.  Sometimes starting with just an eek of vision is enough to steer us into decorating nirvana.  I very rarely start with a finished 'look' in mind when I attack a new project.  I don't have that kind of logical brain...more like a feeling, or an inspiration of some sort. I also don't have the finances to start from scratch with furniture and accessories.  (And that would take a lot of the fun out of it anyway.) I usually start with some pictures and what I already have.

 

That's what I did with my bedroom....and it didn't come together like I planned.  So I threw a tantrum.  I played the 'why can't I do anything right' dirge in a minor key, threw up my hands, and chalked it up to a 'fail'. But then yesterday I decided to go shop....hit 3 thrifts, 2 antique shops, Home Depot, and Hancock fabric.  Oh, and craigslist.....ended up with some more inspiration in the form of fabric and some antique dressers.

And last night I sewed some ruffled pillow cases....ruffles make me very, very happy.

And you know what else?  In putting together my room, I realized I 'missed' certain things I'd recently discovered as my LOVES....and was able to spot them while out shopping.  Faded florals and farmhouse furniture, for instance.  See:

 This fabric will soon be shams....

 

This antique dresser will replace...

my shabby chic dresser.....

And after getting all giddy about some curtain panels I'd sewn up from one single panel I had purchased somewhere or other a while ago, I knew my original plan of a plain roman shade would prolly be best, with longer panels in the future.

(But tell me my short panels were cute, eh? The crewelwork was the long side of the panel, I cut it in half and put it on the bottom and added the ruffle.  I'm disappointed it didn't work for this room though.  Maybe I can reincarnate them into something else one day....)

And seeing the 'whole' helped me see I really wanted something more along the lines of this:

Instead of this:

So now I'm on the hunt for an iron bed frame....after I sell off the dresser and headboard. :)

2) Don't be afraid to either hear the truth or to move forward without  affirmation.
This is really hard for us in the decor blogworld.  We thrive on comment affirmation, no?  When I'm reading thru comments on my blog, I love the positive affirmation on my attempts to make my house a home.  I think I'd be pretty devastated if someone came along and criticized my work.  That said, though, sometimes you just need to hear the truth, ya know?  For instance, Donna of Funky Junk fame offered up a post where commenters could critique not only her blog, but the decor/craft blogsphere itself.  It was marvelous.  That kind of 'realness' helps everyone.  


There's times, like now as I wrestle with my bedroom, that I struggle to show you how stuck I am.  Because it's not going to be ok.  Because there are limitations to my decorating skill, our finances, the structure of our home, my time.....again, it will never be an English cottage, a beach bungalow, a vintage farmhouse, or a historic foursquare.  So I languish away doing nothing, or trying something that ends up not working (read my post on the revolving furniture or ask me how many times I paint any given room), getting frustrated, and giving up. In my desparation, I'm gonna show you the room as it looks right now (which I should mention is a FABULOUS way to get a better perspective on what's working and what's not.) 

So now, dear readers, I seek not affirmation on what I've done, but some ideas on how to move toward the inspiration pictures I posted above.

Here's some specific things I'd like some help with....
The roman shade idea.  Should I go with white, or with a shade of blue similar to my beloved (but not working) panels?  Or a tan to match the bedding?  What color for panels, then?  I don't have chunky window trim, so I think I'll need something to balance the window with my huge bed.  Remember, I want to use an iron headboard eventually.  Just the whisper of something for the panels to fall behind.  The window treatment itself will be the 'headboard'.  But I also don't want anything too dramatic. More farmhouse cozy. 

Closets....the bane of my existence.  You can just see the side of one in the picture.  One whole wall of closets in which we removed the ugly (and non functional) sliding doors (how I hated them) are now draped in too short white panels and valances that made from a bedskirt that matches my current bedskirt.  Help.  They look just, um, wrong.  Maybe I should just raise the valance to ceiling level?  Ugh.  I'm at my wits end coming up with workable solutions.  Really don't want to spend any more money on them, but realize that maybe the only solution will entail buying new bifold doors.  Painted white?  Or the wall color? 

Any other thoughts?  I will say the the bed must stay under the window.  There are no other walls big enough to accomodate it.  The new farmhouse dresser will go beside the bed on the closet side, but I'd like to keep the other side as it is with the little nightstand and rattan chair.  That will leave the wall opposite the bed EMPTY.  An oh how I dread big empty walls. Right now, my shabby chic wide dresser sits there.  When it's gone, it will leave a gaping hole.  Ideas????

Sorry this has been so long and rambly.  I've been working on this post since yesterday afternoon after getting home from shopping.  Then the Seth Godin post this morning really hit me.  I thank you for hanging in with me, and I'm ready to hear all your wisdom and advice...and iff'n you got some Godiva chocolate, I'd take that too.

 

What to do with old windows.

PSSSST...I'm no longer blogging here!

You can now find me at

www.acottagegirl.com

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Basically, store them in your garage for a few years, 

set them against the wall in different rooms hoping for some inspiration for another few years,

then steal ideas from pinterest and make them a picture frame. 

(who noticed the sneak peek of these frames in this post?)

Hang those puppies up on a big ole wall that really should already *have* a window,

and voila, instant brag board.

You could even add wood letters down the middle so's folks don't think you just stole faces 

from the inside of Walmart frames.  

I stained mine 'special walnut' or some such, and didn't even sand 'em.  

Used command hooks to adhere to the wall.

Luxuriate in the chippy goodness with me...

Here's how I attached the pictures to the back of the glass.

There's prolly some better way, but this is workin' for me.

Get those clear picture corners and put them on backwards so the sticky side goes toward the window.

You prolly knew that.

Here's a somewhat awkward shot of the one taken of hubs and I.

I was too tired to climb on a chair to get even with the picture.

I think I look tired.  

Wait. I am tired. 

Which is why I just snapped this picture from my seated position in the first place.

So there ya go.  What to do with old windows. 

Have a butt-load of kids and get a big black dog to fill the panes,

then show 'em off. 

Prolly taking this post to some of my favorite PARTIES, listed in the link on my side bar.

Lending a hand to friend's cottage.....

PSSSST...I'm no longer blogging here!

You can now find me at

www.acottagegirl.com

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Over the course of a 20+ year friendship, I've offered decorating help to my dear friend Ingrid.  We've raised our kids together, and her hubs is the CEO of the company my hubs works for.  I've known her since they lived in a wee 2 bedroom apartment (with three kids), but started lending a hand in decorating when they bought their first house, then built their 2nd house, and now built their 3rd home....I got to see all the samples of siding, roof, shutters, etc before they built.  What fun to help put it all together with them!  Isn't it gorgeous?

Each house has offered challenges opportunities for me to stretch my wings into other 'genres' of decorating.  Her style is full of wonderful warm, deep tones, Ballard Design-esque, with some Pottery Barn thrown in.  She's a pro at using what she's got, and though she won't admit it, she's really learned what she loves and does a great job incorporating it into her decor.  Here she is with her hubs....ain't she a peach?

Anyway, I come in to help pick paint colors, shop (lots of fun to spend other people's money!), sew stuff, paint stuff, arrange furniture and frou-frous, and hang stuff.  Over the course of several months, we've been tackling her 13 year old Julia's bedroom, her kitchen and great room in their new home.   Here's a tour with a few before and afters.....

 Looking in from the kitchen to the great room BEFORE:

Same view AFTER.  We decided to paint just the one fireplace wall in a deep olive.  We used the same color in her dining room (not shown), which we're still finishing up. She was getting ready for company, hense the stuff here and there.  The wall with the plates was a challenge, as she wanted the kitchen olive green, but as you can see, the wall extends up into the stairwell....so we went with a deep taupe, just a tad darker than the other great room walls, and the same color we used in the entry.  Here downstairs is all open, so the colors need to compliment each other.

Here's another view of the great room BEFORE:

AFTER painting and adding/arranging some practical, but pretty decorating items

 Here's the view into her kitchen BEFFORE:

And the (kinda blurry) AFTER with a coordinating, but even deeper olive on the walls.  They had their table refinished and purchased new upholstered chairs.  Got some iron pieces to hang in the bulkhead area, and some freaking awesome drapes for the sliding door....eventually made a 'bishop's sleeve' with them:

Moving upstairs, here's a finished view of her kids' bathroom in lovely neutrals:

Ok, and now for Julia's room!  They were inspired by a Pottery Barn picture.  Here's the BEFORE as they had begun collecting decor (they bought that desk from me):

Here's AFTER with Julia herself!

'Nother BEFORE:

And AFTER...bedding was from Target online.

Study corner BEFORE:

AFTER (those cute lanterns were from the Dollar Store and hung with fishing wire:

Some details: I reupolstered the desk chair with a matching sheet from her bedding set.  I also made the bulletin board out of an old frame and foam board covered with some batting and linen, then spray painted the frame. I gave the dresser, desk, chair and side table a fresh coat of white paint, and Julia decorated the knobs.

My favorite part, her bed wall:

I painted the the black chalkboard plaques and added ribbon, then she decorated them with colorful words...I also sprayed the 'love' letters and added ribbon, then Julia hand painted those as well:

They already had the shelves, we just took the backs off to show the green wall behind, then purchased an MDF board to fit across the top. 

The sheers and pillows were purchased, but I made the cushion for the window seat....something Julia has always wanted in her bedroom:

She added the balloon :)

So much character can be added to rooms, especially bedrooms, with simple and cheap details....like adding ribbon to pictures or spray painting frames you already have:

This chandy was given to me and was a brushed nickel...I sprayed it heirloom white, then picked up the shades at Goodwill.  I sprayed them too...they look fushia (which would also be cute), but they're actually orange.  Would love to find some orange crystals to add in the future:

Julia loves her room, and I'm tickled how it all came together.

So, Ingrid's dining room is next.  I'll be sure to take some pics of that when we finish up.  It's such a good exercise to work in other folk's homes....it makes you get out of your comfort zone, see the world thru another's eyes.  It's broadened my perspective on styles that 'speak' to others. It's also helped me articulate to others how to define their spaces, not just copy a magazine picture.  Ingrid has moved from a gold/deep red scheme to deep greens and burgundies...lots of saturated colors and classic design elements.  Formal, traditional, yet warm and welcoming. 

So, there ya go.  Up next, I'm painting my daughter's queen four poster and dresser for her cousin's new bedroom!  I'm also hacking away at my back porch in the 90+ heat.  Just have some chair covers to sew up and hang some cute stuff on the walls.  Painting the floor will need to wait until cooler temps in the fall when we're not going in and out to the pool a zillion times each day :)