Well, I must say, there is nothing like the impending arrival of 35 - 40 folks--all wanting to peruse and dissect your living environment to get a gal motivated to clean!
And clean I did. Swept, dusted, vacuumed, sewed, potted plants (hid mothballs in those potted plants--darn cat!), mopped, rearranged, repaired, hanged, you name it . . . it got done! Including a little stashing! (It took me several days to remember where I hid my cassette player and headphones!)
I can't remember if I mentioned this--in the blog anyway--but we opened our house for a tour during the Clarksville Writers Conference. It seems the best friend of Nora Witzel ( a local photographer at the turn of the century), Addie Wilson, was raised in our house. Now, try to keep up, our very own John McDonald wrote an original play about Nora. In it, he made mention of Addie Wilson and her home on Dog Hill. As the Nora Witzel play was a featured item on the writer's conference agenda, someone made the connection and asked if Darren and I would mind hosting a small leg of the tour. Well, after much angst and consternation, we decided, what-the-heck. Darren is currently scraping 120 years of paint from the facade of the house--that which isn't already voluntarily lifting from the wood siding. A tedious job at best--quite miserable, as well, since this happens in a plastic jump suit and ventilator to protect him from the lead, which is undoubtedly in the many layers of paint. So, after explaining that we are concerned about the current condition of our home and it's worthiness for this tour, we relented and reluctantly welcomed the opportunity to share our bit of history.
So, in order to make-up for the less-that-desirable condition of the exterior--I set about accomplishing tasks on the interior. Kendall recently found a dresser at a yard sale, which I painted white (to match the existing dresser) for the master bedroom. I removed the big, white bed and installed three blue wood doors as our headboard. (I thought I had pictures, but . . .I'll promise them later.) The other major project was to complete the dining room chair "aprons" and the cafe-style curtains for the dining room.
Here are some before an after pics.
I made the aprons and cafe-style curtains from burlap. I like the unusual texture for the dining room--which is often more formal than practical. Plus, it's cheap!!! I cut the fabric and finished the e
dges; then I took it to Carol's Creative Embroidery for a monogram--again, unexpected on burlap. When she was done with her work, I added the ribbon to each of the bottom edges--which I used to tie it to the chair. (Try to ignore that stain on the seat--that's the next project!)
dges; then I took it to Carol's Creative Embroidery for a monogram--again, unexpected on burlap. When she was done with her work, I added the ribbon to each of the bottom edges--which I used to tie it to the chair. (Try to ignore that stain on the seat--that's the next project!)
The next addition was the cafe-style curtains. I had thought about making them full-length, but the addition of the ficus trees added the height and balance I was looking for--plus, they need light!
I'm pleased with the results; even more pleased that it's all done!
I'm pleased with the results; even more pleased that it's all done!Do you have any projects you're working on? Anything that has you stumped? Feel free to send me a picture and I'll do my best to respond with some suggestions.
Thanks for your indulgence!
~Paige
