Evolving Style

So, I have finally figured out what I like.  I think.  A few years ago, I jumped on the "everything should be light" bandwagon.  After making fun of my mother for years when she would paint all of her walls white or off-white.  Sorry, Mom.  

Anyway, this was what I did in my bedroom. I liked it. But I never loved it. It felt very stark and cold.  Plus, the white bedding didn't stay white very long, and don't get me started on the rug.  Pristine is not how we live. 

In the last few years, I have realized that I do love white - white on furniture; white trim, etc.  And I love light colors on my walls.   I really love shades of gray - blue gray; beige gray; really all gray.  But I have realized that I also love color.  So I've been adding color back into my life.

Terrible picture, but it shows what a few accessories can do to change the entire look of a room.  Same wall color, same furniture, just changed the bedding and the curtains.  (It really does look better than this in real life.  Someday I'll get a new grown-up camera and take real pictures.  But probably not.)  And now that I know what I like, I can stop redecorating all the time.  :) (Hahahahahahaha)

Let there be light.

When we converted our living room into a formal dining room, it looked funny that there was no light hanging above the table.  So we faked it with lanterns and remote-control candles.  It looks lovely, I really like it; however, it really doesn't provide any light.  During the day, not an issue, but if we host anything in the evening, it gets a little murky. 

Serendipitously, I ran into an electrician who had worked in our house, at Grandparents' Day at our school.  He pulled me aside and said, "I'm retired now, but I still like to do small projects from time to time, so if you ever have anything, just let me know." A lightbulb went off in my head and I immediately thought of our dining room.  (Sorry about the bad joke.)

So he stopped by and is going to rectify the situation.  I love the pendant light look (not a huge fan of chandeliers), so I picked up three of these beauties at Lowes.  (Love that store, by the way.  We need one in Willmar.)

It looks a little small in this picture; but they're actually a little bit wider than the lanterns and almost as tall.  Since the view of the lake is amazing from the dining room; and the first thing you see when you walk through the front door, I didn't want anything that would block the view.  I think the clear glass is just the ticket.

And this is sort of what it will look like. Obviously not my house, but the same sort of layout.  I can't wait until it's done.  Then people will actually be able to see what they're eating.

A project and other stuff

I was asked to do a project for a graduation gift after a mom saw the Union Jack/music night stand I did.  She basically wanted the exact same thing.  Ack.  Not good for a few reasons - #1; the nightstand was a very unique piece of furniture; no way was I going to find something like that anytime soon.  #2; I'm not a huge fan of doing the same thing again.  Stifles my creativity. :)

So, I sent her a picture of this dirty little basket tower that I've had for about a decade.  It's been sitting in my workshop for a couple of years, ready for some love.  She said, "go for it."  So I did.

And now the baskets sport the Union Jack and I mod podged sheet music to the top.  It was a very quick project; although it was not super easy to paint the Union Jack on wicker.  I'm not a fan of painting wicker unless I can spray it.

In other news, my hearty children donned their wet suits and went tubing the other day.  The ice was not off the lake until the beginning of May, so that water is CHILLY!  They're brave.

And then when we got back, they did some swimming.  Brrrr!  Makes my feet cold just thinking about it!

I inadvertently went on a field trip with Maggie's class.  (Long story...) It was cold and rainy, but we still packed a lot in.  Canoeing...

The flying squirrel...

And the climbing wall.  I opted out of the "Pond Experience" to make a few phone calls in my car (since I was there inadvertently...)

Jake trained for the 100 meter dash, shot put and long jump for a track and field day.  I tried to post video of one of his training sessions, but it didn't work.  You'll just have to imagine.

I am still working on purging my house.  The above picture shows what I pulled out of the closet in the guest room.  Six garbage bags later; it looks much better.

And I just finished this for a client.  Unfortunately, I don't have a "before" picture of this one.  Think bad cream colored paint job that someone used stain over to "antique" it.  Trust me, this is better.

Today, I cleaned out my workshop.  I really should have taken some pictures, but it was so shameful, I couldn't.  Even Scott was complaining about how bad it was.  (And he can put up with just about any mess on the planet!!)

I have Jake's room, two storage rooms, one closet, my pantry and my garage to go.  I have thrown away/hauled to Goodwill - 46 garbage bags full to the brim.  The sun is finally supposed to shine tomorrow after about a week of rain, so my plan is to dig into my garage.  And then Scott can start parking in there again. :)