Brynwood Needleworks - Bedroom Set For Sale/Sold...

 

 

Less than twenty four hours after listing our Paul Bunyan bedroom set for sale on Marketplace, the new owners were in our drive and ready to load up their purchase. When I saw the van and short bed truck coming down the road, I was skeptical about whether or not the set would leave in one trip.

I'm pretty proud of the fact that I have the gift of being able to puzzle pieces together so they fit. I moved out of my first apartment in a remarkably packed VW Beetle. This would be a piece of cake.

I measured the length of the truck box, height of the armoire and length of the large chest of drawers. Yes. With the possible exception of the headboard, it was all going to fit.

 

 

Happily, the side chests, bedrails and footboard fit into the van with no room to spare. The wheel well held the footboard in place, so I knew it would travel well. This load was secure and stable, so nothing would be damaged on the hour long drive home.

 

In the end, the headboard fit snuggly between the armoire and chest of drawers. Multiple cargo straps later, the sun came out and the caravan headed out of the driveway and northward home.

 

The armoire was an afterthought, so I took photos and measurements and texted the buyer to see if they wanted that piece, too. When he said yes, I told him I'd charge him half of what I actually wanted for it because it was clean and empty, but still upstairs. He still wanted it, so I held my breath as I watched them carry it down our narrow and steep farmhouse stairs and straight out of the front door.

Like a good blogger, I took photographs. Like a good grandma, I directed this young man to text me once he was safely home. He was so cute. He'd come with his wife, mom and two other young (strong) people. They all helped lift drawers, cannonballs, and the heavier pieces. I helped with a few of the smaller pieces. 

 

About two hours later, my phone signaled a text message. Yes. He sent a photo of the bed set up in one of their bedrooms. The room where it will end up is currently being painted, but he actually said he'd send another photo once it's in the final installation.

I was happy. They were happy, and the first month of 2023 already has a major grouping decluttered from our environs. Talk about multitasking!

 

 

My longest and dearest friend is in Wisconsin from Georgia to attend the funeral of one of her mum's oldest friends. She called me and is coming today for a whirlwind cuppa tea and visit before turning back for home.

Tonight is our planning meeting for our 50th Class Reunion. As I'm the chairman, I'll have a little prep work to do before our dinner gathering. Not much will happen in the studio today, so I'll be busy tossing things that won't be moved this weekend in our "switcheroo fest". Sewing will have to wait until Friday.

Don't fret that I'm doing too much. I spend a lot of time sitting with my feet up to compensate for these short bursts of exertion. I know I'm still healing and am taking great care not to cause any new issues. I promise not to overdo it, but I know how blessed I am that you're concerned for me. Thank you for that.

Sidetracked...

 

This isn't a recent photograph. I took it when this bed was still in my room. The reason I moved it out was because it was quite a hike to get up (much) onto it every night, and I was spoiled by my farmhouse bed, which is lower. Then I spotted the bed with the acorn and oak leaves motif and I was hooked. The big news is that I'm going to move my studio from two rooms to this larger room so we can have a guest room. 

 

This bed has been in the garage until today, when it's going to a new home, along with the matching dresser and side tables. Once the gent arrives, I'll ask if he's also interested in the matching armoire (which is still upstairs). If he is, he and his buddy will have to carry it downstairs, but I'll offer it to him for a steal that I hope he can't resist. I have a few surprises for Handsome that I want to accomplish while he's in Florida, and that armoir disappearing would be a big part of the plan.

I'm going to go out and dust off the pieces I know this man is going to purchase, and then give the armoire a dusting, just in case. 

Help is scheduled for Sunday to get the fabric room emptied and move my shelves and cutting table into the front room. Then, we'll reset my bedroom set into the newly-vacated fabric room. My plan is that the sewing room will be the guest bedroom (with the built-in cabinetry for now), and I'll also move my comfy chair in so I can sit and stitch there, too. With my nephew, Dan helping, it should go quickly and I won't be lifting all the heavy stuff. When I asked him to help, he didn't hesitate contingent only on whether or not his bride has something planned for their family that he doesn't yet know about. So, with my fingers crossed, I'm hoping the in-house move can proceed as planned.

The Barn Girls are back outside. They're not quite happy about it, but I need my sleep and those two romp around (mostly on me!) all night. I had also bought new litter for them that was better than the clay they were used to. On a recommendation by a few people, I bought a 40# bag of pelletized horse bedding for them. It smelled better and wasn't as messy as clay either. I was happy. Crystal was happy. Claudette was not. I found a nasty surprise in another room when I woke up, and that was that. Outside, thank you very much! (The dogs are happy about this new development, too!)

I know Crystal isn't disappointed. Although she's very cuddly inside, she really prefers the outdoor life. Claudette, on the other hand, was quite put out. She sat on the porch rail looking in the house most of the day. I let her in for a bit of a visit after dinner, and then gave her a cuddle and kiss and told her to go find Crystal as I put her out. At least she wasn't sitting and wailing to be let back in. I admit, they're spoiled.

After the bedroom set leaves today, I'll be back in the studio. I'm going to cut fabric for the sewing/stitching organizer I want to make for the show. I'm hoping to make about a dozen of them by Friday, so I'll get everything lined up and then I can concentrate on sewing without having to go back and forth from the cutting table to the machine. I always look forward to getting the cutting out of the way. It really is my least favorite studio task. Gotta go now. Lots to do. I'll see you tomorrow!

 

And Now, We Wait...

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Living Room Before

 

When we moved into the farmhouse, I was saying that our days of purchasing brand new furniture were over. That was really my plan, but we've been here five years now, and I've been rethinking that decision.

 

While I love every piece of furniture in this room, I don't think they 1) go together very well; 2) make the room feel very spacious, and 3) as we're "maturing", some of this furniture is more difficult to get in and out of. So, after a conversation with Handsome, we decided to go furniture shopping.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Sectional

 

We went on four different outings over four days to furniture stores, and began with a new electric recliner for Handsome. That took time, because he's tall, and a recliner really has to accommodate his long legs. We found the perfect one, and miracle of miracles...it was in stock, and actually delivered three days later!

When we went home after that purchase, we decided it might be the best progression to sell the furniture pieces we no longer wanted to keep, so I listed the two leather Stressless™ chairs first. They sold within twenty four hours! Then, I listed the leather sofa and loveseat. Both were sold in two days, and gone over the weekend. 

 

Fortunately, we had another Stressless™ recliner in Handsome's office that we could move into the living room, and I already told you I brought a nice tolerable padded lawn chaise in from outside as an extra temporary piece until whatever we chose to replace in the room arrived. (Of course, it never occurred to me that we'd have to order, and then wait.)

The sectional pictured above is what we chose. It's the right size for our space, a lighter color that I really wanted (Handsome's recliner only came in a chocolate-y brown.), and it provided a cohesive look for the space. The only thing was that I really didn't want that big, square, monster ottoman shown with the set.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Coordinating Fabric

 

So, I asked our great sales associate, Patty, to help me find something that would coordinate without looking like a "near miss". I grabbed one of the accent pillows and we went in search of an ottoman that fit my parameters.

This sectional was a perfect match for one of the colors in the pillow, and it came with an ottoman in the size I wanted. However, they only had it in gray on the showroom floor.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Alternative Ottoman

 

This is the size I want, but shown in gray. It even has the same legs as the sectional we've chosen. Now, knowing the the other color option was perfect for the sectional we wanted, Patty was accommodating enough to move that ottoman over to the sectional so I could see how it would fit.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Alternative Ottoman with Sectional

Decision made! The ottoman was the perfect size, and it came in a fabric that was nearly a match for the sofa. 

Once all the hard work was done, we went to the desk and placed our order. Alas, it's not in stock, and will be manufactured in Arcadia, Wisconsin (Way to go! American made...in my home state, no less.) As the purchase was made on the weekend, we had to wait until yesterday to find out when it would be scheduled for production. We weren't lucky enough that they could have one in stock just waiting for us.

I got a phone call from Patty yesterday to give us the scheduled production date...November 15th. Okey dokey. I'm told that some people are waiting four or more months, so I'm not going to complain. I didn't want to settle for another section that was close to what I want. This is exactly what I want. So now, we wait.

That's good for now, though. I'm planning to make white linen curtains for the living room windows, and it will be easier to get that accomplished when there's less furniture to move around. (I'll keep telling myself that.) I'm just hoping that, if the production date changes, it moves closer, not further out. I'll let you know...

 

Lounge Lizards...

Brynwood Needleworks - Bella On The Bottom. Carly Up Top.

  

I bet you're wondering why there's a lawn chair (with a pretty dog quilt) in our living room. I can explain.  In recent months, Handsome (with his new knee replacement), and me (with my bad right "wheel") have had a little difficulty getting out of our Stressless™ recliners.

We decided that we wanted to change out our living room furniture, and began by selling the furniture we had. The recliners (leather and in great condition) sold in mere hours and left here on Friday. We did purchase a new recliner for Handsome, which was delivered on Saturday. 

 

The Stressless™ sofa sold in one day, and the loveseat that I purchased from the estate of a friend, left here on Monday. We're interested in purchasing a sectional sofa to come into the room, but haven't found one that met our criteria yet. We're going looking again today. 

In the meantime, seating got a little scarce in the room. We have one Stressless™ chair that was in Handsome's office, so we brought that into the living room for now. Handsome has his awesome new massaging recliner, and I wanted one more seat (the Labradors are lost without a piece of furniture to climb into. lol) in the room, so I brought one of the outdoor lounges in and covered it with a whole cloth quilt.

Bella immediately climbed under the lounge, and fell asleep. We didn't even know she was there until she stretched, revealing her legs and her hiding place. Carly was above her and heard her move. I caught this image as Carly was investigating who was below her. It was actually pretty comical to watch.

Brynwood Needleworks - Tag-a-weenie

I've also helped Tag into this temporary, popular seating piece (in front of a window that looks out onto the north field). They rotate sitting here, also pretty comical. 

I think we'll find our new furniture today or tomorrow, and am looking forward to it being delivered so that we can get back to regular indoor seating, rather than this odd chair, but for now, there are three happy lounge lizards. I'll be happy when we're back to normal, and promise to share "before" and "after" photos with you.

 

A Farmhouse Addition...

Brynwood Needleworks - Living Room

 

I went back to the estate sale at our friends' home to pick up a new addition for the farmhouse. I fell in love with the shape and color of the loveseat, and knew I had to bring it back here.

 

Thanks to my helpers who met me at the estate sale site, helped me load up the loveseat (into their van), and follow me home. Well before noon, it was installed in the house and we were drinking a celebratory cuppa tea.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Loveseat

Isn't it lovely? Bella keeps wanting to sit on it, and I keep dissuading her. I've already moved the four-patch quilt from the leather sofa to the loveseat just in case she prevails when I'm not looking.

 

Handsome drove up our driveway before noon yesterday. We were so glad to see him! I had my Covid test, and am just waiting for the results so I know surgery will be "on" tomorrow. I'll know today for sure. I really want to get it over with! I'll just sit here on my new "tuffet" while I wait. 

 

Tag's in charge of tomorrow's post. He's going to tell you all about his Wednesday last week. You won't believe it! sigh

 

A Beautiful Chair...

Brynwood Needleworks - Brocade Chair Detail

A beautiful, heirloom chair has now returned to the farmhouse. I received a message from Shelly, asking if I'd be interested in this piece. I responded with an enthusiastic "Yes!".

When Shelly's parents still lived in our farmhouse, this chair did, too. After they moved to a care facility, family members moved some of their family treasures to their own homes. This chair moved to Shelly and Andy's daughter's home until this week, when it was offered to me.

Brynwood Needleworks - Brocade Chair

 

Shelly brought the chair to us on Tuesday, and explained its history to me. This beautiful, well-made chair belonged, first, to Shelly's aunt. It then belonged to her parents, moving to her daughter's home, and now it has returned to the farmhouse, where it will continue to be loved and admired.

 

The fabric on the chair is a beautiful brocade, with a dancing couple surrounded by lovely flowers. It looks very much like needlepoint, although it isn't. The shape of the chair is decidedly feminine, and it's a comfortable sit, too! The wood has carving that adds to its loveliness.

 

I'm so tickled to have this lovely, meaningful chair sitting in a place of honor at Hickory Hill Farm. I'm so grateful to Shelly and her family for so graciously sharing it with us. They can rest assured that it will continue to be well-cared for now - and always.

 

Farmhouse Renovation - Master Bedroom...

Farmhouse Furniture

 

Yesterday was busy bringing new furniture to the farmhouse. This is just a sneak peek at the furniture Handsome and I chose. 

As lovely as I think painting all of this a pretty, classic grey might be, I'm not going to. It's a wonderfully, classic bedroom suite that will be comfortable for us, as well as our occasional guests. Once we complete our attic guest space, they can have the third floor to themselves, but for now, our guest room will be also be on the second floor with the master bedrooms.

I can't wait to finish setting it up, but it will be a little while before that's done. I just couldn't wait to share a preview of what's to come. You'll see the whole room soon enough.

A New Chair For The Farmhouse...

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Chair

 

I had my regular Friday lunch with my girlfriend, Stacey, yesterday. After our meal, we went next door to a newer consignment shop. It's just chock-full of high quality furniture and accessories. 

I told Stacey I've been looking for a nice, comfy chair for the farmhouse...a place to sit and stitch, or read a good book. We were almost ready to leave, when I spotted this beauty tucked in a quiet corner. I moved through the other pieces and sat down. I knew right away I'd found what I was looking for. This was it!

Once we got it back to our house, Stacey helped me carry it in. (Handsome was across the state, training with Miss Bella and Stacey lives next door to us.) The upholstery fit right in with our living room rug and colors. So, now, I'll have to decide whether or not this will sit in our northern living room, master bedroom or my studio room (which was what I had in mind when I bought it!).

Either way, I know it's going to be a perfect fit for the farmhouse. Although I don't have recent update photos to share with you these days, there's been a lot going on there. We've had some electrical work done (adding new switches and fixtures); some plaster repairs (and new drywall where appropriate); and more painting. Later this month, our maple floors will be refinished, and then the farm will be ready for us to move in. 

I'm looking forward to being able to share more photographs with you - and I will - just as soon as I have some. In the meantime, I'll continue to show you decor pieces that will help make the farmhouse our new home in the north.

Trying To Decide...

I've shown you this armoire before. I used it as a display piece

in my Wisconsin needlework shop so many years ago. Another

time...Another place. It was useful and served its purpose there,

but it doesn't go with any much of our furniture now in Florida.

With the exception of pieces of antique oak furniture that are better

suited to my "too small" studio, it's otherwise an orphan. But, here's the

deal. I just can't bring myself to part with it yet. I've photographed it

multiple times with the idea that I'd sell it, and then set that plan aside.

See? I've taken photos of the outside and inside of it. It's all cleaned

up and standing, pretty-as-you-please on the covered part of our lanai.

So, I started to think about how I could "populate" it for where it's

  situated right now...until I can come to terms with

where, what, how and when I might do something different with it.

So, for now at least, I've placed some of our Nantucket baskets,

seashells and special pottery pieces inside. Then I topped it with

lots of hydrangea blooms to continue that "island theme" (even if

it's Nantucket Island - one of our favorite family places to visit!). 

Do you like what I've done? I'm still working on the rest of the lanai

arrangement, but I think I'm off to a nice start. I'm looking for a new

 seating set, and that might take a while to find. What we have is fine

for now though, and it's really time for me to get back to the studio.

I do get side-tracked sometimes. You, too?

Letting Go...

 Right this very instant, it looks like a bomb went off in my studio.

This happens from time to time. You know those old-fashioned toys

where you moved little, square tiles around until all the numbers were

in order? That's how I feel in the studio sometimes. Too much stuff and

not enough room. I bring things in and take things out and still there are

too many things in the finite space where I create. So, I'm going to try again.

 This time, I've decided that one of my "old friends will have to move 

out of Brynwood and on to another home where she'll be appreciated.

 I emptied my little armoire out. All the contents are spread on my 

work table, sewing cabinets and on the floor. I've had her since I

had my needlework shop. She was used to display items that I sold

there. She's served me well all these years, but I really don't have

enough space in the studio - and she doesn't go with the decor in the

rest of the house - so I'm setting this sweetheart free. I'm letter her go.

 I know someone is going to love having her. She's so useful, and

 she's pretty, too. She's painted white, with Cheri Blum images

 decoupaged on each door. She might like a little rework, though.

Don't we all like a new outfit and makeup from time to time?

She stands 69 1/2" tall, is 39 1/2" wide and 14" deep. 

There are four shelves and a single bottom drawer.

If you live "local" to me and would like to purchase her,

please let me know. I'm asking $125.00, and plan to list her

up on eBay on Wednesday. If you're interested, don't delay.

Breaking up is hard to do, but letting go makes space for the creative spirit.

I'll just keep telling myself that.

Keepin' It Real...

Before...

 I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm up to my you-know-what in "To Do" 

lists, I get busy...cleaning! It helps me FOCUS my thoughts, so when I've finished

 I can get right back to work - without distractions. Clean it up, then get busy!!

I have an area in the studio that's really been buggin' me so I decided that I'd deal 

with it yesterday. It involved emptying a piece of over-stuffed furniture, moving it 

to another part of the house (garage) to serve a new purpose, and moving a piece 

from another room into the studio. Handsome is up north this week, so I can do a 

bit of tearing up without messing up his life, too. I know he'll appreciate that.

Unfortunately, that means all the proverbial heavy lifting is done alone - with the

aid of those fabulous slider pads that you put under furniture to make moving easier.

As soon as I was finished with the emptying, I moved out one piece of furniture

and moved in the other. Right after that, I took two Aleve and made a cup of tea!

So, I'm calling the photograph you're looking at "Utter Chaos". (giggle)

Tomorrow, I'll show you my rearranged, organized, ready-to-roll studio...

as soon as I find a place for everything that's in my face right now.

(Right after I have another cup of tea.)

Our Moonlight Tango...

Today, Handsome and I went to Ikea in Tampa. I'd been to an Ikea store in Minnesota with my sister a few years ago, and Handsome and I had ordered from their website when we first moved here, but we had yet to shop one of their stores together. Ikea recently opened the Tampa store and we knew that we were going to have to make a shopping date soon. Today was the day.

About twenty years ago, we were in an art gallery in Chicago and came upon the work of an artist named Marcus Pierson. We immediately fell in love with his work and purchased a piece called "Moonlight Tango". His art is whimsical and features, of all things, coyotes as his main theme. You may ask why I tell you this in conjunction with a story about shopping at Ikea today. Let me explain.

We had trekked through about three quarters of the Ikea store today when we entered the lighting department. We looked at hanging lamps, floor lamps and lamps of all shapes and sizes when right before me was the lamp! All I could think of was how perfect this lamp would be to illuminate "Moonlight Tango". I showed the "Stranne" lamp to Handsome, first to see his reaction to it in its own right, and then to see what he thought of my idea to light our sculpture.

He started to smile and agreed it would be perfect. Alright! Score a new lamp for our living room! Bonus that it would be used to accent a piece of art that has made us smile since we purchased it all those years ago.

I should also tell you that for years I resisted Modern Scandinavian design by simply saying that I thought it was cold and without character. My mind was cracked wide open about two years ago when we stopped into a Copenhagen Imports store in Sarasota. I fell in love with the natural, organic look and feel of teak and leather. I couldn't believe I had been so utterly wrong about what the Scandinavian artisans and designers had to offer - to say nothing of the comfort and clean appearance of the pieces.

We have refurnished our living room and dining room with this understated, elegant furniture and I look forward to the day when other rooms in our home will be converted to this design esthetic. In the meantime, we'll add a piece here and a piece there to that end. Perhaps there will even be another Pierson to add more of his whimsical, joyful touch to our dwelling!