Master Bedroom - A Work In Progress...

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Bed

You thought this was done already, right? In February, 2018, I wrote a blog post about the Paul Bunyan bed and bedroom set we purchased for the master bedroom. While it's a beautiful set, this bed has, lately, been almost impossible for me to get into at night. That's mainly because of the issues related to my recent surgeries. (I wrote about this beautiful set HERE.)

 

Well, obviously, I need to be able to get into bed at night without having an issue, so Handsome and I discussed options. The Paul Bunyan bed is a queen size bed, and while it fit in the master bedroom, the whole set definitely took up more space. We even discussed painting the set to make it appear smaller, but in the end, the height of the mattresses was still an issue. Let me say that changing the depth of the mattresses wouldn't make a significant difference because of where the rails are set to hold them.

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Bed

I have loved the double size farmhouse bed since I purchased it before we'd even moved into the house. The downside of this bed is that, my dear husband is 6'5" tall, and a double bed is too short for him. We do have a queen size bed in another bedroom, so we have sleeping options.

In light of the fact that I'm likely to have another surgery, I need a bed in which I'm comfortable (I sleep alone post-op), and the farmhouse bed fits that parameter. So, a week ago, the Paul Bunyan bed left the second floor (thanks to my dear nephew's help), and the farmhouse bed returned to the master bedroom.

The rest of the dark bedroom set will be moved out, as soon as I find adequate vintage pieces to replace the dresser and armoire. Then, we'll sell the entire set as the guest room is too small for it. My vintage dressing table will also come back into this room.

Usually, I have a larger table next to the bed, but with winter coming, I don't want my chair blocking the radiator. The little plant stand will function perfectly as a surface for my overnight water bottle, and my eye glasses. 

I'm not sure I like the Wyeth print so high above the bed, so that might move into the fabric room when it's finally turned into the future guest room. We also brought the side wall lamps with us from Florida when we moved here. They've been stored safely until now. We've mounted them on the wall, and they function perfectly next to the farmhouse bed.

Once the entire bedroom is finished in keeping with the farmhouse look, I'll be sure to take more photographs to share. For now, I have a completely comfortable place to sleep and rest. I have a lot of sorting to do...mainly clothes (sheesh! How did I accumulate so much?), but there are other things, too, and then I can finish up. I can tell you there are lots of pieces that will be donated and shared.

One other piece I need is a nice bookcase. I love to read, and most of our books are still in boxes - tucked where they'll stay dry and safe until we have bookcases. I miss our Florida library room, and hope we can figure out the best place to do that here. For now, a bookcase in the master bedroom would be a nice start. 

I have so much inspiration from which to draw. I save photos that I find on Pinterest or online from favorite blogs. I'm not in any hurry, so I have time to edit and end up with what we really want. I like that this is a work in progress. Once of these days it will be complete, but I'm going to enjoy the process...the journey...until we get there.

I'm Calling This "Done"...

 Even though I still need to have track lighting installed (I don't mess with electricity),
I'm calling this project "officially done"! Just in time, too. Two weeks was longer than
I thought this was going to take - and I moved more things than I ever thought I had!

 I don't think I can take one more day without turning on my sewing machine to
make something beautiful. Kris has been waiting patiently for her giveaway gift
(she gave me the ok to finish this remodel first), and now I can create her mug mat
to go with a few other gifts for her. I want to put her goodies in the mail this week!

 My computer is now in my studio, so I'll be able to work on my new EQ7 for Mac™
program, QuiltPro™ or answer blog correspondence from my studio now. Yay!!!

Although the closet that my computer was in (without the doors) is now holding
studio things that wouldn't fit in here, it's just across the hall from this room. I'll
be able to quickly access what I need to gradually empty it out. My plan is to make
new things or list items for sale in my Etsy or Ebay shops in the very near future.

Miss Ellie is now in my Koala™ Quilter's Dream cabinet. Miss Prissy is going   on a much-needed break so I can have her serviced and cleaned. When she's back home, I'll decide how to set them up so that both machines are at the ready.    If you're curious about what I'll be doing today, I'll give you three guesses... and the first two don't count. Oh, and I'll be having a little fun with my silly Corgi, too. He told me he's due for an outing and I hate disappointing him.

My Fabric Tower...

I've been talking about getting my fabric tower installed since last weekend.

Yesterday, we finally got the shelf units stacked and anchored. I spent the 

day filling them with the piles of fabric that have been on our dining room 

table all this time. It was good to see the top of our beautiful teak table again!

I took my time, making sure that all the like colors were in the right piles.

When the kids were little, we used to call it "same to same". So, I went through

all the fabric, moving some from one pile to another. I also decided to make a

separate stack just for batiks and ended up with two piles. They're in the center

 two compartments right above the pinks and below the greens. So pretty.

These are the two shelf units that I will look at while I'm sewing. I like being 

organized again, and I'm really glad that this part of the job is finished now.

Handsome walked in just as I was completing this job and he smiled and said,

"You're a spoiled brat." I told him I planned to tell you that I've always referred to

 him as my personal "Patron of the Arts" (and this proves it). He said, "Well, you

 tell them that I refer to you as my 'Spoiled Brat'." I just did. (I've kept my word.)

This is where we decided to place my old needlework shop sign. Thanks to the

cleats that are anchoring the other bolt shelves to the back wall, I lost the space I 

needed above the shelves to put my sign there. I think I like this location better.

I placed my frame with my show ribbons above the door to the hallway. This way I can

see all the fabrics on my shelves. Now the ribbons are where I can see them, but not in 

 a place where it looks like I'm bragging (too much) by having them front and center.

Now it's time to find places for the rest of my...stuff. Some of it may or may not

make the final cut into the studio. Nothing quite like a move to make you review

what you have - and the value in keeping or letting go of it. It's a good exercise.

The dining room has been reclaimed as of yesterday, and today, I'm working to 

reclaim our second guest room. Computer and printer will come into the studio,

which will free up that closet space for more of my studio overflow other things.

I'm serious about having this project finished by the weekend. 

I'd better get back to it if I'm going to keep to my schedule.

Happy May Day, my friends!

Rejuvenated...

I've spent nearly every day since April 17th swapping the studio and our

main guest room. To say "I'm tired" would be a colossal understatement.

Handsome has been a huge help, but there is so much that I have to do

myself - like rearranging all the fabric and furniture in the new space.

(It's a good thing most of the furniture pieces are on wheels.)

This is what I (we) have accomplished so far in the new studio.

• Paint

• Flooring and molding

• Clean Window

• Shelves installed

• Furniture installed

• Restocking bolt shelves

• Refilling pattern cabinet

 But I was too tired to do anything in here yesterday. I went to Sarasota
for a hair appointment, and was happy to spend the morning relaxing
in a chair and being pampered. When I got back home, I took Tag out
onto the pool deck and we took a much needed (and appreciated) nap
in the sun. It was just what the doctor ordered. I feel energized today!

Handsome and I are going to assemble the "tower" of shelves for my
folded fabric and then I'll spend however long it takes to restock them.
I'm getting closer every day! We're (Handsome, Tag and I) hoping that
this project is finished by the weekend and our home is back to normal.

Wish me luck!

 

P.S. - I went to Panera's last night to visit with the girls. Four of us were the last to leave, and as we crossed the parking lot, dear Adele's ailing knee gave out and she fell down before I could catch her. She hurt her hand, hit her head on the pavement,  and cut her face in the process of breaking her glasses. Of course, she also hurt her knee further. She was bleeding and unable to get up so we called an ambulance for her. They cleared her to go home, but we called her son to come and get her rather than let her drive. She's going to be sore today, for sure. Adele is in her 80's (she'd kill me for telling you that), so falling is always a big deal. I tell you all this to ask you to say a healing prayer for her. Thank you.

 

An Accomplished Weekend...

I shared my progress on Facebook over the weekend, but I'm so excited to show you my finished studio floor and all I've accomplished since I last posted here.   What do you think? Do you like the way the floor looks? Can you even believe that it's vinyl planking and not wood? I like the way feels to walk on barefoot, too.

I moved my computer and serger tables in on Friday, and then we placed the first shelf unit for the "tower of fabric" on the wall to get an idea of placement. (Please still ignore that ugly lamp. Really. It's not going to stay in the studio.)

I'm checking my floorplan drawing and making final furniture decisions.    One of the funny things was that by the time I got to the closet, I was getting really good at cutting and piecing the flooring. The project was coming to an end by then. My hands, knees and back were really glad, but my mind wanted   to start all over so I could do a better job on the main floor. She's bonkers, eh?

The closet doors are already back on their hardware in this picture, but trust

me, the fit of the floor around that hardware was meticulous and perrrr-fect!

 I rolled my storage drawers from the studio (bath) closet right into the new space.

All my wools, ribbons, special fabrics, jewelry charms and findings in one place.

...and my perfect new floor was covered up in no time flat. (lol)

The last place I worked (with Handsome's invaluable help) was this wall.

Introducing the shelves that started this entire, wonderful, exhausting process.

Saturday was installation day. We added a narrow shelf to each of the four main

units, added the stability cleats to the top, anchors in the (newly painted) wall

and everything was in. Did you really think I'd go to bed without moving my

bolts of fabric in? I didn't stop until I was too tired to carry another single thing.

I'd like to say at this point that those are not full bolts of fabric. Kathy and Nora
saved empty bolts for me when I asked. If I have two or more yards, I put it on a
bolt to avoid folds. Many of those bolts are only a few yards, but you can see
 that I also have full bolts of fabrics that I can use for sashing, borders or backing.

I had to parade every single bolt past Handsome to get them into the studio. He'd
 look over the top of his glasses at me, smile and shake his head. More than once,
 I purposely held the bolts high enough so he couldn't see my face as I walked past.

This single unit holds novelty and children's fabrics. There are animals, and many

 other patterns that will be just right for kids' quilts, napkins and runners. The bottom

 shelf holds my fusible batting and other stabilizers. One step closer to a finished studio.

I hit a snag with my cutting table. We must have twisted it in the move because my

drawers refused to align properly. That was a frustration and disappointment I hadn't

expected, so I went on break yesterday. I went to Handsome's final band concert of the

season and forgot about the studio for a while. It was a welcome, musical diversion.

I'll be tightening all the components today, hoping that it will fix the problem or that

I can figure out what's wrong with it. Then, there will be more stacking and stocking 

before I'm ready to show you my final space. Tag will be back tomorrow and I hope

that I can show you a finished studio on Wednesday. Cross your fingers for me, ok?

One More Coffee Club Date and Studio Progress...

Empty Shelves and Good Friends. (l-r: Brenda, me, Kathy, Fay, Nora and Joni)

I have more photos of the progress in the studio below, but first I want

to mention that today is our last Coffee Club Saturday for the foreseeable

future. Today the shop will close its doors for good and Kathy and Nora

are going "on break". They've devoted a lot of time and energy into their

quilt shop venture and they're ready to spend some time doing fun things

with their families. We'll still see each other at guild, but no more Saturdays.

All of us in 2012. (l-r: Flo, Joni, Nora, Fay, Kathy, me and Brenda)

When I think about all the fun we've had together on these mornings, I know it's going to feel weird not getting up on Saturday to go down to the shop. We got to know each other better and we shared a lot of laughs and more than a few tears. We mourned the loss of loved ones and we've celebrated life. Now it's time to start a new chapter. I know we'll all keep in touch. Our visits will just be at different  times and in different places. Change is inevitable. We'll embrace it. We're all wishing Kathy and Nora wonderful new adventures. No "goodbyes".  Just good wishes.

 I know you're all waiting for a studio update, too, so here you go...

 We finished the floor before 5 o'clock yesterday. Trim pieces were installed 

behind these Koala furniture pieces, but not where shelves will be installed. I 

don't want to remove the baseboard from those areas, so we left them all in place. 

This picture is from the doorway into the room. My computer will be in the 

corner straight ahead and my serger table is right next to it. (Pardon the lamp. It's 

temporary and ugly. I just needed it for light until I decide how to light the space.)

 This is taken from the opposite corner from the door. Shelves will be installed on

 the wall behind me. The shelves with the partitions are part of my "tower of fabric"

 from the old studio. I placed it here for a preview. They'll be stacked and secured

 to the wall before I put all the folded fabric back. I can't wait to see it all in place!

 This door goes to the shared bathroom between the studio and the other

guest room. I'll be placing the cutting table under the window on the left.

 Shelves here for bolts of fabric. There will be a total of 129" of shelves on

this wall and the section of wall to the left of the window. There's one more

26" shelf unit that will be next to the bathroom door for a few more bolts.

I'm envisioning a riot of color on those walls, which is why I chose the soft

color for the wall itself. Which leaves only one more area to reveal to you.

The studio closet! I'm really proud of the way this entire floor turned out, but I  think

 the way I (perfectly) pieced the boards around the door hardware and into  the closet

 is my favorite part. I got better as I went along and was almost a pro by the  time I came

to the part that would be behind doors. It's a shame it will be hidden more often than not.

 Before I quit for the day, I moved all my drawer units into place, along with 

the large rolls of specialty fabric I have. Some of it is decorator fabric I have for

projects I've been thinking about, and then there are a few vintage bridal laces

I purchased for future garments. Now, they're in a place where I don't have

to worry about them falling on me like they did whenever I turned on a light

in the old studio. Clean, dry storage for my finer fabrics. I'm happier already.

 There are also drawers containing my wools, bindings, adhesives, ribbons, charm

packs, fabric set aside to finish more napkins or table runners and a lot of other good

 stuff. I also have my specialty papers (printables, etc.), rubber stamps and jewelry

  findings in the other drawers. There's a lot more here than meets the eye, but I know

 what is where and am happy to have it in the studio rather than in closets in other

 rooms or otherwise scattered around the house. Handsome is happy about this, too.

There's still a shelf above all these drawer units that I'll use for my baskets of batting.

 That should just about complete the available closet space until I sort and purge further.

I'm off to Coffee Club and then back home to get those shelves ready to install.

I know one thing is for sure...I'm finished working on my knees for the rest of

this project! My hands and knees are officially on break. Now it's only fun stuff.

Tomorrow is a new Sunday Scripture and I'll be back with lots of pictures Monday.

 Tag and Handsome can't wait until this is all done, so I better get back to it.

T.G.I.F...

 A closet (and a little trim where the wall will be exposed) and I'm done!

Today is the day I finish this aspect of the remodel. I. can't. wait!!!

My fashion statement these days...knee pads with gel inserts. Even so, my knees

look rug-burned (not my idea of the most fun way to get a rug burn, mind you!)

and my hands are swollen. I removed all my jewelry - except my wedding ring

(which never comes off) - prior to starting this project so they wouldn't get damaged.

 I found out yesterday, when dressing to go to my class, that my hands are too

swollen to put on any of my other rings. No jewelry until I'm completely done now.

In spite of careful planning, there is a gap that will require "fussy cutting" for the 

final row of planks. I walked away at this point to consider my strategy. I've worked

it all out now and am ready to tackle this issue and the closet now that I've rested.

  Handsome headed out for a few pieces of base molding. I don't want this narrow section of plank to pop up (and I have tables going on this wall), so I've decided to go with the trim just in this area. My plan is to be finished by noon. I need to finish this by noon. My sore knees and hands require that I finish this by noon.
Then a short break before I begin the next step. Handsome and I will add one  extra shelf to each of my incoming shelf units from Sandy's Quilt Shop. If we accomplish this in good order, We might be able to move them into the studio today! Even so, we'll only anchor them to the walls and then I'll start stocking them after our final Coffee Club at the shop on Saturday. It's time to take back the house. It's going to be a busy weekend, but I can see the proverbial "light".
Even though I'm feeling extremely accomplished after this week, it's not quite  time to "spike the ball" yet. No rest yet, either. So, my friends, as you go about your Friday evening, if the opportunity presents itself, tip one for me, ok?
Have a great weekend!

Paint, Planning and Playing...

You might have noticed that I've been in a redecorating mood lately. Heck, if you've been on my blog at random times during the day, you'll find me experimenting with color, margins, gadgets and what-have-you.  I guess it's the desire for something different to begin the new year, whether it be on my blog or in our home.

I've been cleaning rooms, tossing, painting and re-thinking the amount of clutter stuff I have. It has always been a mixed blessing for me. So many things I care for and move from home to home, across hundreds of miles. Yet, there are times I feel more that those things own me than the other way around. I'm really getting better at moving things out of here, but it's a daily challenge.

I love the newly painted guest bathroom and I'm slowly sorting my way through paint chips as I try to decide on a new color in the guest bedroom. I want something as quiet and restful as the color we chose for the bathroom. Not the same color, but something that will coordinate with it. I plan to share it with you when I finally make my decision and start putting paint on the walls.

I forgot to tell you the trick I read about on a blog I found through Pinterest. Add a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract to your gallon of paint and you won't have a paint smell permeating the house when you're finished painting. I did this and it really works! (It doesn't affect the color of the paint, either.) All that fresh paint, with none of the yucky paint smell. Magic, I tell you!

Oh, and let me say something about Pinterest. I'm still finding my way around, but it's a great resource. You can bookmark anything you find on the internet into one handy place. (Dang! Like I needed one more place to kill time.) There's a lot I don't know about the site yet (someone told me that she'd seen some of my Brynwood photos "pinned", but I can't find any), but I'll be rationing my time there as I try to figure out how to navigate all the cool places you can get to through them. I have a lot of projects I want to do this year, so I can't be spending all my time there (and believe me, it wouldn't be hard to do).

Last night was Handsome's spotlight solo as he played the main percussion rhythm for Ravel's Bolera with the North Port Concert Band. He was wonderful, so I want you to see him play, too! I haven't downloaded and edited the video yet, but I'll do that today and share it with you tomorrow.

Oh, TOMORROW!!! TAG COMES HOME TOMORROW! As I told my friend, Troy at Junk Exchange yesterday..."There will be rejoicing throughout the land".

Greeting The New Year With A Paintbrush...

On New Year's Day I got a bee in my bonnet. I wanted to start the new year off with a house project. Something a little more involved than vacuuming and dusting. You have no idea how much I dislike those glass doors on the guest bathroom tub, but I'll tell you. It's a lot!

Having them on the tub makes it difficult to bathe grandchildren or step into the shower (if you're tall). Let's not even talk about how hard it is to keep them clean! I have to get into the tub to clean the tub - and the doors are always water-spotted, even if you use a squeegee. Gah!

The walls have been that chalky white color for the whole nine years we've lived here. I'm sick of it. It was time to choose a color that would accent the off-white woodwork.

I went to Home Depot and brought home a bunch of paint chips. I love Behr paint and the great coverage I get when I use it. Handsome and I finally settled on this color - Wheat Bread. I wanted to make sure we didn't go too dark, otherwise I might have chosen Mocha Accent. I love the color, but didn't want to darken a small room that much. (I cut the color name off the bottom chip when I cropped this image.)

Anyway, Handsome and I removed those shower doors on Sunday morning and put them aside to donate. We tried the local Habitat for Humanities office, but they said they didn't take shower doors. (Really? They rebuild and refurbish houses and don't take stuff like this?) They weren't grungy or anything. They just needed a light cleaning and we'd been really careful to remove them without damaging them. In the end, we contacted the Suncoast Humane Society Thrift Store, and they were thrilled to have them. Handsome delivered them to their store on Monday while I started painting.

This is the "after" picture of the tub area. New shower curtain, rugs and waste basket. The color is actually truer on the second photo (below). This one looks more tan than it actually is.

This is better. See all those tiles across the back of the shower? They wrap all the way around, and they were installed in the house when we purchased it. There were two young children living here with their parents, and their handprints and artwork became part of the decor when the house was built. Perhaps some day they'll be replaced with our grandchildrens' artwork, but they'll stay for now.

This bathroom is referred to as "Jack and Jill", because it sits between two rooms and is shared by both. The tub area has its own sink and the linen closet is in this section. This is the "before" photo of the sink area.

This is the "after" photo. Subtle change, but we like it so much more in  this color. I decided that the heron print was more appropriate with the seashell shower curtain than the dog images, but I had to keep that Golden figurine on the sink. It makes me smile.

The toilet side of the bathroom has a sliding door between the two rooms. It also has its own sink. "Before"...

and (a blurry) "after" shot. This section of the bath doesn't have a window, which is why I was careful choosing a color. This side could have gotten really dark had we started with a darker shade of paint.

This is the toilet area "before" painting, with my favorite grizzly bear poster on the wall. He's looking at the camera as he scratches his back against the pine tree. This used to hang in our master bath in our northern house, and I wanted to make sure it had a place in our home in Florida, too.

It went back on the wall in our guest bath. So, that's how I spent Day Two of the new year! Day Three (yesterday) was spent emptying and sorting through my studio bath closet. I'm still not finished sorting through all the things that were in that closet, but I took a few bags of yarn to my friends in the knit group at Paneras last night along with two boxes of knitting magazines. I'd say that's a pretty good start.

I'll be cleaning up the transplanted closet clutter out of the studio today and then dealing with my "piling system" in my office area so that I have that mess under control before the end of today. I need to get back to creating in the studio soon. Doing this stuff wears me out!