Friday, October 14, 2011

Painting and Ponderings From The Studio of The Homeless Finch

in progress
In the studio today working on a few paintings.  Been very contemplative about the Homeless Finch today too.  I love my work. I love writing a blog too.  I don't like promoting it.  Nope. Don't. Promoting a blog is time consuming and arduous for me.  But why have a blog if no one is reading it. Right? I don't know.

in progress
Do you ever think like this? Second guess why you do things.  If you write a blog, do you question why you write it? If I never posted to another linky party again, would people find me?  Are there other ways to get my words out there that are less time consuming?  Do I even have the time to explore them?  Should I care?  What is my blog suppose to be?... for me?  What are my expectations now that I have been blogging long enough to understand the great parts and the not so great parts? Do my followers actually read my blog?  Wondering....pondering... 

"Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind."
~ Dr. Seuss  

in progress

-The End-

Thursday, October 13, 2011

A Kitchen Cabinet Becomes An Open Shelf And A Burrow For Woodsy Too!

Woodsy moved yesterday!  Yep, once again my fun little Woodsy the Owl has taken flight and has found a new home right smack dab in the middle of my latest project, my kitchen. If you have recently started following me and have no idea who this Woodsy character is, let me explain.  The rest of you, just hang here a second.
Woodsy in a garden area.

Back several months ago, I found this ceramic owl at a neighbor's yard sale.  I wrote all about him and an environmental campaign that I remembered from my childhood with a mascot by the name of Woodsy.  The blog post is entitled, Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute! Since then, Woodsy has starred in many blog posts along the way.  He has kinda been a traveling companion of sorts having joined in as an accent on many of my redecoration projects.  I probably should give him his own category on my blog!! 

The last time you saw him was on my upper patio update.  But the weather was often windy, and I stressed out that he would get knocked over and broken. (Yes, I stressed out about that!!) 


Before

Okay. So. I actually think it is possible, that Woodsy has found his final home.  Have I said that before?! As you guys know, I have been working on my kitchen.  I have just been forced to replace most of my appliances.  The stove/oven and the dishwasher died all at once and the microwave was on it's last leg.  After replacing them, I took a look around and realized that I never really liked my kitchen and couldn't figure out why. 


Dysfunction. lol


So I wrote about it here.  I placed the post on a few linky parties trying to graze for ideas.  A few ideas were offered, but in the end, I realized that the problem was that I never really decorated the space.  It just lack any personality.  It was also very dysfunctional and I have taken care of a lot of the deficiencies as well.

I chose to go with a black and white theme, keeping the cabinets natural. It was something that Kat of Kat's Nature said in her comments that got me to thinking black accents. A few of you suggested that I bring my utensils up into neat containers and I have done it and love, love, love the change.  I almost have it completed and will show you the entire room with before and after shots soon.  But I wanted to show you one thing that I did and how Woodsy flew in for the save!  The overall plan was to infuse my style into a kitchen that felt too contemporary for my tastes. 

One mini project that I took on was removing a cabinet door and making open shelves for my favorite cookbooks.  I had been keeping them in a hallway closet and I wanted them closer for reference.  I picked up black and white gingham fabric at Joann's.  Using my Modge Podge, I lined the cabinet walls, covering up the ugly shelf peg holes and hinge holes.  I later cut open the holes I needed in order to re-hang the shelves.  Easy peasy.  Presto chango!

I placed my cookbooks on the shelves and realized that I needed something neat for the space to the left of one stack.  I looked around my house and found nothing, mainly because I wanted something black or white and didn't see anything charming enough.  So I set out for a day of shopping.  I am not kidding, I shopped for this one item, like some time wasting idiot!!  In the end, I returned home with nothing.  I wasn't upset.  I rarely get upset about these things because I know that sometimes, taking time for something to simmer brings better results in the end. (That's my old, mature lady talking to me in my head.) 

Yesterday, I was walking by a table in my master bedroom and noticed Woodsy perched all alone.  I had just popped him there on a windy day, when I didn't want him to get damaged just beyond the nearest door on my patio.  Had I forgotten Woodsy?! Oh deary dear me.  I did. (Shh....don't ever tell him.)  I stood there for a moment and Viola!  My little accent was here all along!  Woodsy to the rescue!  I snatched him up, ran down the stairs and delivered him beside my cookbooks.  Perfect! Yeah! 



Yes, I realize that I am amused at some strange things. Hey, that's me. 

Now this cabinet is open, charming, and functional. I also used the gingham fabric to line the two larger cabinets that have glass fronts on them.  Ties the room together nicely.  Considering using the fabric on some sort of window treatment over the sink.  Still contemplating that one.  One other really great thing.  Now that there isn't a door on this cabinet, I can add a pendant light over the eat in table that is right in front of it!  Before, I couldn't because the door would have knocked into a hanging light. 

So pleased having Woodsy in the kitchen with me. Makes me smile.


-The End-



Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Gotta Get The Shutters Up...Master Bath Redo Update


Inspiration Pic

I have a million projects in midstream.  I thought I would give you a sneak peek at one of them.  My master bathroom project that started months ago and stalled is back in full swing.  I am going to continue the theme of yellow and white, bead board and such from the Master Bedroom.  In fact, the walls are now painted the same pale yellow.  

I need something for the two windows in the bath.  I want the windows primarily open, but also need privacy at night. I hit the blogs and PinInterest and found this neat idea on a blog named Tidbits From The Tremaynes and pinned it to my PinInterest.

My home improvements guy, Ed was at the house this weekend.  He helped me whip up a few built to suit shutters and they are sitting on my outside studio ready for two coats of white paint. 

He is suppose to be returning tomorrow to install them.  I haven't painted them because I have been so busy with the kitchen re-decoration project! Yikes!  Guess I am getting up early tomorrow. Hope the paint dries quickly.  Once they are painted, I will have him hang them to the sides of these two windows in the bath on chrome hinges.
Window #1 Before

Window #2 Before

There is also this neat old vintage cabinet that I had him hang over the back of the toliet/bidet area.  I plan on painting it and adding some accents, like hooks, etc. 


I am also going to have Ed help me renovate the cabinet doors. I don't like the contemporary lines of the doors, so I will be having him router out a center rectangle, so I can add a bead board and trim treatment before painting them a white Alabaster White from Sherwin Williams. 

All this is happening as I attempt a to redecorate my kitchen, finish my Halloween decorating and get a few tomato plants in the ground before the end of the month!!  Why do I do this to myself I ask?  I guess I like the challenge.  Or maybe I am just crazy. Who knows? I mean who else would do something crazy like this...

Paint a pumpkin white?? Really?? My redo in the kitchen is all about black and white...I needed the pumpkins to be white.  Yep, you got that right. White pumpkins in the kitchen.  I may have gone nuts in the process...but I'm having fun! That's the point....right??!!

-The End-