Living room paint - check!
Furniture back in place - check!
After a brief hiatus, we're back at it and working on the molding and door casing.
I spent a few days writing a paper on the Americans With Disabilities Act for a class I was taking and wrapping up a few last-minute assignments. The end result was a "B" for the semester. Whew!
Then it was on to finishing a submission for the summer edition of Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine, followed by "the laundry volcano." No matter how organized or "pulled together" I seem, laundry is the bane of my existence.
But on to renovation:
We found this over-sized map of the United Kingdom at TJ Maxx a month or so ago, and I knew I had to have it. My mother was British, and both Joey and I lived in England at various times in our childhood (courtesy of the US Air Force). Allie and my dad spent six weeks there last summer, visiting my aunt.
At $90, it was a little "spendy" for me. I've never paid that much for something purely decorative, but the subject matter has a special meaning to us and it's been fun looking for our old haunts.
Allie's "Metro" painting was one of her art projects this semester, and we decided to hang it in the living room. It's based on picture she took in Paris last summer.
Joey hung his grandfather's cross-cut saw blade over the patio door. First he attached a board to the studs over the door frame, then drilled two holes in the blade and screwed it to the board. He assured me we're in no danger of any guillotine-like "accidents" - right after he asked how much life insurance I had. Hmmm....
Anyway, we think it's pretty cool to have on display. It's easily 100+ years old, and I love its rusty patina. Pop was a carpenter, and we still have a pair of bookcases that he made years ago.
We also put new blinds on the door and got rid of the sheers and drapery panels. I wasn't sure if I would like it at first, but it looks very clean and crisp. The blinds are almost the exact color of the new paint - talk about lucky! We liked them so much we bought three more for the dining room windows.
I wish I had been able to put up the wide wooden blinds; but our window frames are very shallow and they would stick out well beyond the woodwork. My second choice would have been matchstick blinds, but they were "cost prohibitive" for as many as I would need. The blinds are a nice alternative, and far more budget friendly at $10 each.
The molding is done in the living room, dining room, and study; and we're making our way down the hall slowly but surely. I'm looking forward to a few weeks from now, when it's all done and we're not tracking sawdust all over the house!
We'll get there. :)
Come back next week and take a look at my free kitchen island...it's red hot!
