Claudia — Page 1420

Fabric, Updates and a Blogging Anniversary on the Horizon

February 15, 2013 at 8:22 am by Claudia

I cleaned out my craft-and-everything-else-under-the-sun closet. (And I finished shredding. Just thought I’d throw that in there.) I have a lot of fabric in wire bins, but I also found some fabric in another container. It was the fabric that I bought in San Diego a few years back. Cheery colors. Some Amy Butler fabric. And, sigh of relief, more of the blue-green print that I have used as a border on the quilt. Now I can use it for binding.

Now, please tell me this happens to you. I found some lovely fabric that I cannot remember buying. I have no memory of it at all.

firfabric

I stared at it. Was it vintage? No. But I could have sworn it was for a moment because it reminds me so much of the fabric here:

friheadboard

I had to take it to the bedroom and compare it to the headboard fabric.

Then there’s the fabric on the wicker rocker cushions:

frirocker

Which is a faded version of the same sort of print. And by the way, not long after I bought this rocker, I realized that the fabric I used to cover the piano bench is almost the same pattern as this one.

fripillow

And here’s the vintage pillow cover on the bed.

Can you tell I like big flowery prints, with red/pink flowers and green leaves?

Some updates:

• Dad is in the nursing home/rehab wing. They are trying to regulate the blood thinner before he goes home. He’s still on oxygen. His room is right next to my mother’s, which is good and bad, because he’s in there all the time. She’s used to having some quiet time. My father is a complicated, often difficult man. He’s scared right now, which ups the difficult factor and I pray each day for more patience in my dealings with him. It isn’t easy. But I need to do better.

• I mentioned a while back that I would be starting another blog, one where I helped other bloggers with their blogging problems. I did all the ground work, even developed the beginnings of a website. I got hung up when I started to think about what I would charge. And that’s where everything ground to a halt. I just don’t feel right about charging for my services right now. Yes, I’m pretty good at figuring out what might be a problem with Blogger or WordPress and I like that sort of challenge. But, my gut tells me that now isn’t the time for that. I’ve learned the hard way to trust my gut instinct and, if every time I tried to wrestle with what my fees would be, I turned away from the project, that tells me something. So, no blog fixing business. That’s not to say it won’t ever happen. It’s just not happening now. If you have a question, you’re welcome to email me and I would be happy to give you any advice that I might have.

• On Sunday, I will be celebrating 5 years of blogging. (Stop by. There might be a giveaway going on.) Since I started this blog, it has gone through all sorts of redos and updates. It took a while to find my blogging voice. It took some time to settle into what I always wanted this blog to be: a friendly place to visit where I share my life here at the cottage and on the road with you. I’ve realized over time, that though I’ve added advertising and that advertising gives me a little additional income, I’m never going to be one of the big bloggers. Nor do I want to be – simply because that would mean I have to concentrate on one thing. On one niche. Personally, that would drive me crazy and would stop me in my tracks. Always writing about decorating? Or crafting? Or gardening? Or whatever? I love all these things and love sharing them with you, but being limited to one thing is just not me. So, if being a big blogger means finding a niche, this girl ain’t going to be a big blogger. I doubt I will ever earn enough on this blog to make a significant difference in our financial life. But I’m oh so grateful for what I do earn.

With the move to WordPress last August, the blog finally became what I want it to be. I love what it is. I love all of you. I love having a conversation in the threaded comments. That, to me, has been a wonderful change for the better. I’ve accepted the fact that I really don’t care about SEO or all the myriad tips out there for building your blog. My eyes glaze over. I. Don’t. Care. Because that stuff takes any joy out of blogging for me. And this blog is and must remain a joyous endeavor for me. That’s why I do it.

I have settled into who I am as a blogger. It took me a long time to do that in my personal life. But finding that truth about myself helped me to find the truth about this blog.

Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. I treasure your friendship. I value your advice. I thank you.

Happy Friday.

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A New Look for the Studio Cabinet

February 14, 2013 at 9:17 am by Claudia

Some of you will remember when I found a cabinet for the studio via Craigs List. A fellow resident of my little town was selling it, the price was good and the next thing Don knew, he was helping me lug it home and then up the stairs. Here’s what it looked liked (from the article on my studio in Studios magazine):

It was painted in a khaki color and the funky homemade handles were painted in a darkish blue. Another view from the day I brought it home:

I talked myself into thinking it looked just fine as is, most likely because I was too lazy to paint it at the time. And it was fine. But the colors really weren’t me – and they didn’t really fit in with the pink and aqua look of the rest of this mini studio.

In my painting frenzy, I decided to take on the cabinet. I used some paint that I had on hand from another project.

cabinet1

It’s now a very pale pink. So much better. I purposely left it a bit weathered and let some of the original paint show through in places. I’ll probably do more aging as time goes on – or just let daily life upstairs in this narrow hallway take care of the aging.

It’s hard to get a good photo. If I want to take a picture, I have to do it at an angle. Or shoot through the spindles:

cabinetthroughstairs

cabinetthroughstairs2

I moved the dolls from their previous home on the top of the bookshelf in the bedroom. I like them better here.

From the left: my mom’s Shirley Temple doll (I’ve given up on trying to restore her banana curls), my favorite teddy bear (who travels with me), my beautiful Tressa with two left feet (you can read her story here) little Emma (she has a story, too, you can read it here) a bunny I won in a giveaway, and my little stuffed dog, Billy Rubin, given to me by Don when I had gall bladder surgery – get it? Bilirubin = Billy Rubin (name courtesy of Elyse.)

cabinetdolls

Inside the cabinet:

cabinetshelf1

Pottery, buttons, a framed print, my wedding cake toppers and a photo of my mom on her wedding day.

cabinetshelf2

Pottery, pretty clothespins, ribbons, one of Georgianna’s photos (from Brenda), glove boxes, treasures.

cabinetshelf3

Pottery, pincushions, thread, floss, buttons, ribbons, my favorite vintage hat and a tiny bird nest.

cabinetribbon

And a pretty vintage prize ribbon.

The new look really lightens up the studio, which, let’s face it, is tiny. Since it’s in the upstairs hallway, I want to keep it light and bright and cheery.

That may be it for the painting, my friends. At least until I discuss the dresser with Don. I’m leaning toward trying to restore it a little. But, keep in mind, one of the drawers doesn’t always open. We’ll see.

Oh, right. It’s Valentine’s Day. I keep forgetting. Don and I really don’t make a big deal of V Day because we say I love you many times a day, every day. I’d even go so far as to say that every day is Valentine’s Day for us. (Hope that doesn’t sound too sappy!) But the love that Valentine’s Day symbolizes? That is indeed a wonderful thing. So Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you. I treasure each and every one of you and am so grateful that you want to spend a little portion of your day here. I wish you nothing but love and happiness.

Happy Thursday.

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More Painting!

February 13, 2013 at 8:53 am by Claudia

I’ve painted a lot of furniture in this cottage.

I don’t think I realized the extent of it until I was sitting here in my blogging chair yesterday. I looked up and saw the television cabinet, my little corner desk, the lamp table by the sofa – then, looking into the living room – the table the dollhouse sits on, the kitchen table, and the kitchen island. And upstairs? Well, I’m just completing my painting binge and it includes two bedside tables, a dresser, a sideboard. a blanket chest and the cabinet in my studio.

Time to pull in the reins.

Some more shots of bedroom changes:

bedsidetable

This cabinet is made of oak, but the top was replaced by something inferior long ago. It has shelves inside, rather like those of a music or flat file cabinet. Don gave it to me years ago because I needed a bigger bedside table. Now it’s on his side of the bed. The wood was not in great condition and, frankly, I was sick of the oak. Painted. I briefly considered adding an applique that I have to the center of the door. It would have added a French touch. But, hey, this is Don’s table and I don’t think he needs or wants that sort of frou-frou. (Note: one coat of primer, three coats of chalk paint. Not very cost effective, in my book.)

btableknob

See where the veneer had peeled off? Paint helps to disguise that. I changed out the knob to one that I bought at Michael’s a year or two ago. I’ve been waiting to find the right place to use it. I think I found it.

mybedsidetable

Here’s my side of the bed. That’s an old typing table that I use as my bedside table. The top was painted a dark brown, so I lightened it up with the danged chalk paint. Still not a fan. You can see, again, our sharply sloping ceiling and what a pain it is to work around. If we didn’t have a headboard, we would never be able to sit up in bed and read. But the headboard means the bed sits out a bit from the wall. (I store our luggage in that space between the wall and bed.) Several years ago, I bought an Expedit bookcase from IKEA to fill in the space next to the bed. I needed a place to store some of my books. (We won’t talk about the boxes of books in the shed.)

It also provides a display space for photos and treasures. Among them you’ll see a photo of my sister and me, our dearly missed dog, Winston, with Scout, and a black and white photo of a rose taken by my late brother. On the bedside table is a tiny photo of my brother and me that I treasure. I’ll take a picture of it someday soon and share it with you.

bookshelf

I added the framed photo I took of a double rainbow over the cottage. My vintage hatbox is one of my favorite things.

quilt

This is the other quilt that I made 3 years ago in San Diego. I quilted about ¾ of it and then I stopped. I blame the darned Obsession Scarves. After I finish the bed quilt, this one, which is the size of a large wall hanging or throw, is going to be finished. Gosh darn it, I wish we had more wall space in this bedroom because it would look really striking on the wall. The colors are perfect for this space.

My reality shot for the day:

messystudio

My un-pretty studio. It has become the place where all the paint cans, stirrers, sanding blocks, old sheets, drop cloths, wax and paint brushes are stored.

Oh, I lied. I have another reality shot.

don'sdresser

This is Don’s dresser.

We bought this piece from a vintage store in San Diego. At the time it was in pretty good shape and we loved the 1930s look of the piece, with the inlaid wood and different finishes. (It’s the same sort of piece as the china cabinet in the den.) But the veneer has come off on various parts of the dresser. Those handles, by the way, are keepers. That’s Bakelite in the center of each handle.

Side note: I’m not an Americana-y type decorator. I’m not at all drawn to anything done in red, white and blue. But the quilted flag is another story. I made that for Don many years ago because we met on the Fourth of July. He insists on hanging it above his dresser. And those are my flannel pajamas in a basket on the right. That’s a McCoy dog on the dresser and it was actually intended for just that thing. It has a little tray to hold cufflinks, etc.

So. Advice please. What the heck do I do with the dresser? Don tells me I should get rid of it. But then I have to find something else to replace it. Is there a way to refresh this piece? Should I paint it? Someone suggested painting it in the same way I painted my dresser, but I don’t like matchy-matchy pieces. It needs it’s own individual treatment. What do you think?

Happy Wednesday.

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Fabric, Updates and a Blogging Anniversary on the Horizon

A New Look for the Studio Cabinet

More Painting!

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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