I have a problem,
a big problem.
Just ask the Captain
and he'll tell you what it is!
It's Pinterest.
Of course,
I don't see it as a problem,
I see it as a source of ideas,
a place where wishes and dreams
can be possible.
He sees it
through the eyes of The Honey-Do
and that means
more work
for him.
However you see it,
Pinterest
is a great learning tool
where a wealth of ideas are shared
and where you might
even be persuaded
to change your whole outlook
on the world
of decorating.
I come from a generation
where things were pretty simple.
You acquired
a piece of furniture
and used it for what it was intended.
If it was a desk,
it was put in your den or living room,
it wasn't repurposed
into a kitchen island.
If it was painted,
you stripped it down
to the original wood,
and if it had the original finish
you would never think
about touching it with
a paint brush.
The words
"chippy and distressed"
described
someone with loose morals,
and who was not
happy
about it!
Times have been changing
for awhile now and
Pinterest reflects that,
and if you are like me
you know that you can
teach an old dog
new tricks!
When we first moved
into the Cottage,
I painted the pine flooring
in the entry.
I had always dreamed
of a checkerboard painted floor
and this seemed
the perfect place to do it.
We lived with it
for a few years,
until it became worn and scarred,
then we covered it with carpet.
After a while of that,
we thought maybe the scarring
wasn't as bad as we remembered
and took up the carpet.
I guess the old,
what was considered
"perfection mindset",
hadn't entirely given up yet,
so we decided it was
as bad as we remembered it
and covered it
again with this...
When
I first revealed this,
a few well intentioned friends
said they would have left
the scarred floor...
and now
I can't say enough
how I wish
I had listened.
I have had a few of these faux pas
and it does seem
that the Captain might have
a basis for his complaints
concerning me and Pinterest.
I will be the first to admit
that I tire of certain things
rather easily.
That is what brings us
to this
case in point:
You will remember
this cedar chest
that we bought a while ago.
How you see it above
is how the seller painted it.
Because we had brought
new light carpeting
and lighter colored walls
into the room where the chest was to be,
I didn't think
it would show off in the space
to its best advantage...
...so I decided
to paint it a
few different colors!
Soon after,
I knew that wasn't the look
I should have been going for
and when we purchased two new chairs,
and I added some red and blue pillows
to the mix,
I thought I would like
the chest
painted red.
Without going
into too much detail,
that idea soon turned into
a huge disaster.
I gave it two coats of red paint
and it still wasn't covering the black.
The third morning,
as I was preparing to give it a third coat,
the chest was oozing
right before my eyes.
The two coats of red and the black
were hanging in strips,
as if someone had
deliberately peeled them off.
Then there were parts
that were stuck on so tightly
that a putty knife
would hardly budge them.
But,
my forever Honey-Do,
kept at it
and finally scraped all
the old paint off.
When we looked at it
we both had an
"aha" moment.
Somewhere
between the red
that stayed caught in the cracks
and the distressing
that happened
when the putty knife
had to be forcefully used,
we fell in love.
But,
the big question was
would it look good back in the room?
The room where I was
so sure
that it wouldn't look good
in the first place?
What do you think?
Now that it is all stripped down,
I know that I can paint it red
and it will work,
but do I want to?
I haven't put
any finish over it yet,
in case I decide
to paint again.
I remember that hall way
with the loose morals
so am taking the time
to think this one through.
Each time I look at it
I get a stronger feeling
for what I want,
but I would love your feedback,
but don't think
for a minute
that I will take
your advice!
Or not!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just wanted
to share with you
something I've been fooling around with.
I love the photography part
of blogging
and playing with the editing.
As you know,
I don't have a fancy camera at all
and most of the time
I am flying by
the seat of my pants,
but I have taken a few photos
that have come out to my satisfaction,
so I am planning on framing them
to use in my decor.
This is the first one
I have finished
and just wanted
to share
with you.
Have a wonderful week...
...Judy...
All of the furniture shown in the first part of this post are pieces that we have owned over the years that the Captain has refinished. Some pieces we still have but the majority has been sold.
Sharing this week at:
