Thursday, March 10, 2011

Someone, Please Pinch Me!

Prepared to be Wowed!  FawnDear finally completed another milestone in my De-hoarding.  The Dining room is DONE!!!  Happy Dance.  I know it seems like forever since I’ve last shared a completed room in my recovery from hoarding.  Honestly it’s because our family has stretched out to be working on 4-5 rooms at the same time.  But we are progressing.

Because it’s taken just that long, let me remind you of the abysmal state of the dining room last November.

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Every surface so cluttered you could barely see the table from the front room.

So sit back and relax, this is a long, picture heavy post.

Remember how I de-cluttered in time for Thanksgiving.  Switched the wall that the China Cabinet went on… with reservations.  Ms. Passion told me to trust her and I did.  Now I’m so glad that I listened.  Are you ready???

 Summer 1440

From that to this…

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And yes, it is the same house.  It’s amazing what a lot of hard work can do.  I know blue might not be most people’s first choice of color, but it’s mine.  I need the calm it brings.

Many thanks to my big boys for wielding the poles of paint rollers.  Painting cathedral ceilings are not fun.

So the Tall Wall went from this mayhem of mess…

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To this…

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Say it with me, ‘Ahhhhhh.  So refreshing, Yes?’  Ms. Passion helped me find my voice and style.  It’s been there all along.  I love antique linens and the color blue.  The wall however we painted a Mt. Rainier Grey (True Value), but it looks blue all the same.

The large framed doily was made by my talented Mom.  It had been sitting in a drawer because I was too afraid of my kids damaging it.  But I’ve pulled out the best linen’s.  I’m going to live in my Dream home today and not wait for a someday home that may never happen.  In the Movie ‘Knight and Day’ the comment is made about Someday being the code word for Never.  That struck a nerve with me.  So I’m redefining my Dreams.  My Someday is Today.

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In deciding on an arrangement of plates, Ms. Passion and myself tried out several different configurations on the floor.

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Then, when we finally settled on the one we liked the best we laid it out on the back side of some old wrapping paper I had stashed away in my closet. 

New Year 1897

You mark where the plates are positioned by outlining them on the paper.  Then tape the paper to your wall, adjust the height if necessary.   Then without removing the paper, add your nails, or whatever means you decided to use, to hang your art.  Then once they are all in place, slowly tear away the paper.  Ms. Passion and my neighbor Ethel kindly helped with this part.

It’s the easiest way, I believe to hang a collage, and make sure you get  the positioning you want, right the first time.

I wanted more doily art but until my mom sends me more (hint, hint), or better yet until she comes to visit and can teach me how to do them, I settled for filling a couple of my frames with $1 store doilies.  I took a frame and  lined it with blue material from a thrift store T-shirt dress that I found that matched (nearly exactly) my accent wall. I folded the material over the cardboard that came with the frame and taped it onto the back side.   On the large doily display I actually laid the material on a piece of cardboard that had been treated with a spray adhesive.  Trying to insure that the weight of the crochet wouldn’t cause the knit material to sag.  It turned out beautiful.

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I used an acid-free glue stick in a couple of places on the back of the doilies to have them stick better to the knit material background.  I also tried to do something a bit different and cut the $1 store crocheted find in pieces.  Yes, I hacked up a doily.  So one doily was used in two different frames.

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And the all the coordinating dishes I’ve found over the past few months (super cheap) at the Thrift store or the local antique mall.  It required a lot of patience and multiple trips.

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My favorite one, the top platter, I did get on EBay.  I love that it’s of Washington Crossing the Delaware.  And another plate pays homage to my pioneer heritage.  Go Wagon Train!

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I love my new Stitch and Dish Wall.

“Each decision we make becomes a stitch in the pattern of our life.”  ~My Mom

Okay, onto another dreadful before view.  Here’s another Clutter War Zone before photo.

  Summer 1343

And here’s the after.

New Year 2005

This wall run’s the length of my dining room/family room and is a much darker blue.  ‘Blue Dusk’ from True Value, is the name of this paint.  It isn’t too overwhelming because the huge China Cabinet helps break up the color nicely.  You’ll have to wait to see what it amazingly does to my front room.

Notice how my huge sagging rectangle table is gone.  We replaced it with a Thrift Store treasure.  Ms. Passion found me this solid wood, Diamond-In-The-Rough, oval table, with two inserts, last October for just $43.  But it needed a lot of help.  Stripping the stain and varnish, then sanding, and re-staining to match the dining room chairs and finally applying nearly 6 coats of varnish.  Yes, my kids are that tough on tables.

Summer 1050

We decided that the new oval shape would help simplify the room.  Not only is it simple and beautiful, but it’s shape actually gives us more room in which to move around.  And we didn’t lose any seating.

Once again T-rev and Abner were major Elbow-Grease contributors.

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Sanding the little crevices are not too much fun.  Special thanks to my little Dremel tool for getting all the nooks and crannies for me.

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I also went the extra step and recovered the Dining room tables chairs.  Good-bye brown.

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Hello Beautiful.

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Love it.

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We also, took down the bronze colored ceiling fan and replaced it with a craigslist find.  I nearly jumped for joy when I found this on Craigslist, as it matches (style- wise) a smaller one that I found for the entry way. 

Christmas 001

However the old brass didn’t really fit the new rooms color scheme. So, I taped up the candle sticks and pulled out the metal friendly Spray Paint.

Christmas 008

I did spray a Primer on first, then followed that up with a couple coats of Silver. 

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Now it fit’s the room perfectly.

New Year 2007

I also made my first ever woodworking project. I love doing FawnDear firsts.  This first was attempting wood cornices to go over the windows.

The molding was a little tricky, so I must say thank you to whomever invented Wood Putty, sanding and a couple coats of good thick paint to hide my little flaws.

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Oh, and another kudos to Prince Erik for mounting the heavy sucker’s on the wall.  Thanks Stud for being such a Stud Finder.  I ended up making a total of three box Cornices in total for the two rooms.

New Year 347

It took me a couple of months to find the curtain material.  But I finally went with a Waverly Toile Print from JoAnn’s.  Home Decorating Fabric can be a jaw dropper at times, but I made sure to only buy it after it reached the 50% off.  I then scored with another 20% off total purchase coupon so ended up getting nearly 70% off regular price.  The lining for the curtains was… can you guess??? Thrifted White flat sheets.  The rods… cheapo Electrical Pipe from Home Depot hung on Closet Rod Holders.  I punched grommets through the top of my curtain material and hung them on the pipe with shower curtain hooks.  So they slide open and shut so easily.  And you would never know about the unconventional assembly because it’s hidden up in the cornice.

  Spring 100

The white cornice box was beautiful, but adding a stripe of my accent ‘Blue Dusk’ really made the molding stand out. 

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Not only am I decorating with colors I love but I’m adding more of me.

The yellow roses remind me of the wild yellow rose bush that flanked the small walkway to the farmhouse I grew up in.

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And if you look closely… you might spy something magical.

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My wee little friends have picked little play spots all over the room.

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The wire bird cages I found super cheap at the local antique mall.  I did spray them with an heirloom white to match.

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And they provide even more play space for my pixie and wee feathered friends.

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My whole starting point for this room lies with the china that my Grandmother gave me when I got married.

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My fairies have their own personality.  Some are more shy and only peak out at you if you’re very patient.

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Others dance in the open, loving the spotlight of my mix & match china.

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It feels so good to finally express me, in the decorating of my home.  I know it might not be what is most current in the design world, but it’s calming,peaceful, magical and downright perfect for me.  For the first time in my married life I finally feel like this is my home.

Surrounded with items reminding me of my contributing heritage…

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As well as my love of Imagination.

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There you have it.  My new dining room.  The bonus is our family has had dinner at this table every night for the past two weeks and ‘Glory Be’ we are keeping it this nice all the time.  I’m not even tempted to bring clutter in this magical space.  Thank you Ms. Passion.  You are my Angel.

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39 comments:

Carin said...

This is FANTASTIC, FawnDear!! Truly inspirational. I can totally see your personality in this pleasant living space.

Sara said...

So BEAUTIFUL! I love all your rooms---blue is my favorite color, too. You're doing a great job with the decorating, and I assume you're keeping everything clean or your Beatiful Counselor would have ditched you by now, right?

I'm so happy for you!

Susanne said...

It looks so pretty!! I especially love the plates on the wall. Blue is my favorite color. :)

Stephanie said...

Love it Fawn. Amazing!

fawndear said...

I have totally been able to keep up all the rooms we have completed. I'm shocked at how much easier it is for upkeep. It's still hard for the kids to remember, so I'm finding I really have to stay consistent with reminding them. If I miss a day, it sometimes takes nearly a week to get them back on track. Maybe they are still of the opinion that new ways of doing things only last a couple of weeks. They are finding out, this is something that's going to stick.

Anonymous said...

I adore the blue--it is both calming and cheerful! With the plates and doilies and all your gorgeous personal treasures displayed so cunningly and the new table--it's a sight to behold! I can just imagine the pleasure this room now brings you.
And that quote about "someday code for never?" I need to remember that!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your home with us. It is you and beautiful.
Love Mom-ah

Gay M said...

You're my hero and inspiration. Way to go!! Well done.

fawndear said...

You guys are so sweet. Miss you Gay M.

Gail Griner Golden at Gail-Friends said...

Oh, Oh, Oh....I am so impressed. It is all soooo beautiful. I love how you kept the wood natural. So many are painting wood black or white, etc. The blue accents are perfect. It is good you have overcome your hoarding problem. Hope to see more of your lovely projects.
Shalom,
Gail

Tanya said...

Wow, kudos to you! I definitely struggle with piles and clutter, and your room transformation is inspiring!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

I am so very impressed! Not only did you unclutter you also created a beautiful room. I love the blue paint and your collection of transferware. I hope you will share this transformation at my new linky party starting 3/17. I am now a follower.
Hugs,
Sherry

Sandy said...

You've done a beautiful job. I love blue just like you. What a delight it is for you to have a home that you love and can take pride in.

momstheword said...

What a beautiful room! I love the blue and white together, gorgeous!

You should be very proud of the steps you are taking.

Many years ago my hubby and I bought our first home. It had been his parent's home and before that, his grandparent's.

We inherited tons and TONS of stuff that belonged to other people, and we also brought along our stuff.

We lived in a cluttered mess for years, until one day I just had it with feeling embarrassed whenever people came by unexpectedly, and began to dig myself out. Hubby helped too (no kids yet).

Like you have, I established some new daily habits, like putting the groceries away after I brought them home, putting sandwich fixings away BEFORE I sat down to eat lunch, or cleaning up the kitchen after every meal, etc.

These new daily habits helped me maintain the order that I had fought so hard to get, and I have never gone back to the chaos we lived in before.

My house still has little messes here and there from time to time, but they don't stay long and they don't take long to clean up either.

I imagine you have heard of Flylady.net. She has a list for kids in which she breaks their room down into zones and each day they work on a different zone, it helps to keep their room clean.

Anyway, I've enjoyed seeing what you have done and have added you to my reader! It appears you are a fellow Washingtonian (I live in western Washington)!

Lynn said...

This is PHENOMENAL! I love the blues and bits of your personality everywhere! You should be so proud!

Ms. Bake-it said...

What a fabulous job you are doing! I love the colors! Blue & white has always been my favorite color combinations with a few pops of yellow and maybe a little bit of red. I like how you have displayed your doilies and I may copy that idea with some of my grandmother's doilies.

I love how your family has all pulled together. Before commenting, I went back to September and started there. I am extremely impressed with what you have accomplished and what you had to face before you could begin.

Congratulations on a hard job with such amazing and successful results! Keep up the good work.

~ Tracy

Janet said...

I am so impressed. Decluttering is no joke. You did an amazing job. I love the blue.

Curbstone Homestead said...

I love your fairies!! So adorable and kudos on the hard work! Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

I am so very happy for you and very very proud of you with your transformation not only in your home but your life!!! Oh the beauty that you can now see is this lovely home!

I am so happy that your family is right beside you wanting the changes too!!

Read quite a bit of your blog and it was so very brave of you to be open and honest about how your lived and your desire for change. I know you are inspiring so many with your blog through this time!!

bee blessed
mary

Oh I just read your comment here about sticking to your guns when it comes to the children picking up.
They will love you for it one day if they don't already!

Cheryl said...

You have accomplished something amazing! What a blessing for you and your family!

Cheryl

amber @ barbwired said...

You are an amazing inspiration! Thank you for sharing everything here. You should be very proud of yourself!! God Bless you!

martine said...

Wow - it looks great. Have to say the pixies are my favourite - they made me smile. So beautiful.

Meringue said...

Wow, what a wonderful transformation! I love the blue and all the DIY projects that tie the room together.

I really love the china pattern your grandmother gave you. Do you know who makes it and what pattern it is?

KatieQ said...

I love the way you have incorporated things that you love to make the space a haven for your family. I am also a hoarder (I believe it is genetic), slowly trying to convince myself that the world will not end if I get rid of my "treasures."
The public areas of my home are not as cluttered as the pictures you shared, but are just as daunting for me to deal with. Thank you for the inspiration.

Arrow said...

Wow! It looks amazing!

Katy Cameron said...

What a beautiful room. Love all the blue, and the china on the wall.

Rosemary said...

Fawndear, I love your new dining room. Blue is my favorite color, too. I also love that you are able to have your "pretties" about, without it feeling cluttered. It feels welcoming, happy and you.
I can't get over how you made the cornices! You are awesomely talented.

Jodie said...

I am so happy for you. Everything you have completed looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing your story and your home. I'm a new follower and will look forward to more spaces as you transform them.

Janet said...

FAWN! I saw you over at DIY Showoff, and am AMAZED at the transformations!!! YOU SHOULD BE SO PROUD OF YOURSELF, this is incredible!!!!

I am a new follower and can't WAIT to see what else you have in store!

You can come see wha I do over at-

http://www.craigslistqueen.blogspot.com

GREAT JOB!!!

MiriamR said...

I LOVE your dinning room. I do and a blue and white lover. Good for you on all you have accomplished!!

KatieQ said...

I keep coming back to your blog to look at the window cornices you made. Did you have directions or did you make up your own plan? I would love to know how you made them.

Carrot Jello said...

I don't remember how I happened to stumble upon your blog, but I'm glad I did.
I am amazed and impressed at what you've been able to accomplish.
FANTASTIC!
GOOD JOB!

Tarnation said...

Send over to your blog by a friend. You are inspiring.

Jennifer B. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jennifer B. said...

Wow! Thank you for sharing this. I want to do this to my home too!

Stephanie said...

Bless your pea-pickin' little heart!

Vee said...

Years ago now, you commented in my corner and I just found it again this morning.

Oh my! I am so glad to find you at this point (even though this was posted in March) because this room is a total inspiration. I love how you've recognized the color that you love and that you used it predominantly. I love that you've used such meaningful things for you...the doilies and the dishes. Love all the tips sprinkled throughout. You've done a marvelous job with this room. I'm in total awe.

Jorgelina said...

I am organizing a virtual party my blog, I invite you to participate if you like it.
The theme of the party are the fairies.
On 24 June, "World Day of the fairies".
You can wear a button to your blog.
In my blog I have a translator.
Hugs

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