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.

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???

 

From that to this…

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…

To this…

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.

 

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

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

 

And here’s the after.

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.

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.

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.

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

Hello Beautiful.

Love it.

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. 

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.

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

Now it fit’s the room perfectly.

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.

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.

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.

 

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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…

As well as my love of Imagination.

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.

When Imagination goes Awry

We just flew home from Neverland, ahhhh what an adventure.  Many thanks to all the participants who joined me there.  Almost done with me Neverland clock… can’t wait… hopefully this weekend it will contain the names of the lucky fairy door winners.

And next year, I’ll be visiting Neverland again because I can’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first release of J.M. Barrie’s first book ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’.

My mind is swirling with all the fun we are going to have next year.  Who knows maybe my children will put on a clothesline theater production of the play. 

So, as you know I’ve been blessed with abundant imagination, as have my children.

Fortunately I have the good sense to keep a foot in both the land of imagination and reality at the same time.  My kids not so much.  Which is where it’s up to me to make sure I don’t lose them to their flights of fancy.

Four-year old Hope has enjoyed the ride to Neverland, just as I did when I was her age.  She presented me with this darling picture of Peter and Wendy that she drew.  It’s magic.

However…

Princess warned me that Hope was standing in her window waiting for Peter to come and fly her to Neverland.

Gulp!!! 

Her window is over two stories off the ground.  Fortunately she didn’t attempt to fly without Peter and Pixie Dust.  However, after I re-started my heart, I think the window may be barred, unless I’m in the room reading Bedtime stories.

Oh Heavens, that brought me back to reality fast.  I know where she get’s her wonder from.  It’s from me, this chick…

Me, as a wee one of course.  See the deer-caught-in-headlights look… I’ve perfected it during my many daydreams.  Remember how I told you my first memories of Peter Pan was listening to my Dad read me stories while sitting in a trailer home at my Grandparents farm.  Well in my memory (imagination) and for years (okay until this year)  I thought that trailer looked like this.  Maybe my thoughts latched onto it because it has the nostalgic look about it.

Can you imagine my dismay when I found this picture.

No, not the dismay of seeing a photo of wee me in curlers but notice the trailer in the background.  I didn’t recognize it at all.  The blue and white shelter was so chased out of my memory, replace by a sliver ghost that wasn’t real.  I had to immediately contact my parents to see if the silver ghost was a true memory at all.  It wasn’t.  The only trailer I lived in was the box shaped one in the picture.  The Airstream trailer, sadly was a false memory at best.  My Dad did confirm the stories under the window though.  Whew!  At least I’m not all bonkers.

Maybe the airstream is a future memory?  Hummm.  A Traveling Nursery?  

Okay enough dwelling on my imaginative memory.  I’ve got just a couple days left of summer before school starts and I’m going to work hard on helping my kids find their footing in both the land of reality and imagination.

Second Star to the Right Blog Adventure

"Second to the right, and straight on till morning."
That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to the Neverland. ~ J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.

After Last Year’s Adventure, I just couldn’t wait for this day to arrive.  Many magical thanks to all the enchanted participants (see them all on my sidebar)  in this year’s adventure.  Please visit them to discover many different paths to Neverland, Imagination, and Staying Young at Heart.

Now we’re off.  First you have to Believe.

           Painting by Margaret W.Tarrant (1888—1959). 

‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Sometimes it’s hard for grown-ups to believe.  Yes, sometimes they forget how to follow their dreams.

Mrs. Darling: There are many different kinds of bravery. There's the bravery of thinking of others before one's self. Now, your father has never brandished a sword nor fired a pistol, thank heavens. But he has made many sacrifices for his family, and put away many dreams.
Michael: Where did he put them?
Mrs. Darling: He put them in a drawer. And sometimes, late at night, we take them out and admire them. But it gets harder and harder to close the drawer... He does. And that is why he is brave.  ~From the 2003 Peter Pan Movie

Brave? Yes.  Some dreams need to wait.  Yet I wonder if Mr. Darling would have benefitted from bringing his family along as he followed some of those dreams.  The grown-up Wendy remembered the joy of dreaming or she never would have allowed Jane to visit Neverland with Peter.

Illustrations by F.D. Bedford for J.M.Barrie’s 1911 Edition of Peter Pan

I’ve chosen long ago to join in and enjoy frequent visits to the land of imagination with my children.  We even shared some of that joy with other’s when we installed a fairy door at a local park. 

When seeing children dream you can’t help but want to join in.  Somehow, watching them, rekindles the fire of imagination you held precious as a child.

And before you know it, your playing along, creating new dreams…

Taking the time to stop and admire the flowers in all their magical glory.

Or, gazing at the beauty of an evening sky…

And not only should you dream, but you should get up and do something about those dreams.  Like exploring new places.  When in doubt, let the Lost Boys be your guide, and explore frequently.

And Never, I say Never, pass up the opportunity to dip your toes in a cool stream on a warm day.  Remember how blissful that was when you were younger?  How refreshing?

When you’ve forgotten how to imagine, just follow the children’s example.  Play dress-up.

I’ve been dreaming of the Nursery Window.  Not the window’s in today’s nurseries (babies room), but the window’s in the Nurseries of Yester-year.  The window that Wendy began her adventure from.

Nurseries held adventures, both in reading fanciful stories and acting them out.  What would the story of Peter Pan be without it’s start in the Nursery.  What about Bedtime Stories?  Are they not the fuel of dreams at night?

Someday, I plan on having a magical nursery.  A place where not only can my children and grandchildren dream, but I can too.   I’m even working on pieces to add to my Nursery.  Want a peek?  It’s not finished but I’m enjoying the journey and couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Tis a simple clock box.  That spoke to my imagination and begged to be something different.  Something befitting an enchanted Nursery.

A box that wanted to be a dream itself.   And that’s just what it’s turning into.  My Neverland Dream.

Can you feel it’s magic.

I promise to show you how it turns out .  It’s a slow dream, but I’m loving every second of it.

There are so many adventures I’d love to share.  Some of these Neverland journey’s are not completed.  I’m still working on them.  Part of dreaming is being brave enough to try something new.  So I completed another Fawndear First.  Shockingly, I, with huge help from my editing-wise son Abner, made a little movie.  Well music-video, that is, just over a minute long.  It’s a wee little thing so take a peek and please forgive the camera lady, she didn’t do these sweet fairies justice.

 There is hope in dreams, imagination, and in the courage of those who wish to make those dreams a reality. Jonas Salk

And for all the wonderful Second Star Participants.  I will be randomly selecting a couple of you to receive some of my Fairy Doors on the 28th.

Now, Don’t forget…

‘There is nothing like a dream to create the future.’ ~Victor Hugo

Sweet Dreams and Thank you for Visiting.

Tootles,

FawnDear