Thursday, August 9, 2007

Where have I been? Here's a peek at what I've been up to...

Every year while I'm working on the show house I'm thinking about all the things I should be doing at home instead of working on someone else's house. Last year after the show house work was over I redecorated our family room. This year, since I took the year off from the show house, I've been more ambitious than usual. I've taken on the upstairs, almost the whole thing. FOUR ROOMS. Justin moved out right before we went on vacation, I had been thinking for a long time how I would soothe my sorrow over his moving and I came up with a pretty good compromise. Above is the "before" of Justin's room after he moved out. I decided to move Matt into that room and move my studio room into Matt's old room because it's the second largest bedroom. How clever? I blackmailed Matt by letting him decorate it his way. Below is the color that he picked out. Bright turquoise! Fortunately it is a beautiful color and he's very happy with it.
Check out these rugs I found at HOME DEPOT. Actually, Matt spotted them and they "match" perfectly.
There's still a few little things that I forced, like the planes from Paul's childhood and the U.S. puzzle from mine.
Okay, room number two redeux, my new studio room. Just a peek, it's not nearly finished. The painting is over but so much to move from the tiny cave. Here are some of my "Doojie babies".
Betty Mellie got to move up from the powder room to the studio. She how she's still praising her higher power for the blessing.
Little shelving vignette (totally ripped-off idea of Janine's), still not quite full of cuties but getting there.
And my little cabinet vignette filled with treats from some of my fave artists; Mel Lobdell, Hope Wallace, Duncan Thomas, Judie Bomberger, Nicole Sayre, theblackapple (Etsy), and best of all, Whataburger. The little plastic order number easel I took from the Whataburger (what a burger should be) in Vegas because I could sense they wanted me to have it. Oh, and I made the wall lamp out of an antique shower rod and head. The third room is the second bath upstairs. I've been working on it simultaneously while doing the other rooms. Staining the dorky oak vanity cabinets a great black, still have to repaint the trim, etc. It's taking me long than expected but not hurting anything in the meantime. The fourth room will be the leftovers of my former cave studio which will be transformed into a guest room which it has been in two separate previous lives. In 11 years most of the rooms have morphed especially the revolving bedrooms. So, this is why you haven't heard from me and/or why I haven't returned emails or calls. It's been a full non-stop week and I expect it to be probably another before it's all finished right. I shan't be idle for too long as at the end of the month I'm MOVING MY SHOP FROM FREDERICK TO THE PINK CABBAGE IN ELLICOTT CITY!!!!! Karen and I are both making the move. We have a day to get out and one to get in. No moss here...

Texans, Texans Everywhere

I couldn't pass up this scene at our friends', Paul and Julie's, shop PJ's Antiques the other day. Pete is our former landlord from Historic Oella Mill and we discovered years ago that we were both from Texas. He's from Midland, where several other...ummm... famous Texans are from. Pete went to college at University of Texas who is Texas A&M's biggest rival. I grew up in Bryan/College Station where TAMU is. So I poke him about it sometimes and then he tells an Aggie joke. My momma went to UT, my dad to TAMU, but I was born and raised in Kyle field so... Anyway, it wasn't the 50th time Pete and I had visited Paul at the same time but it was the first time we had parked next to each other so I had to put it on record. You can take a Texan out of Texas but you can never take away their pride.