Her Candle....

As it turned out, she always knew her candle burned at both ends.  She liked it that way.  She was much more comfortable that way.  It suited her.  (I'm referring to myself in third person, to change it up a bit and to make myself giggle...because I could use a good giggle today) What she didn't think about was that eventually the ends will meet and then you are burned out but she was not your average bear, she just went to the candle store, bought a bulk lot and lit a new one.  

So I'm back with more wonderful and interesting stories to share and let me say, I look marvelous!  You can't believe what spending every waking minute, going full speed ahead can do for you!  I've got a new candle and it's burning baby... buRNING! My 9-5 job is hitting crazy busy time of year and the second I'm done I head to Martha.  I love saying "I'm heading over to Martha!" (I also say it with my British accent and I do believe that helps) My fingernails are dirty even after I shower, I have paint on all parts of my body even after I shower, after sanding the floor when I saw my hair I burst out laughing because it was completely white-ish and wood stain isn't just for wood, it stains and stays anywhere you get it on your body like a new brown tattoo.  I also should mention that I wear gloves when I use stripper on hardware and then I touch my face and chin and now I have burns on both!  I'm telling you ... MARVELOUS!

To fill you in, I'm working on the "Lounge" part of the Bedroom Suite and I am happy to report that it should be done on Friday night at midnight.  Not that I'm following a time line or setting a deadline, just feels like that's when it'll be done.  Do I have pictures... .uhmmmm,,,,,,, ohhhhhh..... where's the camera?  Uh oh.
Let's see what else I can show you...

Here's the room with the walls mudded.

Here's the floor sanded...ohhh also look at the door.  They have 2 or 3 locks, and locking handles on every door on the second floor!!! I'm plugging those holes,sanding and staining or painting depending on the what it's already got on it!

Window stripped of 8 layers of multi colored paint 

Cool round wall... sanding the trim...YUCK!

More mudded walls.

Yeah, I know... doesn't look like much...but just you wait for Friday's post!!!  You've never seen a Bedroom Lounge Suite like this!!!  Let the awards start streaming in!  Remember, I had book club on Monday night so I couldn't work on Martha but I did host a party on the VERANDA!  I told the ladies they'd have to think of it more like a picnic than our usual gathering and they all came through like champs.
Here are some fun snaps of the group!

Sitting down for dinner

Defending your book selection!

Eating and discussing

11 Women still not using all the space on the VERANDA!

Reading glasses passed around....getting serious now.

We chose your book!!! Excitement!!!

I love this picture for 2 reasons - One -  look at the sky and the moon!  Two - Look at Lauris's face!  LMAO...OMG.... She is serious!

Becky looks like she's in purgatory and Mare looks like she sent her there!  LOL

LOVE LOVE LOVE that sky!!!

Well, that's a lot of snaps and as much of an update as I can give at this time.
Thanks for checking in on us... Get ready for Friday's Reveal... it's gonna be AMAZING!
Peace,
C

It all started on a sunny day last July...

Hello!  So much to share with you and I know you are just dying to know... With my new love of Pinterest, I've decided to share some of my latest works of art!  Okay, maybe they aren't true "works of art" but they are BEAUTIFUL!  So here's the story of the New Guest Room.

It was going to be a beautiful day in Northern Ohio. The morning sun was just starting to spread it's rays over the roof of our house.  I was peacefully resting in bed, hair gently tousled, rose bud mouth puckered and my lovely satin gown was spread out just like a fairy princess...okay really I was more than likely snoring, hair with a bird nest spun in the back and a stained t-shirt rumpled and torn. But this part is true!  First Truth!!!  Sound asleep and then BOOM, dun dim drummed blowout!  So loud I literally jumped out of bed and thought a car hit our house!  Husband jumped out on his side and we both yelled "What the @#$% was that?" 

I rubbed my eyes open and looked across the hall, into the guest room and saw where the noise came from... The bookshelf that surrounded the entire room had fallen and all the books, frames and accoutrement, had fallen all over the room.  Not only did the shelf drop all it's belongings, it thought it would be fun to rip the wall sconces off the wall.  Well, they were still on the wall but hanging from wires, not mounted to the wall any longer.

This is a "cleaned up" version but you can clearly see the wall sconces hanging!  As you can see by the date stamp, this was in February this year, I didn't exactly get right on it... but it was bothering me to no end and I knew once I found wall sconces I liked, I'd be able to get on it.  So the room has book shelves around the entire room.  Which was awesome when this was my son's room and he could showcase all his trophies and stuff and once he moved out of this room I took it over for my books and a nice place for visitors.  It served it's purpose and really, it was fine before the lights were ripped off the walls...

If you were to visit, you could sleep here.  But fortunately, for you and all the others that want to visit, I found wall sconces that I LOVE and I was not going to stop at that.  Wall sconces don't sound like a hard thing to find but our house is 98 years old and there are no light switches, you have to be able to turn the light on at the base...those are NOT so easily found, but find it, I did!  So I am now unveiling my new guest room and thought you'd like to see some of my DIY crafty changes... Are you ready?

Okay, I know you want to jump on this inviting bed, but before you do, look at the headboard!  Yes, it's an old door I took out of our apartment, sanded it down, painted it and attached it to the frame!  The only cost was for the bolts...so that's $8.12... AWESOME!  The black and white print is fabric that I had down in my pile of material and I loved it so much I put it in an old frame!  Zero $$  but worth $$$ now!  I made the drapes... so easy iron, fold, sew a straight line... with material I got off the clearance table at JoAnn's, when the clearance table was 50% off that price, so it was $4.50 a yard (silk charmeuse...seriously)  $31.50 plus notions, we'll call it $35.00.  Moving on...

Dresser was beat to death by years of children doing what they do.  The handles were very dated so I had to spend some $$ here for new handles but it was well worth it.  I filled the old holes, sanded it and painted it with 3 coats of white trim paint... taaaa daaaaa... fancy fancy fancy!  Oh and look, the mirror was in the old room but with no frame so I took a hideous frame that my husband picked up for free (garbage prize) spray painted it silver and look at my MILLION DOLLAR MIRROR!  I know what you're thinking..."She is AMAZING!" and you know what?  You might be right!!!  LOL... seriously, I'm laughing out loud.  Okay, I digress.   So the handles were $47.92... I know... I know... but c'mon, they are awesome and it makes the dresser look so cool and chic.  Remind you of anybody you know? 

: ) 

And now for the wall I love!!! Husband wanted to keep the shelves the old way, but if we're are totally redoing a room, I want it totally different!  So with no further delay...

There they are... 411 books in alphabetical order!  Stop crying...it's okay.  I took a really "artsy" picture of the books and I'm going to show it to you now but you really don't get the effect I was going for...I

think I need to work on that.  So there you have it... it's a new day for my guest room and my guest!  I hope you stop by soon and I'll show you some more of my rehab addictions.  Until then, read a book, take a nap and have a little dream on me.

Peace,

Cherie