Last Year's Projects: Rescuing Jenny Lind

She wasn't a roadkill.  Just a damsel in distress.  Wait, I'm getting ahead of the story.

It helps when you volunteer at the PTA Thrift Shop because you get first crack at the goodies as you unpack them.  Sounds great, right?

Remember that saying "No good deed goes unpunished?"   Lavender-blue dangly earrings--check.  Flannel-lined sleeping bag like the one I had as a kid--check.  Vintage Jenny Lind bed--check.  Jenny was a find with a capital F and more than a bit of a bargain at $7.50 but still dangerous to those of us with more vision than sense.

Still, there are times you grab the deal and hold your breath until you're safely away.

In my defense, I didn't price it--some other volunteer mom did and the finish was disastrous.

On the other hand, that was in 1987 dollars and she's been stored since, so maybe she wasn't quite the bargain I'd intended? 

Tell me that I'm not the only one who's held on to a project for eons.

I always meant to re-stain the bed, but the thought of all those turned-wood posts meeting sandpaper effectively discouraged me from starting.  Then we moved Nevada from SoCal and she's been tucked away in our garage ever since.  Waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting.  Not unlike a princess asleep in her tower.

A very messy, garage-like tower with large gargoyles office desks lurking in the shadows.

Pinterest to her rescue.  A very playful, adventurous yellow or red or aqua rescue--I absolutely knew no white knight paint would suit her.  As a bonus, if I painted rather than re-stained her I wouldn't need to sand even one spindle.  That's a win/win, in my book.

I fell in love with this bed from Land of Nod currently "on sale" for five hundred down from five hundred ninety-nine (allow me to interject an exclamation mark at both those prices here). Inspired, I bought a subtle Robin's Egg Blue paint sampler from the Paint Mart and was ready to begin the transformation.  Sort of like a fairy godmother. 

That was the plan.

It always seem easy at the start, doesn't it?  Then reality interrupts that pleasant easy DIY daydream.

I was NOT pleased when I wiped off all the dust and spider webs and found my damp cloth was brown.  And not from dirt either. I had not bargained for bleed-through at all. (I did think it was odd though, since the old stain wasn't of the reddish/mahogany variety and I wasn't dealing with veneer.)  But the second cleaning gave me a brown towel again.  ARG!

Bear in mind that I worked on this project as a way to avoid the elephants in my garage (aka the two huge office desks that take as much space as a Mini Cooper)--not trying to give myself another headache. 

This story has a happy ending though.  Turns out the original finish was in such poor shape that I was actually wiping it off with a washcloth.  Crazy good!  I was able to use a medium sandpaper and "flick" the entire bed, spindles and all, down to bare wood without breaking a sweat.  Might have taken a whole hour, at most.

The only way it could have been easier was if the finish disappeared when I gave it a stern look.  Or waved my Fairy Godmother wand.

The result may be my favorite painted piece of furniture of all time! 

It is just the most perfect color possible.

 Pictures don't do it justice. 

The ironic part is that after all these years I don't intend to keep this sweet bed for myself!

   Why?  Well, I don't foresee a vacation cabin on a lake in my future.  Or a home with a loft where I can put multiple beds covered in homemade quilts for all the grandchildren. Some dreams you just have to let go.  And I already have a cutie-pie red iron bed in our guest room. 

So next summer (sniff, sniff) I'll take some evocative photos of an aqua Jenny Lind dressed in lace and ruffles in our flowery backyard and then with a great deal of reluctance (sniff, sniff), I'll post her on craigslist (for a bit less than the Land of Nod price).  Somewhere out there is a sweet little princess who needs the perfect bed for her tower.

The other happy ending...I was so happy with this project that I did actually finish the  two gargoyles elephants desks before the snow flew!

Stay shiny,

 
Party Central:  My Romantic Home
French Country Cottage
Miss Mustard Seed
Remodelaholic

My Guideposts--Number104

To live content with small means; 

to seek elegance rather than luxury, 

and refinement rather than fashion; 

to be worthy, not respectable, 

and wealthy, not rich; 

to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, 

act frankly; 

to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; 

to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, 

await occasions, hurry never. 

In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony. 

~William Henry Channing

 Stay shiny,

Research--Laying a Foundation for Success

How high-falutin' does that make me sound?! 


Mindful is a great mantra but it's only a place to start.  I could see the possibilities for better health, less stress, stronger relationships, and a fulfilled spirit--and I had some ideas.

This (Be Inspired/Be Inspiring) was a good starting point last year and I achieved some successes but I know I could been more inspiring if I'd had a stronger focus.  Or anything like a plan.

So...I've been spending time picking other people's brains.  Motivational-speaker-type brains.  It's the beginning of a New Year--like you hadn't noticed and needed me to tell you--and it's hard to tell if there's more people trumpeting Losing Weight or Making Resolutions solutions.  There are a lot of amazing people out there with some great ideas who want to help us live happier and better lives.  I'm sure they wouldn't mind us lining their pockets with a bit of lucre (the clean kind) but they are also willing to share plenty of free info.

I'm processing a truckload of their advice--I'm keeping the emeralds and blue topazes and throwing back the diamonds and rubies.  That sounds ever-so-slightly insane if you're a diamond and rubies sort, but now you know what jewelry makes my heart flutter.  Same thing with ideas. Or decorating trends. Or husbands.  Gotta go with what's right for you.

Currently:  evaluating last year.  Making a list of wins.  Deciding what I want to be thankful for as I look back on 2015.  Thinking a whole lot.

Stay shiny! (I'm in the midst of a Firefly marathon and can't help myself.  Kaylee fan!)

My Mantra for 2015

My inspiration word for 2015.

I read this in an email link on the very last day of 2014...

                      "most of the time we live without intentionality,  

                  and that's when we look back many years later and say, 

            'Where did it all go?'

         It's time to live as if it mattered."  

That resonated with me since the days/weeks/months/years have been flying by. 

As in *blink* and another year has vanished.

Not only gone, but leaving me wondering what I have to show for it.  What have I achieved?  What have I contributed?  What have I improved?  For myself and for the world?

And where do I want to find myself in a year?  Life is short and there are no guarantees. 

So living in the moment is going to help me be more aware of the choices I am making throughout the day.  And those days will add up to weeks and months and a year of being more focused on my goals.



Mindful.  That's my inspiration, my compass, my goal.  I can hardly wait to see how this affects my self, my mind, my spirit, my relationships, my organization. 



 

The Best Things About a New Year

I loved the quarter system in college.  Every nine weeks I got to buy new spiral bound notebooks with not a mark in them.  No matter what grades I'd earned in the previous quarter, there was the possibility of straight A's. Unknown professors with different styles of teaching.  Subjects that I'd never considered taking--like design, environmental horticulture, beginning art, veg crops or Chinese history--offered diversity.

I love fresh starts, possibilities uncluttered by baggage, the space to dream large. 

Then too, it's amazing at year's end to look back at what I've accomplished--especially since I frequently astonish myself by the volume I've completed.  Then there are always those high-priority tasks that somehow go begging for years.  I'm both encouraged and motivated.

Although I spend a lot of time during the eight months when I can actually hand's-on play-in-the-dirt in the high desert thinking about plants, it's that slim slice of time every year as I put the garden to bed when I learn the most.  It's enlightening, taking stock of failures and successes, planning for the future. 

So I'm looking backwards at 2014, even while I'm hanging up that new calendar.  I'm rummaging through the drawers and closets, discovering unfinished crafts and ideas and then curling up watching Firefly (for the fifth time) as I quilt, embroider, stitch and hem.

I'm just--just barely--disciplined enough to enjoy the satisfaction of completing a wall-hanging and packing it away until next autumn. But, trust me, my brain is busily and enthusiastically planning an assault on myriad fronts.  Some painting, lots of embroidery, sewing and more sewing.  Definitely planning for next Christmas--it's never too early and sometimes even a year ahead can be a bit too late!  Some big tasks, some itty-bitty ones.  Some for my own satisfaction, some as gifts, some as just a way to work out a challenge.  A visit to the garden store for seeds is in order.  Gift certificates to be redeemed.  Christmas money to be wisely used--membership at the scrapbook store so I can use workshop space and tools throughout the year, perhaps some new tools (because Santa somehow forgot to pack the requested clamps on his sleigh), and let us not forget some new boots to stomp out the cold weather blues.

So farewell, old, and welcome, new.  Twenty-fifteen could be the best year ever.  The potential is there.  It's fresh and shiny and just waiting for us!

May some of our dreams come true, may there be more happy than sad, may we choose to grow in wisdom and grace as life teaches us new lessons.

Happy New Year from my cottage to your casa,

Let There Be Peace On Earth

May your holidays be joyous!
 

Part Ebenezer Scrooge and Part Buddy The Elf

News Flash:  Christmas happens on December twenty-fifth!  Every year apparently.

So why is it that my journal looks something like this year after year?

December 22nd:  I mailed packages to my out-of-state family.  Three whole days before Christmas.  Chances of presents getting to them by Thursday?  Pretty much the same chance Olaf has of surviving summer.

I decided I'm no longer worrying about when people get their presents.  In fact, I think I took a blood oath that I was NEVER EVER EVER sending packages to anyone out-of-town again.  Yeah, pretty Bah Humbug (although I just realized that I was channeling Taylor Swift too).

When I came home from the post office, I put five holiday albums on the stereo and strung my eighty-two Shiny Brites and other vintage glass ornaments into a holiday wreath while Singing Loud for All to Hear.  So maybe I'm not totally Buddy the Elf but I'm not a cotton-headed ninnymuggins either.

December 23rd:  Today I finally got myself to the music store to get a guitar tuner for my co-worker, but walked out after being ignored for twenty frustrating minutes by salespeople who helped other people who were there long after I showed up. 

I think I must have had my invisibility cloak on. It's a pain being a super-hero sometimes.  

Please notice I said I walked out rather than stalked angrily. I chalked the whole episode up to musical artistic temperament complicated by pre-holiday retail overload.  Plus they were very nice and helpful when I bought my ukelele from them this summer so they get the benefit of the doubt.

Since I'm no longer worrying about the date of gift giving (see paragraph 4, above),  I can order the Snark online instead and the recipient will get it as a New Year's present instead.

I also braved Whole Foods, TJ Max, Trader Joe's, Hobby Lobby, Walmart and Healthy Tails.  I waited patiently in lines, engaged in cheerful conversation with clerks, smiled at everyone and generally tried to spread Christmas cheer.  I even drove in the heavy traffic around the mall and didn't once utter a nasty word.

Truth is, I used up my monthly allotment of nasty words last Thursday when I was getting ready for Pajama Day at school.  I'm really not a Pajama Day kind of person.  It just feels wrong to wear underwear under jammies.  Plus you get some strange glances when you shop in your jammies after work. 

I was feeling relaxed about the whole Christmas scene until I realized about three o'clock that I'd forgotten to open the coop. I think I owe Pet a special treat for her Christmas dinner.


After losing a week to sickness, complicated by the way work interferes with the important things in life (like finding the perfect gifts for the people you love), I can finally take a breath, slow down and truly enjoy the Season.


Anyone else out there feeling a bit frazzled and promising themselves that next year it will be different?

Be (INSPIRE)d--not overwhelmed,