Something old, something blue...

I just got back from my first blogging conference, and my mind is still spinning and churning.  When I woke up this morning, I realized it is going to take me a few days to get my head wrapped around everything I have taken in this past weekend.  But I still wanted to have a new post to share, and I immediately thought of this one.  Originally I created it for a guest post at Primitive and Proper, If you are not familiar with Cassie and her site then pop over and say Hi. She is amazing.

I promise I will be back soon

-Laurie

Meet my little blue chairs, these chairs were an important part of my childhood and something I inherited from my Grandmother, but I have slowly started to realize they have a larger significance.  In their own little way, they sum up what I am all about.

In simple words, they are old, blue, painted, hand-me-down, simple, small, useful, decorative, well worn,  hand crafted & quirky.

And I love old things, painted things, blue painted things are even better.  I love well loved and handed-down things, useful and decorative things, and quirky, whimsical things.  It is what I am about and in the end what Little Blue Chairs is about.

I have always loved old things, I have a touch of the romantic in me.  I love the idea that others have touched, used and loved objects before me, and that the joy they had has imprinted on the object.  And if I can have things that have a personal connection to me and my family, even better.

That is why using the barn wood in my parents bath was such a joy for me.  The barn had been long destroyed, but I get a pleasure knowing that, at least part of it can still be enjoyed.

There are many pieces I am still dying to get my hands on.  Like this highchair used by my dad and his brothers. Yes it needs work, but I think I can handle it.

Or the trunks my grandfather emigrated from Sweden with (and yes I get the chairs as well).

It actually makes me sad they are sitting out there, just waiting to come home to me. (Can you hear them crying out too?)

I am a sucker for blue paint, Ok, maybe paint in general, but blue is my favorite color and has been for most of my life.  It makes me happy, and if something makes you happy, then I think you need to treat yourself to some of that happiness.  For me the blue makes me happy in my kitchen.

It is not my dream kitchen, but it is a place that makes me dream in the mean-time.  It is just happy an unexpected.  I also like blue on my floor.  OK I LOVE the blue paint on my floors. I really want hardwood floors, but I want to paint them blue and white.  Really, I do, but I don't think I can get away with that one.

I love hand-me downs, again, especially if it is from the family or someone I adore.  The closer the connection the more I treasure it.  Like this desk.

It is the desk my husband and his dad made when my he was a young boy.  It has now been updated and is being used by our daughter.  It has been re-imagined, but all that love and the story is still there.

I am a big believer that the things used in everyday life should be beautiful and feel good.  I go for wicker baskets over plastic bins, wood spoons, and glass jars.  I don't ever spend a fortune on these things, but if I have a choice, I chose the pretty one, even if it is only me who sees it, I am just saying.

And quirky, yes I am quirky, and I think you are all quirky too. By quirky, I mean those things, characteristics and hobbies that make you unique. I believe we all need to bring the quirk in and proudly display it.  If you love to knit, then you should have your knitting out, If you collect star wars figures, then yes, find a few places here and there (unexpected) that Yoda can reside.  Of course the key is moderation, but let people know they are in your home and not a model home.  I kind of like rocks, so I have them around me.

and we have invited fairies to come and stay with us in the back yard.

And yes I even have a gnome living in my kitchen.

But in the end all of the things used to describe my beloved chairs, also describe much of what I am about, and in the end it all comes back to those Little Blue Chairs.

So, again I am sorry I did not have a super fabulous reveal to share, but I thank you for letting me share my love of the simpler things.

Starting my BlissDom Weekend- And a bit of my crazy

I arrived in Nashville for BlissDom on Wednesday evening, after a long road trip.  I got up early and hit the road by 4:30 am.  I was able to get through DC traffic well before daybreak.  I love a good road trip, don't you?

I am trying really hard to take this weekend as it comes, not to plan too much...not to expect too much. But I am sure it is going to be a awesome, and I will get out of it more than I could ever imagine.  I am planning on taking it as it comes- Bring it on.

However, on this trip,  I am not staying at the Opryland.  Yes, it would have been nice, but the deal I got on a room, just off-site, I couldn't pass up.  And as I sit here writing, I have to admit, it is a pretty sweet setup.  But, I couldn't resist rearranging the furniture.  Tell me? Am I the only one who does this....

I have stayed in many Timeshares and rented condos on my vacations.  Honestly, I love having the space and the kitchen, especially when traveling with children (who are not with me now, wahoo!).  But I have noticed that the furniture layout is usually cramped and not well done.  I usually have to move things around.

This space, in general, was pretty good,  not much needed moving,  but I still needed to move things.

Here it is before.  That big empty space in the corner and the lonely lamp, just bugs me.  And since I am the only one here, there is no need to have all the furniture crammed around the TV, and crowding the table.  

Here it is after a few tweaks...

Ahh, much better.  Now I can relax.  I hate to admit it, but I usually have to do this right when I get into a room, otherwise, I just can't unwind.  Does anyone else do this?

Now that my space is fixed, I think I will finish my coffee, start getting ready and make my way over to the Opryland to get my Bliss on. 

-Laurie

Tag, I'm it

I have been tagged by the Amazingly Awesome Andi, better known as Jane of All Craft.  Basically, she tagged me to answer 11 questions, I then get to ask 11 questions to some fabulous bloggers.  So here we go.

RULES
**You must post the rules
**Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you & then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged
**Tag 11 people and link them in your post**Let them know you have tagged them





1. If you had to eat the same thing everyday for the rest of your life what would it be?

I would love to say crab, but I don't think I could eat it every day. So instead I would eat my potato breakfast, which includes fried potatoes, spam, mushrooms, peppers and an easy over egg on top.  I think I did actually live on this for a year in college.  Nummy.

2. If you woke up one day and were an animal, what type would you be?

I would probably be a bird of some type.  Flitting from here to there.  I think of birds having nervous energy.  I have nervous energy, which is why I always seem to be doing some sort of project.

3. If you could pick any profession other then your current one, what would it be?

The easy answer would be an Interior Designer, but I really wish I could have been a Planetary Geologist.

4. How many states have you visited?

Depends on what you mean visited?  I love road trips and have driven through many, many states, and have visited many rest areas along the way.

5. Ever been overseas? If not where do you dream of going?

We were married in Puerto Rico and honeymooned in the Virgin Islands.  Also,  I spent 1 month in Germany in High School, I loved it.  Right now I dream of spending time in the Scandinavian region and France.  OK really, I wouldn't turn down any oversea adventure.

6. If you had to choose, would you rather be an awesome dancer or an amazing singer?

That is a tough one.  But since I am a horrible singer and an OK dancer, I would say singer, just because it would be awesome to hear myself actually carry a tune.

7. What is your favorite beverage? (alcoholic or non)

It is a split between coffee (vanilla and milk, please) and unsweetened iced tea.  Latley coffee has been winning out, but I still love a good ice tea.

8. What would your dream home look like?

 I could spend so much time on this one, lets just say it would be an historic home, and it would be awesome inside.

9. What trait about yourself do you value most?

Being a thinker.

10. Have you ever tasted the rainbow? ;)

Nope, not even in college.

11. Mac or PC?

Mac baby

Now for my 11 questions...
1. How did you pass the time as a child?
2. Do you feel like you belong to another time?  If so which era?
3. Who is you favorite actor/ actress?
4. Would you rather watch a movie or read the book?
5. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
6. What habit would you like to break?
7. What skill would you like to learn?
8. Which activities make you lose track of time?
9. What is your favorite flower?
10. What songs comprise your life's soundtrack?
11. If you could go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would you tell?

You have been tagged.
1. Leslie at Nature Girl
2. Elizabeth at Hype
3. Melissa at HOUSEography
4. Renee at Where the Grass is Greener
5. Roger at Free Range People
6. Genevieve at the Jewel Box Home


OK So I am wimping out and only tagging 6.  Feel free to tag yourself, or to not. 
-Laurie

"Dot"

Have you see this? A sweet little film about a girls adventure.

Is is the smallest stop action animation and filmed on a Nokia.  And it is just cute.



Enjoy
-Laurie

You spin me right round

Lately I feel like my life has been a never-ending series of things to do, I'm keeping busy, but have little to nothing to show for it, and that always frustrates me (I am a fruits of my labor type of gal). It seems the world has been spinning, and when I get a chance to look up, it is already Friday, then, Monday, and then it is the middle of February. Can anyone tell me, have the days actually gotten shorter?  So far 2012 has been a challenge to get a handle on.

Is it only me? 

But instead of turning this post into a gripe session, how about a quote?

"We shape our environments; thereafter they shape us." -Winston Churchill

 OK, now I'm guessing Mr. Churchill wasn't talking about his living room, but if you think about it, it applies to our homes as well. 

Create an inspiring, nurturing and personal space, and in return it will inspire, nurture and feed your soul.

Have I said this before?  Life is too short to live in ugly spaces.

But finding the time for me to make my basement a little less ugly had been a challenge.  Ha!  I have spent so much time in that space priming and painting and painting, and still, I am no nearer to having it done.  The paneling is sucking up the paint, and for some reason I am not able to make much progress.  Can I have a ERGH!!!

Now, on the school front, I am very much enjoying the classes and getting back to school.  I am inspired and overwhelmed at the same time.  I feel like I am exposing myself.  I have worked hard on honing whatever skills I have acquired, and now by going to school, I feel like I have to, finally, put my money where my mouth is.  And in the end it is still that little girl inside me saying "What if they don't like it".

But the up side is, my homework consists of looking at and clipping pretty pictures, working with colored pencils and playing with fabric swatches.  So it could be worse. Oh and last week I also found out that the school has study abroad in Paris trips.  AWESOME!, I can't afford to make this years trip, but who knows, there is always next time!

-Laurie

Pre-BissDom introduction

 My BlissDom box has arrived as well a my business cards.  I have a tentative plan on the sessions I would like to attend and have even planned most of my outfits.  I've also gotten most of my anxieties about the conference out of my system.  So all that is left is the excitement.  Yay!

 

What better way to break the ice than a few facts?  First, I think pictures are always good. That way you can put a picture to the face.

1.  I am a talker.  I love to talk. 
 
2.  I have a pretty serious coffee habit.  I prefer Vanilla Lattes, but will happily drink a good drip with cream and sugar.

3.  I am obsessed with F Scott Fitzgerald.  Check out Fitzgerald Musings to see just how much.

4.  I believe life is too short to live in uninspiring spaces.  I also believe it doesn't cost a fortune to spruce up your home.

5.  I have a degree in Earth Science, with a Geology minor.  I have done nothing with my degree.  But I do love rocks and dirt.

6.  I am now pursuing a degree in Interior Design, a dream I have had for many, many years.

7.  I have a wonderful family, whom I love dearly.  I have been married for almost 13 years, and we have 2 amazing kids.

8.  I have a dream of finding an old home and lovingly restoring it to period detail.

9.  I am a Television addict.  I love the background noise of people talking.

10.  My favorite colors are aqua blue, creamy white and apple red.

There you have it.  10 things about me.  I look forward to meeting all the wonderful bloggers that will be crawling the halls of BlissDom.  Until then I need to do a little more work on my basement. Hopefully I will have a real update on that after this weekend.

Until then,

-Laurie

Conference newbie fears

I haven't written a lot about going to Blissdom, but I am going.  I am trying to figure out what has prevented me from sharing this online.  I mean, it is a blogging conference, and this is a blog, and I, the person typing this, am a blogger.  So why the hesitation to share my attendance?

The truth is that even with all my excitement, I am extremely anxious.  Like, traveling back to high school, anxious.  I am struggling with all the same fears about how I will be received, and if I will be accepted and if I will be doing things wrong.

I am positive that I am not the only Blissdom attendee who is feeling these emotions.  Logically, I know that everything will be fine, and that others are just like me, there to make connections and get bloggy love and support. But it doesn't stop the fluttering in my tummy.

I am sure my coping skills are causing more harm than good.  I don't like to dwell on things, it makes me anxious, and I run the risk of either talking myself out of it, and in extreme situations shutting down completely.  So I have developed a way of not thinking about events, until the last minute.  Yes, it is in the back of my mind, and I am always prepared, but if I don't make a big deal out of it, I can buck up, let my self-confidence shine and sail through.  And I usually do OK.  It was how I made it through a year of my husband being over seas.  I just couldn't think of the whole thing at one time.  Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this is the healthiest way to deal with things, it is just my way.  But I see that I have been missing out on some of the pre-conference connections that are happening, which makes me even more anxious and causes me self doubt.  ERGH!!!

However, I am calmed and ecstatic to attend the the Newcomer Meet up.  I am excited to meet everyone, and the funny thing is, even with all my anxieties, I am a social person who loves to gab.  I hate to say it, I have been accused of to talking too much. 


Well here I am, if you see me at Blissdom, please come and Hi, I really want to meet you.

And if you are attending,  could you please leave your name and blog address, I would love to pop over and see what you are about.  And I promise, no more negative thoughts.

-Laurie

Basement project report

The joys of a large project.

You may be wondering why I have been slow on posting, (or maybe not).  But I have been busy.  Busy with the new schedule and fitting classes in and working very slowly on the basement.

Ah, yes, the basement project.  This is a biggie.  Not big in the way of tearing down walls, but big in the amount of work that is needed.  The space is approx. 700 sq-ft and windowless and covered in paneling.

I have managed to get the paneling primed.  It entailed moving all the  furniture to the center of the room.  It makes some of the areas awkward to get to, but I am not hauling these pieces out of the space.

You can also see that the chairs are in rough shape.  The sofa is too.  Which means I will be either recovering or making slip covers for all 3 pieces.  So far I have fabric for 1.  I am betting that it is going to take time to find the right fabric for the job, making it the biggest hold up on this space.

I have gotten the ceiling painted.  Or at least most of the ceiling.

Yep. I ran out of paint with only this small patch left.  I have no plans on painting it right now.  I at least got the perimeter done, so I can hit the ceiling later.  Honestly, I hate painting ceilings, and really want to move on to something more fun and instantaneously gratifying, like wall color.

So my next step is to pick the color.

 

Yay, off -white!  My plan is to bring in the color in the fabrics and furniture, so I want to keep the walls light.  I am a little freaked about this, as there is no natural light in the space.   I am hoping to have the walls painted this weekend.  Anyways, that is what I have been working on.  Things are moving, but it just isn't the interesting and exciting part.  No idea candy to share today.

Well I'm off to finish caulking the seams.  Oh joy.

-Laurie

Do your bedroom first

I shared with you the final reveal of the Master Bedroom, and today I am going to show you all the stages it took to get it here.

I want to start out by talking about master bedrooms.  They seem to be the space that most often gets the least amount of attention.  Since they are the one space that our guests rarely see, we leave them to the end, and decorate the more public spaces first.   But I suggest that the master bedroom should be the first space you create.  Everyone should have a space that relaxes and energizes them, a space to go and be comfortable.  And this is even more true for parents of young children.  Your bedroom is where you gather your thoughts and put on your armor to start the day. It is the room where you close out your day and put away the stress,  it should be the one place that really nurtures you.  It is also the one room that most outsiders don't see, and is why I advocate that this space, more than any other, should be personal.

Now, after saying all that, our master bedroom, didn't get any of the attention it needed and deserved early on.  It was always the unloved space, and got only minimum attention.  So I did not follow my own advice.  Here is the sad journey of our personal space.

In 2009 we purchased our house.  Here is the room as it was when we first saw it.

(All the furniture was the previous owners, they left the window coverings and some art work)

Once we moved our furniture in, we realized how bare and dingy the room really was.  Warning-this is going to get ugly really quick.

We had minimal furniture.  No headboard, no dressers, ugly bedding.  I knew from the beginning something needed to be done.  I mean, look at it, it looks a bit like a prison cell.

I finally decided that I needed to put paint on the walls.  Winter was coming and I knew it could only get grayer in the room.  So I picked a happy blue.

I found some really inexpensive canvases and made some art work, dressed up the bed a little and made a makeshift headboard.  It was an effort, but by no means a great room.  This is what I call, 'making-the-best-of-what-you-have', or "no-budget decorating".  The room stayed like this for a year, until I got new bedding. 

Fall 2010

But we still did not have the bed or anything else that really makes a room. And with this new bedding, the room stayed pretty much like this until now.

 

 

I struggled so much with the layout of our bedroom.  I couldn't seem to figure out the best place for the bed.  Before we got the new headboard, The bed seemed to just swim when I out it on the far wall (in the picture).  But when place on the other wall, opposite the window, it left some awkward open spaces.

Either way, I am glad to say our bedroom is done and finished.  And if we ever move again, I promise our bedroom will be one of the first rooms done.  I spent far too many days and nights, not enjoying our private space.

How about you?  How is your bedroom looking? And did you give it proper attention from the start?

-Laurie