If the Walls Of This Old House Could Tell a Story…The Small Bedroom in the 108 Year Old House.

I  recently started the biggest project of my junkin’ life…and am loving every little minute of it!   To most it may seem like a lot of daunting, overwhelming work, but to me, it has been nothing but the most fun!

 I love painting, decorating, and designing.   I crave the feeling that comes when I see a project come together.  I get excited when I can share something that I have put my heart and soul into, and have it turn out just the way I had hoped!   That is what this house is to me.   It is a labor of love…and an absolute delight to play with.
I didn’t know where to begin…  You see, I didn’t just take this  house project room by room.  I kind of started in one room, and if I happened to be painting…I kept on going.   It was just one of those things, where if you were filling holes…you filled ALL the holes…if you were painting…you kept painting…and while you waited for something to be ready for the next step in one room, you worked on another room…So…you can see where my dilemma is at.  It took me a bit, but I finally decided where to start the sharing.
My Cowboy, wants to be able to stay in the house during hunting season this November.   It will make things much easier for him if he doesn’t have to drive the 60 or so minutes home every night, so I am charged with getting things “ready” for him and his hunting companions. (one of his older brothers and his daughter)
There are 4 bedrooms in this house.   We decided to work on 2 of them for immediate use.   The other two are going to take a little more work, and are not a necessity right at this time.  They can wait until after hunting season is over. 
Today I am going to share the progress that has been made in the small bedroom.  After I played with it a little bit, it is pretty much finished…Now it is just waiting for some furniture.

This is the smaller of the two bedrooms BEFORE I got my grubby little hands on it.   Out of all the rooms on the second floor, it was in the best shape.   I was happy to see that pretty much all this room would need was a good cleaning, and some paint!    The walls were a dingy white with very bright blue trims.  That should be an easy enough fix.
The photo above and the one below are both a little fuzzy, as they were taken with my cell phone camera.   I got excited about starting this project, and forgot the usual camera at home.   Ya…I know…I am not proud of it either…blonde moment!

With that in mind, my Cowboy and I sat down and decided on a color scheme.   Okay…lets be honest…I told this sweet man what the color scheme was to be.

WHAT!?   I KNOW what you are thinking right now.   You are thinking that Tootsie is BOSSY!

Well…okay…Yes I sort of am…but I do know what I am talking about when it comes to paint colors…and that Cowboy…well…lets be honest…he only knows what Camouflage looks like…he hasn’t got a clue how to choose colors for a wall!    He’s not used to having choices…or noticing colors…he’s a guy!   He does have pretty good sense of colors though, So…we went to the store and I pulled a couple of paint chips out…and gave him a some choices.   Eventually, we chose and purchased a color called Plateau Gray.   This color is perfect.   To the Cowboy it is gray…to me…it is almost an olive green-ish color…I like it a lot. 
I was so excited…I got right to work.

I painted the walls, trims, and ceiling in the plateau gray.   I am very happy with the outcome.   It looks very nice.   In this photo you can see the color choice.   You can also see that I needed to replace one piece of trim on the window, paint the window frame, and then move my attention to the floor.

The floor…The floor in this room is not in terrible shape.   It is actually in very good condition in comparison to the other rooms in the house.   I think this floor might be newer than in the rest of the house …or something.  I COULD get away with just scrubbing it, and perhaps staining it…sealing it and calling it done…BUT…the wood floors in the rest of the house are in a lot worse condition.  There is paint, gouges, and splinters everywhere.   My Cowboy said that he remembers the splinters ALL too well.   (As a little boy his mom would have a needle within reach to remove the splinters that the wood floors would leave in his teensy feet.)   There is no way we can salvage the original finish on the floors in the entire house…it is just not reasonable.   We don’t want to cover them up…just spruce them up and seal in some of the splinters.
The floors need to be done…but there is no way they can be the same color as the walls, ceilings and trims.   So…I dragged that Cowboy back to the store…and we chose a paint color (together this time) to use on the floors in the old house.

As luck would have it, our original paint choice sucked monkey butts!   I put it on the floor…and we both hated it…it sort of looked like a very sickly salmon color.   It was SO ugly that I didn’t take any photos of it!   Yep…it was THAT bad!   NOT at all what the paint chip showed…SO…we headed back to the store…and got them to add 3 oz of black to it…and ended up with the color you see in the photo above…So…I have no name to give you to reference this paint color…it is an original…by mistake type color.
The photo is once again, a little fuzzy…Yes…you guessed it…the photo above was taken with my cell phone, since, as luck would have it, I forgot the camera at home…sorry!

Here is a better look at the floor color…and the paint color…AND the curtains I added to the window!   Those are the simplest curtains ever!   Can you guess what they REALY are?  
If you guessed that there are two twin size flat sheets on that window you are absolutely correct.   I used bed sheets!   I simply cut a little slit in the top part of each end of the hemmed cuff at the top of the flat sheet, and slipped the rod right through.   EASY PEAZY…not too frilly…but still quite pretty…FAST and CHEAP!

Right now there are two cheezy looking tassle tie backs on the curtains, but they are going to be changed out as soon as I get my hands on some burlap or twine or something a little better suited for a casual, cozy rustic space.   For now, the tassles will do.
I picked up a couple of very inexpensive runner rugs, and was testing the colors…I like the way that looks too!
You can see a mattress on the floor to the right…There is going to be a bed frame and some other furniture type items added to this room in the next week or two…but for today…this is the way it looks.
This concludes my peek into the small bedroom in the 108 year old house that My Cowboy owns, (and is letting me play with!)   Remember, he asked for rustic, cozy, hunting lodge, country cowboy style.

What do you think?     I’d love to hear!
Stay tuned next week for the next episode of  If Walls Could Tell A Story…the 108 Year Old House.  I can’t wait to share again!!!

Until Next Time…Happy Junkin’/ Renovating/ Decorating!

*)*)*)… Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip. - Will Rogers

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com
Did you miss a post or two in this series?
Article #1  If The Walls Of This Old House Could Tell A Story…The Saddest Chapter Is About To End.
Article #2   If Walls Could Tell A Story…The 108 Year Old House…On The Inside

This post has been proudly sponsored by 

19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House 

and

HCG Warrior Diet  

(it actually works great!   We tried it!)

Metamorphosis Monday - Between Naps on the Porch

Made By You Monday - Skip To My Lou

Made By You Monday - Skip To My Lou

Made By You Monday - Skip To My Lou

A Little Cowboy...A Little French Country...and Whole Lotta Love...AND a Story...

Those of you who know us personally, already know that it has been almost a year since we flipped our first property.   Yes…we moved last summer.   We bought the acreage with a flip in mind…and that is what we did.   As much as we loved it out there, it wasn’t in the area we had in mind for a long term home.  We spent just a little more than a year out there…and did a whole lot of work to that place. 



Everything from the fireplace to the kitchen and bathroom cabinets to the exterior of the property got a little Tootsie and Co. touch!   I didn’t share all of the upgrades we did, as I was dealing with health issues and didn't really get time to share them all... but there were a lot…and we were very proud.   So proud in fact that we actually thought about staying there long term.

At first we were very sad to say goodbye to the place…but when we saw how much we made on the flip…the sad went away pretty quick .   hahaha.

We found our new Project house…well new to us…and were smitten right off the bat.  



She’s an older home, and she’s close to all of the things that TEENAGERS like and need.   She looks small from the outside but inside there is lots of space for us all.   It’s even close to a college for the older kids and a very good school for my Busy to finish up her education. 

We don’t know if the plan is to live in this house forever, or instead, just until all the kids are out of the house.  Until  the day comes that we make a final decision,  we will call this house our home…and slowly get her fixed up the way we want her.   There’s a lot of work to do as the yard was badly neglected and the interior needed a little Tootsie Touch.
At first sight the ‘bones’ of this place were adorable.   The yard has promise…and the house itself is super cute.   It was the color scheme on the inside that was the nightmare.

There were several VERY undesirable paint colors used throughout the house…The worst of which was in the living room.  

They say every girl LOVES Tiffany Blue right?   Well…for me, that only applies if it is on a tiny little box…NOT on my living room walls. 



Seriously…it’s a beautiful color…but all 4 walls?  In the LIVING ROOM???  
My son who is color blind even commented to me…  “Mom…please paint”   hahaha  



We all agreed that the screaming blue had to go…so I got busy about a week after we moved in and set my sights on something just a little easier to look at.  This blue looked SO bad with my olive green and earth toned furniture...you have no idea.  



Lately I have been crushing hard on the creamy tones…and they co-ordinate nicely with the earth tones and olive shades that are my living room colors…so it worked out perfect! 
I think that the name Living Room is absolutely appropriate for our front room…as it is the MOST used space in our house.  

Once the walls were updated, I had planned to get busy and paint my way thought the rest of the house…but that was not in the cards.   As it turned out…my health kinda cratered again and my little clothing design company took off in a very big way and I was spending 12-16 hours every day for several months sewing and creating styles for my customers to enjoy.   It wasn’t until this spring that I was feeling up to painting, was caught up enough with work and was able to resume my decorating in the house.   I painted the kitchen, which was a hideous shade of red/coral blech!   You can see that post here.   It was an amazing change…and a change very much for the better if I do say so myself!

It was only a few weeks ago that I got back into the living room and did some more changes to make her look like a space we could all enjoy spending time in.   I started with the furniture.  I gave my antique sofa set a HUGE makeover.  You can see that post here.   After I shared the post about the painting of the furniture, I had several of you email me and request photos of the rest of the room, so I am sharing today to oblige those requests!
Shall we get started on the big reveal of our living room?

When you walk into our house through the front door…this is the first actual room you will see.




The Cowboy picked out some very nice throw pillows to accessorize the sofas and chair...I really like them a lot.   For a guy he's got okay taste sometimes...(wink wink)



The two cream throws on the cushion of the chair and far side of the sofa are for Marty and Ginger.   (our two very spoiled cats)  They love their blankies and that is where they generally sleep. 



See that guy???   He’s supposed to be on the other end of the sofa on his ‘special baby blankie’…



WHAT A BRAT!   He supervises me in almost everything I do…but today...he's being like this! 



The updated furniture has changed the whole feel in this space…we love it.
I went through and edited out some of the things that used to be part of the living room…and added some others.   Getting rid of old memories and reminders is often a very good thing.   There's going to be one heck of a garage sale this summer...



We use this room every day…and I for one am very happy with the way it all came together.  

I wish it wasn’t so hard to get a good photo of this space…I am a tad rusty with the room pics so perhaps is just the photographer.   hahaha.



There’s a little cowboy, a little french country and a whole lot of love in this room. 



Well…that’s it for me for today…thanks for stopping by!

I am headed back to the sewing machine for a few days.   I can’t wait to share my work space with you…it’s getting a nice crisp update too!!

Until next time…  Happy Decorating !!!  ( and re-finishing!)

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

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When the 80’s Called and Demanded Their UGLY Back…

Hey guys!   How the heck are ya?   I have missed you all a lot, and finally have a few minutes to sit down and share a little bit of what I have been doing around here when I am not working on …well…work!

As you know, my Cowboy and the kids and I have recently purchased a beautiful acreage.   We moved in last November and are loving our new home…well Mostly.

This house was built in the 80’s.   It is a very nice size for us and has all kinds of wonderful things about it that made us want to live here.   However…there were a few things that right off the bat we knew we were going to change.   Today…I am sharing one of those things.

MY KITCHEN.

I adore the layout of this kitchen.   Having the stove on the island is a dream!   It makes this Tootsie who generally hates to cook or bake…almost enjoy that task!  There are plenty of cabinets and drawers for what we need…and on the other side of the dining area there is a built in china cabinet.
 
What’s not to love!



Ya…THAT’S not to love.

The oak Cabinets have turned VERY orange…and the finish is worn, dry and in bad shape.








We talked and talked about what to do with the finish on the cabinets.   The possibilities are endless when it comes to things like this.
 
I am NOT a fan of the chalk paint or the other fad paint products on the market right now.   So that would not be an option.

I wanted to go classic…and keep the integrity of the wood, so I got the sander out…and took off the old orange finish.

It took HOURS and HOURS and HOURS and PAGES and PAGES and PAGES of sand paper.   It was a nasty mess!

I sanded the doors of the cupboards outside when I could…the weather was great, and I enjoyed the fresh air.  :)



The cabinet frames and the island were done in place as I did not want to move them off the walls and floors…so I hooked my shop vac to the sander and went to town!

My oldest Daughter was in need of a project for her industrial arts class, and she decided that helping me would be a fun time.  So…I handed her some gloves and a sander and put her teenage self to work…teaching her how to do what she needed to do…and documenting all of her help.   (she did not want me to share the photos of her assisting me, so I am keeping it simple for her)



Once we finished all the sanding…we were ready to stain.



I didn’t really want to have a color that everyone else has…so I decided to mix up my own color and it turned out to be exactly what the Cowboy and I wanted!

Waiting for it to dry enough to do the finishing touches on felt like FOREVER.



Once the stain was dry, I applied a coat of protective finish to it all to ensure that it would last for years.   Once that was dry…it was time to put every thing back together.



Ta-Da!!!    The finish came out so great!



We love the way the light plays with the colors.   At different times of the day, it takes on a bit of a different shade…sometimes light grey, sometimes darker.   Either way it looks very nice.



Now…once I finished the main part of the kitchen, I turned around and decided that the built in china cabinet could NOT stay the original orange oak that it was…but we did not want it to feel like a big displaced heavy cabinet in the dining room…I had to co-ordinate…but be just a little different from the rest.

Here’s what I came up with.



I did the same finish on all of the doors and drawers…but painted out the frame with the same color as the walls.   I also used that cream color inside the microwave opening in the cooking area…so it all goes together nicely.



It was a huge undertaking…and a challenging one to say the least…but we are very excited at the way it all came out.  It went from Dated and Worn to a more up to date shade of pretty.



What do you think?

I know we are happy with the results…and pooped from all the work!   The clean up is almost as hard on us as the sanding!  lol

Thank you "Miss Georgie" for all your help!   I hope learning from your old Mom was fun!

That’s all I have for you today.

There is more to share from the adventures in this house…but time is of the essence and I will share again soon!

Until Next Time…Happy Decorating!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

*)*)*)"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, only then well there truly be peace" ~ Albert Einstein

Todays post has been proudly sponsored by Chic-a-Boot
                  
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Fertilizer Friday/ Flaunt Your Flowers May 31/13

WELCOME!

Do you know what day it is???

It’s Friday !!!! 

Friday is a BIG day for us here at Tootsie Time…(ok, just me…there is no one else here…lol)  It’s a big deal because it means it’s PARTY TIME!!!!

Fertilizer Friday is the day of the week than an ELITE group of gardeners from all around the world get together, snap photos, link up and Flaunt Their Flowers!!!

If you are new to Tootsie Time and Fertilizer Friday, I just know you are asking yourself…”How do I join?”
Well…it’s easy really. Here’s all you need to know to become a part of this great group of gardeners, bloggers and friends:

If it is spring or summer where you live, you need to snap a few photos of what you have growing, blooming or just love to look at that is of the plant variety…if it is winter where you live, you may post past favorite photos…or indoor plants…whatever you like.

The only criteria is that it is a plant or something growing!

You do not need to use fertilizer to participate in this party, but if you do, this is the reminder to fertilize weekly!

All I ask is that: Your post must include the logo above and/or a link to Tootsie Time, or the linky will be deleted.

So?????....I would like to invite each and every one of you to join in and share your photos...

Today's post is going up a little early today because I am going to be away all weekend.
 
OH MY WORD YOU GUYS!!!  

I have been super busy this week!!!  

There seems to be no time to post or do much of anything but scrub the dirt off myself!!!   There have been some LONG days in the garden this week…and I have a lot of pain in my arms because of it…I have been having trouble using the computer as my hands are painful when my shoulders and arms are inflamed…but…here I am to flaunt for you…and to host the party that shares the MOST gorgeous people and gardens ever!

Lets get started!

Today I am sharing a project that Grampie and I did yesterday!
 

There is this UGLY space in my side yard.  I just hate that it is so messy looking all the time.   When Grampie presented me with his idea…I jumped at it right away.  I was excited to start, especially since I got to raid some of his junk stash! 
 

Grampie offered me some of the cinder blocks that he has out at the farm!   Hey…he doesn’t often OFFER to share his stash….he usually guards it against people like me…ha ha…He even helped me get the project done!


I loaded 39 cinder blocks into the box of my truck and two large tubs of soil.   Grampie brought the plants and some soil in his truck and we got busy!  The blocks were placed, leveled and straightened.
We got rained out just as we were finishing placing the blocks and had to stop for an hour or more.  That thunderstorm brought hail, heavy rain and it was not fun!

Once the rain stopped, we got busy!~


I planted one little Cotton Easter shrub  in each hole of the blocks…


We had exactly enough plants!!!   How lucky are we??  haha!


It looks amazing!!!  Just as I finished planting the last little plant, it once again started to rain!   It was at that point that Grampie had had enough!   He called it a day and took off.


I decided that I needed to finish…besides a little water wouldn’t hurt this dirty girl…


I pruned these little plants back to help them to adjust and to level them off a little bit.  By the time I was finished…I was soaked right through…and had to stop!
No...I am not wearing knee pads....that is mud...yes...I do tend to look like this a lot in the summer.  :)


It looks MUCH better…I don’t really mind the jungle look, but a hedge isn’t really a good place to create that style!  This is a narrow area, and I need to keep this neat and crisp! 
This hedge will be filled in and thick in no time flat!



I also need to paint the blocks.  Not really loving the old colors right now.  These blocks bring back a lot of memories for me…they are cast off blocks from the elementary school I attended when I was a child.  They renovated and re-built parts of the school, and my mom and dad got to have as many of the blocks as they wanted!  So…not only did I reclaim part of my child hood…but I repurposed the cement blocks instead of them ending up in the local landfill!
I had a great day working on this project.  Not only did I get to make an ugly space look much better, I got to hang out with my Dad.  I am excited to see this area finished and growing nicely…but this is where I am for today!
Stay tuned for part two of the back yard renovation!!!  I have lots of things to share!  I might even include a flower or two!  haha!

This brings us to the end of my flaunt for this week…and YOU know what that means!!!

That means…I can’t wait to see what you have!

Well…what are you waiting for???

GO!!!

Get your flaunt on!!!

I wish all of you hugs and smiles, and safe and happy weekend plans!

Thank you all so much for dropping in today, and to those that faithfully link in to this party…and who are patient while waiting for me to FINALLY visit you…it seems there are not enough hours in a day anymore...THANK YOU!

Until Next Time... Happy Gardening!

*)*)*)   Surround your self with people who love you enough to tell you the truth.  It doesn't take long for a liar to be found out....and left behind!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.www.tootsietime.com

All of my house and garden plants are planted in Sunshine potting mediums.