transforming the transformed

 

Once upon a time I changed the bedding in my guestroom so that I could wash what was on it. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, it was just time to freshen it up in the wash. The fact of the matter is that I had alternative bedding in my linen closet that I had wanted to try.

So that's what I did.

As I proceeded to put the new bedding on both the trundle and top part of the day bed, I started to ooh and ahh a little. Just a little, though, because it didn't match the walls exactly. ;)

As I began to imagine the possibilities of this room with its new comforter, I started to imagine adding and/or changing other parts of the room. The wall color is not the green hue that shows in these first two photos.

For example, I have always loved toile and I hadn't incorporated it in any way in this home. The dining room in our previous home had blue and cream toile drapes. They were so pretty. The previous owner made them herself and left all the window treatments for us when we purchased the home. It's an added bonus when the owner before you is an interior designer.

The toile curtains here were made by my very talented friend. I don't know where she learned how to sew, but I love what she does! That little suitcase and fan came from one of my favorite shops in Marshall. I also painted both dressers in this space white a couple of summers ago from a pickled wood color. My new plan, maybe, is to use a cream-colored chalk paint by Miss Mustard Seed that I recently purchased. 

My girls informed me that I am always painting. Sigh.

(The color of the walls you see here is more like it.)

All of a sudden... I have new bedding and new curtains. The next step was to clean the scrapbooking clutter, ebay sale items, school books, and other junk from around the room to create a new, inviting space. There's always the one room that gets the junk that piles up as long as you can close the door. Flylady calls it a hot spot. That place was smokin'!! 

:/ Eek, the room was beautiful to begin with. I had only transformed it a couple of years ago after all.

The next step in this transformation was painting the bed (Minus the one missing spindle. I still don't know how that broke or where it is. I'd love to find it and have Shawn do a little fixing.)

The bed went from a pale green to black. And notice those sweet pillows that were also custom made. :) Love!

You are never going to believe this! 

Do you remember the bedding that started this whole project? I don't have a photo of it at the moment, but it never did make the new transformation. 

It turned out that the toile curtains clashed with that bedding. I ended scouting the house for an alternative and found the cream bedspread. I used to keep it at the foot of our bed. Now it works perfectly right here.

I have decided to keep the green desk and chair as part of the color scheme which is (Robin's egg blue, red, cream, green, and yellow).

I found this cute little box in the store I mentioned above.

I cut out a couple of circles of scrapbook paper to put on the tops of these mason jars to hold craft items.

That long table has a story all its own. My old neighbor had it in her living room. One day when I was there I mentioned how much I loved it. She proceeded to tell me that she paid $5 for it at a garage sale (who sells beautiful pieces at that price?? certainly not second hand stores or Goodwill!) and that if she was ever going to get rid of it, which she had been thinking about doing, I could have it. Huh? Really??? Oh, thank you. I would love that.

P.S. A year or so went by when she called me and asked when Shawn could come over and pick it up. She also offered her husband to help get it across the street to my house. Score!! 

And the best part is that my friend, the seamstress and my running pal, suggested that I purchase a piece of finished wood for the bottom so I could put baskets on it and use it for storage.

That's absolutely genius!! Why didn't I think of that? 

Mind you, trying to stain it to match the original color of the table has been challenging and quite honestly has cost more than the table itself. Well, I guess almost anything costs more than that table like a Starbucks coffee, a pound of land o' lakes cheese, a bag of apples, or a half dozen donuts! I can't complain about a little stain for a wood project, can I? By the way, I found gel stain to be my new best friend. No fuss, no muss.

And the last part of this story is that my firstborn daughter would love to snatch this room right from her mama. Uh-uh! It is the guestroom slash scrapbook slash sewing room afterall. 

I think it's lovely and it's mine, all mine.