Weekend Warriors (and Warriorettes)

We had some much appreciated help a few weekends ago. Some very good friends of our from church made the three hour trek down for a long weekend to contribute their know-how, muscles, and tools to a few of our bigger projects. It was just the kick start we needed, and what a fun time!

We got the bedroom wood ceiling scraped of wallpaper and heavy liner (a job I had been dreading, let me tell you!) and the guys got the closet subfloor down and the new attic knee wall/built-in shelving supports up. We shared stories, meals, DIY tips, and a lot of love in those few days. Maybe we'll have a chance to return the favor soon!

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Drum roll, please

Make that a tentative drum roll, that is. Maybe just a little bongo instead of a snare drum. I have to give that disclaimer because I'm not sure I like the results myself, but here it is.

The guest bedroom is painted. It's not done, because I'm still planning the bedding, window treatments, lighting, accessories, etc., but I used what I have on hand to make it liveable. Since my nieces are arriving any day now, I just wanted to get some fresh paint on the walls of their guest room. But I didn't have time to take the doors down to properly paint them and strip the hardware, so just squint hard to ignore the minty green. So here it is, my unusual color choice of...SMURPLE (that is, Sarah's Murky Purple).

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This is a very new shade for me. In fact, it's a new shade for anyone, because it's a bit of our own concoction. It was intended to be Sherwin Williams Chinchilla, but due to some irregularities with their formulas, they couldn't get it to match their own sample. Jeff and I had to play with it until we got what we wanted (though I'm not sure now it's what I wanted, or maybe it was and I just don't want it anymore)!

I actually think the color looks better in the pictures than it does in real life. It can take on a very blah brown hue at times. This room has large west-facing windows and gets a lot of strong afternoon sunlight, so I know it can handle a dark, rich color, but I'm not sure this is the shade. I really wanted to make the lovely molding more prominent, and the contrast between the dark background and the creamy trim does certainly accentuate that.

This room is still in store for lots of changes. We haven't even decided if this is the furniture we will use in here. We have an antique iron bed that I would prefer to see, but placement gets tricky because of all the doors and windows. I also have an antique mantle stored in the shop, and one of these days we'll see about opening up the old firebox in this room. The hearthplate and chimney are hidden in the bumpout behind the dresser, but I can just imagine the white mantle centered on that wall, under the pastoral painting. So stay tuned for future developments in the Smurple (or maybe not) bedroom!

Caulk Talk

I have been itching to paint the downstairs guest room, but it is a daunting job. Painting walls is rather simple; almost fun, when you realize how much of a dramatic change you can achieve with just a gallon or two of paint. Painting the ceiling is not so pleasant, but it goes pretty quickly since it's just one expanse (although you have to keep drips and spatters from furnishings and floors). Painting trim is probably my least favorite job; it's meticulous work, the high sheen paint shows every flaw, and this house has miles of molding (an attractive problem to have, but there it is nonetheless).

But this particular job doesn't just require painting three surfaces three different colors and sheens. It requires a thorough, deep cleaning of years of accumulated debris. And sanding and caulking off years of abuse. Then there are holes to fill, dents to flush out, gaps to hide, cracks to smooth, wood and wall boogers to scrape, etc., etc,. etc. And not just on the moldings, but in the plaster, on the paneled doors, at every juncture and join and seam.

I've been prepping for the past two days, and all I see is a maze of messy caulk. But I have finally arrived at the painting stage, so progress is in sight. I just hope my unusual wall color choice is a success, because I doubt I'll be up to redoing it anytime soon!

Several rooms in the house were painted this identical minty green color in flat paint. Walls, trim, doors, all surfaces in an unflattering, unwashable finish. Now that I have to cut in everything, I'm starting to see why they took the easy route!