One Room Challenge Week #Oh No!!!!!

What I have to report this week is

 

BUPKIS.

 

I was going to title this post Bupkis but figured it was a blogging no-no

 to be so negative up front.

I do love this word.
 It means nothing at all and it is the perfect word for this week.

 Running around like a nutso and I got bupkis to show you.

( These are blooming right now in Atlanta. Color inspiration)

 

I've done what I can around the craziness that has come out of nowhere this week

but I don't really have anything  very picture worthy.

 

 

 

Linda, the organizer at Calling It Home blog provides a loose guide of ideas

for each weeks' blog content.

This week is:

Thursday, April 30th (week 5) - Did you revise your plan? Hang in there, you can do it. 

 

So have I revised my plan??

 I love my number one inspiration room as much as I did the first time I saw it.

But I have revised my plan.

I'm planning to win the lottery and have Sig Bergamin fly up from the beaches of Brazil and be my decorator.

Or just move in with India Hicks on her fab island and let her do the decorating!

 

Seriously though, this ORC has been a great experience. I have learned a lot.
 

 

Number One??? Have the room mucked out before you ever post the first post.

It has taken much longer to clean out the room and paint than one could ever imagine. There are seven days left and the bed that started this whole thing is still downstairs leaning up in the Library for Pete's sake!!

And I have really enjoyed looking at inspiration rooms
and analyzing what makes the room so appealing to me.
What I can take from it and what is just not me, for whatever reason.

And the best part is seeing what everyone else has going on.
It makes Wednesday and Thursday mornings pretty exciting.
Not everyone has BUPKIS to report!!

PS. I plan to make stellar progress this week so follow along on Instagram, my fave!



Reward System

Just about an hour after College Girl hit the submit button for her Senior Thesis

 last week her Mac crashed.

I think it was just too much stress for one laptop. 

I know it was for the writer of said thesis and her mom :)

Help needed. 

We did everything we could via online and phone tech support

 but sadly it was time for a trip to Apple at Lenox!!

This is not a quick trip or fix but I will say that Apple has the best customer service 

of any company I have ever dealt with. 

Hands down.

I sat at the Genius Bar for quite some time while a nice genius named Kyle tried to make the laptop all better and make me understand what he was talking about.

I have no doubt they will fix the laptop 

but I'm not sure I will ever understand what all they were talking about :)

So what's this about a reward system? 

Anytime I have to visit Apple at Lenox and sit there for an hour and a half while they do all that tech stuff and tell me all that tech talk and I'm on sensory overload because there are a zillion people being tech-y, I reward myself by popping in to a cute little Buckhead shop that appeals to the other side of my brain!! 

I did run through Anthropologie at Lenox to grab a Bridal Shower gift for one of College Girl's sisters

 and the colors in this painting caught my eye.

And then I got out of the mall as fast as I could 

and I popped in to Boxwoods.

There's a blue room filled with hydrangeas 

and enough blue and white ginger jars and chinoiserie platters to fill a museum. 

All arranged in this tiny blue room.

I wish the picture were better of that chandelier! 

It was all gold and Greek Key-ish. And big!

If blue is not your thing then wander into ...

...the green room with a green glass chandy that was incredibly sparkly.

It made me think of  Oz!!!

And for some reason I really like green pottery artichokes. 

I have for years. Do you?

And then my idea of Shangri-La! 

A potting shed like no other. 

To get there you pass through a work room where they are assembling custom arrangements in tureens and silver bowls and all sort of containers for special occasions. 

And then there are plants of every type arranged like a still life painting. 

And the topiaries. Oh my!

I think topiaries are fabulous.

And containers of every type to put your plants in. The turquoise display caught my eye. 

And they had some amazing bamboo pieces and delightful garden furniture and outdoor accents but by this time I was so happy I forgot to take any more pictures!!

An excellent reward system, if I do say so myself!

ORC Week 4 - Getting It White

This is my first One Room Challenge

and I'm really trying to get it right.... and white!!

 

I mean, all I did last week was make a tray.

And while it received lovely comments,

we are at Week 4 which means there are only  two more posts.

That's it.

 The BIG REVEAL is on week 6.

 

I've thought a lot about this 6 week deal and how the clock is ticking and that I may have been slightly delusional when I decided to do this ORC and then I decided to think philosophically about this process and I have come to the conclusion that it is indeed time to PANIC!!!!

 

Back to getting it white...

I am using my favorite white paint.

And thank goodness for really good Sherwin Williams paint

 because covering this green has been a pain.

My 'I'll paint this room in a few hours on Saturday because it is small after all' has turned into "If you need me I'm in this claustrophobic room on a ladder rolling paint and rolling paint and... rolling paint.

 

One plus to this whole process has been that everything is getting a coat of the exact same white.

Trim and all.

 Not having to paint trim a different color and cut in all of those edges on the wall will make you feel completely differently about trim.

 

However it is hard to understand why it's taking so doggone long to paint one little room one color.

Another question is why I always paint in extremes... you know- white over bright green or tan over glossy red walls. Black over pale peach. The kind of changes that seem to take extra coats.

 This is my painting MO.

I guess when I am ready for a change I want it to be a big one.

Can you tell I have spent waaaaay too much time on a ladder rolling paint?

 

 Our focus was shifted for a bit - College Girl came home last week to "hide out" from distractions at school and write her 20 page Senior Thesis, another paper/final exam and a 10 essay question test.

 

( Taken in the middle of the night, one of the 5 nights this went on... Thank goodness for Keurigs!!)

 

 Oh my gosh!!

And there were computer issues that resulted in her Mac crashing 1 hour after her Senior Thesis was submitted so this is my way of telling you that this ORC has been interrupted by:

 

Drama! Drama! Drama!

Please tell me you know that scene from the movie:

 

via

 

We use this sound bite alllllll the time!!

 

But despite the drama, a lot of painting ( not all, unfortunately) has been accomplished. I have painted one lamp of two for the dresser in that room and that dresser has been moved to the window wall which is it's new home.

 

( I put the infamous tray on it! LOL)

 

I have curtains and a curtain rod which is going to undergo some DIY experimentation... 

 we shall see!

 I'm going to use the word "faux" on this project

and that will glam it up a bit if the results are questionable.

 

 

I have put out an SOS for anyone in ATL who may have seen wicker shades like these. I have accumulated 3 over the years. Not a one matches another. Nada. And I need a pair.

 

 

 

And I saw these at IKEA today:

 

 

Is that green fabulous, or what??

I have a chair I could paint that fabulous green

 but I've actually been leaning toward a green like this for the mirror

that will probably be coming in to the room.

I'm still up in the air on the shape of it and the back of the bed.

 

I have pulled some fabrics from my stash

 and gathered a few samples for some pillows for the daybed.

 

 

Some pretty fabulous pops of color going on with these.

 Up until now I've either shown white paint or dark wood but the pop of color is coming!!

 

And no matter how far I get or how this room ends up looking in 2 more weeks, I'm enjoying seeing the other Linking Participants projects and all the encouraging comments so far!!

Follow along on Linda's blog.

 

I Made a Tray! ORC Post #3 !!!

"I made a tray"

ranks right up there with

 

via

 

in lame statements
considering the awesomeness other ORC'ers are posting by Week 3!!

I probably should have chosen my front door area as my "room" and gone with this look:

Classic black and white, natural fiber baskets and those to die for monster plants!! What are they???
I want one!!! Or two!!
 

 

But you gotta go with whatcha got and that tray's a highlight this week.

 

 

I mentioned the yard sale at church last week.

 Someone dropped off a tub with miscellaneous items in it.

This heavy plastic rectangle was in there.

It has two or three small notches on one edge - I have no idea what it was and they probably just threw it in there because they hated to throw it away.

I don't know what it was but I knew what I was going to do with it!!

Knock off Lucite tray!!

 

I went to World Market and bought a roll of heavy, handmade gift wrap for $2.99.

It was perfect for this project.

It's very thick and made with fabric fibers.

 I had considered using fabric for this

because so many bloggers had complained about gift wrap wrinkling

 when they tried making these trays.

 

It took the whole roll - it's only about 22 x 28 inches and this tray is large.

I simply spread an even coat of Mod Podge over the back of the tray with a large brush and worked quickly. Then I put the paper on the wet MP and started smoothing. This is where the thick paper comes in handy. It was easy to smooth - no tearing.

The thickness helped it to lay flat. The paper is slightly textured and has some raised metallic areas. On the back you can see this slightly. It doesn't bother me. It looks perfect from the top. There were a couple of tiny scratches in the plastic tray/lid/whatever it is, but the busy paper hides that.

I can't even find them now.

All I have left to do is trim the edges with an exacto. You could cut your paper to size first but I was concerned about getting it lined on up the back before the MP dried so I chose this route.

 

Since I like trays, I now have one for the dresser in the 'challenge' room.

'Challenge' being the key word here.

 

It has been mucked out.
It is rainy and dreary here in Atlanta so the iPhone pictures are even grainier than usual.

And this room is not as Kiwi Green as it looks here.

But no matter. Painting has commenced.

( After the watermelon reference,

 I'll have to stream Dirty Dancing while painting this weekend.)

 

 

The lamps in the corner might just show up in this room after a paint job and new shades.

On the dresser with the fabulous tray!

The mirror is leaving but another one is coming.

It's dark wood but we might have to give it a pop of color.

We'll know more after the walls are white and the bed moves in.

 

 

I uncovered this rattan and wicker tray table I have had and never found a home for.

 It fits the inspiration "look" perfectly.

I hope it will be able to stay - this room is tiny!!

 

Hat rack leaving. Definitely leaving.

But here is the wall you see when you walk in -

 a large off- centered window and folding closet doors to the right.

I think it will all be less noticeable when everything is white.

 

The fabulous daybed is going on the wall opposite

the off-center window

 (can you tell it drives me nuts??)

 

 The window will not be perfectly centered with the bed which will be to the right of the doorway where I am standing but I am hoping to "fool the eye" a bit with long panels at the window and create the illusion of balance.

 Oy - we'll see. I've measured and done some math but you know how math can be!



Check out the other "linkers" here.


 



ORC - First Things First

The very first step would be to muck out the chosen room.

We took the bed out of the room a year or so ago.

College Girl was in the midst of one of her many, many, many, many, many moves and she ended up without a bed in her room here.
Since she pops in and out we moved the queen bed  from the guest room into her room.
 And then.
What happens to an almost empty room?
We could have admired the space and the light filled emptiness.
 No.
In my house we 'stick' stuff in there.
Just until we have a chance to do whatever it is we need to do with said junk.
And then it happens again.
And nothing makes it to the attic and so on and so on.
And then you have a room full of 'stuff.'
We are channeling "Hoarders."

 

via

If we have barely used any of it in a year, do we really need it?
I'm thinking not.
Luckily, beginning to think about the ORC and this particular room coincided with Lent
 and for the last few years (except last year) I have done
40 Bags in 40 days.. (This is a great blog post/explanation.)
This year I decided to do 40Bin40D and we were having a yard sale at church so win/win.
I hauled my 'good junk' to the church :)

And then I looked at my Pinterest board for inspiration rooms to post for the ORC.
I have said many times before that I am a coastal gal, born in Charleston, SC.
I love that British Colonial/West Indies look that is traditional
to the old, deep Coastal South.
 White is my favorite color (or lack of color as the case may be.)
 I love palm trees, globes and maps.
 Seashells and souvenirs from the places I visit.
I love Iz.
I want to live here.
( Oh, India Hicks, you have made us all want to live here.)



In  a white house.
 On an island.
Where it's warm.
Surrounded by palm trees.


So my number one favorite inspirational room of all time is this one.

 

It's in the Bahia beach home of Sig Bergamin.

I would never leave this room.

 

And this room is a close second.

(Bahamas vacation home.)

 

 

And all of the rooms at Hibiscus Hill ( The big white house on an island,

surrounded by palm trees, that belongs to India Hicks.)

Are you absolutely dying to get her new book.? I am.

 

 

 

 

And I love all things Anna Spiro.

 

 

Since ol' Sig isn't going to jet up here from Brazil and give me any tips for my room and Anna Spiro is down under,  here's what I'm thinking...

 

White walls.

I have been painting walls white like crazy which is a huge change because for years I have had daring colors on my walls - red in the kitchen at one point, black and dark green walls, khaki, pink, yellow.

You name it. We've painted it.

I still love color on the walls but I just need white right now.

I'd like to rip up carpet and paint the floors white too

but I do not wish to give my husband heart failure.

So layering a rug will have to satisfy me for now.

We had painted wooden floors in the upstairs of a 100 year old house we restored

 when we were newlyweds.

I loved them more than the oak hardwoods downstairs.

Other inspirations from my Pinterest board:

 ( You can find the original links to these images there as well.

 Please "pin" from the original sites)

 

I have  the daybed that I need to paint.

It's white, which needs to be freshened up if it is staying white or

 

 

what if it were dark?

It would have to be painted not stained wood, but still.

 

 

I like it both ways.

 

And I want a pop of color.

 

 

Chartreuse and pink. That's a pop for sure.

 

 

I'm always drawn to turquoise. And mirrors.

 

And coral.

The image and

 

 

the color

( I used it in the master bath and bedroom)

 

 

and it is Sherwin Williams color of the year.

 

Or a great green like one of these.

 

via

 

 

I have several yards of this fabric that I bought years and years ago....

I'm not sure about the greens in it yet

but I can also visualize it as a long bolster on the daybed.

 

 

And I have had this print forever and never used it.

 

 

Inspiration I have.

Now it's time to make some decisions.

 

( Just curious - did the fabulous pictures and banter distract you from the fact that I didn't post before pics of the room and its fabulous off center window?? Good! Because it is still in hoarder mode. I have made strides in other areas of this project but not in getting cleared and painted. I should be in full panic mode by Week 4. You know, the week when the experienced ORCers and the organized newbies are pulling it all together! What's that quote about life being a daring adventure or nothing!??! Yep.)

 

Be sure to check out all the progress

with the other participants here!!!!

 

I Like Trays

Maybe too much.

Is there a rule on when to stop?

 

 

I have this one on my family room coffee table.

I like things grouped together.

And it makes it easy to move everything off the glass top at once

 for the many.many.many times I have to clean the glass top.

Vintage wicker found in one of my favorite places to look for great items at amazing prices. And the oval shape is nice.

 I've had this one for years but recently moved it here.

 

 

I like to keep India Hicks first book close at hand in case I need a "tropical fix"

 while I'm landlocked 5 hours inland.

This tray is wooden with a great scalloped edge.

Found at Goodwill in rough shape.

A coat of Sherwin Williams Lagoon which we fell in love with

 during one of CG's many moves.

 

 

A fantastic tortoiseshell bamboo tray.

The basket is from a trip to a mountain village in Honduras.

 It's made from pine needles and is remarkably like the pine needle baskets

 made in South Carolina.

The lighthouse is a model of one we saw in Hawaii and it lights up. Love it at night.

The lamp is a hand me down from my mom. Clear glass bamboo design. Love it.

 

Wicker yard sale find.

I cannot walk away from a tray.

A globe from my collection and my Eiffel Tower souvenir

from our trip to France last Fall.

(Yes, we were those American tourists buying Eiffel Tower souvenirs right and left.)

 

 

On the kitchen island.

 

 

On the kitchen table.

This is actually a huge porcelain pasta platter

 that doesn't fit in any of our kitchen cabinets.

 It's that big.

 We use it when my husband makes his locally famous shrimp scampi

and it fills the platter to overflowing and feeds many!!

In between it has become a tray!

 And this grainy photo below was taken in poor light with my iPhone.

I bought the snapdragons at Wal Mart a few days ago because they were coral colored,

they remind me of the windowboxes in Charleston

 and because I feel bad for flowers that have been cleareanced and no one wants -

 sort of the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Syndrome.

The blue and white pot came from Goodwill and they are sitting on an oval silver tray

 on my beloved Craigslist bamboo shelves.

 

 

 It was such a grainy shot that I decided to give my Waterlogue app a try.

 

 It turned out like this and I posted it on my Instagram

and it got a lot of IG love.

 

That's a lot of trays.

I hope it's not overkill.

Because I have more!!

Do you like to organize your life on trays, too?