Monday, July 4, 2016

finding balance...

Though the open garage door yesterday I spent hours lost in one of my favorite hobbies.  Upcycling furniture.  We have had two dressers that have been hanging out, taking up space.  Not being used, very out dated and basically a waste.  So as the rain fell at times a light drizzle at others... Noah would have accepted the challenge... we worked.

Hubs is a music man.  Silence doesn't enter his world. He seems to hate it, I seem to thrive in it.  We are always looking for that delicate balance.  This morning I was out there by myself, doing a touch up on the red dresser, it suffered an accidental scratch yesterday.  It was silent.  The fan was whirring, swishing the air in circles around my head.  The brush making slight scratching sounds, chalk paint is course, stiff.  Periodically I heard the scuffling sound of the brake stool sliding on the concrete.  That is an amazing little stool that has saved my poor knee more than once. 

I find peace creating.  It doesn't matter what I am working on, I always let the piece I am working on speak to me.  I always start with a vague plan in mind, a color or style that I feel strongly about.  Rarely do I ever visualize a project finished when I start.  Occasionally, I will find a quilt, sweater, blanket, socks, mittens, etc where the pattern is what draws my attention, holds me, demands that I make it the way it is written.  But that is very rare.  Either I don't like the color or the style isn't quite to my liking.  


As I was sitting there with paint brush in hand, pondering what needed to happen, each piece so very different, I could almost hear them.  Each one demands a different outcome. The red one is going to end up distressed and aged.  It's a style I have come to love.  The piece is more traditional. It started life many decades ago a finely made Broyhill dresser. It will have a casual elegance.  I have several pieces like it in my home already.  They are rich looking, gracefully aged.  I find much joy in the pieces I already have. This piece is not for me.  Although it is in my personal favorite.  I have no use for it.  When it is finished we will sell it. 




The aqua one, with it's clean lines, it demanded something far different.  We don't know the maker, it's past or where it originated.  Years ago when the girls were young we needed a dresser, money was tight and we found it in a second hand shop.  One knob was broken, but the girls didn't stay with us often and would never need all those drawers.  It was short enough to fit a need, a bit wide, but we figured it would work. And it did.  Until we moved two years ago, it had sat neglected in an unused bedroom, holding remnants of unwanted Christmas gifts and things not worthy of use. 

I never fully appreciated this beauty until yesterday.  I am fairly positive that is handmade.  The only makers markings I can find are hand numbered drawers indicating their places.  The lines are clean, it is well made. It doesn't have cheap staples holding it together, it is truly a work of art.  The drawers have an off center design.  Neither Hubs or I ever realized that until we started swapping out those nondescript pull knobs. Before we'd even decided firmly on a color, although I had 3 different blues picked out of my supplies, we went in search of knobs.  As the old ones had such a unique spacing we figured that was our first challenge. It's another reason I feel this was completely handmade.  The old plugs were simple wooden bits with wood screws at two inches, odd. 

The aqua one is coming along beautifully, if I had room for it, I am fairly positive I could not part with it.  It's a beauty already and it isn't even waxed yet.  The hand pulls we found are perfect.  It will be simple, clean, slightly distressed and classic.  I am so excited to see the outcome. 


I'm sitting in my comfy chair, looking out at the rain, and instead of feeling bummed that I am not outside having a barbecue or riding with Hubs to celebrate Independence Day, I am thankful for the rain.  My yard and garden desperately needed it, and I needed to be able to create.  In between waiting for coats to dry I have been working on a baby afghan, cleaning my house, admiring my garden (It looks like I might actually get a few melons and zucchinis! I have napped, loved on my boys, caught up on chores and regained a bit of balance in my over loaded life. 

Hubs and I are on a mission to downsize our home.  Reduce our financial obligations in life, and prepare for a not too distance future. We have a plan, we have dreams.  For a change we are focusing on how to obtain them.  

Well, I am sure my freshly washed pieces are ready for wax to be applied, and the red set is probably ready for sanding... Celebrate the freedoms given to us, even if your idea of celebrating is staying at home with the love of your life doing honey-do's.  No one ever said it was about bbq and fireworks!

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