Friday, December 3, 2010

Just what I needed.

Written by Shannon Leigh

This week has been kind of odd.

I've recently finished up some seriously large projects that have been hanging over my head for months. I think I have a little post-project blues.

I can't really put my finger on what I am feeling exactly. Maybe I'm overwhelmed? I have a list 3 miles long of projects that I could be working on, I just can't find the wants to actually do them.

We set a goal for ourselves that we would have our new/thrift store entertainment center painted and ready to go by Christmas (it's good to set goals). We've had it in the garage for months and now the temperatures are below freezing so I figured we had better bring her in.

So a few nights ago we brought in the top piece, which was the part that I was excited about. This piece was originally a china cabinet so it was going to require some creativity to make it work as a tv cabinet. There were some shelves that needed to be removed - I'd patch some holes, maybe add some decorative wall paper to the back and viola, perfection.
I assumed that it would be simple. WRONG-O!
We worked on those stupid shelves for HOURS to no avail. Matt reminded me that this was a "real" piece of furniture not some cheap piece with pressed wood (even though it was from a thrift store). This stuff was serious. We totally screwed it up and it's no longer usable (cue music- WahWahWah).
GRRR I was so frustrated. Mad, in fact.
I'm kind of a baby when projects don't go my way, clearly.

I was grumbly... plus the house was a mess and we hadn't decorated for Christmas yet.

So yesterday instead of pouting like I wanted to, I cleaned the house from top to bottom and decorated the house with all things Christmas. I vacuumed out the couches, washed the windows and did all of the laundry. I even did the rest of the grocery shopping - bleh, I hate grocery shopping. But it kept my mind off of the utter failure that was the tv cabinet (wahwahwah).
By the end of the day I was feeling better, or distracted, I'm not sure which.

But that is when my gem of a husband surprised me with a trip to the Christmas tree farm. We were all bundled up, Matt in his suit and tie and over coat. Tiny snowflakes danced in the lights that lit up the trees. It was kind of magical. I felt like we were inside a snowglobe.
The tree we picked is just perfect. It's small but perfect (let's be honest, we don't have room for a big tree anyway). It seemed kind of wrong to cut it down. It's the most symmetrical tree I've ever seen. The perfect tree for miss Ruby's first Christmas.

We took our sweet little tree home and put our sweet little Ruby to bed. We then spent our evening trimming the tree and sipping sparking grape juice (from aldi no less) from my Kate Spade goblets we got for our wedding. I couldn't have asked for a better night. Thanks Matty for pulling me out of my funk.

We're still going to work on the tv cabinet this weekend- it will just be considered a tv stand instead. I am excited about all of the toy/book storage it will provide us with. Who knew that babies came with so much stuff?

Here's a few shots of the chair that I re-upholstered.
I think I've got the upholstery bug. I LOVED the class and I don't think I'll look at furniture the same way ever again.
I foresee MANY more project like this one in the future...
before&Afterchair

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Miss Ruby all bundled up for the Christmas tree farm.
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5 comments:

Cher said...

Babies do come with a LOT of gear. And toys. And just stuff. It's never ending...and it's been driving me CRAZY recently. I have a very strong desire to go through my house and throw out/recycle/sell/donate 1/2 of everything in it. Unfortunately, the desire has not be matched by the motivation and energy to accomplish the task. :-(

The Wickershams said...

Ok this chair is to die for! I am so wanting to learn how to reupholster...now to find the time :)

Keli B. said...

ok, the chair, OH MY GOODNESS, the chair! i'd be lying if i said i wasn't jealous! of the chair and the fact that you took the class. i'm dying to take that class! maybe someday i'll get to. can't wait to see pics of your tree.

also, please forgive me for not ever getting back with you to schedule dinner. i have not lost hope that it will happen. it WILL happen. someday!

Unknown said...

I bet your TV stand will still be fabulous. And that chair is spectacular! I am insanely jealous over it, and over your life, in general. I should probably go repent now...

Lindsay said...

I just found your chair post on google and was wondering if you could lend some tips? I just found 2 chairs almost identical to this one and am a very beginner crafter. If you see this and wouldn't mind emailing me, I would really appreciate it!

llundeen39@gmail.com