Playing House

Dorothy in ~ The Wizard of Oz

 

 I just love it when old ways come home to roost don’t you? What do I mean when I say “old ways”? Well, I mean the SIMPLE things of course. Things like a hot and hearty bowl of homemade stew on a cold winter’s day, clearing away last year’s clutter and rearranging furniture for a fresh perspective! The kinds of things that don’t cost more than a day’s worth of groceries and a little elbow grease. You might say I’ve been indulging in one of my favorite pastimes. PLAYING HOUSE!

Now that the Christmas decorations are put away and the last of the pine needles have been swept out the door, I finally feel as though I can settle in for winter. It doesn’t take long before I begin looking for things to do around the house to make things more comfy-cozy here at home and at my mom’s house too! My Mom, Joy, and I love to decorate. In fact, she worked as an interior designer once upon a time. She’s got a great eye for the kinds of details that make a room sing! Candles, flowers, and a little WOW factor are among her favorite things to surround herself with.

This little Cheetah table is one of our hand painted furniture pieces.

My Mom lives in a mobile home. Her bedroom is a cozy 9×10 with three windows that let in plenty of natural light during the day. When she moved in 7 years ago the paneled walls were brand new with a warm wood tone to them. She liked that, but not the business of the lines and wood graining. So we painted the paneling a soft ivory and color washed them with a warm brown paint mixed with glaze to mimic a sunny day. I textured one wall with texture paint to add an old world cottagey feeling to the room! After recovering from two back surgeries with her room in its original configuration the seven year itch took hold. Is there anything more refreshing to the spirit than to rearrange a room? One day last week, I was scheduled to do moms hair. It just so happened I woke up that day in the mood to play! It took a little convincing on her part to the point she finally broke out in laughter ( when I told her we would be tackling her room too ) because I refused to take NO for an answer! She said, “you have that same look in your eye’s you used to get when you were little and were determined to have your way “! Who ME? She was right! I was in the mood to play and nothing was going to stop me! Besides, this sort of NO-COST MAKEOVER project is right up our alley and the benefits far outweigh the time it takes to make it happen!

I love how a photo can provoke certain memories for the viewer. I gave my mom one of my picket fence images for her birthday this year. She had it matted and framed to go in her bedroom. It has her favorite colors in it and she says it reminds her of her Grandmother Lucille’s gardens. To say Lucille was fireball is an understatement. She was known for tackling big projects all in a day’s work. She would hit the ground running and wouldn’t stop until she was done. And I mean DONE! I’m pretty sure I was channeling her that day! Here’s a peak at what we did while we laughed and giggled about some of Lucille’s escapades.

We moved the bed under the windows facing the doorway. Now as she enters her room the bed invites her right in!

The red headboard is another one of our (painted lady) furniture rescues. One of mom’s tricks to soften her space and give it a cocoon like feeling is to minimize additional lines and patterns. She hung spun gold sheers on either side of the large window wall to blend in with the wall color. Her room came with sliding accordion closet doors which she removed and in their place she hung two “ rose covered “curtain panels. Talk about cozy, feminine and romantic!

This solution is much cheaper than buying two new closet doors, and it’s so much prettier. The red lamps make a huge WOW statement in this small space.

Over the smaller windows on either side of the chest below we hung a vine with natural twigs, clear crystal and red berries just for fun. This is another creative way to add some whimsy and it gives the overall space a light- hearted charm!

She has an alcove (where the bed used to be) with just the right amount of space for a chest of drawers and a place for all her funky costume jewelry! Grammys’ got SWAG as my kids would say!

The turquoise necklace in the above photo was created by Beth, ‘Shery J’s (ranch farmgirl ) sister. Here’s her link! If you love unique one of a kind jewelry pieces like we do go see her.

We found room for a small chair next to the table now so she can have a throw on hand or sit down and put her shoes on! The chair was a gift from me too! I gussied it all up in fall colors and named her Autumn Joy after my mom. Fall is her favorite season.

We had a great time rearranging her room and I’m happy to say she loves it! We didn’t spend a penny and she got her hair done to boot! Don’t you just love to do a project, then sit around afterwards saying how much you love it over and over and over again? We do!

This is my beautiful mom, Joy! She inspires and supports me in all things creative and fun. She’s the queen of creative in my book. She’s put more than a few jewels in her creative crown over the years. As long as I can remember she’s been good with her hands. When I was little, she made most of my clothes and my brother’s shirts too. She’s upholstered furniture, stripped and hung wall paper, called a bunk car (with no running water) home while my dad worked for the railroad in Texas for a while. She did yard sales and dumpster diving before it was hip, outfitting our bedrooms with her furniture rescues to save money and express her creativity too. Later, I remember coming home from school and finding hair pieces pinned to styrofoam manikin heads that she had washed, set, dried and combed out for herself and friends lined up on the kitchen table. It wasn’t long before she found other creative outlet’s in crochet, embroidery, and making high end table linens’ and decorative pillows. The ole’ back won’t let her do too much gardening anymore, but she still loves to decorate and do some dabbling in paint when she hears the muse!
  Best of all, I can always count on her to “come play “with me. All it takes is for me to get “the look” and we are off and running! I LOVE YOU MOM!

 Someone wasn’t about to be left out of the makeover. After all, it’s his bedroom too! Meet Barkley, my mom’s bear, I mean dog! He’s just a love and her constant companion. I think he approves! And, I hope you do too!

As this post comes to a close, the snow is flying outside. I’m slow cooking a pork roast smothered in bbq sauce and feeling happy inside to be warm and cozy in my little nest here at home and to have had yet another shoreline visit with you, my dear farmgirl sisters!

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.

~ John Howard Payne

Before we say goodbye, I’ll leave you with some tips for your own

 NO COST room MAKEOVER~

1. Start by choosing one room to re-arrange.

2. Clear away the clutter, dust and vacuum.

3. Decide on a new arrangement for the furniture.

4. Only keep pieces that are useful, beautiful and that add comfort.

5. Borrow accents from other rooms such as, candle’s pillows, family photos and artwork to freshen your new space.

6. Don’t forget lighting. Bring in additional lamps or fixtures for reading, atmosphere and general purpose.

7. Make it personal, make it YOUR space. You’ll know when you’ve got it right when you don’t want to leave!

8. When it’s all done, be sure to spend plenty of time admiring your handy-work!

9. Now it’s your turn! Add your creative tips for no- cost makeovers in the comments!

Until our next shoreline visit~

Happy ” House Playing ” and Beach Blessings!

Love,

Deb ( and mom too )

P.S. Here’s my easy Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe for your next play day!

  1. Julia says:

    Looks lovely! I did a bit of rearranging when all the Christmas things were put up. Now, I’ve been itching to paint something! Hmm…what shall it be!?

    Hi Julia! Sounds like fun! Nice to hear from ya! xo Deb

  2. Jan says:

    Talk about sounding familiar! I too, have been working on getting the old homestead in order and making alot of progress in the organizing department. My closet is finally cleaned out and just walking by it makes my heart pitter patter…No, doesn’t take much to excite me! I FINALLY picked out a bedroom paint color (I have a wall that has many splotches of test color) and am on my way to pick up the paint today. Kind of a hay color. My thought is that I could paint one wall and then see how I feel.
    Still struggling with the curtains…Yikes..I have an antique bedroom suite in there with a high gloss finish (think it’s called a piano finish) and I want the whole room to feel warm and cozy..
    I made a wonderful tamale casserole yesterday with quinoa instead of polenta (masa) and it turned out wonderful. Also made apple sauce..Love to cook and ‘nest’ this time of year!
    Mom and her bedroom are simply beautiful. You are truly blessed..
    Hugs!

    Hi Jan! Well, I guess " playing house" is in the air this time of year for sure! I love the sound of the Hay color and your tamale casserole sounds yummy!…will you share the recipe with us in a comment or email me? thanks for stopping in and happy painting! xo Deb

  3. Kelly says:

    Wow, you are talented Deb!!! I am so in awe!!! I love the whole room- so lovely, so peaceful, so cozy! I really like the curtain idea instead of sliding doors. I would love to do that in my bedroom but I’m always in s struggle with my 7 month old puppy getting into my closet and eating my shoes!!! So maybe I should wait until she’s a bit older to switch to a curtain but wow- so beautiful! You have really inspired me!
    Kelly in CA

    Hi Kelly! Gee, thanks! I’m so happy you were inspired. That’s funny about your puppy! Yep, better wait a bit on those curtains!  Thanks so much for your note today!

    xo, Deb

  4. Joan says:

    Oh yeah this has been a very fun time rearranging with you and your Mom – I’ve got the ITCH but I just can’t get a handle on how I want my living/family room to be. It is our EVERYTHING room so it wears many hats – pretty good sized but is still awkward to me – lived in my last home almost 40 yrs so this new fangled one is hard to get comfy/cosy/country BUT you have inspired me and now I must get at it – you inspiration is fresh in my mind. I can relate to your Mom and the back problem – please give her my empathy and well wishes. Thanks for sharing always a joy.

    Oh goodie! Another sister fired up for a makeover! Bigger rooms can be challenging. I’m still puzzling out our living/family room too! If I ever figure it out and it turns out " blog worthy" .I’ll share… but, don’t hold your breath… other things are calling me first! Good Luck!!! Thanks for your note and I’ll be sure to pass on your kind words to mom! Deb xo

  5. Raynita says:

    Don’t ya just love that expression *playing house*? I hope I never outgrow it:) Loved every word and picture. Your mom is beautiful, how blessed you are to have *swag* passed down to you…lol…love it!……..Raynita

    Hi Raynita! LOL!!! I love it! Thanks for your note! xo Deb

  6. Dolly Sarrio says:

    I sure do love this post. As a matter of fact I just visited my Mom today too. Your Mom is beautiful! You favor her. I love the decorating that the two of you did. Thanks for all of the pointers.

    Hi Dolly! Yes, I’ve been told all of my life that we look a lot alike, and sound alike too!  Thanks for stopping by! xoDeb

  7. I enjoyed reading your post! I think it’s the coolest thing that you enjoy doing projects with and for your mom. I love the painted furniture too–I don’t sew, knit or crochet, but I like to paint old cast-off pieces.

    Hi Lisa! Thank You! There’s just something about making over a piece of furniture that gets me giddy too! Thanks for reading…xo Deb

  8. Clare the from away Mainer says:

    Hi,
    Wow! I really loved the post about decorating your mom’s bedroom. I need to do some redecorating. Four of our five children have left the "nest". We now have two spare bedrooms. Also I two have been a transplant here on the East Coast. I hail originally from Chicago and now live in Maine. Sometimes I wonder how I lived so far from the ocean. Happy New Year!

    Hi Clare! Sounds like your " nest " is ready and waiting for some creative re-vamping! Mom and I will be right over! 🙂 I know what you mean about living so far inland from the ocean. It does seep into your blood, just like the mountains and open spaces do.. nature is very healing no matter where you live, if you can appreciate it! Thanks for reading and hope to see you again! xo Deb

  9. nameDebbie Ricardo says:

    Deb,I really enjoyed yourpost this time.I love to rearrange and repurpose. I quilt and am in the process of rearrangeing my sewing room . My girlfriend just gave me a 2 piece pine hutch and I am using the pieces separated ( I just flipped the top over and it looks like a dry sink) WhenI get it done I’ll try my hand at uploading a photo. Love your blog !
    Deb

    Hi Deb, We would love to see a pic of your project when it’s done! Great idea! Thanks for reading and hope to see you again!  Deb xo

  10. kay dallas says:

    Thank you so much for direction on those beautiful stencil pieces.

    sincerely,
    katy

    Hi Kay! You are most welcome~ 🙂

  11. Nicole Christensen says:

    Hey Deb, Love what you did with your mom’s bedroom! Red is one of my favorite decorating colors…looks good every season. By the way, you and your mom have the same pretty smile! Enjoyed your post.
    Your blogging sis, Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl

    Hey Nicole! I agree….Red is my favorite color to decorate with and around! You’re too sweet!!! Thanks for the visit! Hugs  Sister Deb

  12. Shery says:

    I can see where you get your creative gifts and fetching beauty. Your mama is so pretty…and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

    Awe… thank you Shery! Hugs! Deb

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