Paint and Tea

Who washes the walls and cleans the base boards on those wonderful fix up the house shows?  Who goes to the hardware store to purchase more paint when they realize they need just a bit more to finish?  When will they show up at my door? 

I know it looks bad but until a few days ago it didn't have all those different colors and it was only a storage room.

Remodeling, decorating or just painting a room is work. I try to look at it as a fun project but the part I like best is the job completed. The shows I love to watch always show the before and a little of the work going on and then the BIG REVEAL. My big reveal is days, maybe weeks, away. 

I was up early this weekend because cooler weather was promised and I wanted to work in the garage so I can finish my sewing room and actually do some sewing.  Last week it was so very hot I didn't go outside except to water the plants and feed the birds.  I stayed inside and started sorting through my stuff deciding what to put in the "new" room.  Almost everything is ready to transition to the new sewing room/studio, now I've got to paint so this can happen. 

My sewing room (I may not be a studio person) has served as this house's storage room for the past 45 years.  I am painting in a room that got one quick spray of builders' white in 1966 and hasn't been touched since.  We swept the place up in 2005 and then started storing things in there, but now I have a new use for the space.  The former owner collected tools and motors, those things were gone when we bought the house, but we were left with plenty of smudges around the door and on the walls.  He also used nails to hang things and part of my morning was spent taking down large (3 inch) nails and patching holes. 

At some point I started to worry if I paint this room white it will look the same as it does now.  I searched for a 'happy' yellow color and then thought, "This room isn't white, just paint it white."

I had to sand the walls - I've never had to sand walls before - they felt gritty.  I put on a mask and started working.  I took a break and went out to breathe for a few minutes, then went back in and swept the floor, took another break, and then quickly washed the walls and left them to dry. 

I was trying to decide what color to go with, looking through all the little paint chips, when I noticed a white near the yellows called "Magnolia White." That's right. I bought a gallon of paint because I liked the name of it. 

Walls sanded, washed, and taped up - ready to paint.

Monday morning it was cooler than it had been in months - I put down newspapers and started painting. It's been a long time since I painted a ceiling.   The walls and ceiling are the same color. I have a semi-gloss white to do the trim and I'm planning on getting a new door.

It was about here I wanted to quit.  I didn't, I just wanted to.

I'm painting in sections. I'll work at organizing this area and then move to another area in the room.   

Notice I got a new switch plate, the other one didn't cover the hole that was cut in the sheet rock.  I always thought the old switch plate looked like it was holding on for dear life.  Now I've just got to wipe down the trim and give it two coats of paint.

This evening my plan is to get my husband to help me put the bookcases in here.  I hope they fit, I don't have much wiggle room - 90 1/2" of bookcases in a 91 1/2" space.  

During my breaks I had iced tea, I've had that a lot this summer, but I've been enjoying a new flavor the last few weeks.


Recipe:

3 bags decaf tea 
1 bag of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea
Boiling water

I sometimes have a cup mid-morning and the leftovers (I make extra on purpose) I drink iced during the afternoon. I know, you thought I was all about the booze or caffeine, nope. This summer I found this new tea "Bengal Spice" - well, the favor is new to me and after months of hot, hot temperatures and gallons of iced tea, I just wanted to try something a little different.  The flavor reminds me a bit of Chai, it's caffeine free, just spicy enough to jazz up my tea - iced or hot.  If you try it, let me know what you think.  I'll help - the first comment that requests a box of tea I'll send you a box of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice Tea.

cJoy