Reactivating My Plans

All the plans I had for the doing things in the house had to be put on hold for the last 6 months. I had to focus on my hip and knee which has improved immensely. I did think about what I want done so I can enjoy the house and have it updated for sale in the future. 

Interior Plans

I have realized that what I do inside the house has to be as such that I don't price the house out of the current market. It will be mainly painting, trim updated, new countertops, and window blinds. I need to get things ready for painters and carpenters to come and do their magic. I know I will be on a waiting list for both. That gives me time to get things ready. 

I will continue to make plans on how to decorate the rooms making as much as I can. The Christmas quilt is done and I have no plans on adding to the Christmas decor. The next items I want to make will be for January and February. I have a quilt planned but nothing else other than the dining area decor I already have. 

I am planning on buying blinds for the living room, dining room and kitchen and get rid of the curtains. I know what I want and will get help in deciding where to buy them. 

My bedroom has been put on hold as I am thinking about how I want it to look. I get stumped with this room as it needs to be quiet and peaceful for me to sleep in. The soft furnishings will be very important in that room. 

Outside Plans

As it is now spring, I am thinking about the outside. There is a plan in place for under the deck. I am going to do it with help from friends and family. Family has brought their left over ground cover and some bags of rubber mulch. I just need to get the edging bought and delivered. I hope to tackle this job in late April/early May when it is drier.

Around the house and shed needs some attention. I need to figure out a plan for that. I can get pea gravel from friends which I can use in the beds. I have to figure out the edging as I am still not happy with it. That will be next year's project. 

The hedge will be hired out this spring. I want it edged and have pea gravel put on. The edging on the road side needs to be looked at as the rain has washed away dirt from under it. Do I just keep that side edged without edging or do I have it replaced or the old edging put back in. The question of the month and I can't do anything until it is drier. We had so much rain in March everything is super wet and boggy. 

The vegetable boxes need cleaning on the outside (along with the deck) and soil needs to be added to them. I can do that myself though I will need to buy a pressure washer. I am looking at which one to buy. 

I have to say this is going to be one busy spring with health appointments and outside work. Let's hope I can do what I have planned, especially those jobs which I want to tackle. 

Plans For 2024

 Christmas came and went in my house. There were changes made and some items were not accomplished. I had to take a deep breath, make a list, and do what was important. The quilts were not made in December but the smaller one was completed in January. I can put it out this coming Christmas. 

Christmas in my house will continue to be red, white, and grey.

I did clean the basement between Christmas and New Years. Under the stairs got a good cleaning out and the TV box is now under the stairs. 

The rest of the family room hasn't changed from when I did it earlier. I still do crafts in that room and am trying to keep it tidy as possible. 

The sewing room is also cleaned up and it hasn't changed in appearance either. I like how it is set up and will do posts on both the family and sewing rooms later. 

I am back again thinking about what to do upstairs. I have a lot of decisions to make. With my house worth almost twice as much as we paid for it and a slower market I wonder what to do. Are my plans going to price it out of the market? Or are they going to keep the price firm? I really don't know. 

What I do want do is:

    Have the upstairs painted. 

    Replace the trim with plain trim which is easier to keep clean.

    Get blinds for the living, dining, kitchen and bathroom windows. I want to eliminate curtains if I possibly can in those areas.

    I will keep sewing soft decor for upstairs so I can have the rooms look like I want them to. My goal is to have blues, whites, and greys for most of the year. I am enjoying the peacefulness it brings to the house. 

What is questionable is:

    Replacing the cupboards vs painting them. Either way the hardware will be replaced as will the counter tops, taps, and kitchen sink. I will also add a back splash. 

    Replace the flooring. I would love to do that but it is a big expense. Doing the floors means redoing the railings and stairs. Is it worth it? 

I will be looking at getting a carpenter and painter for these jobs asap. 

Outside I have a list also. I have someone who will do the hedge and under the deck. I will see if he will pressure wash the siding and soffit also. If he won't do it, I will try to do it myself. I hope to pressure wash the driveway myself so it is also clean. I can do the vegetable boxes as they have green growing on them. Yes, I am going to buy a pressure washer in the spring and use it. 

The lawn maintenance is secure for this year so I don't have to worry about that. I will take care of the weeds in the ditch again this year. I will do flowers in pots, set up the deck, and plant the vegetable boxes this year. 

I am seeing a busy year inside and outside this year. 

Thinking of Christmas Decorating

 Christmas is coming and people are starting to put up their outdoor decorations. I have been watching videos on what is new in stores that we don't have in Canada (or at least where I live). It has me itching to decorate but not until Dec. 1 at the earliest. 

I have my cardinal display which I will put up again this year. Christmas without cardinals isn't Christmas. 

It drives the colour scheme for me - red and grey in the main part of the house. 

I also do the nativity scene. Most of it was bought in the early 1950's with the last piece bought in the mid 1960's. I have always put it out since getting it from my mother. 

And lastly, Christmas is not Christmas without Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore. I made them when the children were just starting school. 

I will be making a few changes this year. 

    Instead of a tree, I will be doing a tiered tray. I will add the Spousal Unit's snowmen to it and a couple of new items I will buy. I will be looking for snowflakes so I can add them for January/February. 

    I hope to have Elliott's cardinal quilt done for Christmas so I can put it on the couch. I have a cardinal pillow already made. My quilt will be done by the end of the year so I can display it next year. 

    I have an antique ironstone dish that belonged to my grandmother. I am going to put it on the dresser in the spare bedroom and fill it with blue and silver baubles. If I can find a pick or two, I will use them in that room also to give it a bit of a Christmas vibe. 

    I need to get a few small items like napkins so I can add some touches to the kitchen. I have a lovely cardinal mug that I will buy picks for and put it on the window ledge to add some festivity to that room. 

What I'm not decorating or decorating less this year:

    I am not touching my bedroom this year. I don't do Christmas sheets nor do I decorate the room. If I do it next year it will be a few items in blue and silver. 

    The bathroom. I could put out some grey towels with cardinals on them but we will wait and see. 

    Front entry (inside) will not be done as it is small and has no space for anything but a picture by the garage door. I may have to think on that one. 

    Outside will be less this year. Only around the front door. I don't put out a lot of items as it is one area that has to be shovelled when we get snow. 

I am still working my way through Christmas ideas as I want to add a few items the Spousal Unit loved. His cowboy snowmen were his favourite. 

This tree will come out but not be decorated this year as I'm figuring out how to use them in a gift for daughter. I realize that Christmas is not the same as before and that I need to continue to figure out how I want Christmas to look. 

Master Bedroom Update #2

The master bedroom has been purged. The room was cleaned and I have been thinking about decorating this room. I have realized that my style is cottage country style. I can keep it minimal for easy cleaning but have it feel warm and cozy. 

Stopping work on the bedroom and thinking has let me get my ideas and thoughts in place. It has also let me make changes. 

    The main quilt I want to make for the bed is still going to happen. My inspiration came from this picture. 

This is a double Irish chain quilt and I am making a single. I am also going to reverse the colours so the William Morris fabric can be seen. 

    The second quilt will be a fun one which has sheep on it. I may not put it on the bed but have it over a chair in that room and admire it. The background fabric will have to go with the William Morris fabric. 

    I bought a frame for a small picture to put on the bedside table that has nothing on it. 

I need to find a vase to put some flowers into so the space if balanced. The frames on the rest of my pictures are in oak and I am hoping the gold on this frame will pull the look together. Most of the pictures I want to hang were framed in the 1990's. 

    I still want to get a black metal headboard for the bed. I don't want extra pillows on the bed as I don't use them. A headboard will help give the bed the finished look I want. 

With ideas floating around in my head, I find that I am still stalled. I am spending a lot of time cleaning the house of unnecessary items. Between doing that and exercise/physio/osteopathy I putter at my plan when I have time. I am hoping to make the bedroom 2 quilts this winter so I can have change the quilts out seasonally. 

Master Bedroom Update #1

 The master bedroom is my focus at the moment. I am in the process of purging out what I don't need and organizing the closets to be more efficient. While I clean the room, I keep thinking about how I want to decorate the space. It needs to be peaceful so I can sleep well in it. 

One of the first things I did was change out the sheets to white ones. I have always loved white sheets and pillow cases. I have the light grey curtains hung which I also like and they will blend in with the grey wall colour (same as the rest of the house). The first step to decorating has begun. And stopped for a bit as I gathered my thoughts to move from spartan to inviting, cozy, and peaceful.

The main furniture in the room belonged to my grandmother. I love each piece. The bedside tables are white and from Ikea and do the job that I needed them to do. They don't stand out too much. I hope to buy a black iron headboard for the bed. 

I have kept the knick knacks to a minimum and would like to add some flowers to the dresser and a picture to the bedside table which has nothing on it. I may even put a small flower arrangement on it also. The wash stand has a basin and pitcher which came from my grandmother's house. The white linen towels I use to put on the rail were in a box that went missing on one of our moves. 

I plan on making the Irish chain quilt for the bedroom. I have decided to use this William Morris print.

I am still in the process of choosing the white. Instead of a white background and blue chains, I am going to reverse it. The runners will be in the print and white. One for each of the main pieces.

I am working towards being able to sleep well in this room. I know the colours I am choosing are calm. I have added items to the room slowly and I am sleeping well with them in there. It will still be minimal but at the same time it will feel comfortable and cozy for me. 

I will update as I move forward and add pictures to show the progress. Right now it is getting this room clean and ready to be decorated. 

The Spare Bedroom Is Done and Ready to Paint

 The spare bedroom sewing is completed and I am happy with how it looks. It will look much better when painted and pictures are hung up. But the sewing part turned out to be what I wanted for this room. 

This room is small and it houses paper work in the closet along with Elliott's litter box. I haven't put it downstairs as I was struggling with stairs due to my hip being out of alignment. It is easier to deal with upstairs even if I hate the mess he makes. 

I took the duvet cover off the bed and will be replacing it with a white one. The white blanket I am using allowed the fabric to be the star plus it made the room brighter. 

The table runner on the dresser has spruced up the look of it. I need to buy new handles for it and will be doing that when I go to Home Depot. 

The flower arrangement was fun to do and the table topper was an easy sew.  

The rabbits are from the sewing room and add a bit of whimsy to the room. The conch shell I got from my grandmother's house many years ago and it has always been in a bedroom. It looks perfect in this room. 

The small embroidered picture is only pinned to the wall and will be hung after the room is painted and new trim put up. 

And the night stand is finished with its own table topper that is a bit too big. I may make it smaller this winter. 

I may paint the room myself this winter. The hardest part will be taking off the trim and getting new trim painted. The walls are the easy part. I may have to pay my neighbour to put on the new trim. I haven't thought about this for a while as I have been focusing on getting my hip and knee aligned so I can do things without having a lot of pain. 

Overall, I am happy with the country cottage/farmhouse look I am going for. This room is a combination of both but still has the minimal look I love. I find the room relaxing when I walk in and it has items in it that I cherish. Once done, I know it will be perfect for me.

Guest Bedroom Update #2

 The guest room is coming along nicely. I have made progress on the soft furnishings. I am getting everything ready to do a day or two of hand sewing down binding. 

I will have to admit that I almost gave up decorating this room. I really struggled trying to figure out what was wrong after I introduced the fabrics into the room and started sewing them. After walking out of the room several times in frustration I realized it is the colour of the duvet cover. It is the wrong shade of blue. I know it needs to be replaced as it has several holes in it. I now need to get a  duvet cover that is white. I may have to change one set of pillow cases to light blue. And maybe the sheets. I'm on the hunt for what I want. 

The soft furnishings are coming along and I have the cushion covers to almost ready to sew down the binding. 

The second cover is ready to sew together with the binding attached. 

I decided to make a small wall hanging to hang above the bedside table. The embroidery took 2.5 hours to stitch out. It has very dense stitching on it. It is ready to bind. 

I have a table topper or two to make and then I will be ready to set up the room. 

I purchased some flowers for the room and am ready to cut the stems down and arrange them in a vase. I need another container of white sand for the vase. I will add some glass rocks to the top to add a finished look. 

My next update should be of the room done but not painted. I have to do some shopping for pillow cases, sheets, and duvet cover. I will hang all the pictures so I can see how the room will look with the blue curtains or if they will need to be replaced. This has been a learning project for me as I venture into a new look for the house.