One of the pleasures of the last few weeks was being able to have free reign to make over a bedroom. It’s not my bedroom, but I was given free reign in doing it! As I look back at the photos I took, it’s been so rewarding. I can tell you that no other hands have touched this room apart from three people…Mike, me and my friend Riana. It’s been such fun. I’ve got some pics to show and then what I would do again and what I would not! This is how it looked at the start…
Yip! That pink had to go. I wrote previously about the pain of purchasing paint, but once that was sorted, we could get on with the job. I set off early one morning and with a gung-ho attitude of ‘if it is to be, it is up to me,’ I merrily swept the first strokes on my blank canvas…and was very surprised that it was coming out greenish…
But as we neared completion, it began to look more like Fancourt Slate…
The colour is fantastic and one that I would absolutely use again. No sooner was the painting complete and the skirting boards dry, when the bed arrived…
It’s not a big room, only about 4m x 3m. It faces east so gets a lot of bright morning sun. Block out curtains were going to be the most practical. We found a colour that we were pretty sure would work and last Saturday morning, I sat on that there bed and spent a couple of hours putting in the hooks, until, voila…
The colour of the curtains turned out to be almost identical to the wall colour. They became an extension of the walls, which had the stunning effect of making the room look bigger…
So with bed in and curtains up, the real fun part commenced. Riana is the perfect person to take shopping for room dressing and decor. She knows the places to go, has an eye for colour, what will work and is detail orientated, so the outcome will always be good. She said she would take 3 hours to get everything. I said I would take 1 hour. So we allocated 2 hours to the exercise and had a shopping trip of note. Yesterday, it was with great pleasure that we put it all together…
Now we just need a couple of pieces of art on the wall, but that’s for another person to decided upon.
So, what would I do differently and what would I do the same?
Employ someone to do the painting!!!!!!!! It was a labour of love, but in hindsight, a painter would have done a better job. I painted, not because I didn’t want someone else to do it, but because I wanted it done that week and the guy I had planned to paint was busy. “If it is to be, it is up to me!” Also, I had to drag Mike out from a hectically busy schedule to put time into painting the top because I couldn’t reach! Mike came willingly, but it wasn’t ideal imposing more work on him.
Everything else I would do the same, mainly using Riana for her great advice. Carry those paint swatches with you wherever you go – it’s surprising how often you refer back to them….
Everyone needs a Riana, who can both shop and advise you. She was great!
I’m looking forward to showing the owner his new room!
We are off to Hermanus for the Easter weekend. The house and cat are being taken care of, so we are pretty much good to go!
I’ve been reading the Old Testament book of Ezra. He was taking a whole bunch of people out of exile and back to Jerusalem. It was not a safe trip and he had been offered soldiers to protect them on their way. He had turned down the offer of help, because he knew the Lord would go with them, but listen to what he says…I can identify with his insecurity and uncertainty. Ezra 8:21-23
There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.” So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer.
Ezra was so human. He had uncertainties, but put his faith into action.
Have faith.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂