Saturday, March 29, 2008

true confessions and unfinished business

OK, so several people urged (begged) me to post photos of my studio pre-cleanup. I tried to plead public humiliation but they were having none of it. Sadists. So here it is. Just remember, you asked for it. Well, some of you anyway.


This is actually my worktable under there somewhere.

The view from the doorway. Ugh.

Part of the problem, you see, is that several months ago we had a water problem in our basement and had to pull up all the carpeting which should have never been there to begin with, after which we discovered a multitude of cracks in the floor that must be sealed up before we can do anything else towards refinishing the place. We looked at it and, exhausted, promptly gave up. I knew it would be months and months before we could get anything meaningful done to the basement, and I also knew I couldn't live without a studio for that length of time so I just carried on as usual but without all my usual storage solutions, etc., hence everything got "stored" on the floor. Where the cats could get at it. And did. Not that my cats are responsible for ALL of this mess, but you know.

Being with my brother and seeing his painting efforts in his new place a couple of days ago kind of lit a fire under me wanting to get my studio finished off. Maybe if we do that the rest of the basement will follow. That's the plan, anyway. We're sealing and leveling the floor first, then painting the new floor with a concrete paint/stain and repainting the walls. (YAY--that's the fun part!)

I've tentatively chosen some paint colors to get started with. I love Kate's new studio look, and although mine is not nearly the wonderful size of hers I like the idea of one wall in an intense color and the rest in a light shade. Red is my favorite.

When I brought these home my husband let out a sound somewhere between a groan and a cat being strangled until I told him I wouldn't be combining any of these colors in the same room. He felt a little better after that, and even better when I told him I would paint the place myself.


I'm really leaning toward one of the deep reds in the top photo. My room is so small (maybe 8 or 9 feet square) and the ceiling is so low that I may only need a step stool to reach the ceiling line.

While we were in KC we shopped at a Target for some things for my brother's new place. I came across this doormat and immediately thought of Lesley, so this photo is for her.

And finally, several days ago Sara tagged me with a book meme and the poor girl has had to wait around for me to get my act together, so here at last it is.

Here are the rules:

Pick up the nearest book of at least 123 pages.
Open the book to page 123.
Find the 5th sentence.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

Unfortunately for all concerned, my computer is not near anywhere I do any reading for enjoyment and I never think to bring along my current novel when I come downstairs to do computer stuff. So the books near the computer aren't the most literarily uplifting. In fact, the nearest book is The Financial Aid Answer Book which is helpful if you're looking for ways to fund your kids' college education.

Here are the pertinent sentences:

"The need of other students and the extent of available funding for each type of aid program ultimately influence the way packages are adjusted. You are obligated to notify schools of any additional resources you receive even after the school has extended an aid offer to you. To comply with federal requirements, schools must ensure that financial aid applicants do not receive more federal aid than permitted."

Riveting stuff.

I am tagging the following poor souls:

Jules
Julie
Kate
Debbi
Lesley

I will not be offended if you don't participate.

Tomorrow I will post photos from Kansas City. Have a happy Saturday/Sunday everyone.

7 comments:

CG said...

LOL at your book ...very informative. Your studio is..er..well, those cats have a lot to answer for!! I like your colour plans a lot.

SaraLynn said...

LOL....."The Financial Aid Answer Book " this is hilarious!
I think a red room would be rockin'. (picking up my daughter's words)
hope you had a great weekend ;)

melicia's fiber art and mixed media said...

Our cats are all outside. They must sneak in while we are all sleeping and tear up our house. (They are doing a good job of it too.) A good housekeeper I am not.

Mrs Moog said...

Your studio looks just as it should for all the creativity that's been going on!

I love the monkey mat :)

Now off to read my book....

Kate said...

Mmmmm, red. I bought a lovely shade of red for the Music Room! I can't WAIT to see your new look when you're done. (Secretly, I feel I should have made my studio that soft pale blue/green favoured by Sally Jean Alexander. So I picked that for the Studio Reception Area (utility room!).) Happy days! I'll do the book thingy later, promise!

Julie said...

Thank you Susan for the tag - I think ! ;) I haven't seen this meme before. Could be interesting. I'm impressed with your studio space - I don't feel so bad about mine now lol Lovely colours :)

ScaryCheri said...

love the color plans for your room Susan. Those reds sure should inspire I would think. I have to borrow my daughter's Siam cat(who used to reside with me very happily, thank you very much, until she moved) for company. Our 2 dogs do not scare her one bit and they know it, lol. Love the design on the building across from your brothers. We are just going through Richmond. VA and wow at the beutiful buildings here. Thank you for the nice comment on my blog. That's an interesting thought on bright colors. I love them but tend to gravitate towards the more nuetrals as that is my comfort zone. Trying to break that so I can get bright bright bright, lol. Spring is getting me. Hugz, Scary