Saturday, March 22, 2014

My Room -- Before and After

As many of you know, nearly a year ago my sister got married. My sister and I shared a room since the day she was born, so there was just a little adjusting to do after she got married. Just a little. It took me forever to actually "move into" her side of the room because I'm too sentimental and can't just make big changes all at one time. But I eventually managed such feats of change, and then, over Christmas holiday, I completely redecorated the whole room. That was the biggest project I have ever undertaken. By the end I was in tears, as everything I touched seemed to suddenly need more work. I'm pathetic. We already covered this. See my last post.

But anyway. . . so I redid the whole room, and I absolutely. love. it. Lily has been asking for pictures of it for quite a while now, so without further delay (nearly 4 months seeming to be delay enough), here is my room.

Before


Mama painted this room for us and made the curtains when we moved into this house nearly 11 years ago. Whether Leah had gotten married or not, it was time to refresh the paint, even though we both loved the yellow color and the sweet, girly feel of the room.


This was actually Leah's side of the room, which I successfully took over after about 4 months of her marriage :)


Leah calls this set of pictures the Wedding Shrine. You can't see them in this photo, but they're all from her wedding, partly because I love her a ton, and partly because those are the best pictures we've ever had. Below the shrine is my tea table which looks a wreck. Basically, I knew for months that I would be painting and refreshing the whole room, I was just waiting for Christmas Holiday to have enough time for the project. So everything is sort-of sitting in my room waiting to be put in its intended place after I paint, etc.


This is my favorite spot in my room. My hope chest serves as a bench. But my favorite part is the hat and flowers hanging above it.


Oh no! It appears a boy got into my photo :)

After


So in the "new" room, I went for the fresh, clean look. I absolutely love everything about my room! I love all the blue with pink accents. I love the white everywhere. I love the touches of embroidery (you can't really tell from this picture but the frames above my bed have pink and blue ribbon embroidery samplers in them). I just love everything about it!




And, I love that I get to share it with people. Every week when we have co-op at our house, the ladies who aren't teaching come up here for tea and fellowship. It just makes me so happy that I get to share all of this with other people. 



I don't think I got a good picture of it in the Before Pictures, but my desk used to be an ugly yellow laminate countertop. With some ideas from friends via Facebook, I painted it with chalkboard paint. I love it! I can write verses and quotes on it; to-do lists; welcome notes to people coming to have tea with me, etc. And the boys come in and draw pictures, or leave me messages. It's so fun! I also love the contrast of the black with the blue walls.


The bunting says "His banner over me is love." 


This is my refreshed tea corner. It's so fun to have girls from church over for tea, or just to wake up in the morning and have tea and read before starting the day.


Lily, this picture is especially for you, because I wanted you to see the drawer pulls. They have little vines etched on them. I thought you would appreciate the completely refreshed look of the desk :)

As I write this, I flatter myself that anyone in their right mind cares what my room looks like. I mean, really. . . But I am so thankful for the Lord's provision for me. None of this is deserved. It's a gift. I had tremendous fun putting it all together and decorating it. But I am utterly grateful to the Lord for His provision. Having my sister leave was one of the hardest things for me. But I have so enjoyed getting to pull this room together and then share it with so many friends: having them in for tea, or leaving them to fellowship while I go teach for co-op, or having my sister over. It really is a wonderful outlet for me. 

So there you have it. Lily, I hope you enjoyed this post because you've been very patient for it :)