Friday, July 25, 2008

The Shedista



Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.
Albert Einstein


It was the Velveteen Rabbit of sheds. Loved, worn, and tattered: the stuffing falling out. That was before Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways triggered my imagination out of hibernation.
The shed was built by my husband and our sons at the beginning of what turned out to be an uncertain decade. There was a lot of tumult in my husband’s industry: we really weren’t certain we would be able to stay in the home where we raised our family. The tentativeness of that time was left behind in the form of half-done or never started pieces for projects. By the time I read Debra Prinzing’s Stylish Sheds, the brick floor could not be seen because of all the boxes stacked upon it.

Einstein was wrong about imagination being everything. Without action it is nothing. So I set about clearing the space so there would be room for the imagination to spread out. Spoiled paints took up valuable space with no value in saving- gone. Duplicate supplies were consolidated. Emptied of evidence of how much indecision I had allowed, this jewel box sized building stood ready to be scrubbed, repainted and reborn.

The shed project isn’t quite finished. But enough is done to share how much FUN it can be to put the past behind and look into the future. I am now and forever more a Shedista.

The inspiration piece turned out to be an old pine double bed set to be piled in to a dumpster. With a little elbow grease, leftover plywood, a minimum of tools and four cans of spray paint- we now have a colonial day bed for our doggies to snuggle in.

The chest at the foot of the bed was a close out at a discount store. It set the color-way for accessories as the project evolved. It lacked a latch- which I selected from the stock at our local hardware store. Instead of storing blankets- this under $25 bargain holds micro- tubing for repairs and additions to our drip watering system.
The mattress was a cushion bought end of season. The bed skirt and pillow cases were cut from a rectangular tablecloth. The pillow sham was created from two place mats sewn together and stuffed with a travel pillow.
Now that my puppies have a plush place to plop on while I putter about on projects nearby, I can get to putting action to the coming attractions in this journey called life.

Shopping Credits-

Paint and Hardware from Ken's Ace Hardware, Diamond Bar
Chest from Ross Department Store

Placemats for pillow sham from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
"Petal Pushing" Tablecloth and trash can from Barbara Cheatley's, Claremont, California.

10 comments:

  1. Lydia,
    BEAUTIFUL!!! That is amazing!! Lovely! Love the colors! When I first saw that darling bed I thught it was something you had done for a guest room! Doggy bed?? Lucky pups!
    Somewhere I read that shed book too! Can't remember where I saw it! Did you feature it on your blog?
    Hey! You forgot to give one credit!! How about Paul Han and his crew of painters? (Young Brothers) Looks like they did an excellent job!
    Thanks for sharing! Loved your creativity!
    XO Trisha

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  2. May 17th "Perspiration and Inspiration" entry was about the book.
    You are right! The painters you named should have been given credit. Their bid was very fair, their work neat and completed on time.
    The doggie portait- Gerry- aka known as my husband, handyman and carpenter extraordinaire- he painted that from a photograph of my Reno.

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  3. Your shedista has prompted me to publish some photos I took yesterday. Some friends and I met to farewell two of our number who are just off on a big overseas jaunt. Our party was held at Pam's house. As you will see, it's an old house by a creek,and she has decorated it in a sort of Victorian 'memorabilia' style which I find quite entrancing. (My own house is reasonably modern and, in any case, I haven't got the knack.

    But do have a look.

    Rinkly Rimes.

    http://www.rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/

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  4. Thank you for the invitation Rinkly Rimes- aka Brenda Bryant of Australia. What a fun site!

    My goodness- that spiny ant eater with the July 26th entry - I had so much fun looking at that I forgot to look for the house photos. Will do that now.

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  5. Wow, Lydia! You are such a prolific writer! I love your blog, it is full of beauty, hope and positive thoughts. Nature has a huge place in your life. I love it, too. Thanks for the work and collecting you do. Gloria

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  6. love your shed! Super. Good for you to get the 'clean it out bug'! I have a shed too, that needs attention. You inspired me. Just LOVE the day bed!!!

    Sue

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  7. oh I love the shed, and the bed! I have a shed of my own, lovingly if somewhat haphazardly painted and always - well. not always. often messy. but it's a refuge/studio/storage building. so there's always open cans of paint or sand on the floor, branches and leaves (nestmaking) and so on strewn around. and I saved two old wooden beds from the neighbour's firewood pile, they're being painted in pieces and will be recombined into some sort of piece of furniture. or several. I love the daybed, and had actually thought of making these head & footboards into benches. now I'm re-inspired, and think I'll get out some kind of power tools today and do something with all these bits and pieces. feels like a good day to do something solid like that, it must be the rain coming that makes me want to be grounded.

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  8. I love it when the rain is coming, too. Makes me want to nest.
    If you make the bed in to the daybed, one thing you will want to consider is the footboard height. For sitting- if it is a style like mine- you will want to cut down the top edge so legs can hang over.

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  9. Lydia,
    What a wonderful place you turned that into ! You are right it took imagination and action :)

    Lucky dogs - They have a home worthy of Martha Stewart in that shed !

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  10. Thank you. My husband retrofitted the bed at my request. He is going to enjoy all the nice comments.

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