Spring Cleaning begins…

It’s a microfiber…and a Magic Eraser…my new two favorite items! When Spring Cleaning began at Tiffany Hill (my place of employment) this year in January, I was determined that this year I would finally get our home cleaned as well. And as you know if you have been following my blog at all, with cleaning was going to come redecorating! So allow me, please, to walk you through my process.

This was my office space. Not bad, but I knew it could use some sprucing up. And as you also know if you are following my blog, I am writing a book! So the office was my first launching point to get in order. So there are a couple of things I want to tell you about this space…

First, the color of the room. Yellow with touches of red….a cheery place no doubt, and chosen colors because of this one item…

A picture that was passed on to me by my grandmother (who will be 99 at the end of this month!). Honestly, I am not sure if she painted it or not, although she was an amazing artist in her time. The picture hung in her sunroom for as long as I can remember, and my husband absolutely loved it because he said it reminded him of me. The girl is in a field of daisies (my favorite flower), and the rustic fence is so reminiscent of how much I love the rustic outdoors. And so with the selling of her home, it became ours, and the focal point of my beloved office space.

Our office doubles as many things…a guest bedroom when kids come home, my prayer room, the place where I pay bills, and the abode of my many booth items before they come to Main Street Market Shops. So I wanted to keep all those things intact while also changing things up a bit…getting them fresh and giving the space some new life.

The desk space was crowded and although I tried to make it personal, combining our oldest son’s Air Force memorabilia with my prayer wall, it left a lot to be desired. And so the fun began…

I started by rearranging all the furniture in this 12 x 12 space. I know…it’s a square room. My son the architect would frown at my whim. But I wanted something fresh and different, remember? So I put the futon under the window, tightened up the curtains with a hemp cord, moved the bookcase into the corner (caddied, of course!), and put the desk on the wall as you immediately walk into the room. Done. Now for the fun stuff!

For a little under $30, I replaced my old pillows on the futon with some bright, new, fun ones. That was easy!

Now for my prayer wall. In keeping with the “field of daisies” painting from my grandmother, I found an architectural piece that I loved and later found the metal flower that I hung in the center. The ring now holds pictures of those that I am currently praying for, right above my desk where my eyes land frequently, calling these people to mind. I love this piece!

Next, I moved an architectural column into the room to balance the corner opposite the bookcase. I found a back to an old refrigerator and hung it…yes, caddied…to frame out some pictures that our architect son took. To be honest, I want to put a larger one in the place of the top picture, but I need to find a frame to fit the photo that I want to use. So for now, this one works. The “self-portrait” of our son was part of one of his architecture projects when he was in undergrad at UNCC.

I longed to use the wormy chestnut boards that were given to our son (now don’t be jealous!) when he worked construction during high school. So I hung a shelf above my desk to add some interest to an otherwise long and dull wall.

Adorning the shelf was the fun part…I used the picture of my parents cutting their wedding cake as the focal point, then added aluminum pitchers (my new favorite thing to collect), some ironstone pitchers (also a fav), a rusty bread pan and some colored bottles to make a collection that is simple, but adds vintage appeal and calls to mind those things I love so much.

Keeping this room as a place to call me into not only work, but also into prayer, was not necessarily a challenge to balance because to me, the two go hand-in-hand. You see, my work IS a matter of prayer, and my family is primary, so it was easy for me to see the two merge into this beautiful spot. Now I could again hang the Air Force pictures of the planes our son began his flying career in, and the pictures of his Academy graduation and commissioning.

Last, but certainly not least, my prayer corner. Rightfully placed beneath the picture acquired from my grandmother is her rocking chair (my prayer chair). And beside it, an old ironing board that I purchased in a thrift store…perfect to hold a lamp and some other “finds” that rounded out the room. The chalkboard was a frame from my grandmother that my youngest son completed with the chalkboard. It now is my “verse of the day” spot….where I put whatever the Lord is calling me to remember and to ponder on. I really should call it just “the verse” spot, because somethings those ponderings stay up there for months until I finally absorb all the Lord wants to teach me on His word.

Allow me two more finds before I show you the finished project…I needed a place to house my twine and price tags for Burlap & Lace, and so I stumbled upon this garden wall hanging and made my office its new home! The outdoors is perhaps my favorite place to be, so this called in a little of that love to a spot that I often find myself the better part of most days and/or nights. Remember, one of my favorite challenges to you is to think outside the box! Planters are not just for plants!

And this make take a bit of your imagination….these are metal time card holders from an old factory warehouse. A wonderful guest (now friend) that comes to Tiffany Hill always gifts us with origami dollar bills formed into something that represents his stay. I searched and searched for the perfect place to display these until I stumbled upon these hangers. They are ideal! And perhaps I am a bit presumptuous to purchase three..but I hope to fill them all before I leave Tiffany Hill!

So there you go….my January. Back home after Inn sitting at Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill since Jan 4 until Feb 8, I am happy to say I completed renovation project #1. And now it’s time to center in on Burlap & Lace and what’s to come in March as we continue our Spring Cleaning together. I’ll give you a big hint….I am starting on the bathrooms next, so get ready for what’s in store at Burlap & Lace to help you with your own redecorating project! And in the meantime, don’t forget to comment here and let me know what projects you are tackling this month (or year). Let’s do this together! There is comfort in the company of others…especially when you are undertaking large projects!