Funny how when you Re-Do a Room everyone gravitates to it and suddenly wants to be in there. And everyone starts brainstorming about how we can make it even better and tweak it to the Ideal Vision we have for it! Well... yes, this means that now I'm painting furniture! *LOL* Because Princess T decided she needed a Bookcase style Headboard for her bed.
Budget being what it is, there were no funds for purchasing a Headboard Bookcase on short notice... or time to build one from scratch... but I had dug one up in my Great Edit and Purge of the Storage Cottage that had belonged to my Parents in the early 70's. This meant it was Dark Stained Oak and very European Castle Gothic, but it was from a prominent English Furniture Maker and custom built for them when they were in their 'Gothic Period' of Styling. *Smiles* Yes, my Parents went Goth for a Season, who hasn't?! *Winks* So even though it had the signs of excessive wear and tear over the years and countless moves, it still had good bones and potential for a Makeover for this Purpose we had in mind.
And it was appropriately narrow in width, just tall enough in size, sturdy and heavy enough not to fall over on her or wobble. Modern bookcases are so cheaply made that they often warp from the weight of whatever you put on them and are flimsy enough to topple over... this Old Bookcase is like a Boat Anchor, it wasn't going anywhere, and I'm certain I burned a gazillion calories schlepping it from the back Acre into place behind her bed! *Whew, what a Workout!*
And naturally, because I had decided I needed to paint furniture outside, the Weather turned on a dime... going from Sunny and in the 80's, to Overcast, Cold, Windy and sprinkling with Rain!!! *Le Sigh* So picture me out on the Front Porch Sunday, surrounded by Curious Children and Cats, because of coarse this now constitutes Entertainment Value to every Fur Baby and Kid in the Neighborhood... and Hoping the paintjob dries quickly before we get fur in the paint and wind blown leaves and dirt adhering to it or little fingerprints!?! I Love my Five Dollar Turquoise Paint but not all over the Bohemian Cat Boys, Yul, the Grands or the Neighborhood Kids too! *Smiles*
We don't have a very large covered Front Porch and so it was a tight squeeze having a Bookcase painting Project going on surrounded by a captive Audience of Neighborhood Kids, The G-Kid Force and all our Cats huddled under there to keep out of the Rain and mezmerized by a Work in Progress. These are all very Young Children and so it was also a constant barrage of Questions, I was being Mercilessly Interrogated during the entire Process by numerous Inquiring Little Minds! Not to mention Curious Cats Meowing loudly and getting as close to the Paint and the Bookcase as they possibly could without becoming Turquoise!!! *LOL* If Kids and Cats are not the Center of Attention and the Universe, they will Vie to be... it's a Natural Law!!!
I Gilded an Inexpensive piece of Wooden Ornamentation and glued it to the top of the Bookcase (which The G-Force tell me is mounted skew-wiffy... oh well...)... and let The Force put their Old Canning Jar Collections of Bottlecaps, Mah Jong Tiles, Dominos, Old Coins, Buttons, Indian Pottery Shards Collected on our Land near the Apache Rez, Shells, Beach Sand, Wine Corks, Wooden Bingo Markers, Scrabble Tiles, Starfish and other Tiny Found Treasures on the Upper Shelves... and my Stampington and Jeanne d'Arc Living Magazine Collections on the Lower Shelves (hidden by the Mound of Pillows)... and WALLAH... we were DONE!
It has a nod to Beach Cottage Style since Princess T likes that Vibe... but as my Blog Friend Andie would say... it is also very 'Jimi Hendrix meets Dowager Countess' since Gramma's Hand at Styling was quite Evident too. *Winks... Love your Descriptions Andie!*
Source of Jimi and Dowager Countess Images: Pinterest
Yes Andie... if Jimi and the Countess had of spawned a Love Child, I might have been it... LOVE both of their Styles and have Dressed like them and had a similar Quirky Aesthetic from as far back as I can remember! *Winks* As a matter of fact I seriously WANT and NEED that Jacket and Hat of hers! *LOL* And Jimi's Gypsy from Outer Space Ensembles were just my Style, Jimi is Iconic Style and Raw Talent! *Smiles*
Yes Andie... if Jimi and the Countess had of spawned a Love Child, I might have been it... LOVE both of their Styles and have Dressed like them and had a similar Quirky Aesthetic from as far back as I can remember! *Winks* As a matter of fact I seriously WANT and NEED that Jacket and Hat of hers! *LOL* And Jimi's Gypsy from Outer Space Ensembles were just my Style, Jimi is Iconic Style and Raw Talent! *Smiles*
And since Princess T LOVES to Style... she was very Involved in the entire Process and Excited to be Styling her very own Room with all her own Unique Touches!
And Inviting everyone in to Play with her in there... and READ with her! Yes, there was a Gramma Ulterior Motive to putting her in the Library Room and Converting it into her Bedroom Slash Library Room Combo. You see, the Princess struggles with Reading and is far below her Grade Level even though she's very Bright and Advanced in many other areas Academically... so we're finding ways to make Reading Fun and even more Enjoyable so that she'll WANT to Read more and improve her Reading Skills. Being surrounded by Gramma's Interesting Books, which by the way Barnes and Noble's Decorating and Styling Section can't hold a candle to, is enticing her to combine her Love of Styling with READING about a Topic she's Enamored with. *High Five that my Child Psychology Worked!*
And she quickly used the New Bedroom as Leverage to Extort her Older Brother out of things she wants of his, by Negotiating a Deal for his Flaming Hot Cheetos and a Dollar out of his Allowance for when the Ice-Cream Man came, in Exchange for allowing him the Privilege of Sleeping in her New Room last Night! *Bwahaha... gotta Love that Kid, she's such a Hustler!* But he was Happy and she was Happy... and that's the Art of the Deal and a Good Negotiation now isn't it? *Winks*
And surrounded by our Found Treasures and Trinkets... Images of their Mommy and the rest of the Family... the G-Kid Force is LOVING this Room's Vibe and Transformation... and spending a LOT of time in there... and that was the whole Point... to expand the Function of that Space and make it all it could be.
And as they Re-Posed the Little Wooden Man for the Day... I must say that I too am Pleased with how everything turned out... it was a Good Day and we kept out of Grandpa's hair and sufficiently occupied while he Enjoyed the Super Bowl and his Super Bowl Buffet Spread. *Smiles*
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian