Monday, May 13, 2013

SHOWHOUSE - THE GREEN IS GONE!

Another beautiful day up at Kittery Point, Maine.  Sun is shining, flowers are blooming, and I'm covered in paint!

Before we go inside, I just want to give you a peek at the beautiful grounds just outside my space.







So peaceful!  The ladies of Trio Design love to come out here for lunch and just take in all the lushness!

Ok, break is over....back to the room!

The past two days there were spent priming and painting!  That dark, flat green is now a thing of the past!  Of course, all I have to do is walk into the kitchen area, and its back again!  But not for long!

Before



After

One of the most difficult aspects of doing a showhouse is trying to beg, borrow or steal (in a legal way, of course!) all the items you need for your design.  We have been very lucky in getting most of the items either donated or consigned to us.  In this and future posts, I will give a shout-out to all the fabulous businesses that have helped us out.

The trim and ceiling color I'm using is from a wonderful selection of paints from Farrow-Ball.com  Farrow & Ball has graciously donated any paint and wallpaper we needed for our spaces.  Jess Ritchie and her team at the Farrow & Ball Showroom in the Boston Design Center were wonderful to work with and they quickly dispatched our order.  I'm using Strong White on the ceiling, doors and mouldings.  Yvonne is using several of their products in the bathrooms.  Can't wait to see how it all turns out!

So that's it for now.  Hands are killing me and brain is fried.

For now, the Green is Gone.....but stay tuned!  Another may take its place!

"I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them." - Pablo Picasso


Monday, May 6, 2013

SHOWHOUSE - DAY 2!!

Another beautiful day!  The Trio started out the day all gussied up for our photo shoot with Jay Goldsmith of Portsmouth, NH!  Three women getting their photos taken at 10 am.....he is a very brave man!!  We all had our turn being the "featured" subject and he had us pose in many "moods" - thoughtful, artsy, haughty, fun and interesting!  I can't wait to see how these came out!!  Hopefully looking 30 years younger!!!  A girl can dream, can't she??

Pretty work is over.  Now back to the nitty gritty.

Last week, I uncovered some linoleum under the carpet.  Have you ever removed linoleum??  Me neither.  I should have Googled "linoleum removal", but I thought it was old and dried out and would be a snap to pull up.  WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Armed with a scraper and a utility knife, I went to work.  The edges were easy.  Snapped right off!  And then the fun began!!  132 square feet of linoleum was coming off one inch at a time.  Slow, tedious and painful!! (The old "Rheumatiz" was acting up).  This clearly was not working.  What to do......what to do.......CAKE BREAK!!  The lovely volunteers from the Old York Museum put out goodies for us everyday.  Thank you!!!

Break over.  Hands not working.  Tried a pair of needle nose pliers to grip the pieces I couldn't pull up.  Wow, now it was coming off two inches at a time instead of one!!  I just doubled my speed!





                                                                                              Slow and tedious!!!


                                                                                                Getting there!!

By the end of the day, all the linoleum had been pulled up and those pliers are now my best friend!!

Next week I get to paint!!  Yippee!  (Did I say that out loud?)  Oh my aching body......

Stay tuned for Day 3!

"Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal and transformation in our lives." - Author Unknown