Tag: furniture

A New Arrangement

A few weeks ago, Studly Doright and I spent all afternoon moving furniture from one end of Doright Manor to the other. 

When we moved in nearly two years ago I made an error in measuring our guest bedrooms. Ok, let’s be honest, I didn’t bother measuring, and one of the bedrooms ended up being cramped and claustrophobic, while the other felt cavernous. With two sets of company coming for a long weekend, we decided to right that wrong.

One set of bedroom furniture is antique and fragile. It belonged to my grandmother, and even though I’m sometimes tempted to sell it I just can’t bring myself to part with it. While the headboard and footboard are massive the bed is a small full size and barely allows one adult to sleep comfortably. 

   
 
The other set is fairly new, acquired when my dad lived with us. The queen sized bed and armoire are nothing fancy, but the mattress is top notch. I’ve dubbed it, The Texas Bedroom, and it holds my go-to bed when Studly’s snoring passes the merely annoying stage and heads into the sonic torture realm.

   
 
The moving process from one end of the house to another was tricky, in that one room would need to be completely empty before the other furniture could be moved down this hallway:

  
Studly, a self-proclaimed master of both logistics and wiseassery carefully studied the necessary steps for a week before finally declaring, “Well, this is gonna suck.”

It did indeed suck. Neither Studly nor I are young any more, and that antique bedroom set is both heavy and unwieldy. Add fragile into the mix and we had ourselves quite an afternoon of gently persuading the pieces to hold together while we balanced them precariously on moving dollies. At the end of the day copious amounts of both wood glue and Ben-Gay were involved.

The results, though, were pleasing. The beds are much better suited to their respective rooms, and I am a happy camper. And in the end, isn’t my happiness what it’s all about?

Peace, people! 

Here’s My Sign

Finally I had the opportunity to get out and do something crafty in Tallahassee at Another Time Around, a wonderful shop specializing in repurposed and rescued furniture.

Kim Parr, the shop’s owner and furniture refinisher extraordinaire, guided me, along with several other participants, through the fundamentals of chalk painting. The process is easy. I was pleasantly surprised.

My friends know that while I’m not particularly gifted in the visual arts, every now and then I have delusions of grandeur and decide to create something.

In my imagination I’m always going to be super surprised and pleased by my efforts, but I just didn’t inherit any artistic genes. That didn’t keep me from having a great time though, and I learned a lot in the process.
Plus I created a cute item to take for our family reunion auction:

Everyone seemed to have a positive experience, and I’ll attend another session. Who knows, next time might be my big breakthrough.

Other participants let me snap photos of their finished projects to share with my readers. I think they turned out beautifully:  
   
If you live in the Tallahassee area I highly recommend a visit to Kim’s shop Another Time Around at 4523 N. Monroe. 

She’s has a beautifully eclectic collection of furniture for customers to browse and she’ll do custom work, as well. I took a few pictures on my way out last night:   
       

After taking two full hour to create my little sign, I’m in awe of these larger projects. She has given me some ideas I might need to pursue. I wonder how Studly Doright would feel about having his motorcycle lift chalk painted? You know what they say–it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

Here’s a link to Kim’s page on Facebook. Check her out. I don’t normally promote businesses on my blog, but I think Kim’s got a great business. She’s a keeper.

https://www.facebook.com/AnotherTimeAroundTLH
Peace, people!

  

Another Time Around

Many of my faithful readers might recall that Studly Doright and I moved to Tallahassee, Florida, a little over a year ago. The move was a transfer for Studly, so he had built-in contacts and connections while I was left adrift on a new, yet familiar ocean–that of being the new, yet old, girl in a strange town.

With no kids in school and no full-time job I pretty much spend my days in aimless limbo, exploring little boutiques and eating at local cafés. I know, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it, right?

Today I popped into Another Time Around, a shop specializing in “Pre-Loved, Shabby Chic Furniture & Accessories.” Immediately I was struck by the creativity and artistry of proprietor Kim Parr. 

 
Kim’s work can be fun and funky or chaste and classic, and she will do custom work, as well. I even signed up to take a class in chalk painting! Imagine that! Me. Painting. Maybe someone should warn Kim of my dire lack of talent and tendency to klutziness.

 
Here’s just a peek at one of Kim’s creations. It started life as an octagonal end table. Now it’s a super cool pet area with a place for toys or even another pet bed on top. The details are so clever; I just might need this. Scout and Patches would probably bicker over who got the top bunk, though. Cats.

  
Here’s another pretty piece, even though my photo doesn’t do it justice. I wasn’t planning a blog post while I was wandering around the shop. 

I can’t wait to visit Kim’s shop again. So, keep mum on my klutziness issues. I’ll post a picture of the project I complete following the chalk painting class on the 19th of May. I’m not sure what I want my picture to reflect–chances are it will either deal with wine or cats. Or wine and cats. 

Seriously, look Kim up online at www.anothertimearoundtally.com and on Facebook she’s “Another Time Around TLH.” I seldom do plugs for businesses, so you know I really like her. 

Her pieces remind me a lot of my sister-in-law Lyn’s work, so I’ll shamelessly plug her site, too: TexanIslandGirl on Facebook.

Great day! Great discoveries! Peace, People!