SteamPunk bedroom

My daughter left for college leaving me with a spare room. Time for a change. I walked around fabric stores looking for inspiration when I found this fabric. I felt like it was relatively steamy so steampunk guest room it shall be. 

To the Pinterest for more inspiration. How will I do curtains? Wall stuff? How do you decorate a dresser? The thinking and nightmaring was in full swing. I was driving through the neighborhood and saw this dresser on the side of the road it had been in the weather and was quite brittle. The drawers would fall apart in your hands. I figured the main part was well enough and I set out to rescue it. (it sat in my garage almost a year. 

I tore out the drawers, tacked down the top divider and found a lovely green paint to match my fabric. (not turquoise like it looks here, see, I'm trying other things too) 

I also had a hand me down end table in need of a freshening. This was also my first foray into Chalk Paint and Holy Jeebers did I love it!  

I found a recipe at the blog InMyOwnStyle.com  It is 

1 cup latex paint

2 tablespoons Calcium Carbonate 

1 Tbsp Water

mix well and love it. It goes on nicely.  The end table was black. I covered it in 2 coats. I am now addicted to this blend. also 

DONT SPEND THE MONEY ON A LIMITED COLOR OPTION THAT COSTS 3 TIMES

 AS MUCH.

Calcium Carbonate can be found at a health food store for around $10. I have used it on multiple projects, given some away and still have over half of a 12 oz bottle. 

I then sealed it with Johnson's Paste wax. Found in the Lowe's Cleaning aisle for about $12 compared to $30 if ordered through the same companies with limited color choice.   

Next, to Ikea for a scroll frame. They have a cool mirror that was more than I wanted to spend, but I knew this was what I wanted so I did it. Then immediately broke the mirror. (zoinks)  

I am loving the Rust-Oleum Metallic paints. Oil Rubbed Bronze and Flat Chestnut have been my "go-to's" I painted this in the bronze for a deep grey then, holding the can high, I added a light spray of the chestnut and an even lighter spray of Krylon Caramel Latte gold. I am enjoying the speckled finish. 

Since the mirror was gone I needed something to put in the frame. I would love to find a Steampunk print but I don't have the budget for it so I went into my stash and made a paper flower vine. The red votives were a thrift store find. 

Onto the curtains. I was trying to think of a steamy tieback and came up with this.  

I LOVE THEM!!!  I am so amazed they worked. I cut fabric pieces shaped like below. 

In fact this is the inside of the tieback just for a flash of color if you see them. 

I had an old white bird house that has been sitting in a closet. Bit of paint, a flexible metal detail, some succulents. (later replaced with fake ones) 

The Star got a new silver paint job, and the lamp came from Hobby Lobby. I liked it because It was more structural. 

I looked for final photos, I'm not finding any. It doesn't really matter as we moved soon after and the parts and pieces got spread between 2 households.  I really hoped to set up the curtains in my room but I would need to make more panels for a huge window. The fabric is loong gone from that store which is closing anyway. I also have the ugly valance of horrible vertical blinds blocking the way.  So the curtains and tie backs are boxed up for another house. 

Lego Cabinet

We are always looking for more Lego space. (Too many Lego's)  This entertainment cabinet has been living in a dark corner in the basement. I realized we could spice it up and make some room for Caden's collection.

We knew it couldn't just be a plain black shelf. That's no fun for Lego. Caden likes "environments" for playing. So we drew out some guidelines, mixed up some chalk paint and got to it.

We reused the stippling and Sandy textured spray paint to relocate the Star Wars Sarlac pit scene. 

Cut a new shelf to fill the open gap for the Ninjago Temple.

Painted grass and pathways for Hogwarts Castle. 

Then pulled all the Bionicles out of storage to really prove to Mom that we have spent far too much over the years. 

It got Crammed up the stairway of our new house. It was a tight squeeze that took a few turns and a couple of scratched walls to get just right. But its contents were the first thing "the Boy" unpacked when we got here.

So, over all, a success.

                                         

Status Update

Just gonna sneak this on in here. 

It's August 11, 2015. August 7 would have been my anniversary. 23 years it would have been. Instead, I have been officially divorced for 2 months today. 

I have such divided emotions on this. On one side, we probably could have saved things. But this status change has been brought up to me, regularly for the past 14 years. I think I finally realized we had both stopped taking care of each other. I was tired of never being "enough". Of always having that over my head. So the last time it came up, I agreed. 

The divorce part is easy. We had seperated ourselves long ago. It's all the rest of it that terrifies me. My first concern was money.   -Failure Is Not An Option-. I went from being a home Mom to working very physically, full time. I have a deep need to earn my way, to earn my check so I keep pulling as many hours as I can find, to help fill the money gap. My body is hurting. But I am so thankful to my dear friend and his sweet wife who gave me a job. I am thankful it is active and lets me move and experience multiple locations and many fun people. 

 I started a savings and was building it up, until 2 car repairs, and a fall slamming  my head into the pavement, whittled it all away. So now I am failing. And I don't know how to get back up.

I Know there have been and are blessings coming to me. I know all will be well. I know God is working to get me Somewhere. But I can't sit around waiting for that. I have no idea what steps I should be taking to help the process along. I just know there is no one coming to save me and I Have to figure it out for myself. I have to be strong for myself. When I really want to have me one of them "curl up in a ball and cry" things.