A friend asked why I was so fascinated with Before & After projects. The answer is pretty simple: Granny and Mamaw.
Granny was my father's mother. Raised in south Alabama, she was the epitome of sweetness and gentleness. Granny resembled a short flour sack tied in the middle and always smelled of vanilla extract. Her claims to fame were that she made the best banana pudding in Dixie and didn't even need bananas; and she sent 5 sons to fight in WWII and they all came back home alive. From Granny I learned the importance of kindness and perseverance.
Mamaw was my mother's mother. Raised in north Alabama, she was tall, thin, and of Scottish descent. A school teacher, she was a Bible aficionado and could quote appropriate scripture for any situation. From her I learned to sew, crochet, knit, and how to travel the world through reading. Mamaw believed that every moment of the day must be spent productively.
These incredibly strong women had quite a lot in common - between the two of them they raised 15 children during the Depression; both were married to farmers who managed to scrape out a living during the worst financial time in our country's history; and they knew the grace and necessity of thriftiness.
Hence, my obsession with upcycling, repurposing, reusing, salvaging furnishings for reuse and Before & After projects.
These top two photos were the inspiration for
Julie at Crafty Imaginings.
Granny was my father's mother. Raised in south Alabama, she was the epitome of sweetness and gentleness. Granny resembled a short flour sack tied in the middle and always smelled of vanilla extract. Her claims to fame were that she made the best banana pudding in Dixie and didn't even need bananas; and she sent 5 sons to fight in WWII and they all came back home alive. From Granny I learned the importance of kindness and perseverance.
Mamaw was my mother's mother. Raised in north Alabama, she was tall, thin, and of Scottish descent. A school teacher, she was a Bible aficionado and could quote appropriate scripture for any situation. From her I learned to sew, crochet, knit, and how to travel the world through reading. Mamaw believed that every moment of the day must be spent productively.
These incredibly strong women had quite a lot in common - between the two of them they raised 15 children during the Depression; both were married to farmers who managed to scrape out a living during the worst financial time in our country's history; and they knew the grace and necessity of thriftiness.
Hence, my obsession with upcycling, repurposing, reusing, salvaging furnishings for reuse and Before & After projects.
Julie at Crafty Imaginings.
Julie transformed the two $5 chairs (above)
into the charming bench below:
It can be difficult to find the right size rocking chair for a nursery.
Consider checking for one at thrift stores, T.J. Maxx's, and
Ross's for reduced bargain$.
The darling end tables below were hand-me-downs twice
over and were in need of a little TLC:
Personally, I would have just polished them and used them in my living room.
them to compliment their bedroom decor:
Don't you admire people who can look beyond the
damage and bring a vintage piece back to life?
The hardware and the bright squash color really
make this little chest pop. Love it!
Renters are often frustrated by their inability to paint and the impracticality to invest in their dwellings. The bedroom below definitely has potential and is a great example of how you can obtain a sophisticated look with little investment:
Sometimes just the smallest changes can completely transform a room. And, often for small change!
No comments:
Post a Comment