~*Studio Progress?*~

Hello Dear Friends & Happy Weekend to ya! Many of you may find this shocking, but we back to working on my wanna~be~studio! YIPPEE!

We have lived in this home for 3 1/2 years. Part of why I wanted this home was because of the old, abandoned farmhouse located on the property... just across the driveway. I knew instantly that I wanted it as my playhouse... aka my studio.

The old farmhouse needs lots of attention & repair... but the roof doesn't leak and the walls are stable. It doesn't have any plumbing and the electricity needs replaced... but we said we could make~do on a small budget.

The house does have tons of natural light ~ lots of big windows and high ceilings. While the house is only three rooms, they are large and roomy. Personally, I think the house is darling & can feel inspiration running through my veins when I'm in it... even in the disastrous state it is in.

Over the past few years, we have done some work on it... but it has been in small spurts & still has many things needing care and re~done. We painted the outside a barn red, Tony built a darling porch on the front, and we have torn out the old bathroom. (There is no plumbing left in the house because of all the frozen pipes over the years. The busted pipes won't be replaced & really don't need to be because the house is only across the driveway... we can head home if nature calls.)

We stopped working on it when we discovered the root cellar was full of water. YIKES! Then, over the winter, our four outdoor kitties have been living in there... sleeping snugly under a heat lamp to stay warm.

Well, last week while in Lenexa, the topic of my studio came up. Ginger asked how it was coming along. I explained to her that we haven't done anything in it forever & that I was very discouraged. She told me about a studio she had several years ago in a building behind her home. Well, after talking with Ginger, PatiJane, Sandra, and my sweet SIL Robin... the excitement of the studio has returned! So today I went back to work!

The cats were moved to Tony's remote control car building, hair and liter were vacuumed and cleaned, and wallpaper removal was begun in the center room. Tomorrow we may head to the home store to pick up some sheet rock for the main room. As for the root cellar... well, we are still debating what direction to take with that. (either fill it in or get a sump pump... my desire is to fill it in, but we will have to see what we can afford to do)

It doesn't look like much now, but I'm seeing lightly, textured walls painted a soft, neutral shade... to hang cross stitched samplers. The floors will also be painted with a rich~looking porch paint... a place to set out those primitive, hand hooked rugs. In those big rooms will be auction~find furniture... that may also be refurbished with a lil' paint or stain. Of course, I'll have to have a few comfy chairs to sit & work in... for myself and visitors. The herb garden has been planted by the front porch... so cuttings will be displayed for aroma and beauty throughout... making it a cozy lil' playhouse/studio. Dreaming is a good thing!





Wishing you all warm smiles... and a big THANK YOU to Ginger, PatiJane, Sandra, and Robin for igniting the motivational fire to get back to work on my dream!

Betty