A Still Life

As the slow process of home transformation continues, there have been little changes along the way that I forget to share. The ultimate purpose of the updates and fresh coats of paint is really about living well in this home and being content right here. We want to love living in these 1600 square feet and hope that our satisfaction here fosters real hospitality. If we love it, if the space settles our spirits, then the result should be that others feel that stillness when they are here. We hope.

So after ditching sharing our ten-year-old Pier One sofa with neighbors, I started watching Craigslist for a chair or chairs that might last us another few years. With two young ones, we want furniture that takes daily abuse, looks nice enough in the room, and can be passed along through Craigslist when we’re done. After the Nester snagged these chairs, I stopped looking for French armchairs and opened my mind to whatever came along.

Enter, the $30 chairs from 30 minutes away that someone’s wife was not excited to receive as a surprise gift:

I’ll spare you the details of the painting process, but know that I went pretty fast with the first one and s-l-o-w with the second. In between chairs, the husband figured out how to take the seat before painting, and that saved me some painstaking taping. We still haven’t screwed it back down, but it looks just fine. I’m sure I should put a poly coat on them to preserve the paint, but that’s a step I haven’t tried.

Nevertheless, we are pleased with our $30 chairs (we already had the primer & paint) to replace the old sofa:

Much better!

It’s been a while since I’ve updated on here, and more updates will soon roll out on our slow life here in Richmond. We spent a lovely week with family in July and are savoring (mostly) these last Summer days before school begins in a mere 11 days. ELEVEN!

Some of you already know that I finally got to a fun project I’d been kicking around in my head for a while. One of my favorite songs for forever and always is Emily Saliers’ Power of Two. And my favorite line from that favorite song goes, “And if we ever leave a legacy/It’s that we loved each other well.” I love it. It’s one of those phrases that I’ll find myself singing by itself while I’m making dinner or watering the flowers.

I kept coming back to that phrase rattling around in my brain when I would see painted signs on Pinterest like this one or this one. But I liked this reverse method of painting (from John & Sherry at YoungHouseLove) better than stenciling the words onto something. Oh, and I had a great board sitting in the back yard that was salvaged wood leftover from framing our garden.

With those ingredients: Pinterest inspiration, Emily’s song, John & Sherry’s tips, and a big old board, I started carving.

I really like the font here called Cry Kitty from Kevin and Amanda’s scrapbooking fonts.

I didn’t want to completely paint the board, so I diluted white paint to whitewash it and leave some grain showing through.

I did make sure to cover the letters so that the natural wood would be distinct against the whitewash.

I did this before my husband sawed the extra 2 feet of the board off for me. I couldn’t figure out how to install the battery pack, or I would have knocked it out myself. After whitewashing over the letters, I peeled off my painter’s tape. BUT. The paint seeped through and made streaks in the wood. Can you see it? I thought I might live with it and consider the streaks a quirky touch. After about 15 minutes, I was thoroughly annoyed and decided to sit down with my exacto knife and get rid of them.

Much better.

The original plan was to bring this hunk of wood inside and mount it over our stairs as, perhaps, a starting point for a gallery wall. But my darling dear left it on top of the front porch’s upcycled beverage cart, and I think it works. It’s a nice blessing for all who enter our home. May we love each other well. Amen.