Arrogantly Shabby

It always amused me when my good friend in college called something "arrogantly shabby." He had impeccable taste and in the late eighties was far ahead of his time in terms of valuing what is old, or shall we say, "a little rough around the edges." My husband chides me endlessly about junk that I view as salvageable. I've found that I have a home in craft blogs as folks are all about what can be renewed, reused, and made more beautiful. This wardrobe came from my sister- in- law, and has been hanging around waiting for me to give it some lovin'. It's hard to find the extra hours, but as I'm not teaching this semester it seems like time to get things in order around the house and in the garden. Let me tell you, I'm a fairly driven person so there have been some transformations taking place in this neck of the woods. And it all feels really, really good. Of course, it's just a matter of time till the weeds take over again, and the kids destroy the order that I've been trying to create. (No... the laundry is no closer to getting done. Who needs clean, unwrinkled clothes anyway?) But the gardens are breathtaking and the house in showing signs of less clutter.

I got my dad to cut some shelves for me when he was here. (Thanks, Dad!) He helped me with the figuring and the placement of the braces. Then I commenced to painting. Oh, how I love to paint! Seriously. I do. I find it as therapeutic as knitting, gardening, and sewing, though not the aerobic workout of a good run or mountain bike ride. I was able to work on it with the kids outside. My little guy only got paint on him twice which is pretty darn good, believe me.
Then I came across the picnic basket up top for $15! It's in mint condition and it's orange and yellow! The perfect spot for all my yarn and needles. So... we have a new, very orderly, arrogantly shabby addition to the corner of our living room. Now back to the garden.