Dressing up the House

Don't let these pictures fool you:

the color of yellow painted on the bedroom walls is joyless.

When we moved in the house we were a little shell-shocked at the sheer amount of uprooting we had experienced since our marriage, and so we've kind of....

existed here without making it our own.

Knowing we'll be here for at least another year means a bit more of an investment in the way rooms feel:

my studio was a fix-up must because I wanted to create in a space that felt good,

that I wanted to walk into every day with gratitude...

so the walls got their gorgeous blue, the workspace doubled and a veritable succulent army has entrenched themselves at the second window- and when I walk in, there is a sigh

my whole body exhales, no matter if it is messy or neat:

it is a haven.

Our bedroom is simply where we sleep, and a few weeks ago I saw a pair of nightstands

on one of my favorite blogs that I knew could be the key to making the bedroom a place I craved when I was away....

On Monday I went up to San Francisco and met the beautiful Petra, who takes vintage furniture and gives them a second life, something I feel passionate about:

I enjoy surrounding myself with older pieces, I like putting old porcelain painted brooches into my own work: I think a life without a modicum of celebrating the dilapidated and the antiquated feels sad, like a strip mall with a Costco and a Jamba Juice but nothing Mom and Pop, nothing

mysterious.

This may be my mother's fault, as she loves antiques, or it may be my Poppy, who is a conservationist.... I feel so lucky to have had those influences!!

My husband, who prefers newer things that don't break as frequently and clean, modern lines suffers me nobly: all decorating choices in the house are mine.

The second nightstand is in my studio, giving me a bit more storage space and a bit more height.

To build a room around a nightstand is a curious thing, but the bedroom walls will be a complementary light grasshopper green, with a slightly darker green above the molding that runs two feet under the ceiling all around the room

And I will find a gorgeous vintage light yellow chenille bedspread as the final accent.

I have a feeling that these shifts are a result of spring, and will

make for a very sunny Sunny!

The work of my cousin's hands arrived last week.

I cannot hang the piece yet because I cannot stop holding it.

Framed in utterly perfect wood whose nuances I could not capture here, Sarah Seip's photography is a revelation.

If you wish to be connected to her, please email me at:

sunnyrisingleather@yahoo.com

and I would love to pass you on to her!!

One last bit of information, I will be updating the Metal Shop tomorrow afternoon before we leave for the weekend.

I will not be available over the weekend: there will be no checking of convos, nor any emailing or phone calls.

It's our time to be away from it all.

All pieces that find homes will be shipped on Tuesday with love.

I hope you have a fantastic evening!

Love,

Sunny