The Making of My She Shed...The Early Stages

Without going into too much detail, let's just say I prefer not to share the yucky drama of my life. But, things are finally back on track. I've gone from four part-time jobs to one pretty good one, as far as jobs go, and things have settled down in other areas.

I think I take after my mother in that I have what I refer to as a project mentality. My latest project involves turning our shed into my own personal sewing space, which I recently learned is quite popular these days. I was going with "Mom Cave," but when a friend shared a post on "she Sheds," I realized I was smack dab in the middle of a growing trend. My friend also pointed out that men like dark spaces and women tend to like it light. So true and so funny, since I had already asked my husband if he could add a window to let some light in.

Unfortunately I don't have a true representation of the actual before shot. My before picture is relatively neat, but still shed-like.

Neat, but still a shed.

Today I decided to work on my garden planters, finally. I'm all about upcycling when I can, so here is my little tutorial on how to turn a plastic kitty litter bucket into a planter.

Start with two clean kitty litter buckets. These are 35lb buckets, but there are smaller ones. I like these because they have handles so they're relatively easy to move around.

Using a hammer (or a mallet in my case) put some holes in the bottom for drainage.

Now comes the fun part...

I knew those old shower curtains would be useful one day. Using spray paint which can be used on plastic (very important) paint the entire outside, but not the bottom, of the buckets. I actually went back a few times, once to make sure nothing showed through, and then to touch up spots and make sure the handles were all covered. I did not paint the insides because I thought that might not make the plants too happy. One can, just under $4.00, was just enough to do both buckets. I chose Moss Green because I wanted the planters to blend in with the environment, but there's a nice selection of colors to chose from.

All done. (OK, I know the flowers a looking a little sad, but the nursery was going to throw them away, so I got them for free. I'm hoping they pull through.)

Here's the  other one. The handle is all but invisible. (This is another rescued plant. It was my mother's and wasn't doing too well. I'm hoping being outside in a bigger container will do the trick.) 

Not quite sure what the next post will have in it, but I am in the process of cleaning it out even more.

Do you have a she shed? I'd love to see what you've done with it. Please share you blog posts in the comments below.

Forgotten, But Not Gone

It's true. I've been remiss in my literary duties here. I have been gone, but hopefully not forgotten. However with a new blog color scheme (I hope you like it) and some new blog post ideas in my head just itching to get out into the virtual world, I am ready to get this show back on the road.

This particular blog post is one I have been planning for quite some time actually, and truth be told, I'm not sure it's actually ready to post, but I figured I can save other photos for a follow up post.

"Forgotten, But Not Gone" came to me as I was driving around Lower Slower Delaware, observing the many abandoned structures, just left to decay. What did they look like when they were occupied? Were there giddy children chasing each other up and down the stairs? Did the smell of fresh baked bread draw a hungry family toward the kitchen? Why were they abandoned? And how long ago? How long will it take for them to all but disappear into the surrounding environment that grows around them? Am I the only who mourns their loss?

The Reveal...The Living Room

Well, I knew the hardest thing to do would be to go through my books and papers, so I tackled that first, but once I started it wasn't so painful. One might see my assortment of really important stuff and see me as a hoarder, but for me it is that "What If." What if I need this? What if I want to read this? What if I go back to teaching?

• If I needed it that bad, I'd be using it or would have used it in the recent past. If not, it goes.
• If I want to read it, I would have by now. Let someone else enjoy it. I can get it at the library if I get around to it later on.
• If I ever go back to teaching, well, things change, and whatever I have will have been replaced by then with newer and better methods.

It's time to let go of the what if's that are cluttering my life.

Another thing that really helped me with this project was to look at as if I were moving into a tiny house. Tiny houses do not have room for clutter or what if's. Besides, I feel calmer and work more efficiently when my world around me is not in chaos, but isn't that true for most of us?

What I ended up with was a clean, un-cluttered living room, a full trash can, and a box-load of goodies for a yard sale.  And without further ado...

And to remind you of what this room looked like last week, here's the link to my blog post with the before photos.  Looking forward to next week's challenge.

I Accepted the 91 Day De-Clutter Challenge

I came across the 91 Day De-Clutter Event while browsing on facebook last week.  My home could use a "little" de-cluttering and the time frame looks reasonable, so what they hey.  I'm in. 

As you can see Week #1 focuses on the living room, and yes, mine could use some work.  Our biggest problem is a too small home and not enough storage space. This week I am going to find things we don't absolutely need and decide if they will be put aside for our upcoming yard sale or donated to my favorite thrift shop or headed for the trash.

The challenge couldn't be easier.  There are two options; a quick de-clutter method or a more thorough detailed method. This week, I'm opting for the detailed approach.  To go with this challenge, even though it makes me cringe, I am taking before and after pictures. (To put things in perspective, I have moved A LOT.  In my whole adult life I don't think I've lived in any one place longer than three years. I've gotten used to boxes. I do not like it, but it's the truth.)

So, here are my unedited before pics of the areas I will be working on.

                                           (Sophie stays.)                   The curse of the horizontal surface, plus a recently
                                                                                      re-acquired box of photos. The boxes under the
                                                                                      futon are for work. They have to stay.

                                     I used to have a nice desk         The books. This will be hard. A
                                     and I will again. I miss it.          bookcase would help a lot.

Wish me luck...I'm going in.

My Wild Backyard...Toad Camo

When I was a kid we went camping every Summer at Seashore State Park on the bay near Virginia Beach. It was the best; no electricity, no cell phones or other electronic gadgets (basically because they didn't exist yet) and we had to hike to the outhouse...with flashlights. The campground was all filled with a maze of paths and overgrown obstacles. One of my favorite memories is hunting for tiny, perfectly camouflaged toads. Of course, I always let them go. The fun was in finding them.

Now I'm all grown up and don't have time for such childish things...yeah right!  There's always time for fun and the joy of discovering nature, especially in my own wild backyard.

If I sit very still no one will see me...

You can't see me, right?

Peek a boo...I see you.

Why, hello little one. Aren't you a cutie?

I love exploring in my backyard. I wonder what I'll find next? Do you have any cool critters in your backyard, too?