You know when "Mama said they'll be days like this?" Well yesterday was one of those days. It's funny how last week I felt so accomplished beginning my One Room Challenge and then this week the Universe said, 'sit down...' That is how life is isn't it? One day we're on a high where nothing can stop us and everything seems to be seen through rose-colored glasses and the next day, everything goes back to grayscale.
I was so excited to continue refurbishing the next piece of furniture for our bedroom that I didn't notice how worn out my sander was becoming (I think I was becoming worn out too). I've been working so hard on my business and upcoming furniture sale that I was on overdrive. I was using a Black & Decker Mouse Detail Sander that I received from my Wedding Registry (Yes I put tools on the wedding registry for Brian and I) and loved that it was shaped like an iron, able to get in those hard to reach corners of furniture pieces. It was only a few months old and the rubber tip of the sander plate BROKE OFF. One could say I am a brute when it comes to doing anything, or it could have been the fact that the small sander wasn't meant to do both my business and at home projects on the regular. Needless to say, progress came to a screeching halt.
After taking a few breaths, I called the manufacturing company. Thankfully, they stand by their products, however, the new plate tip was not in stock and the order wouldn't be due to come in for another week. I was feeling frustrated because as a guest participant on One Room Challenge, unlike many of the extremely talented Featured Designers , I wasn't doing much to transform the room besides refurbishing the furniture. Since our bedroom was already painted a deep green that we love, it had good bones for updating. My vision was the moody green, antique golds, and light rustic wood accents with the furniture and floating shelves. My mood board had inspired me to strip all my furniture bare and appreciate the earthy warm tones that would make the room seem more ethereal.
Before the sander tip broke, I could see the natural state of the wood coming through and it was exciting to see one of the first pieces I ever refurbished in its original, rustic state. When I found these end tables that someone was throwing away, they were already painted white, so I had no idea what to expect. I had to get through three layers of paint. The original found state of white, a light blue I had painted, and then the vintage smoke color I painted on top and distressed with vintage wax.
What I did sand through, looked gorgeous. The knots in the wood, the grainy dark colors were exactly what I was looking for. Now, I had to go get another sander because I wasn't waiting a week for a new plate and I had furniture for my Pop Up Shop sale to complete as well. As I ran to Home Depot, I decided that I was going to take a look at the progress the other designers were making when I came back. I'm glad to say that I didn't feel like I was losing hope. This entire community is so supportive. If you head over to Oneroomchallenge.com you will see that not everyone is moving at breakneck speed and that is more than ok. I know I shouldn't be measuring my progress with others. It is important to stay in your lane and not let outside noise distract you from accomplishing your goal, whatever that may be in life. It's important to forgive yourself and move on always vowing to become a better version of you each day.
Another set back we faced was electrical. When we moved the enormous and beautiful armoire into the bedroom, we knew we had to remove the wall sconce behind it in order for it to fit that spot. What we didn't know, was that the homeowner's maintenance team, wired the bedroom light with the hallway light. When we tried to cap off the electric, we didn't know there was a live wire alongside the bedroom light. We had to purchase more electrical tape, and wait until our delivery came with a new light plate to cover the wires and hole in the wall. You would never think that as a renter, you would need to deal with these setbacks, but unfortunately an older home has its challenges whether your name is on the deed or on the lease.
I got to enjoy the day with my favorite girl who sits in this spot on my porch and watches me work each day. I wound up getting much needed house cleaning done after returning back from Home Depot with the new DeWalt sander and other supplies. I figured 'why disturb the peace at 4:30 pm with more sanding?' I would make better use of my time rearranging my work/linen/supply closet. Now that it is overflowing with paint cans, materials, tool and bins; we needed a new space to alleviate some clutter. My mother bought me a large, sterilite outdoor cabinet from Wayfair that was my new best friend.
I spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening, rearranging , and scrubbing my floor. I threw out anything that didn't have a purpose, especially the soaked baskets under the sink that got wet from my leaking Bissell Pet Cleaner (as if I didn't have enough setbacks for the day). Sometimes a good purge is all we really need. It makes you feel lighter in a way doesn't it? When I get rid of unnecessary supplies and boxes, I feel as if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. My Obsessive Compulsive Tendencies switch to high gear and I have to finish organizing before the day is done. If you feel the need to clean when you organize, then you are not alone my friend. As a creative person, sometimes even the most neat ones become messy. Our ideas, our supplies, our projects; all become one large living and breathing entity that needs to be untangled so we can breathe again. And that is exactly what I plan to do the rest of this week...untangle my thoughts, untangle my supplies, and then tackle the challenge when I check off my list of things to put my head back on straight. I hope you do the same too. We all need to reboot sometimes ;)
Jacqueline- xoxo
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