"Bedroom Makeover" - - - our winter project!

Every long, cold winter in Idaho needs a good winter project to help pass the long, dark days. So we spent a good portion of our winter months improving our bedroom . . . we did our own version of a "Makeover Story". Giving our bedroom a much needed makeover seemed like a good way to start the New Year and accomplish something worthwhile indoors while it was too cold to be outside.



It all started with the purchase of a new quilt. I'd been wanting to make some changes for a long time, so when I saw this quilt at the Quilt Shop at Gardner's Village, I knew it would be the inspiration for my bedroom makeover.

We started by taking all the furiture out of the room (what a job!) except for the bed and started painting the walls. The new color is called Earthenware- -a nice rich shade of green. We borrowed a cool painting system from Mauri which pumped the paint directly into the roller-eliminating the need for a paint tray. It made the whole painting process go so much quicker, especially the ceiling . . . and not a single splatter or drip. We'll never be able to paint a wall with a roller and tray again.

It was my job to do the detail painting along the ceiling. My neck and arms were awfully tired by the time I trimmed around the whole room, but it was worth it to have such a nice rich color on the walls.

Next I repainted the closet doors and woodwork. I love how a fresh coat of paint makes everything feel clean and new. Repainting was a job I've been needing to do for several years so it sure felt nice to finally have the job done!

After the walls were painted we started on refinishing the bedroom furniture. Ever since we'd gotten a pillow top mattress, our old nightstands were too short to be of much use. Randy came up with a great solution of how to make them useable! He took the top off the nightstands, had a box made for each nightstand, reattached the box (now a place for books instead of being on top of the nightstands), added some trim and reattached the top.

Randy's always thinking and coming up with a new ways to improve on an old idea. He's such a creative guy! Not only does he come up with a good idea, he has the knowledge to make those ideas really work. I'm awfully lucky he's always willing to get involved in projects around our home and yard. We've had a lot of fun over the years working on a variety of projects. I think we make a pretty good team!

We took all the furniture out to the shop to be sanded to try to contain some of the mess. Then we brought it inside where I did the final painting and finishing in the kitchen. Remember, this was a winter project . . . it was too cold in the shop to allow the paint to dry. Even though I had a messy kitchen for a while, I had a nice warm place to do the furniture refinishing.

Here's one of the nightstands all finished and ready to be used . . . just waiting for some of good books to be added so I can read in bed. Reading in bed is a luxury I've come to enjoy over the past few years. It's awfully nice to lay in a warm cozy bed on a wintry day and read a good book.

The dresser was and chest of drawers were the next things painted. I painted both a bricky red . . . trying the match the reds in the quilt. We'd talked about either buying new furniture or repainting our old furniture for a long time. When we got looking for new furniture, I couldn't really find anything I liked better than what we already had . . . . they just needed to be given a new look. I shouldn't have put it off for so long because it wasn't really that difficult and the results are definitely worth it!

I used a black undercoat on both dresser and chest of drawers so the topcoat of red would have a good rich base and deepen the color. It's amazing how a coat of paint improves old furniture. The furniture was still in really good condition considering that it's been used for over 30 plus years. I think the new coat of paint really jazzed them up!





Here's the finished room! I found a cute shelf at "Real Deals"(which I also repainted) and hung above the dresser.

I found some fabric and made a simple valance for the window . . . now all I need to do is to hang a couple of pictures! I'm saving room on one wall for a stitchery project I'm working on - - I've always got a project in the works - - -that's what I do!







I'm pleased with the finished project. I love the new look in our bedroom. The warm colors in the quilt and the rich colors on the walls and furniture give the room a nice, cozy feeling. It was a great winter project even though it took several months to complete . . . but well worth the effort! Having an indoor project or two makes our winters bearable and gives me something to look forward to each day. I'm so fortunate that I can enjoy being home during this season of my life and have something I'm interested in to fill my days. I'm "enjoying the journey" each and every day.