Guest room armoire

Good morning everyone !

The Armoire is now complete ( except for the glass knobs but I don't think I've ever shown a piece in it's entirety lol )
As much as I really loved it the way it was before - it needed an update because it was badly marked up with the move - and being shoved into an unused room with tons of boxes and pictures...........and it can always be changed back to this - it's only paint and it's what I do after all :)

It seemed just a little too " elegant " this way -
And I was looking for " fun " for it's new room

AND what you don't see in that photo is that I never painted the interior ( I'm a master of disguise like that )
For some reason, when they're pieces I'm going to keep, I never seem to finish them

Any way it's now freshly painted inside and out - and my Paris wallpaper was applied to the back wall
( I've been hoarding that wallpaper for so long you wouldn't believe - time to use it already ) and it's more
suiting for this room ( which will be mostly used by 2 little ones when they have sleepovers ! )

It looks like I stopped 3/4's of the way up - but there's a ledge there - I may wall paper it right to the top but it's going to be difficult because the top curves and there's frames and ugggghhh.
Shelves ( 2 of them ) still have to go in there so maybe it won't matter after all ?

John says - It's nice - but it won't show when you put everything in it............
Suzan thinks about that for a minute
Suzan says - Oh go do something - leave me alone !!!

Because, of course, he's absolutely right.( and I'm a blonde )

So you're going to see it before it actually gets used

It adds just the right whimsical ( hidden ) touch, don't you think?  ( ok - 3 words that are so overused in Bloglandia and that's one of them - Whimsical - the other 2 would be Awesome and Pop of Color )  I use all three so don't be offended by my observation LOL

But isn't this the most whimsical wall paper?  Don't you just love the pop of color?  I think it's awesome if I do say so myself

want to see how this looked when I saw it in a shop? ( packed to the brim with Elvis tchotchke's )
H.I.D.E.O.U.S. - you really have to have some sort of vision to be in this business let me tell you.
Or lack there of LOL - it actually hurts my eyes to look at the before.

lets look at the after again to erase that completely from your mind

and then to tie the little bits of red and black into the pale blue and white room - I'm picking 2 of these up
they're just small enough to have one on the side of the bed and the other at the foot.

Have a great Monday everyone !
Much love,


I'll be at these fabulous parties this week!

The Dedicated House                              Between Naps on the Porch                     Coastal Charm
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia            A Stroll Thru Life                                     Stone Gable
An Extraordinary Day                             Kathe with an E                                        Not Just a Housewife
Homework                                             The Winthrop Chronicles                          The DIY Dreamer
Savvy Southern Style                              Gingersnap Crafts                                    DIY by Design
Share a daily cup of Mrs. Olson             From my Front Porch to Yours                 I Gotta Create
Katherine's Corner                                 The Charm of Home                                Shabby Art Boutique
Redoux Interiors                                    My Turn for Us                                        My Romantic Home
The Shabby Nest                                   Miss Mustard Seed                                  Simple Nature Decor
Remodelaholic                                       DIY Vintage Chic                                     Funky Junk Interiors
Be Different - Act Normal                     Pieced Pastimes                                        The CHicken Chick
Redhead Can Decorate                         Knick of Time                                           Home Stories A to Z
Ginger Snap Crafts                               Lil' Luna ( link party palooza )                    Southern Hospitality
Le Chateau des Fleurs

We are not the houses we live in.....................

We all know how much I love beautiful houses - I do a weekly series on it after all - but at the end of the day they are really just houses - nothing more - nothing less - they don't define us whatsoever.
When we are younger it's all about "achieving "

We measure how well we are doing by what we have.
But as you get a little older - you do in fact get a little wiser and you learn a thing or two on this journey.
First of all you learn how privileged and blessed you are to be a part of this planet for however long you've been granted.
Secondly you learn that lists are indeed very wise things to have and thirdly you learn that the items on your list should not be " things " you've acquired but things you've " done "

We are not the houses we live in.
They are merely structures to keep us safe from the outside.
Some of us may have grand homes - some of us may live in humble abodes and still others live in cars or cardboard boxes by the subway - but we are all people living inside of them - the size of the house does not
reflect the size of one's character.

We are not the clothes we wear.
They are merely pieces of cloth designed to hide our nakedness - and to protect us from the elements.
Some of us may wear designer clothes - some of us may wear only good will finds - still others dress in rags but we are all people beneath the fabric - the cost of the cloth does not reflect the worth of one's life.

source

We are not the pay check we work hard to acquire.
That is simply a payback for what society deems important.  A star earns an excessive one - but is no better than a lawyer who is no better than a doctor who is no better than a teacher who is no better than a social worker who is no better than someone who makes minimum wage. A garbage man's job was created so that unnecessary diseases be eliminated and may probably be the most important one of all for that very reason. Some are smarter - some are more artistically inclined - but  we are all people depositing that weekly - biweekly - monthly sum - we are more than what we earn and what we " make " does not reflect the value of a life well served.

source

We are not the car we drive.
That is only a means of getting from here to there.
Some of us may drive fancy ones - some of us may drive economical ones - and some of us may drive rust heaps -  but we are all people sitting behind the wheel - trying to get from here to there.  What we drive is not as important as what drives us.

We are not the toys we seek to own.  We are not the latest machine we need to have.
We are not diamonds or rubies or any other precious stone.
We are not tax returns -
And most importantly - we are NOT - not one of us - better than anyone else.
We are all just people and what defines us is how we live our lives -
We are not what we can accomplish in a day - but what we've accomplished during our time on Earth.
We are acts of kindness -
We are smiles -
We are words of encouragement -
We are helping hands -
We are hugs
We are welcoming
We are supportive
We are sympathetic and empathetic

We are part of a global family and as a family we should and must keep an eye out for each other.

Life shouldn't be a competition of what we have - but rather a competition of what we can do to help ease the suffering of others.

We were meant to shine from the inside - not  the outside.
The people that glow are the ones that live their lives with kindness as their guide and the ones that deserve our respect and admiration the most.
And though diamonds were once a " must have " in my world I've long since given them
to my daughters - they mean very little to me now ( other then the joy they brought to them when
I placed them in their hands )

A couple of weeks ago I walked for the Relay For Life here in Montreal - and met the most charming elderly woman.
After telling me about her teenage years ( I helped her walk around the track ) she touched my hand and asked if I was a volunteer -
"Oh I'd just love to have you visit me - you're such a sweetheart and you made me laugh " she said with a smile.
And because of those few words I'm looking into doing some volunteer work in the fall with the elderly.
The house renovations can be put on hold one day a week.

Maybe my gift is simply the gift of laughter but don't I owe it to share it freely with others? Especially those that may not have a reason to do so very often?
It may not be much - in fact I know it isn't much - but it's something - and it's a start to living a life of kindness.

We are, after all, not the houses we live in.
They are merely structures to keep us safe from the outside and I've learned a thing or two on this journey.....................

See you in September Hazel...............you are amazing.

Much love,

Sharing with
Pieced Pastimes                                  Uncommon Design                       Under the Table & Dreaming
A Stroll Thru Life                                Kathe with an E                           An Extraordinary Day
Gingersnap Crafts                               Katherine's Corner                       My Turn for Us
Redhead Can Decorate