{quotable thursdays}

Happy Thursday!
August is looking a bit busy for me--no summer vacation, but two book manuscripts due...my own and a textbook I'm co-editing.
So, remember ladies & gents, before embarking on any project, build up your strength with tea:

{first tea}

& then remember that often, for the creative juices to work, you sometimes need to stop thinking and let go for a bit: 

{let go}

Easier said than done, especially when you've got deadlines. And...it's so very easy to procrastinate when you've got writing to do...but the best advice is also just to sit down and get a start. and most importantly, remember that there will be edits, and more edits, and more edits.

On another note, I painted the shed, the garden seat and the kitchen door on the weekend. The best thing about painting is it has an immediate result--unlike a book which can take you years to write and you feel like you're never going to see the end of it(!)

What do you think of the new paint colour??? It's Cuprinol's muted clay

{relaxing with my new patio furniture, a cup of tea & a cat!}

{the garden seat (which came with the house)}

 The fence needs painting, & I want to put some grass down, but that's for another summer!

{kitchen barn door}

xo,
L

{chota house-a year on}

{keys!}

A year ago today I got the keys to my house. My parents had told me that I should be prepared for a bit of disappointment. They were right--I was so excited to walk through the door, but when I opened it, the house seemed a bit more shabby than I remembered, the rooms were smaller than I had thought, and I was overwhelmed by a long list of jobs that needed to be done. Where would I start? Every room needed to be painted. All the carpets needed to be taken up and floors refinished. What would I find under the floors? Immediately, I thought "Quick, let me try to get this carpet up in the living room and see what lies beneath." A quick tug on one corner and voilà- wooden floors-phew!
I certainly had grand designs before moving in...& had a whole lots of ideas... but I suppose it's that excitement that gave me the energy to do all the work. Even though I still have a list of things to do (tile the fireplaces, paint the shed, get some grass down in the garden etc...) I have to say I'm pretty proud of all that I've accomplished this year. I'm even more proud to say I didn't hire a single person--of course my parents came to do the floors, the built-ins, and the picture rails, but all the rest has been moi.
So, here are some pictures from the last year, to celebrate Chota House and all that has been accomplished this year:

In the first week, it was a few paint jobs:

{walking into the house for the first time as owner! the paint! the carpet! ahhhh!}

{the first room to be painted was the bedroom--had to get rid of those stripes!}

{walls painted, carpet torn up}

Then came painting the downstairs: 

Then the removal of the carpet (flea-ridden at that) & boards: 

{woohoo!}

Painted out the stripes in the study too: 

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Then the removal of the carpet in the hall & the painting of the walls (goodbye lime green):

{before}

{in progress}

and finally with the finished floors: 

Then I attacked the kitchen, painting out the red walls, and finally changing the knobs & painting the cabinets:

{goodbye 90s knobs}

{goodbye fake wood}

{hello lovely blue & gold!}

{& recently I got rid of the red tile!}

Then my parents came and redid the floors for me:

& they built in cupboards & bookshelves:

{Simla helping out!}

Then in the bedroom, my parents made me some lovely wardrobes:

{BEFORE, as previous owners had it}

{in progress}

{after!}

 & then they installed picture rails throughout the house:

 

& then just recently, I've managed to paint the spare bedroom, getting rid of the last of the wallpaper in the house:

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

& also paint the exterior of the house:


So my Chota House has come A LONG WAY in the last year:

I now feel pretty happy to call this place my home!
xo
L

{quotable thursdays}

Hello Blogland! Thursday again, already?!
I spent my last weekend like a maniac--I painted the exterior of the house, the guest bedroom and the kitchen! phew! I was inspired because my middle sister is coming this weekend with her two kids!!!
I haven't seen her or them in over three years. Super super super excited!!!!
She is an amazing woman--a graduate of Oxford and Cambridge, she's often on the news because of her research on refugees and displaced youth, she is successful in her career but still manages to make homemade cookies for her children. I live in awe. But she's also super down to earth and I can't wait to just catch up!
So today, a quote about the people in our lives that make us feel good:

{feed your soul}

In case you're interested, a couple of pics of my painting transformations, but stay tuned for a proper blog dedicated to the renos!
The exterior:

The guest bedroom:

{BEFORE}

... & now that's the last of the dreaded wallpaper in the house-GONE!

{AFTER}

 et, la cuisine:

xo,
L

{picture rails}

One of the big improvements to the house that my parents did while they were here was put in picture rails. Most people wouldn't notice they hadn't been there originally...and most people who come to the house now probably won't really notice them. But a picture rail is  like wearing clear nail varnish for a house-they're subtle, but add that little bit of 'polish' that makes a space seem finished.

I have lots more to blog on regarding renovations-the lovely built-in wardrobes in my room and other things, but thought I'd quickly put a post together on the picture rails.

I haven't got all my pictures up, and in the end, I'll probably change some around, but it's nice to be greeted by some old familiar friends on the walls...

{black & whites of my ancestors, from my great grandparents in India with my granny as a baby, to my Canadian grandparents in Toronto to pictures of my parents as kids}

{I love how the mirror reflects the pictures on the opposite wall}

And then in the dining room, the before:

{BEFORE}

...& now I've got a piano there and a mirror hanging from the picture rail:

{after!!}

On the other side of the dining room the space was crammed with furniture and a desk. Now I have a simple print of the Bodleian library and my dresser my Dad built me, filled with all my favourite crockery and china: 

& in the hallway upstairs...still needs some more pics hung and some more touches, but it's much better  (especially since I got rid of the lime green!):

stay tuned for more!
xo
L