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May 12, 2007
While you were away
I have been living with my aunt and uncle since last December and they have been very generous in offering me a room free of rent. In an effort to repay them somehow, I have offered to help with any projects around the house that might need to be done. My aunt expressed a desire to paint the interior walls, but there was always something keeping us from going forward with it.
She and my uncle went out of town about a week ago and since then, my cousin and I have conspired to do our own little "While you were out" design spectacular. Now you should know that I watch a lot of those design shows where a team comes in and totally redesigns a room in under two days for under $500. This has been a little like that. My cousin owns an event design company and so has major resources such as tons of fabric, wood, and the best part: salaried employees. So when we started our little project (we initially were going to repaint two bedrooms), there was someone to help. Then it moved outside and she had two guys over building a new patio cover. Then it moved into the livingroom, and soon we were building whole new headboards and gazebo canopies.
The best moment for me was when I looked around and realized just how much we were starting to resemble one of those design shows. There was Crystal, my cousin, the designer. There was Jody the painter, Sean and Benny the construction guys, and me the seamstress and otherwise handy do-anything-er. It was fantastic.
So all this to say, it will be a big surprise for my aunt and uncle (who haven't painted the interior for over twenty years)! Their humble little home is looking brighter and warmer every minute and I am reveling in the joy I feel at preparing something special for some very dear and generous family.
Update: here are some before, during and after pictures. There aren't so many "just room" pictures, but you can at least see a little of how it looks. Enjoy!
Posted by libbystokes at May 12, 2007 10:45 PM