Sunday, September 25, 2011

Three Doors Down

Well, first was painting, then stenciling the little bursts around the room. Next, came hanging the backdrop to my front counter -  the three doors!!!


Project 3 Doors:
This was my favorite part of the room :) They were free from my parents basement... neglected since circa 1937. I thought I'd give them fresh coats of paint and purpose.

To hang them I took a pine 2 x 4 and had my dad use his table saw to rip it down the center at 45 degrees (fyi: "cutting" a board is using a saw to shorten a board. Like cutting a 6 ft board can make two 3 ft boards.... while "Ripping" a board is sawing all along the board making it skinnier...like ripping a 6 ft board now makes two skinnier 6 ft boards... that's not a technical definition). So anyway, my dad ripped the 2 x 4 at an angle... so now I had two pieces of board one for the door, one for the wall, then they held the door up....




I used my measuring tape to mark on the wall where I wanted the doors to hang and then on the doors. I then used my drill to drill pilot holes, where sturdy screws could then attach one angled board to the door...  Then, I found the studs on the wall (by looking at the holes in the baseboard where the previous carpenter put nails and used a level to go up the wall where I wanted to screw)...




Once I had all of the boards screwed to the walls and the tops of doors I added spacers at the bottom of each door... so the didn't hang tilty. Then, I lifted the doors to grab the boards on the wall. And, there they were...




In all their glory :)



Saturday, September 24, 2011

The Journey

     Here is the shop three weeks before the grand opening! 
Yikes, I had LOTS to do!!! I love the black ceilings - a great space to work with!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Taking the Plunge!

So, I'm going to open a shop in Kalona, IA. I have been struggling with this, I mean, juggling this idea for years, but just haven't had the gumption to do it. Until, I got married, moved to a lonely town and was bored out of my mind. And here was a space for lease in a little Amish village and it was just the right price and just the right distance away from the city, so I thought I'd take the plunge. Opening in just a few short weeks, I'm getting ready for the revealing of "Simply Rooted: Country Chic Boutique". That is where I will display my creations to the world... or at least eastern Iowa.

Come and visit during the Kalona Fall Festival on Sept. 23rd - 24th.
P.S. Kalona ia 15 Miles Southwest of Iowa City.

Stay tuned for many photos. Everything from painting the shop to laying out inventory. There is so much to do!