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List checker-offers unite!

January 18, 2013

Raise your hand if you’ve ever put something on a list that you’ve already done just to have the satisfaction of crossing it off. I see you all out there with your guilty hands in the air. 
Let’s face it, it feels damn good to cross things off a list and I’m happy to say that I’ve done a pretty good job crossing things off a list I published (there’s nothing like putting your list out in front of an audience to make you want to succeed) back in August but I’ve not done a great job telling you about it. 
So I thought I’d circle back and feel the collective satisfaction of checking a few things off the list.
First on that list from back in August was to paint the kitchen chairs. I did that in September and I’ve been really happy with the results. That chalk paint is some hard-wearing stuff. Although I mentioned that I might end up painting the table with it, I never did that. Repainting the table is a project that needs to happen (in spring) but I haven’t decided yet if I’ll do it in chalk paint or not. It wears wonderfully but it does have a pretty specific finish which varies from chalky (duh) to a slight luster after a couple coats of wax and some buffing.
The Impatient Gardener -- chalk painted chairs
Next on the list was to get some art on the kitchen wall. Well you know how that turned out: huge success. I still love the vintage botanical charts every time I look at them and I can’t think of anything that would have worked better in that spot. I feel like I should get a checkmark and a plus sign for that one.
The Impatient Gardener - Vintage botanical charts as art
At the time, I think I meant to mention that I also needed to get some art for the master bedroom but I forgot in the middle of that big ol’ list. Well I’m happy to say I checked that one off the list too. There is a big, empty wall in our bedroom that has been getting a little depressing lately because it’s so gray. Don’t get me wrong, I love the paint color (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter, which is also in the kitchen), but it was just too much. I knew I needed something big for that spot and I knew I wanted something colorful but not completely crazy because it is, after all, a bedroom. Fortunately I just happened to come across a One King’s Lane sale featuring canvas prints from Michelle Armas at a fraction of the price she usually sells them for and I picked up two. One of them, called “Laura,” is a monster that just so happens to fit perfectly on our bedroom wall. I love it because it brings in the light blue of the bedding and the window seat cushion and also goes with some of the accessories we have on the open shelves of the built-in. I think, technically speaking, I’ve got it hung sideways because there are some drips that are now running across the canvas, but that’s the beauty of abstract art: you can hang it whatever way you like.
I’ve never bought a print on canvas before and I have to say I’m really impressed with the quality. It’s difficult to tell it’s not an original.
The Impatient Gardener -- Michelle Armas print "Laura"
The Impatient Gardener -- Michelle Armas print "Laura"
The Impatient Gardener -- Michelle Armas print "Laura"
The Impatient Gardener -- Michelle Armas print "Laura"
Next on the list was reupholstering the Craigslist cane chairs I bought a long time ago. I’m really anxious to do this project and I’ve purchased all the fabric I need for it, save for the really expensive Chiang Mai Dragon print that I keep trying to find on sale somewhere. So it’s on the radar but this one didn’t really get anywhere yet.
Redoing the back room is also still on the to-do list. In order to work on that room we need to move the furniture out of it so Mr. Much More Patient has declared that I have to make some room in the basement to store the furniture. And making room in the basement for that means getting a few other projects finished first. Plus, we’re hoping to pound this one out in a few weeks so we’re waiting until we’re both home with a little time in our schedules to get started.
I also mentioned making some changes in the living room and I’m happy to report things are moving on that front. So far, I’ve changed out the ugly lamp, reupholstered the two chairs that sit in the window by the game table in a fun ikat dot print, bought a new, neutral couch (which I still love by the way), sent the mustard-colored chair and ottoman out for reupholstery (it’s been two weeks and he said three to four so I’m hoping it will turn up soon) and, I’m very happy to announce, we finally got the rug we’ve been waiting for since spring. I haven’t showed it to you yet (other than a sneak peek on Instagram) because I wanted to wait for the chair to come back first. There are a few other details to be attended to in there, but it’s finally coming together and it’s a total relief.
The Impatient Gardener -- How to reupholster a chair
Chair reupholstery 101
The Impatient Gardener -- Lee Industries couch
A new, neutral couch!
Next on the list was restaining the coffee table. I did that a few months ago but didn’t show you because I forget to take pictures and I stained it a color that’s not too different from what it was so it didn’t make for a dramatic before and after. But the new stain completely rejuvenated it and even though the stain color is similar—it went from a dark cherry/mahogany color to a medium-toned stain similar to our media console—it now works much better in the room. 
I also mentioned a few things that needed to be done but weren’t on the list for this winter. One of them—the downstairs bathroom—is still not being touched. That poor, ugly, forgotten bathroom is destined to be the last nail in the coffin in a renovation of our house that will span more than a decade. It still has the distinction of being the only room in the entire house that is completely untouched by us, even though it was declared to be the ugliest room in the house even before we had officially purchased it.
I also said the kitchen was not happening. Well, in fall we got a new walnut top for the island, so that’s a minor improvement. And as it turns out, a few other improvements may be in the works, but we’re waiting for a few quotes on some things before that one becomes official.
The Impatient Gardener -- Walnut butcher block top
A new walnut butcher block top.
So that leaves the list looking like this:
  • Paint the kitchen chairs
  • Paint the kitchen table
  • Get some art on the kitchen wall
  • Art for the bedroom
  • Reupholster the Craigslist chairs –coming soon
  • Re-do the walls and ceiling in the back room
  • Change the color scheme in the living room — halfway there
  • Restain the coffee table
  • Gut reno the downstairs bathroom — nope, not happening anytime soon
  • Make some changes in the kitchen — maybe?

How are your winter to-do lists progressing? And what’s on the to-do list that you’re planning to tackle this weekend?
art kitchen list living room to-do
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
6 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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Comments

  1. Loi Thai, Tone on Tone says: January 21, 2013 at 3:30 am

    But Erin, you won't have time to paint the table come spring. We'll all be too busy gardening 🙂 Love your new (neutral) sofa. Congrats on all your progress!!
    Cheers,
    Loi

    Reply
    • Erin Schanen says: February 6, 2013 at 5:35 pm

      Thanks Loi. Can't wait for spring. When is that coming again?

      Reply
  2. Jo says: February 5, 2013 at 7:02 pm

    Check eBay for your Chiang Mai Dragon print. I searched as a last resort for expensive fabric and got lucky. Jo @ Let's Face the Music

    Reply
    • Erin Schanen says: February 6, 2013 at 5:34 pm

      Thanks for the tip, Jo! I will.

      Reply
  3. Anonymous says: February 6, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    when I was a new Mum, many moons ago, I'd write lists that included chores like:
    "have a shower"
    "empty the dishwasher"
    "take baby out for a walk"
    just so I could check items off, and feel like I'd accomplished something.

    I've just discovered your blog, and am really enjoying it.
    Caroline, Calgary (zone 3a!)

    Reply
    • Erin Schanen says: February 6, 2013 at 5:34 pm

      I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who puts things on lists just to enjoy the feeling of checking them off. So glad you found the blog and welcome!

      Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Pen These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Penhill Watermelon (first picture) and Penhill Dark Monarch are the best two HUGE dahlias that I grow. They share slightly twisty petals (Watermelon more so) and, when you look closely, subtle striations that add a beautiful depth of color. Watermelon grows taller than Dark Monarch (7 feet tall or more sometimes) and they both need serious staking, but it’s worth it because they produce a lot of flowers for a large-flowering dahlia. 

I like them both but if I was forced to choose (and who would make me do that?) I’d give the edge to Dark Monarch because it’s a little easier to manage size-wise, produces more flowers and has a bigger variation in flower color so it’s always interesting. 

Which do you like better?
I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But w I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But when there’s only one tool that does that one thing really well, I’m here for it. This pottery/container knife from Sneeboer makes it possible to actually get plants out of pots without breaking or damaging the pot. It’s also really expensive. 😀
A little snippet of a bouquet from the weekend. Zi A little snippet of a bouquet from the weekend. Zinnias, pycnanthemum muticum and bronze fennel shown here.
My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love tryi My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love trying out new varieties and I feel like they just work so well in my garden from both a design standpoint and a cultural standpoint (they are happy here). Because I grow so many, the ones that self sow can be surprises. 

All of these self-sown Nicotiana are probably at least partly the children of the F1 hybrid Perfume series, which grow to be about 24” tall or so. Last year I grew purple, pink, white and lime versions and these are likely new variations on those. 

Picture 3 is, in my opinion, a good example of how these self sown second-year hybrids can go wrong. I’ll probably rip that one out. 😀

And the last photo is of my favorite colorway, lime, popping up amongst the Zinnias. I find these self-sown Nicotiana popping up all summer, so there’s always a fresh-blooming supply. 

Are you as enamored with Nicotinana as I am?
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