But back to the loft. It really is kind of good that it took me a bit to get to the posting of the final result because I’ve been slowly tweaking it for the last few weeks. Last week I moved all the board games up there. They had been on top of the cupboards in the kitchen for ages where they were building up a tremendous amount of kitchen gunk. I washed each box down before I moved them. Gross. Note to self: never store cardboard on the top shelf in a kitchen. On Monday I was inspired to climb into the back of the scary attic to find some art to hang on the blank walls of the loft. Sure, there were a few things already there, but well, it needed MORE. I liked the spare look to begin with, but lets be reasonable people, I like CLUTTER. Bare walls are an invitation to hang more stuff. So I broke out the pink elephants painting our friend Micheal gave Brandon to PAINT OVER (it was a study for a much larger painting, but its pretty so we couldn’t destroy it), and hung it over the bed. And I found a great Gothic sort of Jesus print in a fantastic old gilt frame from a neighbor’s garage sale (I got this in high school) that I had forgotten about and hung it on the other side of the bed. And the Micheal McDonald portrait from our friend Wilder got a frame too (Brandon’s 29th birthday present, its fab, and he has actual golden pen hair and chest hair, wow) and hung by the pink elephants.
The room was looking more together. But it still needed more. So up went an unframed monotype print from one of brandon’s gallerymates. Someday it will have a frame, but not today. And then to round it all out, my crazy old lady flower hat. Now the room feels a bit more finished, and well, cozier. Now it was ready for its photo shoot. Here’s what it looks like:
This is the other side of the bed. See the awesome flowered hat. It was a great halloween costume a few years ago. There is also Jesus to watch over you while you sleep, and the monotype. The wallpaper underneath is also rad, and from some friends bathroom remodel. And thats Spector the ghost dog lounging on the bed, she decided to become corporeal for this photo so you can see her. She haunts the loft where Marcus can’t tear off her leather nose.
And the magazine and game corner. Not to sure what I’ll do when we get more games, these just fit. I’ll figure something out. Those are all my old Domino, Cottage Living, and Home Companion magazines, I love the ideas in them to much to throw them out. If you ever need home decorating ideas I will loan them to you!
All my lovely paperbacks! I finally have a place for my fantasy novels to be put were I can see their spines! And we have lots of room for more, so perhaps I can buy books again! Not that we have ever stopped buying books. I have a mental list of books I’ve borrowed from Laini that I need to own, and now I have space for them. You’ll also notice the chimney comes through here, thats why theres a little ladder fence around it, to keep stuff from touching that chimney. Wouldn’t want to burn my house down!
Here’s where you come up into this little room. The hole in the floor! The door on the wall is to the attic, which is darn handy and I’m glad I put it in. In this pic you can see what I have to finish: there is a tiny corner of the door frame that needs a piece of frame in it, and I have one shelf board to install before I can fit the oversize paperbacks in that empty corner. The last details are always the hardest to get done, cause they just aren’t all that important!
Thought it would be fun to put in a picture of the ceiling, since I like it so much. I think you can tell which is new and which was there already. I like the juxtaposition of the rough wood ceiling with the light blue walls and smooth floors. Its fun.
As promised above, a closeup of Micheal McDonald. We’ve developed a bit of a fascination with the man, you will to if you YouTube “Yacht Rock.” Its a fictional rock history of all things smooth rock, and its the best. Try it, you’ll like it. The writing under the drawing is something like “stop mocking my fantastic career.” I’m to lazy to climb up there right now to get it right.
And the cat cross stitch. Its of a curio cabinet full of patterned ceramic cats, but in cross stitch. Who thought this up? Its amazing, and so wonderful of my mother who doesn’t like cats, to make this for her cat crazy (but still allergic) daughter, who she wouldn’t let get a cat.
And finally, a view out our window of the neighbor’s yard. Yeah, we don’t have much of a view, but its still better than no view at all! And its fun to pretend to be spying, even though nothing much happens out our back window. We mostly have a great view of our roof, and the stuff that falls on it.
So thats our loft, hope you enjoyed it. If any of you want to visit and stay the night, its very comfortable, and should be warm in the winter since all the heat from the wood stove vents up through the door!
Maggie
