For our second anniversary, which falls just a few days after Christmas and a couple weeks before my birthday, we decided not to do presents. Instead, we gave our guest room a makeover!
We gave the room a fresh coat of
yellow paint when we moved in and I bought furniture that met all my crafty needs, but the room has always been sort of a dumping ground for other random things. Mismatched lamps, an old dresser, childhood mementos. The desk (which was half a table we found in the trash), was unpractical and the room was really in need of a purge of stuff.
After a few quarrels over colors and possessions, we went with a grey/green color (which in some light looks exactly like the master bedroom, a very sad and too late realization) and rearranged the layout. We picked up a new table, lamps, three frames and a Buddha head. Oh, and we finally bought a grown up bed frame! But what I love most about this room is we were able to use a lot of pieces I have picked up - or received - over the years.
My sister-in-law found the newspaper printing plates (above) at a swap meet a few years ago. I resurrected them from our basement and we bought the center frame for the plate that was in the best condition. We purchased the two smaller frames when we first moved our house, but never used them, so we cut the other plates down to fit.
These are my beloved tapestries I bartered for when I was in Myanmar. The work is actually called a Kalaga, which is an appliqué of silk, flannel, felt and wool on cotton or velvet. This artform was very popular in the mid-19th century and worn by the royal court...who knew! I think I ended up paying the old ornery Burmese man $6 for both elephants and another one with horses (which I can't seem to find). While that sounds very inexpensive, for $6 I also could have bought lunch - for the week! Since the pieces are at least a half inch thick, we had to buy new frames with a raised mat. We found these at Michaels - and they were on sale.
The antique scales, letterpress drawer, trinkets and knick knacks have been collected over the years and all hold a special place in my heart. For less than $400 we were able to transform the room into a mature place we both can appreciate. Now we just need some guests to come and stay!
