Part 2: Creating a Place to Blog, Tablescape, & Brainstorm

Week 2:

The Thank-Goodness-I'm-Making-(Some)-Progress Phase

Each week Metamorphosis Monday is a chance to start over, whether you're reorganizing the flatware drawer or an entire basement. In my case, the job is epic, and I don't think I would persevere without MM's Sunday night deadline.

Despite pulled muscles and self-doubt, somehow I made it to Week 2. Seven days ago, this is what our basement looked like:

These two rooms are open, which makes it difficult to "zone" the areas for function.

We moved the furniture, added the "summer" rug from our bedroom, and vacuumed 2,000 dust bunnies and other unmentionables.

After:

The other end of the room had been a sitting area--but everyone avoided it due to Bandwidth's theory about windows and security.
Before:

After:

You can read about Part I of the basement make-over HERE. While cleaning, I encountered a profusion of spider webs and ladybugs; the insects inspired a bugs and frogs tablescape.

Of course, rooms are not like fairy tales. They don't live happily ever after. They change as we change...and they need care. Dust bunnies pile up, puppies get into mischief, and ceiling tiles collapse. Because households are always on the verge of some kind of something (be it good or bad), I need a quiet place where I can write and brainstorm, where I'm surrounded by little things that mean the world to me.

Big Lots had a 20% off sale, and I found Martha Stewart Living ribbon in the $1 bin (see above)and a folding screen. They only had one screen, but I knew exactly what I could do with it, so Dr. G and I lugged it home.

Now we have a moveable "wall" that allows light yet creates a private zone.

Not a lot of space is needed for creativity--just a corner of a room will work beautifully--but we do need an imaginary door.

It can be hard to find. Once you find it, it's even harder to make it work. A screen is an old solution for artists and writers. Its function isn't to shield you; rather it's a sign to your subsconscious that it's time to work, and it's also a subtle reminder to others that you are concentrating.

When you're finished, move the wall--that should be easy because writing can be harder than moving mountains. Finding time to write is the biggest challenge.

Now you see it, now you don't. We moved the "wall" as a divider between the dining area and the study.

After all that work, we worked up an appetite, so we recharged our batteries with green tea cupcakes. You can find the recipe HERE.

So, now I'm on the lookout for another screen. It's hit-or-miss at Big Lots, but that's part of the fun.

Stay tuned for next week's adventure. Company's coming, and a celebration dinner is being planned for my sweet mother. She is the dish expert, so I'm hoping she can offer advice about the dish storage area.

To see 100s of before-and-after projects,visit Susan at BNOTP.