Well, Smack My Face and Call Me a Liar…

February 2, 2015

You’ve probably already guessed by the title of this post, but I can’t post pictures of the finished kitchen because it is not actually “finished” yet.  I could give you all kinds of reasons like the weather, medical appointments, unexpected trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot, but bottom line is that the renovation completion date has been moved again. 

To offset that huge disappointment (because I just know you anxiously await my blog posts like I anticipate episodes of Downton Abbey), I am posting pictures of my finished braided rug which will go in the kitchen.  It’s a bit smaller than it should be, but it now measures 5 foot 10 inches by 4 foot 10 inches.  At that size, I have exhausted all possibilities of big flat surfaces in my house that will allow me to keep the rug flat as I work on it.  (Well I could work on the floor I guess, but then Charming would have to call a tow truck to help get me up.)  I started working on the rug on the counter top in my craft room then I had to move to the kitchen table.  After it outgrew the kitchen table, I had to move to our queen-sized bed.  When it began to hang over the edge of the bed, I was forced to wrestle the 25-pound rug (plus the 17-pound cat that follows the rug wherever I put it) as I turned the rug to add the rows of braids.  So I decided the rug was big enough to lend a touch of that “homespun” feel to the kitchen.  Below are more pictures than you probably want to see, but I’m a huge fan of braided rugs.

Oh…I also need to mention that I’m adding yet another “page” to this blog.  It lists classes that I will be teaching under my business name of Blue Ridge School of Mountain Arts.  Most of the classes that I will be teaching utilize the same or similar skills employed by my ancestors who lived in the area of the Blue Ridge Mountains that is now known as the Shenandoah National Park.  There will also be a few crafty classes such as making buttons and other items from polymer clay.  Class atmosphere will be extremely laid back and informal, as if you were learning something from a family member.  I will update the class list as new classes become available.  The page is located at the top of the blog, under the tab entitled, “Upcoming Classes”.  Please be sure to read the first paragraph on that page, before you read the class list, as it explains the different ways to register for the classes.

If you recall, this was my first picture of the braided
rug when it was started.

Here is the finished rug, laid out in front of our sofa.

A little closer up so you can see the definition in the
"rounds" of color.

An even closer up picture that shows the colors that make up
the color scheme in my kitchen.  I will have mostly tan,
gray, black and reds.  (Sounds pretty dreary and awful, I know,
but I tend to lean towards muted colors when decorating.)

As it'll look under the table.  Note that in selecting
my color scheme, I was going for that "traditional"
look and I think it turned out pretty well.

A slightly different angle.  (The table is centered on the rug.)