Working with Old Home Quirks and my Stucco/Stencil Cupboard Update.

 

Living in an old house has some good points,

and some,

well,

difficult points.

 Character is one of the great points.

 I love all the deep windowsills we have

and the old wooden floors.

However, "level" has a way of shifting through the years,

and exact measures in a stone building

 were, perhaps, not such an easy thing.

 How the builders got these monstrous corner stones

up to the heights that they are is pretty mind-boggling.

But I wonder if there were some newer builders in our house's work crew.

This window is why:

The window is straight.

It is the frame that is skewed.

We've had differing opinions on the floors in our house.

One builder told us he did not think they were the originals,

another told us they most likely were.

The way they sway and swoop makes me think

our floors came from Leif Erickson's ship's floor.

Regardless of our aging debate,

the floors make large furniture bend and bow.

When I decided to repaint my husband's grandfather's old tool closet,

 my husband was determined to try to get it to sit level.

Because of the badly swooping floor, 

the doors were not closing right

and large gaps were obvious above the doors.

It was a monumental task that was met with some frustrating improvement

after several hours of shimming, trimming, frowning, growling, scowling,

and a slightly angered Farmer.

Meanwhile,

I set about to work,

painting all the storage baskets for the top the same color white,

to brighten and unify.

 A few weeks back,

I showed you my progress with making some stencils

and then adding stucco to them.

 Weighing my options with how I was painting the room,

I went with the idea to ad some color to the stuccoed image...

and then waxed it with light and dark wax.

I also used a watered down wash of the same green paint I used on the 

wall on the opposite side of the living room...

 on just the inset part of the doors.

To the top stuccoed stenciled image,

I just used a touch of dark wax mixed with clear.

Here is that window that is so off.

A deceivingly placed valance has been given the task of hiding

the obvious.

Here is the closet before being touched up:

And here it is now

along with freshly painted walls.

 (I wonder if I pulled out that one shim under the left side of the door

 if it would improve it some...

(Just kidding, Farmer.

You know I couldn't end without teasing just a little.)

Have a super weekend everbody!

 Linking up to:

Funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com 

Missmustardseed.com 

Theprairiehomestead.com
Betweennapsontheporch