Watching paint dry

Literally. Is what I was doing yesterday.

First, I forgot to give my boards (for the painting wip storage thing) their last coat of paint the other night, so I had to do it early morning (6 hours’ drying time). The garage is too cold and messy, so I’m doing this on my dining work table in the living room. Which means, cats are going to investigate – so I had to sit and watch (until I quit, locked them in the kitchen and went for my shower).

wallboards

Then I wanted to try matching the wall colour where I’d filled in holes. Most of the holes were only pin pricks from nails, but you know, even if you wipe, some filler gets onto the wall (structured wallpaper). I was a bit scared to use black in my mix, so I definitely did not get it in first attempt even if I tested on a small portion elsewhere – must have faded a bit there. Each time I tried a new layer, I made the circle slightly wider, to blend it in a bit, right? Not. So I ended up with multiple large splotches on the wall in varying shades of “cream”. I’d like to renovate the room whole house and just paint it white, but that was not today … Of course we all know that most colours dry up a bit darker, so I was having a hard time containing myself from trying new layers and also anxious to know when I’d hit the mark. Perhaps it dries a little faster if I keep an eye on it? I did, just in case. To the point of burning my omelette – which I had to go eat in the bedroom would you believe it, because the cats were very much asking for a third breakfast if I tried to sit down.

Molly can't sleep without rearranging the entire sofa. I didn't have the heart to wake her up and tidy up before taking a picture.
Molly can’t sleep without rearranging the entire sofa. I didn’t have the heart to wake the old girl and tidy up before taking a picture. It looks like this all the time. Now you know.

Anyway, I eventually broke out the black and it went a bit better. I can’t match the gloss, but it would be nice if it’s not the first thing you notice about the room. I even resorted to using “glazes”. And now it simply has to be good enough. Most of it will be covered in pictures anyway, which was the whole point of the board exercise: To be able to store, dry, hang various small paintings out of the way, to be able to move and rearrange without making new holes every day, and make it slightly decorative as well.

wallpaint

The idea is to hammer nails into the boards instead of the wall, basically. And not have to measure the height every time, just the three options, take it or leave it. I couldn’t find my box of little nails for the purpose, so I have yet to show you the finished result.

wallend

G casually asked me if the house is going to end up looking like hippies live here. I didn’t have a definite answer. It’s very much a Danish thing that you should conform, the norm is good enough and no reason to want or be more. While I’ve never really conformed, I have felt restrained at times, both physically (tiny house) and otherwise.

Well, I’m fed up with being less than me. It has nothing to do with feeling better than others, simply that I want to be all of me. Not just some parts of me, the acceptable ones, the managable ones, the inconspicuous ones. And if being me right now involves turning this tiny house into a workshop with looms on the wall and arranged for storage space rather than a modern show home, so be it.

14 thoughts on “Watching paint dry

  1. My living room is small and cozy with interesting bits laying about from fiber to feathers, plants and animal skulls but my husband married me knowing I am a bit quirky not because I am a good housekeeper and have wonderful organizational skills. Every now and then I sweep through the house and contain the clutter mostly so I can focus. These things are really what makes us interesting don’t rein yourself in ; )

  2. yes. be all of you. am cheering you on, here!

    there are definitely communities here as well that expect conformity, to the point where home own associates are created along with a list of rules of what the home must look like… can’t imagine living someplace so stifling!

    my favorite home ever belonged to my fave professor. the walls were covered in goddess art, there were thousands of books everywhere, a den of pillows surrounding the fireplace, and a collection of cats adorning the shelves, furniture, etc. i want a similar home when we buy/build one!

    1. I should say “belongs” “are” present tense to all of it as he still definitely lives there and we fully intend on visiting him & his wife asap… maybe I ought to take notes next time we’re there.. so many nuances that made it *feel* just amazing…

      1. “Oh mr. Teacher, can I take pictures in your house, my friends on the internet want to see!” πŸ˜‰

  3. Honestly, my heart sang reading this. Me too! My husband is very conventional and so are my parents and I have spent most of my life to date conforming to their norms and I’m tired of it. If I want to paint the dining chairs orange or fill the place with dye pots I decided a few months back that my family are just going to have to put up with it πŸ™‚

    1. Yes! I’ve got your back covered. πŸ˜‰ Change is fun and stimulating. The meaning of the word Life is the opposite of “stale”!

  4. Love this statement – “the house is going to end up looking like hippies live here”. Our house is bigger than yours, but it also has that hippie feel to it and frankly, if someone doesn’t like it, I don’t care! K.

    1. I don’t care much either, but I try to be diplomatic about space shared with someone who likes black and grey. πŸ˜‰

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