Final details...

I have groomed about 20 pets here so far. I am currently "tweaking" the lay out, where I keep my tools, and how to have things set up for maximum efficiency. It is a very much a fun work work in progress. Overall I am most delighted with how the space has turned out. After months of dreaming and planning, it has exceeded my dreams. It even smells wonderful! I need to replace this small table, which holds a Keurig coffee maker and a dish with home baked goodies, with a larger one, but you get the general idea. Here are some things I love about my studio: My vintage trash can. My very funky, chippy paint storage cabinet. It holds most of my tools, hides the shop vacuum and the high velocity dryer is attached to its right side. So handy! My view on every side is lovely, a gift I must not overlook. I have wonderful, deep window sills to hold little vignettes of loveliness. I pick the flowers from my gardens and the meadow. I love the ways the blues in the lamp and painting and little antique dogs tie in. My original plan was to have the grooming table situated so that I worked facing the window. I found that I needed to have my tools closer at hand and easier to reach. By turning my table so that I face the chairs, I have a window sill to keep my small hand tools on (in neat little boxes.) This makes them far more accessible. It also gave me a place to put the wooden caddy that hold my clipper blades, and I can open the storage cabinet easily to reach anything else I might need. I think this will be a very workable arrangement, and I like the way it looks, as well. There are so many pretty things in my grooming studio. It is a place I love to be in.

Details...

From the start, things have fallen nicely into place with the development of this grooming studio. Once the main tools, furniture and decorations were all together I thought I'd like to have a toy box with some fun things in case a child came to visit. Then my second official customer gifted me with this... an adorable vintage toy box. Note that the "grass" color goes perfectly with my floor color! See what I mean? (Ziva likes it, too.) Flirt and I both think that the pretty towels in the white wicker basket are nice, too. I love the way the blue lamp and the painting and the Staffordshire dogs all tie in with each other. And I like the way the squishy dog bed ties in with the floor. The dogs just like that its squishy. I have one crate now, white, and it does not have too much visual impact, which is a good thing. There is a second crate coming to match it, a bit smaller. I've added a comfy "rodeo" stool, and I think the details of my project are pleasing and complete. Three more dogs coming tomorrow... I can hardly wait.

Drum roll, please...!

The studio has been plucked from my imagination and plunked down into the magical space that has been created. It is even more wonderful that I ever anticipated. I have groomed several pets here and am gradually adapting my tools to the way I work. The animals are responding beautifully... they are calm and relaxed as I work. The human customers who have stayed seem to enjoy the place as well; one man said, "It's so relaxing here," I glanced over at him as I brushed his dog and saw him happily snoozing in the comfortable rocking chair. To say I am delighted would be the worst kind of understatement. My dream has come true.

Oh my goodness!

The inside is almost done! The outside door needs paint, the little deck needs a railing, and there are a few exterior details to finish. The floor gets a second coat of paint tomorrow, and once that has cured we can move the tub and STUFF in. Giddy. That is what I am!

More paint pictures...

I'm not sure if this looks any different, but it IS. The wall that the windows are on and the end walls are completely painted, as is the ceiling. Tomorrow the wonderful painter will be back, and paint the wall that joins the house, both doors and... drum-roll, please, the FLOOR! We are in the home stretch and my delight knows no bounds!

Big changes..!

Today some big changes happened. There has been a rhythm to this project, flurries of activity separated by days of nothing. The painter was here. The ceiling has been sanded and painted. It looks fresh and clean and lovely. And where there were electrical wires poking out of the paneling, there are now nice, neat outlets, and switch plates. All the new trim wood has been primed as well. I was very excited to see that my funky cabinet had been moved in, anchored securely to the wall, and... TWELVE electrical outlets are neatly tucked inside. This is a true delight... all my electrically powered hand tools will be cozily tucked in there with outlets to spare. Bliss! There are also outlets every 12 feet all around the room. A gracious plenty. There is a separate outlet for my dryer, which is very exciting. It was a warm day today, but when I stepped out into my new almost studio there was the most lovely breeze blowing in through my new windows. I am going to love this space.

Carpentry FINISHED..!

And the carpentry is finished inside! Tomorrow, the painter arrives. Next week the exterior finish work will happen. Words cannot express my happiness!

Something borrowed...

When I first got the idea to create my fantasy grooming space on my porch, it occurred to me that I would need a counter or desk area for writing receipts, keeping records and a cash box. It would need to have a small footprint, because I was working with limited space. My mind went skipping happily along, thinking of possibilities. It landed on a desk I fell in love with when I was in my early 20's. It once belonged to a distant relative by way of my brother in law. An old school masters desk, it had been tucked in an upstairs bedroom of an ancient farmhouse in Boxford, Massachusetts. My mother, an antique dealer, had bought it from Winifred Parkhurst. I loved the thing, it appealed to me in a very Little House on the Prairie kind of way. My oldest sister also saw the appeal and either my mother gave it to her or she bought it. I could see it on my porch. It would be perfect. I called my poor sister right up. I explained my plan, and she agreed to let me borrow it. Last weekend my daughter brought it to Maine, and today I gave it a good scrubbing with Murphy's Oil soap. I let it dry in the hot June sun, then tenderly rubbed Lemon Oil all over it. A soft cloth and some buffing made the old wood glow with a fresh luster. It will be perfect, and I am grateful to my generous sister Donna for sharing her treasure to help my dream along.

More pink stuff...

Brian is here today, working on trim, stuffing insulation into every crevice, and jamming to show tunes. I love it!

Trim work...

Today, trimming the windows, more window sills, more insulation, more paneling!

Unexpected delights...

All day long at work I wonder what is happening with studio construction. I smile a little smile to myself and ponder the possibilities. This morning I left the two carpenters each a loaf of still warm home made bread with a little note thanking them for their good work. When I got home today I got the dogs that go to work settled in and greeted the dog that stays at home. Cookies all around. Then I stepped out onto the porch to see what had happened while I was away. The first thing I noticed was that half of the room now boasts beautiful, amazing, elegant window sills. The clean, new, fresh simplicity of them made me weak in the knees. I can picture them decorated with clusters of antique bottles holding fresh flowers, and sweet, seasonal items of beauty. And then there was this... which I imagine was a BIG PROJECT. Ever since we moved here the threshold to the front door has been rotten. By that I mean, spongy, scary, how-in-the-world-can-I-fix-this rotten. So I was tickled pink to see clean, thick, sturdy new wood where the old frightening stuff used to be.

Big stuff..!

Today I was awake, showered and dressed early, because BIG things were slated to happen. The first big thing occurred early, the windows were delivered at 7:30 AM. Casey and Chris were there at the same time, and within moments furious activity had begun. I had to force myself to go to work. I so wanted to stay right here and watch things develop. But alas... off I went. Coming home was exciting! The windows are IN. They are beautiful, and work so nicely... all screened and new and fresh looking. They also got lots of insulation in, and more center bead paneling up. And if that were not enough excitement.... My grooming table and bathtub were delivered. OH MY GOSH, I feel like a kid at Christmas.

Warm thoughts and dead shrubbery...

I can't share a photograph because it is not visible, but the guys came today and blew foam insulation all up under the porch. I bet that was a NOT fun job. I made them a loaf of home made bread to thank them. That porch floor has always been mighty cold in the winter, I am excited to know it will be warm now. Tomorrow they come and insulate the space over the ceiling and under the roof. I forgot to post these photos. Monday Chris and I wrapped a tow rope around this lovely bush... of which I was very fond, and ripped it out by its roots. The lawn suffered, the tow rope died, but the bush was yanked. This is where the pathway to the studio will go.

Vents and decks...

Tuesday (Monday was a holiday) the vent fan over where the tub will be was installed. This will remove moist air from the studio. It is ducted through the ceiling and goes out through this rather hideous thing. I hope it can be painted, because it is NOT pretty. Luckily it is off to the side of the house where probably only I will see it. More aesthetically pleasing were today's efforts from my intrepid carpenter... a lovely little 5x5' deck to welcome guests to our entryway. It is super sturdy and I like the way it looks even more than I had hoped.

Subtraction and addition...

The porch was only open overnight. The carpenter said, "It's not going to rain tonight, because I say so. Tomorrow I'll put up plastic." He was right. No rain. The porch was open to the lovely breeze all afternoon and night, and I enjoyed it. When I got home from work the next day things looked very different. Not pretty, to be sure. But the framing was installed for all of the new windows, nice new pine that smells fresh and is sturdy and well assembled. The studs under the windows have had "firring" strips added to them so that next week insulation can be installed and the bead board paneling can be put up. AND... the vent fan has been put up over the tub. That will make life nicer. Oh! The saggy part of the porch was jacked up, too. Lots of good things happening, and even though the space looks rough, I can see the pan coming together. And it is such a happy thing.

Subtract windows...

Driving up to home this afternoon I gasped to see gaping, open space where the ancient porch windows used to be. I mentioned before the love/hate relationship I had with the windows. Loved the way they looked, hated the way they didn't work. The house looks completely different without them. Originally the porch was designed without windows, and it is interesting to imagine how it looked in 1907 that way. From inside, the space is so (obviously!) OPEN. There is a lovely breeze. And a messy birds nest in the eves, filled with chirping Starling chicks. Almost all the bead board on the house side is up... just one little end strip is missing. I will love the way this looks when it is all painted and trimmed out. Even the carpenter, Chris, says, "This is going to be such a nice space! So bright and airy!" Poppy carefully investigates the developments each day, then flops down happily in the sun. She loves the porch. Just wait till she finds out there is a pug bath tub coming, it will diminish her porch joy considerably!

WALLS..!

And today... some of the bead board paneling went up!