Am I ready for my close-up? Actually...

    Almost. I am a stinker! But the winner of the final shelf design is "The Christine Change-Up". 

     So, my job now is to primp and tweak (my bed hair could use that too) "The Hutch" (and remember, Steve gets the final say... Muuuhahahaaa...)and then reveal it, the other Fall decor, and your choices in pinkeeps. There will be a week during which you can earn one entry just by leaving a comment. All chances for earning extra gold stars are now over. 

     Big hugs and thanks to "Team Hutch"! I hope you all had as much fun as I did. I also hope you can see your influences on my current decor changes from all of the decorating wisdom you bestowed on me.

Love to you all! Update soon!!!

The Marm 

Final Finish...

All right. The final part of the hutch. The end. The grand finale. That's all she wrote. That's all, folks ( ... to which some of you are saying, "It's about time!!!")!

Here is the hutch...

The items you see on the hutch (except "The Marm") are the items that must be on the hutch. You can move them around and adjust their positions. The exception is the white ironstone and fir branches in the very back, but the shoofly plate must be worked in. The egg carrier does not have to have eggs on it. There are twinkle lights on that shelf. 

As well as past items that we have not used...

...here are some others...

I have two sugar cones. One dark. One light. I also have stained, but unused cheese cloth. 

Here are some wood pieces. I do have a few other small treen pieces. (Is it me? But I kind of like this basket as is. Minus the boot jack and plus some fall greenery...)

So that's it... Here is the timeline of events:

-Brainstorm until Thursday night. 

-Friday evening is a reveal of options.

-Monday evening is a closing of the voting polls. 

-During the week, inbetween teaching my 20 cherubs, we will tweak it and reveal the final look (Hopefully!) And clean off my dining room table. And place the other decorations. 

-The last thing I will do is give fair warning as to the definite end of the giveaway with a look at your pin keep prize choices. No more gold stars after I give fair warning. Also, I can't give gold stars for shelves that are "Locked". Still love to hear your ideas!

So, if you want any gold stars, give your opinion! Steve thanks you in advance for any help in moving this along so he can see our dining room table again. Sorry, been spending the last days leading up to school (We started Monday), trying to get my new classroom set up has wiped me out. Maybe it was working in my classroom until almost midnight. Ugh. But it is ready for its close-up, so hopefully some pictures for you all this week!

ANYHOOO,for selecting the winner, Steve will pick a name out of a bowl. Or basket. Or gourd. Okay, maybe not a gourd. Details to follow on that!

Loving all the inspirations for Fall Decor on the blogs! And, yeah, I think I need to be moving to the Midwest to go to some of your prim extravaganzas out there. Wow. I had to wipe the drool off of my itouch. No. Wait. That was Charlie. My bad. BUT STILL (Yep. Read that with a whine because it's there...)!!!!!

All righty. Gotta do the "school" thing. And the "clean up the kitchen after Sloppy Joes" thing. Sloppy Joes. You know that's gotta be, well, sloppy!

Love and hugs to you all! I am stocked up in the gold star department so let the good times roll!!!

The Marm. Truly. 

Good night!

Coffee Talk- Talk Amongst Yourselves...

“Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?”

 “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” 

---C. S. Lewis

So, Zone 4 is a lock! Yea!

     Now, Zone 3 & 2- The Shelves!  I will be adding fall stuff soon.  I have to drag the plastic container in which it slumbers, upstairs.  Okay, well Steve drags it up...  Today, still working on the classroom!  My goal is to be put away (that doesn't sound good, but may be true by Friday) by Friday, and then, do bulletin boards and fun stuff Monday or Tuesday!

     Since I will be at my classroom all day, you can feel free to rummage through my things.  If you are new to the giveaway, you can find the procedures here.  I added some pictures from other places in my home to this post.  You can feel free to ask me to move something from one spot to another...

     I know I keep saying this, but I am having so much fun with you all!  Your friendships and participation make me imagine sitting around my dining room table (okay, not there.  That is where all the junk is) having coffee and just chatting and laughing and moving stuff around.  You know there are many bad things that can come from the Internet, and some say that this form of communication is impersonal, but it has brought such joy to me.  Yes, letter writing is a lost art, but gee, could you imagine how long this process of decorating my hutch would take if we were writing letters and sending pictures through the mail?  I guess with every innovation, there are blessings and curses.  It is our job to be good stewards of this technology so it doesn't become the latter...

So, um, enough of that, on with the fun!!!

The Shelves:

Shopping:

     Besides what is in the post here,and here, these are some shelves in the kitchen and stuff that you could use  to create the buttery look (Hee hee- sounds like something you do with bread...).

      So feel free to stay as long as you like.  If you see another area that looks like it needs thinning while your here, feel free to make suggestions.  Like I have said over and over (teachers love repeating themselves).  I am learning a lot.  Sometimes it takes an outside opinion to get you to really look at stuff.  And to remind me of the blessings of treasures, although earthly, temporal ones, they help to make our home, well, homey.  And, that I don't need to go to a thrift store. EVER!  Well, except with you, Granny! :)

     This is just a discussion posting, like before. Once we get some ideas, I will take pictures and number them.  Then, you all will have two days to vote before we lock in the shelves...

Have a wonderful day, dear friends!  I will be thinking of you and praying for you!

Love,

Heather

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”

--- C.S. Lewis

Well, the top is finalized...

Original Guidelines- CLICK HERE!

     I loved all of your ideas! I appreciate the time you took to participate. Although I may not have used your exact idea for the top, I have learned much and am using the ideas throughout the house.

     So, (unless voters bum rush the post in the next hour) it looks like idea #10, the last, late entry is the keeper. My mom liked it as well.  Her vote counts too... :)

     Some of you suggested some Fall items or the doll as an addition (I believe the award for most posts about gourds and pumpkins and Fall DOES go to Granny...). I don't have my tub o' Autumn decor up yet, so I will add more later. Here is an idea of some of your Fall ideas   I love awesome Autumn additions (See what I did there?  Alliteration... Fancy...)!

The Marm won't be up there. She is just showing you the top "Vanna White" style. 

PHOTOBOMB

     All of you that helped and commented- gold stars all around. At midnight, no more gold stars for the top, BUT, we move on to the (insert dramatic music of your choice)... Shelves!  Ooooh! Ahhhhhh!

     Well, obviously, this post is late. Why? Well, working on my classroom. Still. Here are some updates... (Really.  It is better...)

FAVORITE SPOT!

 

Good night, dear friends... More makeover madness mañana! I did it again!  I am on fire with this alliteration thing.  Okay. Well.  Really, that is all I've got!

Off to bed!

Love and Hugs!

Heather

 

Oooooh, it's a gettin' good!

      Oooh!  This is getting good!  Feel free to ask for additions of any of the items from the shopping list!  I can change it around and add new ideas tomorrow! So far, we have 10 different looks!  But, I can make 11 or 12 or...

     BUT, tomorrow's the last day for making any changes and voting on the top of the hutch. Thank you all for making this fun for me!  Seriously, I am learning so much about design and how less is more- I am even applying what you are all teaching me all over my house!  I will do a Fall Tour later.  Steve will be happy when this is over.  You should see the dining room table with all of the stuff! 

     Sorry the pictures got way worse in quality by the end of the list.  The sun went down, and it was hard to hold the light out of the way AND take a picture! I was almost literally swinging from the chandelier.  Well, I wouldn't be swinging for long.  Doing a face plant on a table full of pottery and baskets... Not pretty.  Yikes.  I will try to retake some for tomorrow!

     Tomorrow, I will be working on school clutter.  Yea.  Seriously, it is exciting having a new classroom!  I haven't had one for 9 years.  At first, like I said, I was sad.  But now, seeing the possibilities and SPACE!  Wooohoo!  And the trash cans loaded with junk.  Ahhhhh.  Feels good! Moving rooms was something I dreaded and feared and dug my heels in about.  I couldn't think how the change would be good.  I journalled about it at the beginning of the summer in my devotional journal.  I was worried and angry.  A lot of fuss about something when God knew best.  Now, when I see the pieces fall together, I see how His plan was the right one.  Dumb me thinking otherwise...  I was holding on so tight to what I thought was how it should be, I lost out on the peace from opening my hand to let God take it and lead me to what HE WANTED.  Ugh.

Sal Photobomb, Granny...

     So, again, vote on the other post for your favorite look, or feel free to ask me to change out something with an item on the shopping list- a basket, a spool, sunflowers... Whatever!  I won't be home from school until around 6pm, so be sure to post and then check back at night (if you feel like it).  Don't comment on this post (unless you just want to say, "Hey!").  This is just a babbling post on my part...

Well, all righty then.  I will see myself out.  Wait.  I live here. Hmmm.  Awkward...

'Night!

Heather

Empty Hutch... Empty Room... Can you hear the echo? Echo...

      ***  Those of you who are just reading this post: Please note the change of guidelines for the giveaway below.  Teacher is trying to make this easier for her students... This general post will close for comments at 12 am PST tonight (8/25).  Look for the next post tomorrow to help me decorate!!!***

Ugh.  The last few days have been emptying ones.  First, I took ya'lls advice and emptied the hutch (Mostly...). Okay.  Empty.  Now what?  Well, my creative juices have fallen to another empty area.  Moving my classroom.  **Insert foreboding music of some kind... your choice...**

     Let me show you the hutch first, since most of you are probably reading this because, well, ya like primitives.  If you really want to know about the Schoolmarm in the blog's title, that part is at the end.  Okay?  Fair warning...

     So this is all of the junk treasures I took off.  When you are doing a complete overhaul, I would suggest grouping your items into like categories.  For example, put your crocks together on your work area, or textiles, or however you wish.  Reason?  Well, it is easier to shop in a grocery store for items that are grouped, so, it is easier to "shop" your own items when redecorating.

 

    So, now what... Now what??? I am not sure what to put back on!  Like I said in the previous post, I would like to go for a primitive buttery look.  Here are 3 things I would like to accomplish:
          1.  Well, "The Look"
          2.  Less cluttered, thinned out.
          3.  Balance and grouping to allow the eye to focus.

You can see what items to "shop" on the table.  What suggestions do you have for the 3 zones?
Zone 1- The main large area
Zone 2- Shelf #1
Zone 3- Shelf #2
Zone 4- The top

     Now, it's your turn as my dear friends who can't be here in body, but are present in spirit, to voice what would you like to see.  I will try your ideas, and then post them for you to vote on.   

When we get "the look", we will celebrate with a Giveaway!  Rules for the Giveaway:

1. Be a follower. 

2. Post on the first post that is open with your desire to be entered. For the "extra credit"- see below!

Now, for extra credit you can:
1. FOR EACH ZONE- Make a viable suggestion in the form of a sentence (An example of an answer that would get a big, fat X would be- "Move a crock to a shelf.").  I have listed zones, and I will do a post per zone for us to play around with.  Once you and I are somewhat satisfied, we will "close" the postings for that zone at midnight and move on to the next zone.

2. You can only make one VIABLE suggestion per post.  BUT, each post in which you make a suggestion on counts as extra credit.

3. If I don't use your idea, it doesn't mean you won't get credit, or that I don't like it. Please don't feel sad if I don't use it.  I will feel sad. Charlie will feel sad.  Bailey will feel sad.  And that, my friends, is a stinky giveaway.

4. I will declare the entire hutch finished with my husband giving the final vote that he likes the whole thing.

5. I will then give one week fair warning for anyone who wants to enter by just leaving a comment on the FINAL POST (The reveal of the finished, husband-approved hutch). It will be titled "Final Answer".

6. In that final post, I will announce the date at which I will pick the winner.

***You do NOT have to post this giveaway in your blog.  I am not going to give extra credit for that because some of you don't have blogs.  But, if you want to, here is a funny picture you can use.  Be sure you link to this post if you use it because all of my wacky directions are on it.  Really you all get an extra post for just reading the directions (More that what some students do!  Did I say that out-loud?)***

Hmmmm... What do you win? A box of prim goodies.  To be revealed as we go...

     And now to "The Marm" part.  Okay, so here is my old classroom.  Empty.  9 years of memories of dear children. Everyone at school keeps remarking on how big my classroom is without the stuff in it.  Well, duh, of course it is!  It is missing desks and children and projects and centers and comfy chairs and well, you get it.  Here is my new room, new style, waiting for organization and new memories...

More to be revealed later...

Here are just some silly pictures.  I posted these on Facebook because Charlie needs to go into hiding because he ripped up a couch pillow and the corner of my "Home is Best" pillow.  So, he is in "hiding".  He kind of looks like Ponch from "C.H.I.P.S."! LOL!  Well, Charlie, if that truly is him, says, "Let the giveaway begin"!  Put in your request below, and if you like, you can make a suggestion for the decor of the hutch.  I will post more pictures of specific items to "shop" through to place on the hutch in a few days.  Let's just brainstorm now, okay!  Thank you all for reading, encouraging, helping, whatever part you play...You are appreciated!

Love and hugs,

    Heather