Saturday 5 December 2009

Two steps forward.....

and six steps back. Isn't that how it goes :-)

I decided to paint my workroom before unpacking everything. It was perfectly clean and freshly painted but in a very bland cream color.

Having spent the last 5 years renting, and dreaming of the day I wouldn't have to live with white walls, I planned on painting my workroom.

After moving in and realizing there was so much else to do it seemed really frivolous to paint a perfectly OK room. But that is all it was ... OK. So, knowing that once everything was unpacked I'd never find the inclination to empty everything out again, I decided to go ahead and paint it.

Now, I have a tendency for very dark, medieval, Gothic kind of colors. My last house was painted this way but that wouldn't work in my workroom where I need the light.

So...I went with a periwinkle on the bottom and french country blue on the top split by a white chair rail. I still have a ways to go and I can't say I am loving it much but I am not going to start again.

I have discovered that a decorator I am not. How hard is it to paint a clean line between wall and ceiling or wall and trim. How can I make such detailed flowers that are smaller than a penny but not be able to paint a straight line lol.

Anyhow, at the beginning of the week I ended up with an extremely sore right shoulder. I assumed I'd sprained it with all the painting I'd been doing but, when it got to the point I could barely lift my arm, off to the docs I went.

She thought I'd torn or stretched a ligament so sent me off for X-Rays. Turns out I have arthritis in my shoulder...oh the joys of getting older. Doesn't seem like 5 minutes ago I was dancing on bars with the best of them. OK so it was 5 years ago not 5 minutes but even so, I am only 42 !!! Too young to be falling apart like this lol.

So the painting has had to take a break while I let the ligaments heal up. And that is why I appeared to have come back to blogland only to have vanished again. It hurt to use the computer too much :-(

My shoulder has been giving me jip for a couple of years and I just put it down to the position I sat when I was making my flowers. Hopefully it won't affect me making flowers or sculpting in the future.

Hopefully within a couple of weeks things should be a little straighter round here, I'll have my own computer back and can get back into the swing off things.

Toodle Pip for a bit

xxx

12 comments:

  1. Hi Tallulah, sorry for your shoulder. I've arthritis as ell and 2 years ago I needed assistance to take off my clothes but Phisio therapy has heped so much that now I can make crawl when swimming. Take care of yourself and look for a good therapist, trust me. Have a nice day and good luck in your new house Rosanna

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  2. I hope you feel better soon!
    What courage to paint a room in colors that you wouldn't normally choose! Can't wait to see pictures :)

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  3. Ah, Jane...I so know the feeling. I was about your age when I decided that I must have more shelves in the garage and, of course, I could do it myself. After several hours of drilling screws into cinderblock walls, I couldn't lift my right arm...with no improvement after several days. DX: artheritis with tiny calculi deposits within the shoulder.

    Due to the pain, I didn't move it and after a very short time, I COULDN'T move it and required weeks of therapy to regain function. My advice is to keep using it, do range of motion exercises a few times a day, even if it hurts. My shoulder became "frozen"...I was unable to raise my arm to brush my hair or reach behind to tuck in a shirt.

    Apparently, this is not an uncommon event, according to my therapist and now, many years later, I continue to do the stretching and ROM exercises at the first sign of any return.

    As for interior decorating on a grand scale, I too cannot paint a straight line...even with tape. Go figure.

    Feel better

    Tabitha

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  4. Ah the joys of arthritis. Ugh. Join the club I guess. ;-)

    I wish I lived closer since I love painting walls. Hope the house gets sorted out sooner rather than later.

    hugs!

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  5. Boy I hear you about the colors Jayne...we rented for over 25 years and I always hated the dreaded cream/beige/white and pale yellow... so the first thing I did when buying a house was to go hog wild and paint red and dark mauve, sage green and burgandy ...YIPPPEEEE...such a joy...Your room sounds Beautiful....
    As for the shoulder... it will get better, just give it time... This is something I experienced as well after painting ...thought I would die.. but a warning...don't baby the shoulder keep moving it if even just a little...I babied mine too much and ended up with a 'Frozen Shoulder' for over a year ...I would NOT recommend this ...
    A good exercise is to stand in front of a wall (about a foot away) and 'walk' your fingers up the wall...don't stretch or reach to hard at first.... each day a little more.... kept my shoulder limber ...and I still do it when I feel a tightness coming on...
    Feel Better

    Holiday Hugs
    Jodi

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  6. ooh darn, arthritis? Do take care if you are going to paint again! Even if it is just to finish your workroom. You shouldn't bite of more then you can chew, how frustrating it may be. Again,hope you get better soon, it's hard to get over (if ever). I would love to see many more of your lovely plants and flowers
    soft hug
    debora

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  7. lovely to see you even if briefly !
    Painting........ aaarrrghhhh dont mention the painting !!! LOL am busy with this myself right now and have chosen "summer pudding" for my chimney breast which is a really deep dark burgundy.......am too scared to put it on LOL
    Yours sounds lovely and just right for a workroom. lets hope your shoulder is good enough for you to work properly in it soon !
    I have the same trouble in my right one.....hubby says its lifting all those whiskey glasses LOL but its just general wear and tear and dare I say it .....getting older ..
    you'll never be too old to dance on bars though jayne...as long as you have someone to help you down ;0)
    juliexxx

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  8. My sis says "toodle doo" :).

    I suffered from knee pain when I was in my 30s. When I spring cleaned my home 5 years ago, I sprained my waist cos I did it 3 days straight with hardly any sleep. Since then, I have never tried that again. That's why I took forever to do a tiny craft room. Take your time, Jayne. This is your home forever, not rented anymore :)(unlike mine). You can spend 6 years to make it exactly the way you want it.

    By the way, did you use masking tape when painting straight lines? Don't you watch all the home makeover shows? *giggles. They are my fav.

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  9. (((((((((((((( hugs ))))))))))))) having lived with various joint problems over the years I know how you feel. So pleased you are finally in your own home and looking forward to seeing more minis.
    Love
    Debie xxxxx

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  10. So sorry to hear about your arthritis :( I hear they have a lot to help with it and I bet you'll forget you have it before long. It takes me days or even weeks to decide what to paint a room.... i just go get a ton of paint swatches is hold them up in the room until I am happy. How lucky you are to have your own work room!! hugs - ara

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  11. Thank you all for the well wishes. Just not a very convenient time to lose the use of my arm :-) I guess the swelling has gone down now as it is a lot less painful.

    Rosanna I am very pleased that physio has helped you so well. I couldn’t swim before so I don’t hope for much now :-)

    Lirael… not sure whether it was courage or stupidity that had me choose blues. I don’t like it but I guess I’ll learn to live with it.

    Tabitha…. sometimes I think we believe we are invincible and then get stopped in our tracks :-( I was told to rest it completely until the swelling has gone down but I was so nervous of it seizing up I have been moving it.

    Yup what’s with being able to make minis and not being able to paint a straight line lol.

    Kat… get your coat :-) I would LOVE some help. We can send Mick and FH into the forests and we can play ! More than the work I just can’t see things the way designers do and am sooo overwhelmed with where to start. I just don’t have a decorator’s eye :-(

    Ohhh Jodi…you had pale yellow…you were lucky :-) I planned on going hog wild as well….just hadn’t realize how much I suck at painting. And like I said to Kat…I just don’t have the eye for colors and will surely make some horrendous mistakes. You can come over and help as well if you like :-)

    Another vote for keeping the shoulder moving. That exercise sounds like something even I can manage so I’ll do that.

    Thanks for the soft hug Debora. Yes I think I did take on more than I should have. I hope to be back making my flowers very soon. I need the money to buy more paint :-)

    Julie… lmao… someone to help me down and lifting the whiskey :-) Yup you’ve had your fair share of renovations this year. You’ll love it when it is all done though. That sounds like a lovely color for your chimney breast. We have a real fire but no chimney breast…I am seriously considering adding one….and painting it red :-)

    Toodle Doo Susan. 3 says cleaning without sleep… hmmm….. I am not that crazy lol. Were you having VIP visitors :-) I’ve done nothing but watch the decorating show…can’t paint, can’t type so there was little else to do. Yes I tried tape…it does not work like they show you on TV.

    Thanks Debie …..I hope to get back to it soon as well. It is lovely to be in OUR home.

    Ara…it has always taken me ages to decided on colors before but I just needed to get my workroom done so I could move some boxes and get my own computer set up so I had to move quick. I do wish I’d bought samples though as I’d not have gone with these colors. Oh well…I am not starting again.

    I am extremely lucky to have any space at all but especially my own room all to myself. I can’t wait to get unpacking in there.

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  12. Hello you
    soo pleased you in your new home but sorry to hear about your shoulder...not good to say the least(((((((((((((((((((gentle ickle hugs))))))))))))))). My granny would have had the cod liver oil out of the cupboard about now............yucky!!!
    Have a wonderful christmas
    love n extra hugs
    julie
    xxxxxx

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