I'm Back! Renovation Tales.

Siena, a much more flexible creature,
 made the most of the chaos.

It's been a pretty crazy couple of months, blog-readers. First, we were in a car accident. Then, I broke my hand. Then, we were renovating and... and.... phew. It's finally slowing down.

While the house fixing up is not totally done, I'm pretty impressed with how well it's gone. Generally, I am not the type of woman who is interested in the handling of power tools, but I enjoyed the chance to get dirty and the work was good for regaining strength in my hand.

Since I still have it on the brain, I thought I would share some insights we learned while planning and executing renovations:

The beginning. 

1. Before you renovate, set an intention. To me, this was a picture of myself in a new, open space that bustled with friends. I thought of how I wanted the house to feel and then thought about how I achieve that through look. Even if you can only muster one word: Bright. Open. Homey. These are a great start in getting yourself into a mindful place. 
2. Incorporate your dream for your life into the walls. We wrote wishes and dreams and hopes on the wall in pencil before we painted. Stating what you want, out there like that, is powerful somehow and it changes the vibrations of a space. 
3. Go ahead, ask for help. We were blessed to have been able to borrow tools and supplies from wonderful friends and many of them came to help us bust rooms up, peel wall paper and paint. We are so grateful to be done a bit sooner because of their help, but we are also so grateful that the energy of love and support was poured into the home we are creating. 
4. Use No VOC paint. Just do it. Trust me. There's nothing as beautiful as painting and not smelling fumes the whole time. There's also the added bonus that we will avoid some harmful chemicals. Winning all around. 
5. Choose a scent that you feel expresses the wish you have for the space and use some essential oils in your paint. We used uplifting, clarifying lemon and soothing, relaxing lavender. 
6. Forgive yourself. When the centers of your home are a mess, you may feel off kilter. There were days I wanted to run screaming from my home in tears. But we're getting there, it'll be ok. 
7. Take time out of the house. We ate dinner out every day for two weeks. We just could not go all day in the middle of the mess. Even if that isn't in your budget to eat out, make sure you take walks or visit friends. 
8. Celebrate. We aren't completely done yet, but Mark just brought home a bouquet of flowers that matches our new color scheme. Reward yourself and celebrate the new space as much as you can.