This Wasn’t The Break I Wanted, But It Was The Break I Needed

I had just finished a few major projects, like turning a bedroom into a walk-in closet…

And finishing up the foyer in our master bedroom suite…

And then turning what used to be our home gym into our new bedroom…

Those were pretty big projects that included refinishing the floors (twice!), building a room full of cabinets, sewing draperies and bedding, hanging grasscloth wallpaper, building and upholstering a bed, installing tons of trim, and on, and on.

I jumped from that project right into the studio bathroom makeover, and while I wouldn’t place that in the “major remodel” category, it went a bit beyond just a quick and easy makeover, especially when I decided to do a crazy painted wall design with about 30 different paint colors.

So as I got closer to the end of that project, I thought there was no way I could jump right into another room remodel, no matter how small it is. I decided I needed a break. I needed to take some time and do something fun and easy. What I said in that post that I wrote back in March was that I wanted to take some time to do some “fun, crafty, artsy projects just for the fun of it…” I envisioned myself sitting in my cool air-conditioned studio at my worktables and doing one craft project after another for about a month just to give myself a break from the heavy lifting and power tools for a bit. And I also wanted to take some time to get some smaller projects done that I had been putting off. That’s when I did the entryway makeover and put up the mural that I had been holding onto for well over a year.

But then, instead of heading into my studio for that month of sitting in the air-conditioned studio and doing small, fun, creative art and craft projects, I decided to head outside. And I did the very opposite of small, fun, creative arts and crafts projects while sitting at a table in my air-conditioned studio. Instead, I have spent the last almost-three months doing some pretty significant projects that included loads of heavy lifting, sweating profusely while working in the direct central Texas sunlight, working in temps at and over 100 degrees (with “feels like” temperatures up to 118 degrees), and doing projects that have been unlike anything I’ve done before — projects that have pushed me beyond my comfort zone.

My comfort zone is working on interior rooms, building things out of wood, and decorating. My comfort zone is sewing, painting interior walls, installing interior trim, and hanging wallpaper. But for almost three months, I haven’t done any of that.

Instead, I have built steps out of something other than wood.

I learned how to make my own silicone molds…

And I made my own faux concrete stones…

And then I used those faux stones to turn an ugly porch skirting into one that looks original to our house…

And then I used that knowledge that I gained from that project and took it a step further to replace ugly Hardie trim around our bedroom door and create faux stones out of concrete by hand without using a mold.

And let me tell you, while there have been difficult moments during these last almost-three months, this has been exactly what I needed. I almost feel sad that it has come to an end (for now). As it turns out, I didn’t need a month of sitting in at my worktable in my air-conditioned studio doing small, inconsequential projects. I needed to get outside. I needed to sweat and do some heavy lifting. I needed to push myself beyond my existing skill set. I needed to learn new things. I needed to push myself beyond what felt comfortable and safe. I needed to remind myself that DIYing is about a continual learning process and that the only limit is my willingness to try new things.

This definitely wasn’t the break that I had originally planned, but this was the exact break that I needed.