Tuesday 20 November 2012

Day 358- Abandoned Room Converted


I know you won't believe me but I wasn't being a room-tease in my last post. I started writing late and  was almost typing with my eyes closed by the time Cindy and Asuka said yes. I didn't even plan to write about David (whom I am sure is alive and well somewhere) until I titled the post Abandoned Room (which I thought was a clever link to the Abandoned House). That meant of course a long explanation about why it was abandoned and then David and how long it was abandoned and then oh dear, my head nearly touched the keypad, it was almost 2 am and I had to wake up in 4 hours to run! I therefore had no choice but to abandon that post and go to sleep. 

But today, it is

WELCOME! WELCOME!

Please allow me to show you the room and tell you everything about everything and hope that this time you are not the one nodding off.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I live in what we call over here, a Black and White House.  I am sure you can tell how that name originated just by looking at this picture. This is also a photo of the entrance to the room. What you see were the last of the things I did- like hanging up this bathroom curtain that was thrown out by FaiZ because they changed the decor theme for their bathroom which used to be concert-in-the-forest-chic


and finding a perfect home for these mini- house wind chimes that I bought at the 3 for S$10 store a year back.


Then there was moving this heavy wrought iron side table that I found on the roadside one day with Neo's help. Finally, somewhere I can put these egg cartons that I have collected from rubbish bins and hardly used. The cloths over the table is a grey dhurri rug and a piece of green patchwork fabric I bought when I was in India that have outlived their usefulness as rugs for our floors. The bonsai pot was a gift from my mum when her bonsai tree died. 

Come, come, 
come and peep through the window


Yous: "ooooooooh"s and "ahhhhhhhhh"s

Me: "Awww, common, you haven't seen anything yet!"


This is probably your first impression of the room when you stepped in through the door. The Peranakan  cupboard and dresser together with the traditional kopitiam (coffeeshop) table were from my office. Even if they were bought new, they are all at least 16 years old now. 


Tables like this with the wooden carved legs and marble tops used to be a common sight at the neighbourhood coffeeshops when I was a child. Not anymore of course. So the really old ones are considered heritage pieces that must never be thrown away. 

The Neglected No More
There's a silly story behind this clay vase. It must be at least 20 years old and was bought when I was a young adult. I saw it in one of those brochures from a flower shop and liked it so much that I ordered the pot with sunflowers and have them sent it to me at my home with a card saying something like "Surprise!". I paid three times what it was worth, the flowers wilted within a week and I outgrew the vase in no time. But I never threw it away. Perhaps it was to remind me of a time when I was impulsive and silly and how I should always be a little so. This pot with the Gothic Roses were left hidden in some remote corner of my house for a long time. If you try to rearrange the roses, the leaves will fall off. That's how long it was left there. I am glad it now sits in our workroom with a story to tell. 


In front of that vase is a teapot with matching bowls which FaiZ bought for the house when he was in Uzbekistan last year. I love them so much but until today, they too were just kept in the storeroom. 

Happiness is serving the Apple Tea which Asuka bought from Turkey in that teapot and drinking it from the matching bowls, at the workroom of course.


This is a picture I took for Ilona. She was interested in a birdcage at the Mystic Place which I thought was not as pretty as this one. This birdcage and the basket next to it were also junk pickups, not by me but by my parents. As you can see, the trait runs in the family. My mum said she got it from me. 


This is the other side of that side of the room. Have you noticed the door yet? It's the connecting factor between this side and that side. No, not the vertical white one but the horizontal brown one. This is the clever idea that Cindy had - to use the door as our worktable top. Worktable, worktable, I just love how I am able to say that : our worktable, finally, a real.work.table. The 2 pieces of grey worktable bases at each end of our worktable are light plastic bases that FaiZ picked up about a year ago from some workplace that was being renovated.Yes, even my housemate is a junk pick-upper. Can you further see how this trait can be very contagious? 


Our worktable fits 2 chairs but can accommodate up to 6 mini makers, thanks to the size of our projects. This is where I will sit, on the sun-moon chair that my sister gave me. When SuZ had to shift her office for the very 1st time, she didn't want to bring her old stock so I inherited all her 1st generation chairs. For almost 12 years in my current home, none of my 16 dining chairs matched.


One of those chairs was my favourite, this sun-moon chair. There was about 5 years in my life (around the same time I bought the vase) when I was really into anything with a sun face. I even tattooed my foot with a sun face. Imagine my thrill when I got this chair ... but that was a long time ago...


so long that one of the chairs that I inherited can no longer be held together, not even with scotch tape.

Shootalicious it's already 12 am! In all that time, I have only shown 1 side of the room and explained half that side. I am sorry but I will have to shoo you out now. It's that hour when we can't be here...tell you more tomorrow. Shoo, shoo, shiiiiiiiiiiiiiii....

*whispers

Good Night, People!

23 comments:

Rosamargarita said...

Que maravilla!!!
La decoración es adorable, me encanta, que buen gusto tienes Susan!
Besos

Kim said...

it's absolutely wonderful so far! I love sneak peeks into peoples lives- their treasures and great finds. I also collect cast offs that others no longer want- drives my husband a bit batty, but I almost always end up finding a use for most of it- and who doesn't love an object with a story to tell?? Looking forward to more! sweet dreams :)

The Old Maid said...

LOOOOOOVE the place!!! And soooo Looooove this post! I just love your sence of humor and junk pick-upping! I'd probably do the same if I only have a lot of space, lol!
I have to admit I love the last photo of the chair that cannot be held together with a scotch tape. lol!
Great place, great photo and great post. Can you imagine I still don't have a work table? What I have is some laptop-desk, so small that I still do everything on my laps,lol!
Sleep weel!
I guess we all can't wait for the second half of your work-room!
Hugs and kisses!!!

Maria Ireland said...

Fantastic workroom. Wonderful table top :))) You have so many interesting items and great stories. Sleep well.
Hugs Maria

Eliana said...

What you've shown so far is very beautiful, Sans. I can imagine how exhausting work to keep the room this way. Now I know the rest. ;)
Hugs.

Ara said...

It looks beautiful!! You have collected so many great pieces and each with a greater story! I wish I could come work along side you! hugs, Ara

Ilona said...

Hi Susan, I am the birdcage-watcher, hehe :D! Thanks a lot for showing me this one, love it! The workroom looks great so far, I am very curious what we'll see tomorrow.....
The sunface and moon chair is awesome, but that cabinet is one of a kind I would like to make in miniature ;)! Enjoy this room with all your friends, dearie! Thanks for sharing.
Hugs, Ilona

Norma Bennett said...

Wow, so many interesting bits and pieces! Sorry you had to lose sleep to show us but it's appreciated. If you're a bit tired at work you can explain it by saying that you were entertaining friends and got to bed late ;)

How lucky you are to have this wonderful space, full of lovely pieces that all tell a tale, and the icing on the cake is that you'll be sharing it with friends.

I'd like to book for the second tour please - I don't want to miss a thing!

rosanna said...

Ahhhh, feel better :o))
Couldn't wait to see more :o))
I came back from tango class ( 3h+1/2 of it!)only to switch on the pc and when I saw your post I took my pumpkin-curry soup at my desk and ate it in front of your pics.
I sort of expected that the door had become the table from something you hinted, clever idea Cindy!!.
What shall I sa? that I really truly desperately want to come and smear some colour and glue on that pristine new table.
You have done a great job and I love it. Big hugs and good morning <3

Dark Squirrel Victoria said...

I love everything so far. You have some beautiful pieces with so much character. I can't wait to see the other half and how the room looks when you start to work in here LOL

Hugs,
Victoria

BiWuBär said...

What a beautiful room - in this environment creativity will flow by itself... Thank you for this (of course as always) fantastic post and for taking us with you - I even forgive you shooing us out without showing everything... ;O) How I envy you for this much workspace... I think you'll remember mine... *sigh* And my mini-working has to share the little space with bearmaking, crafting, card making... In my next life I want my own workroom! (LOL)

Hugs
Birgit

Daydreamer said...

I LOVE to see the space before it is all "Messed up" with projects!!! I always think I will keep mine "pretty"... but that lasts for about a Day... LOL! You have a Wonderful collection of cast-offs... so well coordinated and as though they were made for each other! I Want to see the rest... but not if you are losing sleep to show us...! And even more I want to see the projects..... (but you know that!)

Sans! said...

Teehee, RosaM ! Muchas Gracias!

Sans! said...

Kim, I am sure we both share a common albeit fleeting dream to start a usable art shop where we take unwanted junk and convert it to something unique and beautiful for everyday use. :).

All the bits and pieces that we collect can be a pain to those who hate clutter. Frankly, I find more joy in discarding than collecting. That's why I am always the happiest after cleaning up a room and throwing away all the true rubbish.

Sans! said...

Ewalina! :) You know what? After I did up the room, I still end up working on my other tables :). Still trying to get use to that space :). So I say if you can create such masterpieces on your lap, continue doing that!

My problem is many of my things have stories . That's why I am so sentimental about them. Even how I carry them back is a story and I have done some crazy manoeuvres trying to bring home something I fancy from a dump.

Sans! said...

Thank you Maria Ireland :) . I am really pleased with the worktable. Much as I dislike plastic, I'll have to say those table stands withstand the weather really well. They were left under the eaves outside the house for one over year and still they look hardly weathered. No rust (of course) barely any dirt and still sturdy.

Idskesminis said...

Just found your blog and just love it! I'd also love to have a worktable like yours and enough storage space for all of my stuff for making minis. Love the birdcage and the mini-house wind chimes!

I'm quite a novice at blogging, but I'm trying at idskesminis.blogspot.co.uk,

Idske

Sans! said...

Eliana, I think all 3 of us share similar work habits because we worked in very confined space. I tend to clean up after every session unless it is over a weekend or even if I don't keep all the materials and art equipment back, I do place them neatly in a corner. I am neat like this. We also all like to start with a clean table. It is a small room so sweeping it will be a breeze. It won't be hard to keep this place neat at all. It may not be easy not to clutter it up with supplies though ..lol

Sans! said...

Ara, who knows, maybe you will come here one day. 5 blog friends have already been here, working on my table :). And if you are here, you must meet my sister, the other Addams Family lover :).

Sans! said...

Teehee, Ilona :). I have more birdcages for you to watch if you wish :).

It is uncanny you should want to make that cabinet in mini. Guess what our 1st project is? To try and make those tiles :)

I think I am going to take a walk to the room now and see if everything is in order. haven't been in there for 2 days already.

Ascension said...

Gran idea la de "la puerta como mesa de trabajo" jeje
Me encanta cada uno de los detalles, todos tiene historia y vida propia.
Seguro que esa habitacion sera el mejor lugar para trabajar 3 grandes artesanas como vosotras.
besitos ascension

PILAR6373 said...

Es absolutamente fantástica,que ambiente tan agradable respire y cada detalle con su propia historia,seguro que está llena de musas que os darán inspiración cada día!!!
Besos.

Drora's minimundo said...

You have made this room so special. I love the cabinet and all the lovely pieces you've collected and inherited over the years. It will be wonderful to work in this enviroment.
Hugs, Drora

Blog Widget by LinkWithin