May 30, 2021
Schools out for the Summer!
Whew! I'm happy to share that I have made it through another year of school and a year it has definitely been! For those that don't know, in addition to running my Interior Design business, I'm also a full-time School Counselor. Outside of my first year as a School Counselor, this has by far been the most challenging year of my career. Kudos and cheers goes out to all the students, parents, teachers, and staff that wavered through the many unknowns of virtual learning! Now that I’m out for the summer, I plan on tackling more things for the backyard. They are small in nature, but will take more time and dedication that I can now give my attention to.
I honestly haven’t gotten much done with the backyard this week, but my next steps are to:
Paint the dining area stucco walls next to the rock bed and the underdecking
Build the swing in the fire pit area
Schedule to have the boulder delivered and placed in the fire pit area
Put down the rest of the pavers
When it comes to design planning, My Ipad and the “Pages” app are my best friends. They come in extremely handy when brainstorming, doing projects, and having meetings with clients to sketch out furniture, potential colors for rooms, etc. To get an idea of what my proposed design might look like on the stucco walls, and to help guide me once I start painting, I first sketched it out using the “Pages” app. I initially was leaning towards a shade of green but recently decided that a shade of orange would be much better. I figured that it’s better to map it out there first before putting the paint brush in my hand.
In order to prep the walls and deck for painting, I swept up the old grass clippings and pressure washed the walls and deck. My plan is to paint the underside of the deck a shade of blue. Not only will the blue complement the planter pots in the rock garden, but what many aren't aware of is that this inspiration comes from an old southern tradition of the Gullah Geechee people who were descendants of enslaved people via the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and brought to the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia.
This “haint blue”, first derived from the dye produced on Lowcountry indigo plantations, was originally used by enslaved Africans and later by the Gullah Geechee to combat “haints” and “boo hags”—evil spirits who escaped their human forms at night to paralyze, injure, ride (the way a person might ride a horse), or even kill innocent victims. The color was said to trick haints into believing that they’ve stumbled into water (which they cannot cross) or sky (which will lead them farther from the victims they seek). Blue glass bottles were also hung in trees to trap the malevolent marauders.” (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-haint-blue-means-to-descendants-enslaved-africans) As this tradition continued, “haint blue” was continuously used by homeowners in the south as they believed the color helped protect their homes.
I am so looking forward to getting more of the little things done to bring the bigger picture together for the big reveal. Be sure to check out the progress of the other Guest ORC participants by clicking on the icon below and stay tuned for the next post! Also, if you know of any other cultural or regional home practices, please share them in the comments sections. I'd love to hear them!
Whew! I'm happy to se that I have made it through another year of school and a year it has definitely been! For those that don't know, in addition to running my Interior Design business, I'm also a full-time School Counselor. Outside of my first year as a School Counselor, this has by far been the most challenging year of my career. Kudos and cheers goes out to all the students, parents, teachers, and staff that wavered through the many unknowns of virtual learning! Now that I’m out for the summer, I plan on tackling more things for the backyard. They are small in nature, but will take more time and dedication that I can now give my attention to.on to.n to. to.to.o.
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