A Faux Folk Bed

Our guest bedroom has gone through multiple changes during the past eight years we've lived in this old farmhouse.
If you don't know me at all,
I enjoy switching things up once in a while.
{Ok...ok...MORE than once in a while.}

When we moved here in March 2006, the room started off looking like this.

Sweet and cottagey.

 A Simply Shabby Chic duvet and crisp white cotton sheets on the dark Jenny Lind bed

next to a wicker trunk, wicker rocker, and wicker lamp.
A sisal rug covered the painted wood floor.

As my SSC obsession collection grew,

the look changed

with pink floral drapes,

an elegant linen dust ruffle,

vintage botanical rose prints,
antique brass sconce,
a couple of my dream catchers,

and the addition of a flea market Turkish rug layered on top of the sisal rug.
Much more of a shabby chic style.

During the summer months,

I wanted a clean, airy look.

So most of the florals were switched

for a white linen duvet topped with a RASCC petticoat sham.
Simple shabby chic elegance.

 

But something kept bugging me.

This bedroom is very tiny as is the rule with many old farmhouses.

Despite the fact that the windows are large which makes it a very bright room during the morning hours, 

I constantly struggled with wanting it to feel more spacious.

It was time to declutter and simplify even more.

First thing to do was to deconstruct the vintage wooden box spring that we purchased at an auction back in 1984.

I wanted a "folk bed" feeling that Rachel Ashwell made popular.

 She created this by placing two single mattresses on pallets.

Photo: Rachel Ashwell

But I was working with a standard size bed....for now.

{I am currently on the lookout for two twin vintage wooden box springs - or twin sized pallets.}

I really want the bed to eventually look like this.
Two twin mattresses on top of pallets with casters.
A little shabby chic bohemian feeling.

Photo: Rachel Ashwell

This is the look I hope to eventually achieve.
These are the folk beds that my incredibly creative friend, Tausha has in her beautiful barn room.

Talk about boho prairie love.....
♥

Photo: Tausha, Simply Me blog.

I should have taken photos so that you could see how old our box spring really is ~

with coir-like material and cotton stuffing covering the top and rusty looking springs.
Old.
Very very old.

It was still solid as a rock though, so I ripped off the material and stuffing and took it down to the bare bones.
The only thing left on it was the wood and springs.
After a good vacuuming and cleaning,

I spread an old quilt and fitted sheet on top of it, 

and laid the mattress back on the box springs.

The dismantled Jenny Lind frame was hauled up to the attic to be stored.

I dressed the bed simply.
A couple of SSC pink ruffled quilts,
my favorite petticoat pillow shams,
a flea market needlepoint pillow.
It immediately felt more casual.
Less dressed.

I immediately loved not seeing a traditional head and foot board on the bed.
It had taken up "visual" space.
That is what had been bugging me all along.

The mirrors that were stacked and leaning on the dresser were stored away as well,
leaving the top free of clutter.
I placed a simple mercury lamp and clear vase filled with pink roses there instead.

I removed the room sized sisal rug and stored that away as well, 

leaving the painted floor bare with the exception of a different Turkish rug
(one with more pink tones in it) ~
because there's nothing better than feeling bare wood floors beneath your feet.

The room felt larger. Airier. Cleaner.

Less fussy.

You can see how my husband and I build the barn door style closet doors here.

An old feather ticking pillow was tossed on top of a rolled up vintage striped quilt.

A cool spring breeze blew in the windows while I played with the pillows and quilts.

It was all I could do to not to plop down in the middle of that bed and revel in the clean simplicity of the room.

Though the changes were small,
the feeling is big...
and I'm loving it for now...

...until I find a couple of twin wood box springs (or pallets)...

which will mean a bit more tweaking, of course.

  

:)

Update:

A sweet package was waiting for me when I got home the other day.
This is what was inside.

A beautiful Shantyjack created by my kind and thoughtful Texan friend, Sherry Hicks from
Shantygirl blog.
Sherry is well known nationwide for her version of beautiful Union Jack throws made with shabby chic and prairie fabrics.
She calls hers "Shantyjacks".
She sewed mine using fabrics from Rachel Ashwell and Cabbages & Roses
layered on a cloud of gorgeous white linen.

She used the pink floral Cabbages & Roses fabric
to commemorate my breast cancer scare during this past winter.

I just adore it.

Thank you, sweet friend.
Your work is utterly amazing,
your thoughtfulness so appreciated,
and your friendship...
a true blessing.
God bless you!

~  Eucharisteo  ~

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

"Prairie Girl"

Although the calendar indicates that spring officially arrived last month,

Old Man Winter was slow to give up his grip here in Michigan,
and when he did,
Mother Nature continues to bless us with an abundance of rain.

Great for greening things up around here,
but not so great for working in the garden.
Great for getting projects completed indoors, though,
like the sweet pink shutters I'm still giddy about.  :)

[You can read about them here.]

So, given another cold, cloudy, rainy day,

I spent it creating a new twist on my shabby, romantic dream catchers.

Inspired by the beautiful fabric garlands that 

Sherry at ShantyGirl

and

Sandi at Wayside Treasures

have been making,

I wanted a rustic, whimsical, bohemian look.

When the sun made a very brief appearance during the afternoon,

I gathered apple and cherry twigs from the woods surrounding this old house,

spread out piles of fabrics on my prairie table...

and the
"Prairie Girl" 
dream catcher was born.

Colorful streamers cascade next to 

dangling seashells collected from the beach,
sparkling glass beads,

shimmering metallic threads,

soft strands of lavender leather,

fuzzy pom pom yarn,

and white, silky feathers.

The soft pastels look pretty next to the beautiful vintage millinery floral garland
hanging on the barn door handle.

The garland was made for me by sweet friend, Rachel at Shabby French for Me.

Prairie Girl is sweet, rustic, bohemian and whimsical.

Each Prairie Girl dream catcher I create is one of a kind.

Each is wrapped in her own quirky, unique, personality.

Each is full of color, sparkle, and captivates with an ethereal, gypsy-like feeling.

Although "Prairie Girl" takes a bit longer to dream into being

because of her thick waterfall of fabric streamers
and multitude of unique, assorted beads,

I love making them and look forward to designing more to sell.

This one, however, just may make her home

catching the morning breezes by my front porch swing ~
where the fabric will flutter in the breeze
and the beads will gently clack together...  :)

But if you know me at all,
I couldn't stop with just one.

A second Prairie Girl dream catcher was adorned with a passion for purple.

Deep purple mingles with turquoise, pink, blue, and aqua with bright gypsy beads.

And a third is embellished with grass green, bright teal, and a touch of rich purple.

So full of happy color,
 I can't help but smile as my hands busily string and tie each one.

Well, a stack of sticks and some pretty, ornate boho beads wait patiently for me on the prairie table,

and a pile of streamers are whispering my name...

Time to create.

~  Sweet Prairie Blessings  ~

PS  These will be for sale in my booth at Doster Emporium
(which is now OPEN!) ~
and I'll be taking them to Allegan Antique Market on May 26, too.
Or if you see one you love, email me!

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar!