When DIY becomes D(on’t)IY

The author recalls when she was young and her parents bought a house that had faded peeling tan paint on it. This was when they had little money to spare for a house. Her mother set to work on the house because she was an interior designer. The first part of the house her mother concentrated on was the faded tan paint. She worked on it until she had paint spattered over her body and her faces. When she was finished, the tan paint was now a perfect lilac color that was shining new. That memory of her mother sticks with her now that she is also a homeowner. She had a long list of what she would do to her house when she finally gets one, and one of those things was painting it until it sparkled as new. Her dream came true three years ago when she and her husband bought a house. She set to work on it by painting it thoroughly. Her work made her feel accomplished and proud. The experience she learned as a child has helped her in her various DIY projects she has undertaken in her new house.

Key Takeaways:

The author recalls when she was small and her parents bought a bungalow with the little savings that they had which her mother then worked on.
The most adorable thing that her mother did was paint the house in lilac and purple all day and then she started to plant flowers in the garden.
The author and her husband bought a new house some three years ago and painting and gardening was one of the top things on her wishlist.

“I’d retile the bathroom, put in new light fixtures, try my hand at stenciling, repaint every wall until it could never be mistaken for a rental. Paint would stain my clothes and my hair while I blasted Sarah McLachlan out of the open windows on a balmy summer’s day.”