There are exciting seasons of homemaking that feel full of momentum. Rooms come together. Projects are getting checked off the to-do list fairly quickly. And then there are other seasons… times when things are almost finished.
These are the small tasks that seem to fall through the cracks. You know, like ordering that one piece of trim to finish out a room, adding the label to a finished quilt… Not hard jobs. Not expensive ones. Just the last little things that somehow linger far longer than they should. After a bit, there was a list of these little “finishing tasks” to do, so I decided to tend to them.
The Rest that comes with “done.”
I don’t think it’s the size of a task that makes it tiresome. It’s noticing it isn’t done over and over. For me, a few of those tasks were: bathroom curtains that needed hanging, a bookcase missing a few shelves, and broken candle covers on the chandelier. None of these things was going to make a drastic difference in a space, but having them done would create a sense of calm and order. And I’ve learned that a home doesn’t need perfection. It just needs attention.
If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you’ll remember the vintage hand-embroidered linen curtains I revised to fit the windows in the master bath of our previous home. The plan was, when we moved in, to hang those same curtains in our new master bath. The hang-up was finding a rod to fit. Once the rod was found, the momentum from moving in had been lost, and hanging the curtains went to the back burner. The ball got rolling again once the curtains were washed and pressed. Matt got his drill, and in five minutes, they were up! Instantly, the curtains changed the room. The light filtered differently. The space felt more private. More cared for, and definitely more finished.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “It’s easier to steer a moving vehicle.” This is true! With the pretty curtains hung and the windowsill cleared off, I decided to paint. We had a can of Sherwin-Williams Universal Khaki on hand, and it seemed like a good neutral color for this project.
Eventually, we will completely redo this bathroom, but for now, repainting the windowsill was a small enough project to tackle in one afternoon.
The changes are small, but to me the impact is great and something I’ve been enjoying every day!
Next was to finish installing the last shelves in the bookcase. Somehow, in the move, the shelf clips had gotten lost, and it took some searching to find the right replacements.
Installing them took very little time, but the payoff was immediate. It was such fun to pull out my favorite design books and get them organized into useful groups! So exciting to have all that delicious inspiration at my fingertips. And it was great to get rid of more boxes!
Lastly, ordering the replacement candle covers for the chandelier was one of those tasks that had been forgotten. I was reminded of this when filming the chandelier, all dressed for Christmas, and those cracked covers were hard to creatively avoid with the camera!
I’ve replaced candle covers on a smaller chandelier as well as a lamp, and have discovered from experience that getting the right size can be tricky. The candle covers (socket covers) I prefer have the realistic drippy wax on the sides and are a soft creamy white. Once the new covers were in place, the light fixture looked even more beautiful! It’s fun to see a light fixture from our previous dining room have a new life and look ever prettier in our new dining room!
All of these tasks were small in and of themselves, but it sure is nice to walk by them now and not be reminded they need to be done! More such little jobs need finishing about our house, but I’m hoping that by sharing these, you’ll be inspired to tend to a few of yours!
Warmly,
Rachel
