Paper Bag Flooring

To lower the allergen load, I tore out the carpet in my bedroom and bathroom. Very helpful! But that was three months ago, and 'particle board subfloor chic' is getting really old. Even if I used pathetically cheap $1 sq.ft. laminate, I just don't have the $250 to spend on the floor right now, so the plan was to paint it a soft tan-white for a cottage-y look. I've been hesitating, knowing that such a uniform color would show every last speck of dirt.

Then I remembered an article I'd read about making flooring from brown paper bags. Googled it, found a bunch of articles and pictures, and thankfully the directions were all the same. Tear paper bags or brown construction paper, crinkle it, spread polyurethane on the back, lay it down, overlapping pieces to cover the floor. Size and amount of overlap determines the texture, whether large, stone-like pieces or smaller, uniform leather-like texturing. Add several coats of poly on top for a durable finish. What a cool idea! I'll post pictures once it's done.

Picking Up

Is it "getting up again" or "picking up again"? I chose Picking Up to acknowledge the conscious choice, to pick 'upwards' as my next direction of movement. Only three blogs in 2010, and the year is half over. Wow... doesn't that just describe my year so far? I've been ill, without energy, carefully picking my way through each day. Assembling my energy carefully, methodically, learning to put whole days together again. I'll be fine, no worries, I just need to get my adrenals functioning again. So I choose Up. I pick Up.

The renovation sat mostly idle over the winter. The joy of the project had been abraded away by two unscrupulous contractors I'd hired. Every time I walked in the house, my spirits fell. Overwhelm, disappointment, resentment, injustice. The electrical contractor, who took 102 days to complete a 5-10 day rough-in, finally arrived on Day 225 to complete the corrections from the failed inspection. With his presence finally banished, I needed to shift my emotional response to the house.

Yesterday I did a clearing, and it felt so good! I brought myself to a hyponotic state, and did strategic visioning of being excited, invigorated, and creatively back in the joy of working on the house again. Then I walked around the house with incense, wafting it over every electrical box and fixture, "I allow, accept, forgive, release..." Finally I ran through a hypnotic forgiveness process, cutting the ties with those who are unable to support my vision.

Ahhhhhh.......