SOMETHING TO CHERISH

   Hello, My name is Kali Adair.  I can't really say where I'm from because I've lived so many places. Currently home is Rhode Island.  I inherited my love of woodworking and gardening from my grandpa Truman.  I learned how to be crafty from both my grandmother's Ruthlee and Louise.  And I learned to love all things farm from my grandpa Root's farm in New Hampshire.  My grandmother Ruthlee did all the walls in the house half way up with barn-board and filled it with the most beautiful antique, furniture, clocks, braided rugs and kitchenware.  I always felt that I was surrounded by the most interesting things that seemed to cultivate my spirit of adventure.  These are just some of the things that have shaped who I am today.

   I am a proud mother of three beautiful and talented children, Stephanie, Sophia and Kevin.  They are grown now so I am just settling into the next phase of my life that is a little different than I had been planning.  As my youngest child, Kevin, was finishing up his senior year of high-school and getting ready to go off to college, the news of a new addition to the family arrived and several months later I found myself holding this beautiful little grand-baby whom her mother, Sophia, named Skylyn. When you are holding one of these new bundles nothing else in the world seems to matter.  I chose to help my daughter with the care of Skylyn, in order that she be able to continue working and to build a foundation in which she and her baby could thrive in.To date I am so pleased to say this is so. They are thriving!  I am honored to be a full time grand-mom to this adorable, bubbly, energetic little girl, who at the time of this first blog is now 3 years and 8 months young.

 

   Skylyn and I spend our days looking for little adventures to add interest to the day to day routine. I love to hunt for old treasures as i go about and think up a cool way to bring life and usefulness to it again.  I rehab old homes, furniture and antiques as well as build new furniture.  My style varies between farmhouse, industrial, french country and modern.

   I prefer a simple neutral color palette and bring a room to life with architectural details like moldings and wall-art.  Pops of color come through various textiles and greenery.  That's classic and comfortable for me.

   Today I was constructing some shutters to go on a project I'm working on.  Since Skylyn was with me, I keep her entertained by assigning her own easy project.  I gave her a piece of 1x6 piece of pine about 9 inches long and set it on top of a rustic looking shim that was roughly 9x12.  I then gave her a small foam brush and a little container of  the paint I was using on these shutters, which was Benjamin Moore's Dragon's Breath.  

She painted the whole board and it looked great, some of the paint dripped on the shim and speckled it with color.  I told her we would let it dry and bring it home.  Once dried the paint glued the board to the shim and with it's rustic edges it was a beautiful piece of art-work. (Next time we do this I will purposefully glue the board to the shim before she starts.) Next we drilled a couple of holes, strung a rope through them and tied them off.  Printed her name on it with white chalk and hung it so proudly in her room.

             

Skylyn's First Woodworking Project

   These are the memories that are priceless to me, and what a beautiful keepsake to cherish.  If you are lucky enough to have one of these little guys to spend your day with please try this project with them and let me know how this adventure works out for you.

Be Positive,
Kali Adair