Holding Space

Old Blue is actually my husband's truck, but it spends more time at my son's house than at home.  He's had some major gardening projects this year and Blue has been hanging out with him since spring, and always seems to be full of dirt, or mulch, or some other fun pile for the kids to play with. Kind of like a sand box on wheels.

When we pull into their drive way, we usually see kids climbing all over Blue, like he is some sort of jungle gym.  It will break their hearts when we finally pick up that pick up and bring it home.

Now, the truck is being used to haul stuff to Sugarwing's Daddy's new business!  "Holding Space" is a massage therapy, energy work, and healing center.

I've been helping them get it ready, the place was not so nice to start with.  He has been cleaning and patching and soundproofing for weeks.   We've just started painting, you can see the two rooms behind him, they are the ones that are done.  The white walls will soon be looking like a fiery sunset.

Here is a close up of the massage room wall.  We painted  the base deep blue (I am in LOVE with Behr's new paint and prime together.  It covers in one coat, even with deep colors!!!!!!), and after the blue, I glazed it in darker blue, raspberry, purple and red.

Over all of the glazes, I flecked white from my brush, and while it was wet, swirled some of it with a rag. The room is going to be kept dark, and restful. We thought this would be a calming finish for the walls in there.

This room is the entrance, where they will have some small tables and chairs.  We painted it sand colored, and glazed over it in all metallics.  Bronze, pewter, gold, and copper.  I think it makes a dramatic entrance for the guests, don't you?

I used to do faux finishes and murals for a living, and travelled around quite a bit doing walls for hotels, day care centers, and what felt like billions of other places.  I love to see what a rag and some color can turn a plain room into, but honestly don't miss the hard work. 

It was fun to hang out with my boy and spiff up his new workspace, but I am glad that I no longer have to haul ladders, buckets and all the other stuff around like I used to. Painting itself is fun. Its the prep, set up and clean up that is so awful. 

And it tends to make me achy. But, painting at a healing center is ideal! After I climbed down from the ladder for the last time, with my shoulders tight and my arm in pain, my son worked on it for about an hour and I felt better than before I started. That kid can even take the arthritis from my right  thumb.

I have a feeling that his new space will be a success.  He has some amazing skills.

They have a nice, big space, with high ceilings and a sky light.  The far wall butts up to a restaurant kitchen, and the room was loud before. So my son hung rolls of old carpet over it, and covered that with bamboo. It deadened the sound, but is not done yet, he'll be doing a clay/plaster treatment over the top of that too.  All very green and cheap.

If you are local and want to attend a workshop on how it is done, please let me know.

And if your thumb hurts, come to see Adam!

This was pre-posted while I am visiting the Guncles in Florida.  I'll be answering emails and if you sign up for the Mini Dress form tutorials, I will send you the password.  I'm sorry I won't be able to answer all comments, though, and all orders from the Boutique will be sent out on Wed. the 29th.