Completing a Project

How do you feel when you finish a long term project?  Elated? Happy? Glad to move on? 

Peter and I just finished a project that was on my ‘to do’ list for 3 ½ years!  When we moved into our Prescott home, I was elated that my dining table fit in the space designated.  The problem was that the chandelier was not centered over the table.  That really bothered me! 

The ceiling is slanted and has popcorn texture.  If I were 20 years younger, I’d take that off and have a different texture.  But I’m not and I’m willing to put up with the popcorn.  I wasn't willing to put up with a light that was in the wrong place!  A medallion would hide the old hole and center the new hole without having to patch.  If you have ever tried to patch popcorn texture, you know how difficult it is to match.  On top of that my chandelier is oblong so I needed to find an oval or rectangle.  And I actually found one that would work.  It was not too expensive and I ordered it.  The excitement was running high the day it came and I opened it.  Broken!  The company said it would send another and it came broken also.  After the third try, I gave up on that medallion and started being more creative.

One day, I found some wallpaper that looked like old tin ceiling tile (in white) and I knew a patina would make it look like metal.  Peter cut a piece of plywood in the shape that would complement the wallpaper and added molding.  After the wallpaper was glued to the board, I painted it using 2 colors of metallic acrylic paint over dark brown.  I wiped off the excess and called the contractor.  There was some comment about it taking me quite a while to call him.  We really had talked about how to attach the medallion 2 ½ years earlier.

The project is finished!  The light is centered! The ceiling looks great and the room looks larger.  I’m happy and ready to move on!