My (big) boys are back from summer camp! They're back! And, as a result, my laundry hamper is overflowing, the refrigerator is empty, the nightly dance parties have commenced, and a "new" bedroom and accompanying quilt have been revealed. We're so glad they're back. So glad for their adventures, but so glad to have them home.
While they were away - just as I did last year for Calvin's first time away at summer camp - I gave Ezra's room a bit of a freshening up. Ezra and Harper share this room, and at six years apart in age, it can be a little funky, the sharing of space. They do it well though, these boys, and hopefully some of the changes I made in their room will help them do it even better. The room got a fresh coat of paint on the floors, trim and walls (the walls are Yolo Grain .06). The bed frames got painted (Benjamin Moore Gray Gardens), some new lamps were added. Fresh curtains (Anna Maria Horner's feathered voile, oh I do love that fabric) were made. I did not find the dresser that I was looking for while he was away, but I'll keep searching (I have a rule that when thrifting becomes not fun, it's time to stop looking), and before winter, I'll get a rug in here.
These weren't great big changes - just freshening up, really. And neutralizing the space in the room - that was really my goal. Harper was once an 'addition' to "Ezra's Room"...and despite Ezra's welcoming nature, it always felt, I think, a little bit like Ezra's room, not one they really and truly shared. Now, I think, they do. They have space for their own things (oh, the labeled baskets in that closet make this Mama so happy), but the entire space belongs to them both. Subtle but important shifts in the life of siblings sharing.
And then there is the quilt! Oh, I can't tell you how pleased I am with this quilt, nor how pleased Ezra was when he saw it on his bed. Though, truth be told, he never had any doubt, of course, that it would work. I had a lot of doubt. As the fabric selection began, and I watched the pile stack up beside him, I had to wonder if in fact, he found them in someone else's studio. Do I even have those colors? But yes, yes...these were mine. And with a few additions that he made to the pile from a trip to Alewives, it was/is quite a riot of color unlike anything I've ever combined. But he was sure. And this boy - well, I trust him. He's got a way about him, an eye for color, and most definitely an ability to think outside of the box. (The quilt inspiration and start, and some details on how I made it.) Arriving much later than the original intended springtime birthday date, it's here now, this quilt of his.
Ah...there's nothing like the feeling of having everyone here, tucked into home where they belong.
