Welcome to my Sunshine Shed, won’t you come on in!

I’m in! Finally!! My “Sunshine Shed” has been on the docket since July, and as of December 14th, I can officially say, “I’m in!”

I’ve set up a page on my website here where I’ve posted some progress pics along the way. This blog post is part progress pics and part expression of my full and grateful heart with the completion of this little slice of heaven!

Back in July I had the idea of getting a she-shed as a place to get away to paint, write, and read. Tony has been nothing but wonderfully supportive! How I thank God for this man!

We visited shed lots to envision sizes and check prices. Places like “Tuff Shed” charge about $1000 extra to build on-site, so I sought out a contractor (Brian West) via marketplace who builds sheds for a living. He was booked out until late August, and then we had to delay a couple of times due to his injured/sore back, weather, and other reasons. Since it wasn’t a “shed-emergency,” we were fine with the delays. Bless Brian’s heart, because of the excrutiating pain in his back, he was only able to work 2-4 hours a day (after driving almost 2 hours to get here!!!). At any rate, he built the 10’ x 12’ shell in October. Tony and I primed and barely got one layer of exterior paint on before it got too cold to paint. The rest of the exterior paint/landscape will be done in the spring.

Next came the interior. We hired Jeremy, a friend of Tony’s, (who also happens to own a company called All Heart Carpet Cleaning) to help us with installing the floor (waterproof laminate planks purchased on FB marketplace), the ceiling/gable ship-lap (also purchased on marketplace), hanging sheet rock and trim. We hired Live Wire Electric to wire the shed. Tony and I installed the insulation, taped, mudded, and textured the sheet rock (though we probably should have hired that out!), and then painted the walls and ceilings. Days and days of labor for all! But, very satisfying when it was all said and done!

Did I say TONS of work?! That’s ok, because I learned SOOOOOO much! Some days It was hard physical labor, some days just plain tedious tasks, but still fun. A big lesson I learned: taping, “mudding,” and sanding sheet rock seams “correctly” is NOT easy. Though I’m not thrilled with sanding results, our texturing, priming, painting and strategically placed furniture and wall hangings cover/(will cover) most of those pesky seams that didn’t turn out perfectly. The “bad” seams that obviously remain remind me to stay humble and that “perfection” doesn’t matter much in the big scheme of things. Tony and I worked so well together as a team, and we tried our hardest to do things we’d never done before. We learned that though we are NOT contractors, we could do some of the project ourselves, and it was truly a joy to work together! What a blessing!

OK, so TA-DAH! Here is the finished little gem. I am SO THRILLED that I could almost cry. This truly is my “happy place. ”

Throughout this interior design process, I was able to unleash ideas from a somewhat dormant creative space in my brain. Because I was naming it the Sunshine Shed, I wanted it to reflect a fresh, warm, inspirational atmosphere…like a sunny day. The couch HAD to be mustard yellow. So glad I found this one on marketplace! Even the NAMES of the paint colors meant something to me. We went with Sherwin Williams—the blue is called “Upward” (how positive is that!!!) and it just happens to be the SW color of the year for 2024. The white is “Greek Villa” which is reminiscent of our trip to Crete!. The blue reminds me of the sky; the white, clouds. The wool rug is an 8’x10′ Safavieh “Blossom Pinkey” from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I searched online for hours for just the right rug and when I saw this, I knew it was “THE one!” It just pulls everything together and makes me smile from ear-to-ear when I see it!

After moving the last of my painting supplies and laptop in yesterday afternoon, I sat down at my desk and started writing this blog. My heart is bursting. It is hard to put into words why. I think my usual MO is “I don’t need this, I’ll make do, I’m fine (with whatever comes my way).” This did not just “come my way.” More than a little money was spent…on me…and that runs against my almost tight-wad frugality and is uncomfortable. This was a purposeful and joint effort with my husband to create a place just for “little ol’ me’” to breathe deeply, and for my soul to soar without distraction. It truly feels like an amazing, almost spiritual gift of epic proportions not merely a physical wooden “she-shed” in the back yard.

After writing a couple of hours, I came back to the house about 7:00 p.m. and gave Tony a big hug and said, “Do you know how much I love you?!” He replied with a wry smile, “You’re on a shed high!” He was right. I think when I’m in here, endorphins are released! How I thank God, and how I thank Tony for this special place!

So today, I christen the Sunshine Shed with a prayer. I ask God to bless it and all those who enter. I pray that it will be used to honor Him. I don’t want this Sunshine Shed to be a place of self-indulgence, but rather, a place for quiet, solitude, prayer, reflection, creativity, reading, and writing for the purpose of edification and encouragement. Oh, and a spot for a friend or two to stop by to paint, sip, chat, and laugh! A happy place indeed!

”Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things.“

Philippians 4:8 CSB