Guest Room #2 - Cajun Cowgirl Theme

November 16, 2016

Guest Room #2 - Cajun Cowgirl Theme - Cowboy Shabby Chic!

I decided to redo the "toy room" since I don't have need of it any longer. I needed a second guest bedroom for our frequent out-of-town guests. I was so thrilled when the theme of the room all came together quite quickly. A dear family friend was coming over for the first time. She is a talented barrel racer from Louisiana and their family has been friends of ours since I was in High School. These people are more like family than friends. Her mom and dad are like my Aunt and Uncle. We recently reconnected and I am so glad that we did.

Back to the room. I found an old picture in a closet by George Rodrigue before he was in his Blue Dog phase. It is of the Mamou Riding Academy which apparently is a painting that caused some controversy. Here is the story if you are interested

http://www.wendyrodrigue.com/2012/02/mamou-riding-academy-fact-or-fiction.html I love it all the same. The white colors worn by the riders go well with the white and natural bedding and the old white bed frame. I pulled out the American flag in a pillow on the bed.

I wanted some natural linen bedding. Boy is that stuff pricey. I stumbled upon a company that made it here near Houston. The price was half what I had seen elsewhere. I ordered it and waited weeks for it to be made and shipped. It was worth the price and wait. Gorgeous!!! http://www.superiorcustomlinens.com/ I found some beautiful cotton lace sheets and a white comforter at Home Goods.

I told a friend at work I was looking for some old fencing boards and a dresser. She had both she wanted to part with. I was so excited.

Farm fresh!

The dresser was truly "farm fresh". When we pulled it out we had to spray it for bugs. There was a nest of crawlers who were not thrilled to leave. It had some old packing tape across it which I had to scrape away. I cleaned and cleaned it with everything I could find suggested on the internet. Wood soap, Nok-Out (which normally works on everything), wood oil, more wood soap. Nothing. It still smelled so bad. I was ready to drag it to the road. Finally, as a last ditch effort I tried alcohol. It took two applications but it absolutely killed the smell. I put on a few drops of cinnamon oil on the back of the drawers. That made it smell so great! I could have used cedar oil too since I'm pretty sure it is cedar. I need to check it for lead paint. If it is lead, I'll encapsulate it with a flat sealant. I just didn't want to touch the original finish. It is the perfect crackle and age that everyone tries to mimic. This is the real deal.

The fence was easy. I did a little dry brush with white and green paint and put some of my trusty glaze. I put a spare board on crosswise. My husband cut the rotten parts off the bottom and cut the top straight across. I love it!