Rural Rootz
  • Home
    • About us
    • Nature Reserve
    • Bruce Trail
    • Conservation
  • Setting
    • Labyrinths
    • Spirit Walk
    • Nature Trails
    • Back Porch Studio
    • The Main House
    • Hemlock House
  • Gardens
    • Stonewood
    • Hummingbird Haven
    • Dragonfly Garden
    • Bishop's Garden
  • Our Schedule
    • Time with Dee
    • Forest Therapy
    • Time with Tom
  • Gallery
    • Art and Fun
    • Crystals
    • Dragon Sanctuary
  • Contact us
  • Comments
  • Blog

Dragonfly Sun

8/5/2020

0 Comments

 


THE EVENING MUSE #6

Now that I had my beautiful studio to work in, the hoop house we had built as a gift shop was looking pretty shabby.  When it came to designing and building a “proper” gift shop, two criterion had to be met. It had to be something we could build ourselves, it had to serve a future purpose and it had to be cost effective. We have always endeavoured to find interesting alternatives.
Picture
What we could build ourselves and what we could afford to build was basically a hoop house. Knowing that we could not continue to maintain our lifestyle for ever, we decided to take in to consideration any future needs for living here. We insulated the 20X24 foot concrete floor and added infloor heating lines throughout.

The idea was that sometime down the line, the young couple who had shown interest in buying this place on a rent to own basis, would take over the main house and we would build a small “granny flat” using the base of the gift shop for a perfect tiny house! We would remain on the land we love and they would provide us with a down payment to build our flat and a yearly income on which to live.

Meanwhile, the gift shop needed furniture. Once again, Tom and I followed our passions. I designed shelving units for him to build and over the course of one winter, we constructed, painted and installed them. The flexibility of the design allows me to move them around to present a new look whenever I feel the need.

We repurposed many items for use in the store. Our original kitchen counter became our “sales desk.” Parts of a table were used to extend the counter and leaves from that table became a counter top. A storage unit Tom had built for his dad found a new home. It became both a display surface and a storage unit. Racks Tom had built for the quilt shows we used to hold here, became side walls and back drops for my paintings. Recycled doors became walls to hide the stuff needed to make it all work.

It doesn’t have to be costly to follow your dreams. We worked with what we had. Imagination and a little creativity goes a long way.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My name is
    Dee Cherrie Ashman.
    Together with my husband Tom Ashman, we have created a very special place and
    Nature Reserve at Rural Rootz.
     
    This blog page is dedicated to 40+ years of living gently on this land and the treasure trove of spiritual gifts
    ​it has afforded us.


    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Rural Rootz ... locally owned and operated by Dee and Tom Ashman
All text, photography, layout and design work Copyright of Rural Rootz 2020

Proudly powered by Weebly