Why I decided to build a She Shed

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Clasgens and this is my Norwegian She Shed story. In the summer of 2018, I had to deal with four hospitalizations, one major surgery and a near death experience of my aging parents; one of whom has Alzheimer’s. As the primary caregiver for them, it was an overwhelming feeling. Just when I thought they were in a good place, I headed to England for a much needed 18 day vacation. On the fifth day, I received word my dad was in the ICU, on a ventilator and not expected to survive. Needless to say, I flew home as quickly as possible. Luckily, he survived the episode and is still with us.

I was so overwhelmed that I had to take a couple of months off of work. During that time I felt like I was drowning and felt the need to do something just for me. It may sound selfish, but after taking so much time caring for and being with my parents for so many years helping them deal with their medical issues and surgeries, I realized that I needed to focus on me so I could continue to support them. Thus came the idea of building a she shed so that I had a place of respite.

Selecting a design

I was chatting with my friend Denise Donlon about the idea and her first question was whether or not I had something to start with. I told her about a red and white striped rug I had purchased the prior summer for what I had hoped to be a private getaway space. Her next question was about my ancestry. I told her I was a mutt made up of Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, Norwegian and German. She instantly said I needed to go with a Norwegian theme, as red and white are used as a staple in Norwegian design.

Now that I had a style, Denise mentioned that I needed to name my she shed. Who knew!?! After putting much thought into it, I settled on Koselig Helligdom; Norwegian for Cozy Sanctuary.

What to incorporate

By now it’s late fall and I think about what I wanted to put in my little cozy sanctuary. I had a small antique table and chair that were in the garage just waiting for a new life! In addition, I had a small chest in one of my bedrooms that just ached to be part of the space. After some consideration, I decided to chalk paint them all white to go with the theme. I also had lovely old farmhouse windows that were in need of stripping and paint, My winter work would be chalk painting so they would be ready in the spring. I would strip and paint the windows in the spring, just in time for the build. During the winter, I did NOTHING!! Well, not nothing. During the cold winter months, I scoured the internet for things to fill up that cozy sanctuary.

The time has arrived

Spring has arrived and I’m behind the eight ball on my tasks. I’m stripping the windows now and need to get in gear on the chalk painting! Koselig Helligdom won’t be cozy if I don’t have the furniture pieces to go in there. I did take a trip a few hours north (I live in Michigan) and met with an Amish cabinet maker’s son to discuss the possibility of him making a daybed to my specifications. He drew a picture of the daybed based on what I was looking for. He nailed it and the price was a steal at $650.00! I’m so excited to pick it up next weekend. It has to be here before the build so they can build around it. Yes, it will be too big to fit through the door!

The planning of building my own little slice of paradise was like a life preserver. I was able to swim to the shore and save myself.