January 2011 - Blog Update

I have been out of pocket, in terms of my blog.  Blame it on me breaking the screen to my laptop one evening in November as I moved from the sun porch to the den.

Creature of habit.  Obviously, I prefer the mobility and flexibility of working from the laptop where I want and when I want with broadband access.  Whether it be out on the sun porch or while winding down in bed, prior to going to sleep.

The laptop has been hooked up to an external flat screen monitor in the upstairs office.  I just need to get into the mode of not being mobile.

The library project or what has extended into the basement project has been underway for a couple of months.  Eight hundred square feet of porcelain tile to be laid.  So, far the large "library" room and the bedroom are completed, as far as tile work.  This AM, the men began to pull up the brittle and crumbling synthetic stick down tile from the laundry/utility room floor.

The bedroom is essentially completed in terms of renovations:  Tile, new baseboard and door handles, dry wall repair, painting of the ceiling, trim and walls.  Coaxial cable was rerouted through the stairwell and along the channel behind the baseboard into the room.  Electrical and lighting fixtures were all replaced.

A friend just re-did a room in their basement, new from the studs, and he had all of the electrical outlets upgraded to four gang outlets.  Took his lead on that and did the same with all but one outlet in the bedroom.  Also, I had them install a new dimmer switch up to control the overhead light fixture.

For those of you who smoke or have a loved one that smokes.  Take note:  It should not take two gallons of white Berh paint to cover a ceiling.  I think that they had to paint the rectangular area where the long florescent light was installed four times in order to cover the smoke discoloration. 

I knew that I wanted:

• Bright white for ceiling
• Bright white for trim in a high gloss
• Semi gloss wall paint in a shade of green to match the Chinese Oriental carpet

 These are the paints I used:

• I ended up with Berh bright white flat for the ceilings.  (Note:  $ _ Rep. at Home Depot advised me to get the 2 gallon plastic pails, as they cost less per gallon than the 5 gallon pails.  (Good tip.)
• Glidden white-on-white gloss for the trim work and doors.
• Benjamin Moore, Ben paint in an Apple Blossom (light green) for the walls.
• Rustolium Appliance White Paint (Air vents cleaned in the dishwasher (I know....OCD)). 

The only re-use items for this room was the current light fixture ($5. from ReBuild) Schlage brass door handle/knob ($5. from ReBuild) and a Lutron dimmer switch ($1. from ReBuild).  The four closet door brass handles are very similar to the Schlage and were a new in the box donation to ReBuild ($5. per unit).

Task this evening is to get down on the floor and remove the paint that got onto the new tile from around the perimeter and splashes here and there.  Plus, give the floor a good wash before the new area rug pad is put down and the clean Oriental carpet.

Workers will be back tomorrow to move the furniture back in and then move items out of the laundry/utility room to commence the tile work within that space.

I will start trying to post photos in a short period of time.  Not sure if my camera; which I have a couple of places that I normally place it has been misplaced or if the first couple of workers might have walked with it.  Let's hope it is just misplaced.

You might wonder what one does if they don't watch TV in the evening.  How about replace the toilet seat!

Seriously, that was my little project last night and I am so happy with it.  Master bedroom toilet had a padded seat that wasn't the proper size for the toilet basin.  It has been replaced with a new American Standard, Williamsburg toilet seat (new in the box from ReBuild, cost $5.).

What a difference it makes in the appearance of the bathroom. 

FYI:  The knobs, electrical plates and switches, along with the clean, padded toilet seat will be headed to ReBuild for donation.  I don't care if they give them away, as long as they do not go into land fill.

Stay tuned family and friends.

Cognitive Disconense

Do you remember the term "cognitive disconense" from your college psychology 101 class?  The prime example given is when you purchase an item such as an automobile that you continue to seek out data to make certain that you made the proper decision.

The set of chairs that I purchased a few weeks back for $69 per chair was a binge purchase.  But, I really loved the lines and scale of the chairs and took the plunge.

Restoration Hardware, 18th Century French Burlap Chair

$1495



Consignment shop $69 jewel

  Translation, I have been psychologically been put at ease by the knowledge that the style chair is popular enough for Restoration Hardware to reproduce, as well as the fact that a recent addition of "Architectural Digest" featured the homes of Rob Lowe and T. Boone Pitkins and both of them had similar chairs in their homes.

Let me just pat myself on the back ;^)

Pine Kitchen Cabinets and Appliances For Sale @ Re-Build 4 November

This appears to be a well cared for set of Kraftmaid, solid pine kitchen cabinets with a laminate counter top and Maytag stove and dishwasher that came out of a house in McLean, VA this past week.  They have for sale fourteen (14) pieces total for the asking price of $3,000.

One of my friends thinks that his in-laws could use a replacement kitchen cabinet set and I am posting for his benefit.

But, for those others who view and read.  This is an example of what you might find at Re-Build or any one of the other local re-use warehouse stores in the DC metro area.

If I had a country cabin, these would look warm and splendid with a swap out of hardware to an aged copper and a stone counter top to match the reddish shade of the pine.

House Project: Back Door (future project)



View from sun porch into house after refrigerator removal (current double doors)



Double mahogany doors procured to replace 1983 metal & glass doors



Once again, "I did not get out alive" from Re-Build.  They had these wonderful solid mahogany exterior double doors that came into the warehouse yesterday afternoon (donated from a home owner in McLean).

I immediately placed them on-hold (you snooze you lose when it comes to this style of shopping).  Pulled out my note pad, measuring tape and camera and got all of the vitals that I needed to take home with me to make a proper determination if the doors were the proper size for the door frame or not.

As you can see the exterior sides of the doors are carved and weathered.  Translation, sanding, oiling and some protective finish will be required.  Also, the homeowner decided to keep all of the hardware for their replacement door.  Therefore, I will need to find hardware suitable for this particular set of doors at a later date.

The interior side of the eight (8) panel doors is actually in decent shape and has a traditional look.  Though, most doors only have two (2) to six (6) panels.  Eight (8) panels is rather unique in design, as is the carving; which is why I was attracted to them.

There will be the trade-off of less light in the kitchen and den area.  Though the option is to just open the blinds a bit more during the daytime to let in more day light.

The benefit, I hope, is that these solid wood doors without glass should be more energy efficient than the original 1983 builder's metal and single pane glass double doors.

As far as design and color scheme, the mahogany is a wonderful addition to the Indonesian hardwood sun porch set that I already have in place.

This particular refinishing and replacement of the rear doors project is something that will have to take place after the man cave/library project is completed. 

Why?

As of this AM, my dining room, den and living room are littered with the library cabinets and shelving that Re-Build staff delivered this morning.  It is going to be a monumental task just to get all of the books out of the basement and upstairs in order to remove the carpet, clean, put down new tile and paint the walls, etc. 

Stay tuned for a later posting when this project gets underway.

Library Project at O'Dea-O'Dea

It was a jam packed weekend, as I was working with my neighbor Saturday and Sunday on the fence project for our property line.  Plus, I went into Re-Build Friday PM to begin the process of picking up the two pallets of large slate paving stones and hauling them home in my truck, etc.

Once again, I did not get out alive, so to speak.  But, I count this as a good thing, as I do believe that I finally have the cabinet and shelving components to re-do the main man cave, a.k.a. the basement library. 



View of custom built library prior to being removed from private residence

The procurement consists of 11 pieces and most are shown above. 

I also purchased two very large, three drawer matching custom units that are larger than commercially made file cabinets.

My current estimate is that the top shelving units are approx. 15" too high for the less than 8' floor to ceiling height in the basement.  But, I am optimistic, that as these were custom built, that there should not be any issues reducing the height by removing some of the top and a little more from the bottom of each shelving unit. (note, top crown moulding was not included.)

One very tall shelving unit will be placed upstairs in the front of the living room (not shown).  It is 8'10" and roughly 32" wide.  The only space that it can occupy in the house is the front room, as it is sunken and has a vaulted ceiling that extends to the roof.

Actually, in terms of scale, I believe this will be a welcome addition, as the walls are very high in this room and yet I do not have any items that are tall within the space.

From the same Great Falls estate, that is being dismantled, Re-Build had a Vermont Castings, Radiance gas stove in enamel biscuit and included the added side warming shelves.  This I purchased as the basement is cool or cold year round, in spite of central air and it only makes sense to heat the space during cold months as needed.

Vermont Castings Radiance Gas Stove with Warming Shelves

It is going to be one difficult project given the amount of "stuff" in the basement and the fact that all of the carpet has to be removed and flooring replaced.  Plus, the walls will require cleaning and painting.  This is just the tip of the iceberg, I am sure.

Rough dimensions of the space are 25' x 16' for the main section and at the base of the stairs the hallway area is approx. 5'x6'.  Translation a heck of a lot of flooring material will be required for this project.  Thus, I quickly made the determination to go with a Daltile porcelain tile in neutral colors that Home Depot currently has on special for 77 cents per square foot, as I estimate that this project will require at least 380 square feet of material.

I already have a blue, leather Chesterfield sofa that I have had for years that will be moved down stairs once the room is completed, as well as two new sets of cotton toile custom drapes that are full length.

Recent purchase of the two antique arm chairs manufactured in Cambridge, MA will make residence along with the sofa.

Stay tuned as the project gets underway and the man cave and library  is transformed into the catwoman cave and library.

MeOw!

Crafting With Neckties

For the last six years, I have periodically purchased new or used neckties for a few dollars or less, as I like the unique patterns and color schemes that the manufacturers use for the silk.  My thoughts have been that eventually I will figure out a creative use for them and dive into a craft project or projects.

Though, whenever I have pulled them out and looked at them, I think what a shame to cut them up.  I actually have them neatly rolled-up in a bag within dry space.

Last night, a woman gave me a bag of her collection of old ties that she had been saving to make a decorative mosaic quilt.  She said she had been collecting for fifteen years.  Though, unless she was only picking up older ties than I am guessing that it might be more like a collection she began twenty five or more years ago.

Unlike me, she had actually taken most of the ties and removed the stitching, as well as washed and pressed the silk.

Sweet, as it takes the pain and hesitation away from me having to cut the beautiful creatures apart.  I say that, as they are like butterflies and unless there is a known metamorphosis that they are destined for, I can not see dissecting them before their time.

Now, I have some thoughts as to how I think the ties could be used in craft projects and am very curious as to what others have for ideas.  Also, I would like to know if anyone has actually undertaken a craft project using the silk from neckties or seen a finished project.  Are there any tips or tricks that you have learned?

Some of my ideas for craft projects:
·         Soft glasses case	·         Pen and pencil case (car, pocket, purse, etc.)
·         Headband cover	·         Keepsake gift box cover
·         Colorful belt	·         Miniature pill pockets (small enough for pants pocket)
·         Book marks	·         Small picture frame cover
·         Unique identifying luggage handle wraps	·         Desk set accents for pen cup, desk blotter, etc.
·         Flip-flop strap covers	·         Organizer pockets, i.e. desk organizer w/pockets for scissors, tape, staple remover, etc.
·         Hair band covers / scrunchies	·         Pet collars and leash accents
·         Cosmetic brush organizer	·         Cosmetic case
·         Set of theme ornaments to decorate a wreath or small holiday tree	·         Napkin rings

Please let me know your ideas by leaving comments and/or share photographs.

Thank you!