The Right Tool for the Job....

We had some fun at our house.....

 

Knitting Stops

And now... we are going to play a game.  Elle uses a pencil grip as a stop for her knitting.  After about the eleventy-millionth time my knitting fell off my knitting needle my mom came up with a solution....

 

 

Can you see it?

 

 

Look closer.... Do you know what it is??  Bonus points if you can ID it.

Elephant

My middle child is completely obsessed with elephants. 

Craft project for January was knitting a starbella scarf. 

Success. 

Craft project for February was going to be a birthday banner but I'm having a hard time deciding fabric so....

Craft project for February is going to be a felt elephant. 

A tiny one.

And a bed in an altoids tin.

I'm drawing patterns now.

Cross your fingers.

Tutu Table

I'm just trying to make a tutu table.  Is that too much to ask?

I can't find a fraggin' table top. 

I can find legs.

But I can't find what I need. 

Heavy sigh.

This was going to be "the project" for the weekend and I've been searching all week for a table and can't find one. 

WTF?

Weren't these kinds of tables all the rage in the 80's??  Bedside tables with round table clothes to the floor?  I know they were.  They should be everywhere.

So I'm pondering.

Dreaming.....

Looking at flooring has me dreaming again....

I seriously love this kitchen.

From younghouselove's house crasher series.

Love.

What I love the most?  It would work for us if we remodeled and added on.  Almost perfectly.  Picture it.

Crafty 2013

In the name of craft.

I'm trying to come up with 12 crafty creative projects to actually DO in 2013.

1.  Knit a scarf.
2.  Make a tutu table.
3.  Make disney cutout wall prints for the girls' room.
4.  Make a birthday banner.

Uh.... I ran out of ideas already.....

Brown Floors

In case you forgot about this stupid project......  While I am proud of myself for redoing the floors for $25 (we'll get to that later) instead of dropping thousands on carpet.... it was not a project for the faint of heart. 

Carpet out.  Check.

Tack strip removed.  Check.

Staples pulled.  Check.

Forget to fill screw holes.  Check.

 Pellet stove removed. Check.

Floors swept. Check.

Floors cleaned. Check.

Floors cleaned with nasty cleaner.  Check.

Thinking to self... WHY did the paint in with this odd color?  WHY?  I liked the "aged brown" look.

 Tape.  Check.

Brushes.  Check.

Rollers.  Check.

Begin process.  

Primer.

Using Brownstone oil-based paint (leftover).  Remember how horrible it smells and how long it takes to dry.

 Here you can actually see everythign.... old brown paint, old reddish paint, primer & new oil brown paint.

At this point I realized I might not love the glossy brown paint.  It is just so... glossy.  And the dog hair clings to it.  Like.  Really.  So I got frustrated and started a new project.  The steamer is rusty.  See that?  So I primed with grey heat-proof paint.

Discovered I really hate glossy paint.  Went to Lowe's.  For $25 I got a gallon of not-glossy LATEX floor paint.  Same brand and color.  Mmmm.  Pretty.  Here are my kids wandering around the house like monkeys trying to stay off the new floor.

 

Old, New and New-new.

 Decided I like the steamer grey for now.

And then there is the hearth.  It is pink.  A new one is $350.  Do I splurge?  Do I live with it?  Do I spray paint it?  WTF?

It goes here.  Also.... still trying to find a cute tv console in my price range to store games.  Sigh.  Turns out I don't have a final-final picture.  Maybe later.

Silverware Drawer

I've always been bothered by the black scuff marks in my silverware tray.  They won't come out no matter how I scrub.  I was going to get new ones but the drawer configuration is a little odd and, also, those stupid things are expensive.

So I decided to project it.

 

My gear:  some leftover scrapbook paper, a cutting mat, ruler, exacto knife, tape measure (?) and modge podge.  While I was at it I modge-podged the rice container lids from this project.

Ta-da.  Happy.  Happy.  Happy.

Cell Phones and Little Projects

Over spring break I had a few things to cross off my list.  Those things that are on your list so long you kind of just think you will never do them.  Those things. 

One was to get the cell phone booster off the roof and test it.  I finally read the instructions and it turns out putting it on the roof with a long cable run (with questionable quality cable) isn't the best plan in all cases.

And when the roofers were here (Um... TWO YEARS ago) they hooked it back on sideways.  And I know that ain't right.

But.  To fix this.  I need to crawl to the top of our two-story house.  And my husband told me to just put it on his list and he'd do it for me.

Did I mention TWO YEARS???

So one afternoon (when Hot was not around) when the wind wasn't blowing I handed the cordless to Sweet and crawled out the girls' bedroom window.  First stopping, of course, to admire the insane collection of bugs in their window.  Damn.  We REALLY need new windows.  And windex.  And someone to clean them.

But back to the story.  I was dressed for the occassion.... comfy jeans, traction-y sneakers and a knife.  Walking around from the bedroom was no problem.  But then I had to figure out how to get up on top of the windows in their room.... hmmm.  I ended up climbing the part of the roof that makes that darn chicken coop ceiling in the bathroom and hopping over onto the top of our window.  No problems so far so I scramble up to the peak and start scootching over to the antenna.  It's a long scootch and I don't want to put pressure on the roofing materials over the peak so it was fairly entertaining I'm sure.

At this point I holler for Sweet to make sure he is paying attention.  His instructions were, "If you see me fall off the roof... dial 911 and stay on the line."  Seems responsible, right?  I look down and there is Tuff... with the flip camera.  Her mother may end up with a broken back but she's determined to submit it and win 10k. 

I finally get the antenna down and track back around and get off the roof.  I'm pretty proud of myself for doing the whole thing without a ladder.

Now my to-do list has "test cell phone booster" on it... maybe next week.

CELBRITY SIGHTING

Yes, people, we have a celebrity comment at the Homestead.

The one and only and oh-so-talented CATHE HOLDEN commented on THIS POST.

Seriously.... check out her website if you are at all inclined to beautify the basics. 

Also.... she's working to convert an old barn into a studio...

Sound familiar?  By the way... I have some status updates on Studio B.  I may have figured out a way to reclaim the cabin as a studio instead of a playhouse for the kids.....

AND... she picked out the same flooring I picked for my house so we must somehow be soul sisters. Ok, yes, her flooring is actually delivered and the dream is becoming the reality and I'm still living with flooring that resembles a corelle ware plate. But it has to be a sign.



 

The search is on.....

I need a cabinet. 

52 inches tall.

26 inches wide.

28 inches deep.

I'm planning to put it between the washer and the water heater.  I'd like closed doors and more of an open inside (not lots of little shelves) so I could maybe put the carpet cleaner and pet food in there.  It doesn't have to be fancy.

Oh, and in a perfect world it would have casters.... I have to be able to move it to get to the whole-house filter and water valves.

Anyone?

Forgive the old photo from when I was painting but here's my next design challenge.  The closet door.

Let's look at it, shall we? 

1.  Notice the fake wood trim on the outside door and baseboards and the painted trim on the closet?  How does that happen?

2.  I'm plotting a built-in where the little desk it.  Probably 24"-36" wide.... cabinet below with pull-out shelves filled with baskets of shoes.  A big (narrow) drawer and 12" deep upper cabinets with doors.  The drawer will become the junk drawer.  The upper cabinets may house my wine glasses and good dishes..... or hats and mittens.  The challenge is figuring out what to do with the phone jack and outlet.... either move them or have part of the cabinet cut out.  But that is in the distant future.

3.  I need ideas about the trim and about the door itself.  I thought of getting a new door but I'd rather repurpose. 

Chalkboard paint
Beadboard
Some sort of trim
Pegboard
Markerboard
Corkboard
Sheet metal
Hooks
Hanging baskets

Here are some more "keeping it real" photos for ya......

More Table & Chairs

In my ongoing quest to doll up the girls' room (on a zero-dollar budget) I bring you Project:  Table and Chairs. 

First, can I say, someday I would like the luxury of just buying something new instead of working my ass off to doll up some old piece of crap.  Sorry, but true.

Second, this ugly old table and chairs might be worth the work... my grandma, in the throes of alzheimer's, picked these up at an auction to give me for "when I had kids" someday.  My grandpa kept them in his basement.

Here we are.... with our safety gear.  Masks and giant white t-shirts.  Yes, I let a 5-year-old run an orbital sander... how else will she learn?  Notice the classy spray paint can... there will be a quiz later.

Bugsy was not so interested in wearing the mask or the giant white t-shirt so we called her the supervisor.

Wow, people, that's some seriously bright turquoise you selected.  Wait.  Remember when I said there would be a quiz?  This color turquoise and the amethyst purple seen in the background.... where else have you seen them???

Keep thinking....

That's right!!!!  My sister's boots.....

Yup.... and there is that lovely purple......

Oh, what?  You've never spray painted a pair of cowboy boots?  I did tone down the turquoise a little.... mostly because the chairs are really beat up and I'm hoping a solid coat of semi-gloss will cover it up a bit better.......

Next steps are to finish painting the white parts.  It took a long time to get this far with little people with sponge brushes doing the painting......  Then we will see how it looks.



Girly Room: Project Kitchen

Sweet's "New" Bed

Project: Yard

Project:  Mint is happening again this summer.  I had to get digging before Hot sprayed all the weeds by the barn. 

This is me, paused, in my monster trek from the bottom barn up to the house.....

Here are all the stupid baby weeds... you have a choice:  weeds, grass or bare dirt.  Someday.... grass.

Envision this.... Project:  Garden.  If we rip out all the wood from the old cattle chute and leave just the upright posts and the gate on the other end.... wrap it in deer fence and rehab the poor soil..... does it scream "adorable tiny garden plot" to you??  I should get to this project in about the year 2018....

Project:  Mint.  Complete.  This corner gets so hot it just fries any "real" plants.... so mint it is.  Also..... yes.... staining the porch is on the agenda for this summer.

Sad porch.  Needs loving.

The south side of the porch. Also in need of much love.  The horse is named Trot.

Sad fairy garden.  Needs less rain.

Also... needs a new deer proof shield.... ideas?

Really sad fairy garden camping outpost (what?  Fairies like to recreate too...)  The teepee actually washed away.... so much rain. 

Dreaming the Dream

A little kitchen inspiration.  Lovely floors.  Great windows.  Nice classic subway tile.  Sorry.... failure to site source...

There's something I like about this vestibule.  We are considering a 24'x24' addition (towards the creek, where the door is now, out the dining room).  It would include a possible new dining room, master bedroom, mud room, bathroom.  Or, possibly, turning the existing living room into the dining room and adding a living room....  so I need a nice way to, basically, have a bedroom off the living room.  With privacy.  And a front door.  So this is a start.

View one of a possible island for the kitchen.

View two of the island.

Think of this.... with the kitchen where it is now..... can it fit in a 24x24 space?  Feeling inspired.

I have no idea why I clipped this one.... anybody?

 This is, essentially, my kitchen layout plan for the remodel.....  The fridge is on the wall a base cabinet away fromt the stove but for the rest this is roughly what I am thinking.... for the stove, sink, dish washer..... then with an island instead of a peninsula.  Wish I had a good shot of it now.  The biggest problem to me right now is I have a bar like this but longer but it has cabinets over the top AND super-low ceilings... claustrophobic.  If we could find space to store the stuff in the cabinets I would nuke the cupboards in a heart beat.

Some standards.....