Cheapo Design

Vera and me - part 4

2011-03-29T20:35:00.001-05:00

Yes, there is a (somewhat) happy ending to my Vera story. I was able to sell or return almost every last piece of my Vera excess. Yes, you read that correctly. With the exception of what I took into this Vera mess (some Country French in blue and yellow, my beloved Chanticleer) I am down to one pattern - yellow bird. I have a super tote, cool keeper, wristlet, lunch bag, zip id and a cosmetic bag. I recently purchased a NWT super tote in Pirouette through craig's list (a bargain at $20 - even more of a bargain as I will use it).

Unfortunately I fell in love with Loves Me and purchased two items from the Crabtree outlet in Kenosha. Not so bad considering my former binges at the outlets (purchasing upwards of $200 or items at one time). I am on the hunt for one or two more LM and YB items.

And there were a few slip-ups like buying a microfiber tote on eBay that arrived damaged. But overall I"m doing really, really well.

I also sold off all of my vintage Gucci and most of my vintage Coach bags to finance the purchase of two Louis Vuitton bags. Happily those are too expensive to become a real habit.

Goodbye Pyrex collection

2011-03-20T10:35:00.002-05:00

Selling almost all of my Pyrex antique and not-so-antique mixing bowl, refrigerator dishes and the like. What has come over me?

The last round of eBay auctions

2010-09-28T23:16:00.001-05:00

I lost almost all of my eBay merchandise in July's second flood. A few items that survived (actually they were recent acquisitions) are on eBay this week. Follow the auctions if you like:

http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=rp36

Let the redecorating begin!

2010-09-26T21:25:00.002-05:00

When I lived in Minnesota I became very used to having a Target within a 10 minute drive from where ever I lived. Milwaukee does not have a Target on every street corner. The nearest one to our house is a 20 minute drive either north (to Brown Deer, where I once saw a fist fight break out between two customers at a check out lane) or south (to South Milwaukee). I usually go to the latter.

Last week I stopped at the Target by Miller Park just as they were doing markdowns. And not just any markdowns! The Holy Grail of Target markdowns - 75% off the retail price. Holy shopping spree!

I bought Thinsulate quilted drapery panels (dark brown and stone), plaid curtains, faux silk Eclipse brand curtains (lined to prevent light/cold/hot from getting into the house) and more. And then I hit a second Target to pick up a few more of the same.

Four dark brown blackout/Thinsulate curtains went into Aaron's room. The stone panels that I thought would work in our bedroom, feh. The plaid curtains are now in the dining room. The faux-silk gold insulating drapes are on curtain ties so we can open/close them as the 1933 windows indicate. The wood rings on the estate sale curtain rods don't move well at all. The rods are 2" diameter and rings of that size, at a cheap price, are impossible to find. Here I used clearance rings from Lowe's.

And what of the lovely maroon silk draperies that were in the dining room? Removed and stored above the flood water mark in the basement for the new den. Aaron does not like the rug in his room (Crate & Barrel outlet for under $150 - 9 x 12) and want something vanilla like all the other boys have. (Oh and his orange room he pined for? Not so much anymore.) C&B won't let me copy their photo so you can look at it here:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/decorating-and-accessories/all-rugs/gianni-rug/f6414 I think the rug will look great in the den!

By the way, the walls in my dining room are not white, contrary to what you may think you see. It is Benjamin Moore shade 1072. Yes, it was free at a rummage sale. Shade 1074 is in the upstairs hallway from the same rummage.

Design Approved! Let the shopping begin

2010-09-25T19:47:00.000-05:00

Our addition passed the design review board. One board member fancied herself an architect and offered lots of suggestions. She also was concerned that we weren't using stone on the addition when the rest of the house is stone. The rest of the board was bored and voted to approve it as is. I'm not sure what will happen if we need to make changes.

We are removing the 2nd floor door and replacing it with stone. I'm going to push for a geometric window in its place. Will we need approval again? We are also going to try to salvage the lead glass windows from the kitchen and move to the addition. It may work or not and if not we'll have to come up with a new window plan.

But the best part of the remodel is shopping, at least for me. We have visited a lighting store (Richard lasted all of 30 minutes before getting grumpy). Here are a few of our favorites.

For the bathroom light, over the sink. It is made from recycled glass and steel. The version I selected has three bulbs in the fixture:

Kitchen Island - Richard really wants pendant lights. I really don't. I did find this light bar that I love, love, love! I saw the 5-light version but the 7-light version is even prettier and will give us a ton of light (100 watts max per bulb).

Richard's pick for the island. We'd need three of these and, funny!, the three cost as much as the above 5-light option:

We'll also need exterior lights. I fell in love with these! They won't provide much light or help with our budget but so much in tune with our 1930 house:

What do you think of our choices?

Design Board Review on Thursday

2010-09-21T21:06:00.000-05:00

To make sure we aren't destroying the architectural integrity of our little village we must appear before a design review committee before starting our project. I am a bit worried as the village likes additions to be in the same material as the original house, in our case that means Lannon (as in from Lannon, WI) stone. Our ace-in-the-hole may be our existing addition, which is wood siding. Hoping that the village lets us put siding up instead of full or partial stone or the project is over before it starts.

Vera and Me - pt 3 - what's your story?

2010-09-20T22:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks to L. and to S. for their private messages on FB. Happy to know I'm not alone. Anyone else? Comment here anonymously!

Vera and Me pt 2- How a pick-me-up became a drag-me-down

2010-09-19T18:50:00.002-05:00

So when last we chatted I had two Yellow Bird items from Vera in exchange for my $44 gift certificate.

Months went by and I grew bored by the look of YB. I returned it, with my receipt, to the Vera store and they gave me a store credit for the retail price. I spent the store credit on a lot of Vera Peacock-color items that were on sale plus an extra 20% off.

And that was it! A few weeks later there was a one-day sale and I purchased a Vera tote in MFB. All done. There was the occasional ebay purchase (XL French Blue duffel) and one Craig's list purchase (French blue items) but nothing from the signature store. I was done and had everything I needed, right?

Yes and no. My BFF in cyberspace Miss Kimberly introduced me to the Vera fan page on Facebook. The fan page in turn led to the Vera Sales Board. Once on the sales board I went a little crazy. Suddenly I needed everything - a large duffel, garment bag, eyeglass holders, cosmetic bags, lunch bags, etc. And since I had one piece in MFB I thought it would be a great idea to add more in the same color. Never mind that I didn't really like this color combination (the veins on the white flowers - ugh!) but cheap and a bargain were more of an appeal than logic so a-buying I-a went.

Coincidentally I was ending my spring sales on eBay. More funny money with which to play! I wanted multiple travel sets! One memorable day I bought a weekender, large and small duffel, cosmetic bags, ditties, clear cosmetic and who knows what else in Cupcake Green. Why? It was on sale! It was retiring! I needed another travel set. And ditto for Puccini! And Pink Elephants at 20% off? Sign me up for some of that crack!

My "need" for a travel set was absurd. Even I in my Vera-induced sleepwalking state realized that. Both sets went back to the store as soon as I received it. (Kinda wish I still had it as the retired prices are going through the roof on eBay but everyone else gets better prices than me.) I sold my Pink Elephants for a profit after realizing I loved the hype and not the pattern.

I started living on the sales board (what was coming up? What did I need? what did I love?). The prices were so much cheaper than retail or so I thought. $30 here and $40 there for items selling for twice that in the stores? A bargain! Looking for bargains became an obsession. I had women calling me from the outlet sale (where I actually passed on items). I visited the outlet store and called in a few orders.

There were also the lucky purchases like the large backpack in peacock I picked up from someone in GA on Craigslist. The quilting was unraveling so I took it to the signature store and they handed me a new one in the color of my choice, which I later returned for store credit.

This could have continued forever, right? But I was miserable. I wasn't happy with myself and my growing collection of Vera. There was no Vera joy in my heart. It didn't take away my stress, in fact, quite the opposite.

In May I started a group called the Veraholics on FB, which was originally meant to be a fan page devoted to all things Vera with no buying or selling. Along the way, as I saw photos of collections I began to rethink my ways. When and where would I use all of this Vera? Did I want my son's closet to have multiple bins of items I didn't use? Was getting a bargain really a bargain if I had no use for it, no place to put it and would never carry it?

I noticed others were struggling with the same questions. How much was too much? When did a little pick-me-up become a drag-me-down? So I changed the goal of the group from gushing and accumulating to one of thoughtful purchasing. Need to be talked off the ledge? We can help you! Need a push to buy something new? Eh, not so much.

Slowly I started to sell or trade items I had (foolishly) gobbled up along the way. There were two breakthroughs - someone wanted to buy a travel set in blue and by golly, I had that! Off it went and I made a slight profit. Another FB friend loved my MFB items and we made a trade, which I know made her very happy. I received a few nice things and traded/sold some of them. The rest I've returned for store credit, which has been gifted to others.

I still have more than I need. Vera will break my heart as her patterns fade and her worth drops b/c of new patterns being released. So I'm hoping to beat Vera to the punch. We've already broken up and now it's time to sell off her lingering items next spring. I hope to be down to 1 or 2 newer patterns and actually use them.

It is a one-sided relationship. Vera wants me, my money and my fan appreciation. I want something back from Vera but of course she can't give it to me.

The good news is that I have come to my senses. Even better are the friends I've made through this process. Thanks Vera friends!

Vera and Me - a one sided relationship Pt. 1

2010-09-18T09:23:00.005-05:00

For all my Vera friends - this one's for you.

I'd been aware of Vera Bradley for several years but decided the quilted bags were a bit too country and old-fashioned-looking for me. Even when a local luggage store marked down the silly chicken and egg pattern to 50% off I was unmoved. This ignorant bliss lasted about 7 years.

You all know that I rummage, a lot. I buy and resell on eBay. Gently used Vera Bradley items were always on my list of "pick up and buy" and did quite well for me. There were a few items that would not sell (Cream travel set, Anastacia 100 bag) and those I've kept. Actually Anastacia has since been deconstructed but I digress.

In 2008 I fell into Vera by way of their return policy. They will take back anything/everything, damaged/undamaged, new with tags/used. I had purchased a $5 red microfiber backpack at a local rummage sale and used it for several months. Then the straps began to shred and detach themselves. It was also around this time that the Vera signature store opened in Milwaukee. I stopped in, unamused by the vastness of calico prints and asked what their return policy was. Why, of course they will take it back. In exchange they gave me a gift certificate for $44.

The opening of the Vera store brought about the premature closing of a luggage store in Whitefish Bay. At the annual sidewalk sale this retailer marked down all of her Vera inventory to 50% off complaining bitterly of how she helped build Vera's business and brand and now they were putting her out of business. It's true as the signature store opened less than a mile from her boutique. And to prove how not into Vera I was at that time.....I did not buy one item at her sale. Ignorant bliss

So back to the $44 burning a hole in my pocket. I finally found a large duffel on their website but for whatever reason the online store could not process my order. Messages were left for Vera but she declined to return my call (she must have known what was to follow). Finally a sympathetic employee took my call, apologized that the item I wanted was now of stock and offered me, in exchange for that $44 gift card, two new items at a retail value of $198. Okay!

It was also around this time that an on-line friend went looking for items in Vera's Chanticleer (the aforementioned chicken and eggs) pattern. Suddenly this pattern had my interest!

side note - for those of you who know me you know I'm as far from country as can be. I like me some roosters but to carry around a bag printed with them? Ewww.

Let's recap.....$5 red backpack turned into $44 store credit. $44 store credit turned into $196 of Vera Bradley products. Where does this all lead? Stay tuned for part 2.

Antique Jelly Cabinet!

2010-09-17T20:04:00.003-05:00

You remember our little flood in our village? People put so much stuff out on the curb that had I not been busy cleaning up on own mess I might have been tempted to be out looking for treasure!

But the flood waters came in through the sewer line and while we were lucky to only get water others weren't and got sewage. So how do you know what you are picking up is wet or a contaminated mine field just waiting to spew?

I only picked up 5 items: Antique jelly cabinet from a neighbor down the block who had only water, 2 faux Christmas trees with 'potted' pot and lights and 2 square wine crates. Christmas trees? We'll call them Hanukkah shrubs and use on the new covered patio (see post about home remodeling).

Jelly cabinet was primed today using an unusual primer - something about enamel. We'll see if i made more work for myself. Spray paint tomorrow in a biscuit gloss.

Of course since the flood I've been very lucky with curbside finds. They include:

Outdoor dining set with 6 wrought iron captain chairs, seat cushions, large octagon glass table

2 over-sized wicker chairs that need new cushions and a lot of spray paint

Pottery Barn desk with lift-up desk top

Wrought iron sofa frame (alas, no cushions)

and the side-of-the-road finds of Wednesday night including 2 Coach handbags, 1950 vintage lampshade and cool green lamp base and more.

Back to Blogging!

2010-09-17T19:55:00.002-05:00

Hey all! It's back to blogging as we start the process of remodeling our 1933 3 br/1 bath colonial home. There is a back porch added in 1950 and it's falling down. Rather than replace it with another junk-collecting room we have decided to add several junk-collecting rooms.

First step - hire an architect and develop a plan. Done. Special thanks to Chaya for her above-and-beyond help in translating architect talk

Second step - receive approval from our little village. We are on the agenda for Thursday, Sept 23.

Third step - if we receive approval then we hire a builder and get started. Our goal is to have the addition completed sometime in 2011. Of concern is the village's requirement that additions use the same materials as the original structure, which in our case is Lannon stone. The addition is wood siding and that's what the architect drew on the plans. If they say "stone only" then we are finished before we start.

Check back and thanks for reading!

Two basement floods in Seven Days

2010-07-30T21:35:00.002-05:00

First flood made everything wet, probably about 10" at its crest but I didn't discover until the next morning.

Second flood was 34" of water in the basement (thank you storm sewer backup).

Compare the Old Kitchen to the New

2009-01-04T10:50:00.009-06:00

I thought I had made some improvements last year with the addition of the island, which was a good invention. However, when Carolyn asked if I had photos of the old kitchen and I found them, I realized how cluttered my old kitchen was!

These photos are from this time last year before the antique cabinet was installed.

Aaron the Hockey Player

2009-01-03T21:39:00.004-06:00

If you could only hear him now - he's upstairs screaming for his favorite team the Detroit Red Wings. (2nd favorite is the Sabres and I have no idea why). Anyone got connections to good deals on hockey jerseys for kids?

Aaron is getting better and better on his skates. He's also a smart player and really thinks before passing or taking a shot. Here's Aaron this past Halloween as a, you guessed it, hockey player.

I love watching him play. And Kari - if you are reading this blog - NOW I get why hockey was so important during our college years. Duh!

Kitchen 99% Complete

2009-01-03T21:17:00.011-06:00

HERE WE GO! The Grand Tour Begins...

Yes, it's true! About 12 months after we started the project by buying the antique cabinet we are 99% done with the kitchen. All we have to do is add the cabinet knobs on the upper cabinets.

Notice the brushed silver drawer pulls on the lowers. Like the tile back splash? We did it ourselves! It's called Wall Pop and is peel and stick (and remove) 13 x 13 squares of vinyl. ($1.73/package of 5 tiles at Lowe's.). It took a long, long time to get them in a uniform pattern.

There are two antique glass buffet/dresser lights on either side of the sink (from a rummage sale). The shades were purchased at the Lowe's in Richmond while I was visiting my in-laws. The ceramic canisters above the antique cabinet were a gift from my neighbor Leza. The ones above the "bird" wall came from the Pfaltzgraff Outlet clearance sale and were 90% off. Next to the stove is my mixer underneath a colorful pillowcase.

My knives are being held by magnets (round and blue)

This is the island I made for $13. The wood top and three of the metal shelves were curbside finds. The poles to hold it together and an extra shelf were a whoppin' $13. Bar stools are from Craigslist and I think were $15/each.

Homemade bulletin board! I sprayed the sides with antique oil rubbed bronze spray paint and then used wall paper on the insides. If you think the walls are faux-finished then the wall paper company was right! $3/roll at Lowe's, this paper is so easy to apply. You just tear off the pieces and put them up and it comes out looking like a faux-finish. It cost me $6 to do the entire kitchen when it would have cost me $100 for the plasterer and another $50 for paint (if I did it myself).

More Decorating in a Few Weeks!

2008-11-02T18:28:00.002-06:00

It's been a busy summer - NYC with the boys, NE for chess camp, etc. We are back to finishing the redecorating of the house. Highlights to come: I finally found 4 matching sconces and will have them rewired and installed shortly. The gold dining room has been repainted a soft cream (but will have a deep maroon ceiling - soon). The hallway walls are being replastered and will be painted soon.

I found a lot of NITC (new in the can) Benjamin Moore paint at a local rummage that was FREE! Gallons and gallons of it. I'm using it all in the house.

Check back sooN!

Best You Tube Video - EVER

2008-07-09T19:47:00.001-05:00

And it doesn't involve my kid! It took several viewings before I could watch it w/o tearing up. If it makes you cry let me know!

From the NY Times article: However you interpret it, you can’t watch “Dancing” for very long without feeling a little happier. The music (by Gary Schyman, a friend of Mr. Harding’s, and set to a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, sung in Bengali by Palbasha Siddique, a 17-year-old native of Bangladesh now living in Minneapolis) is both catchy and haunting. The backgrounds are often quite beautiful. And there is something sweetly touching and uplifting about the spectacle of all these different nationalities, people of almost every age and color, dancing along with an uninhibited doofus.

The translation of the lyrics is said to go something like this (from the Amazon site where you can buy the music):

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

Much Better - Rearranging the House (again!)

2008-07-04T16:49:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I'm back and back to normal. Wow, I was really down when I wrote that last entry. Ish!

Check back in the next few days for photos of a newly repainted fireplace, reorganized living room, rugs moved from here to there and back again AND the outside porch (finally!).

xo

Rachel

Update - please read

2008-06-20T09:35:00.002-05:00

Kidney stones diagnosed suddenly and w/o warning a week ago. Lithotripsy one day later, which did break up the remaining stones but caused them to arrange jumble-like in a dam inside the ureter. Two class-A narcotics and several ER visits for morphine were not enough to persuade said jumble to dissolve so a surgeon had to intervene.

I'm fine now.

Wall above the fireplace has been painted the same color as the other living room walls. The interior designer at the paint store said it looked off b/c the bottom of the wall is cool and light in color. Adding dark and warm just emphasizes the difference. It was painted several days before the stones visit.

Had a lot of time to lay (lie?) and think about how to redo upstairs bedrooms, which always starts with carpets. There will be changes in the house when I return to the blog in July and maybe, gasp, repainting of the gold dining room as it has a green cast in certain lights. And yes, first floor rugs are involved in the redesign. And no, the living room color and curtains are not available for discussion.

Thanks all!

Blech - Lace Kitchen Curtains

2008-06-05T11:07:00.001-05:00

After seeing how tired and old the curtain panels look on my blog I removed them. Now there is just the valence and the pull-down shade hiding beneath it.

Kitchen Renovation - Done

2008-06-04T12:21:00.004-05:00

The kitchen has been done for about a month and we are settling back into it. We will be painting the kitchen cabinets - probably a brown/red but are not yet sure.

The light over the sink is a three-light fixture bar that adds a lot of light, even with two energy-efficient bulbs.

We *love* the Bosch dishwasher. It is so quiet and really does a good job of cleaning and drying, contrary to what others had told me.

You'll notice Aaron in a shot of the kitchen facing west. I purchased a pull-down shade from Lowe's (clearance area) and Bali sent us the brackets for free. It is a string-free shade.

(Aaron took this photo)

Please Post Comments!

2008-06-04T07:25:00.001-05:00

You don't have to be a member to post comments! And I can respond to the comments on-line, too. I'm thrilled to see people voting on my fireplace wall but would love to know who you are, even if only by initials.

rp

Living Room is Done!

2008-06-03T13:29:00.009-05:00

It's true - the room is 98% done and ready for its photographic debut.

Stay tuned b/c at the end of this entry I've put in a poll for you to vote on the color of the accent/fireplace wall.

Entering the living room (by the front staircase) and you'll see the slip-covered loveseat facing the TV. You'll see the ceiling fan box on the floor and its still waiting to be installed. The curvy lights used to be red and I spray-painted them, too (adding Wal-Mart shades). They are more metallic than the sconces.

The drapery rods came from Restoration Hardware and were purchased 6 years ago! I didn’t want to hang them before now b/c I thought we would move and I’d want to take them with me. Since we decided we are staying I had them put up. The rings are from Lowe’s clearance area and were $1.74/6 rings (marked down from $6.99). I painted them oil rubbed bronze but I clearly had the wrong bronze. They were repainted black and I added clips from the hundred of black rings I used to use with the gold velvet curtains. I also added shears (with burn-out velvet) on tension rods set inside the window ($4.99/Lowe’s on clearance). Gone are the nasty plastic shades!

The gold velvets were supposed to go back into this room but they were too short (84” long). I found the now-hanging curtains at (where do you think?) Lowe’s for $7.50/panel at 96” long. I bought them out! I liked the pattern so much I bought one more for my upper patio. (Oops, that’s secrets out. This weekend we’ll take photos to be taken and posted our new outdoor living area, once we get the last couch up there.)

Remember a few blog entries ago I mentioned we found 2 buried sconce opening? We found two more AND we found a ceiling box, too. The ceiling is getting a white ceiling fan (that will fit snug against the ceiling) and two of the sconces are being hardwired with antique sconces from a rummage several seasons back. The other two, well, keep reading.

Fireplace wall. The brown paint was an 'oops' from Benjamin Moore (I'm a convert and will not paint with Sherwin Williams every again). Maybe I should go darker? The frame on the owl picture will be painted black this weekend.

The sconces are from Lowe's and were marked 75% off. Their original color was yellow-ish. I spray painted them last night and they are hanging over the holes that we uncovered. Why? These sconces do not have an on/off switch and, once wired, will be controlled by wall switch. It would be nice to have the option to have them off while other lights are on and this is the only way we could do it, at least for now.

The next photo was taken before I put up the sconces. I tried to bleach the denim slipcover to an off-white. It came out light blue. Still, better than the dark blue there before. The crystal lamps are antiques that belonged to my grandmother.

The west end of the room

The end

Aaron's Viola Recital

2008-06-03T13:15:00.003-05:00

Here is a short video with Aaron playing in a viola trio. (If you see a small photo then the video is ready. If not, please check back soon.)

Pay It Forward!

2008-06-03T11:24:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday morning, as I was out rummaging, I found a Pottery Barn Teen Rug on the side of the road. It was neatly folded on top of a pile of items that a college student had obviously discarded before moving. Of course I picked it up. It was a cotten blend in stripes of pink, orange, green and white.

I ran into my friend Michelle later that morning and told her about it. "Oh," she said. "That would go perfectly in my daughter's room."

It was a lovely, large (at least 8 x 12) rug that I would have loved to have kept but where to put a rug with pink? Aaron's room? Our room? There was no good place for it so I gave it to Michelle. (I sure hope her dh isn't reading my blog. He has no idea that it was side-of-the-road.)

Later that same day I was at Aaron's baseball game and was chatting with Barb. She has an I-phone and I admired it. Then I brought her the phone (and charger) that I found on the side of the road and asked if her sons (who work for T-Mobile) could unlock it. She said, "I have several Razr phones that I've never used. Would you like one?" Sure! And she wouldn't take payment for it. She also brought over a large bag full of hockey gear, much of what we'll need if Aaron really does play next fall.

She was able to use some of my many pieces of Pfaltzgraff that I had stored in my basement, several bowls and salad plates.

Hutch Installed! Corner Drywalled!

2008-04-30T07:26:00.004-05:00

We are nearing the finish line on the kitchen renovation. The only (only!) issue we are having is that the old cabinets look, well, old and cheap. I guess this is part 1 of the renovation. Part two will be, gulp, moving the hutch to the east wall and installing new cabinets on the north wall (where it is currently housed). That way we'll get one straight line of new cabinets that meet the hutch. And new cabinets by the sink, too. Guess it's time to start saving up.

Old cabinets to be painted red (semi-gloss) or beige/white. Maybe I should have a poll? Have an opinion? Please put it in the comments area. You don't have to be registered. You can post an anonymous comment.

Passed Preliminary Electrical Inspection

2008-04-28T11:06:00.001-05:00

Just received the OK to wire the outlets and close the walls. Anticipated date of completion is this Saturday.

ARGH! Dinner plates too large for new piece. Help

2008-04-26T20:59:00.003-05:00

It seems that Corelle dinner plates are not the same size as most other dinner plates. I thought the cabinet would keep all of my dishes but, alas, it is 12" deep and some dinner plates are 12.25" deep.
Solutions, anyone?

Now There are Holes in the Living Room Walls (Still Unpainted)

2008-04-22T20:02:00.008-05:00

The conversation with our contractor (the fabulous Richard D.) went something like this:

"Richard, we have this light switch in the living room and it doesn't turn on anything."

"Rachel - try all the outlets"

"I did and none of them work with this switch. Do we have hidden overhead lights?

"No"

"Oh"

"You have places for sconces on the wall"

"No we don't"

"Yes you do. See that dimpled area? See how it's pressed in a little bit? That's where your sconce is located. You have one on each side of your fireplace. All you have to do is gently chisel out the area. "

So I did the chiseling. Richard K. was outside and knew nothing of my demolishing the wall. I tapped and the whole circle exposed itself. Underneath the thin coat of plaster and mesh was a metal box, screwed shut. Richard D. did this part himself and viola, live wires in the wall.

I have Art Deco sconces from a rummage some 5 years ago that will be put up when the kitchen i finished, if it ever is.

In Spring, One's Thoughts Turn to Rummage!

2008-04-22T18:12:00.004-05:00

Or crap left on the side of the road like this lovely sectional that was carted home by me (and me alone) on top of my garden wagon. Thank goodness it was only a few blocks away. Yellow posters came from a different house (side of the road again!). For those of you who don't know my house this is in the basement. Big black chair in foreground goes with the computer desk, which will be moved to Richard's office area by May 2.

We are seriously considering bringing our TV and cabinet downstairs and really making it into a living space.

Bird's Nest in the Kitchen!

2008-04-17T19:13:00.004-05:00

Tied into the one box over the kitchen window were:

1. One outlet in the dining room
2. One outlet in the bathroom (2nd level)
3. Light in Aaron's closet (not sure about that one just yet - maybe the bulb is out?)
4. Light over the kitchen sink
5. 2/3 of outlets in the kitchen

Bathroom line has been separated (Aaron's closet, too).

Ah, the trouble of opening up the walls!

A Tale of Three Paint Colors

2008-04-14T09:41:00.003-05:00

I thought I nailed the color for the living room - a soft slate blue. Not too dark, not too dainty. But the blue paint next to the woodwork brought out the its yellow tones and gave the room a country feel, which wasn't what we were going for.

The paint on the fireplace wall? My own creation and not as green as it looks in the photo.

Moving from white to blue to Mohave Desert (a tan with red and yellow in it) but first we had to prime over the blue. So we will be painting the room 3 times (white to blue, blue to prime, prime to Desert).

Kitchen Remodel - In Progress

2008-04-14T09:26:00.004-05:00

BEFORE IN-PROGRESS

Here are some photos of the kitchen before and in-progress. We learned that none of the electrical was installed properly and would never have passed an inspection. When Richard D. was demolishing the kitchen it started to smell wet, which he thought was insulation. Turns out that there is a pipe that was never capped and was full of mold. Lovely.

Aaron's Piano Recital

2008-04-13T18:39:00.006-05:00

Aaron had his first piano recital tonight. It's in two parts on youtube.com.
It's in two parts b/c, silly me, I didn't think the camera was working but it was.

and

You can copy these codes and paste into your browser, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9N9g-GPMbg

And

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ40a3XBSOo

Bye-Bye Dishwasher - and in record time

2008-04-13T18:21:00.002-05:00

Construction on the kitchen *finally* began on Saturday. The dishwasher was pulled out and we needed to get rid of it. It worked fine unless you tried to turn the "on" dial w/o the use of pliers.

Lesson learned: Someone always wants something free. I posted the DW on FreeCycle (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MilwaukeeWIFreecycle/) and many people wanted it...if only it were portable. So rather than mess around with the portable people I put it on Craig's List and in less than an hour I had 4 emails begging that I give it to them. The person I selected said he'd be over within an hour and he was. Bye-bye dishwasher!

Pictures to follow in the next day or two of the demolition of the kitchen and the shocking (shocking!) discovery that the wall insulation blown in two years ago didn't really go where they said it would or at the depth they said it should be.

Oh and lots of painting photos, too.

Aaron's piano recital link to be posted, next.

Bathroom Paint and Texture Job - DONE!

2008-04-02T11:12:00.010-05:00

Lots of photos for this project. I purchased a gallon of Oops paint from Lowe's . It was sand paint. I thought I could use this on the plaster walls of our upper rooms, including the bathroom, instead of trying to match the plaster job.

The first try didn't go so well.

I couldn't figure out how to apply the texture. A 1/2" roller seemed to be too dense and the sand in the paint didn't adhere to the walls. I tried using my drywall tool (the one I use in the kitchen as a counter scraper) but that didn't work. I also tried my putty knife and while that put the paint/sand on the wall it didn't go on evenly.

Over to the left you see the beginnings. We originally were going to put this on the wall and then paint over it; however, the people who saw it liked the way it looked and we decided maybe the color wasn't so bad.

I watch a lot of HGTV and someone did a project using plaster in a basement bathroom and they used a float to apply and sculpt the plaster. Well if it worked for plaster, why not with texture paint?

It's hard to see but on the right is a result of the texturing that I did. It took a while to figure out how to best use the float but then I got the hang of it. Now we have the look of original plaster on our bathroom walls!

There really is a dramatic difference in color. Check out this before/after (tape is still up):

Dining Room Paint Job (mostly) Completed

2008-04-02T11:02:00.005-05:00

Here is the (mostly) newly repainted dining room. Notice that the ceiling is darker than the walls. I think the ceiling is HARVESTER and the walls are TORCHLIGHT, both by Sherwin-Williams.

The maroon lampshades are from Wal-Mart! The lamp bases came from the side of the road, of course!

I think the walls need something. Maybe some glaze? They just look so flat to me. Then again the room is full of paint cans, pictures, junk! Maybe when we get it cleared out....

I hired a painter named Tom to paint each room in my house (and the kitchen cabinets) for $100/room. He finished this room (mostly, there is still some touching up that needs to be done) and then promptly disappeared for days. His wife said he was working on another job (hrmpf!).

When he did return I told him that it wasn't working for us. That's when he told me that he has federal drug charges pending against him. His friends were arrested for selling drugs and, he says, he was charged only b/c the police found his cell phone number with the dealers. I told him that when he got this all cleared up to call me and we'd happily hire him back. My guess is that I'll never hear from him again.

But having him in the house and reminding me how to paint encouraged me to take the job on myself. The living room is now a horrid shade of blue (soon to be changed) but the bathroom worked out okay, i think.

Lulu the Noble Mutt

2008-03-30T16:45:00.004-05:00

This is Lulu. She is a mixed-breed (probably lab and who knows what else) that we adopted from the Waukesha Humane Society some years ago. She is very loyal and protective of our family.

Zippy the Dog!

2008-03-30T16:19:00.004-05:00

This is Zippy the Border Collie we adopted from Midwest Border Collie Rescue (www.mwbcr.org). Check them out!

Refrigerator Arrives on Friday!

2008-03-06T13:13:00.003-06:00

It's true! The fridge is being delivered tomorrow.

Last night Richard and I took down the cabinet that tops the fridge and were shocked to find it was being held in place by two screws that were in drywall - not studs as we expected.

When we moved the fridge we found a hole in the floor. It almost looked like a wood knot had come out. Very strange indeed.

The original plan was to move the over-fridge cabinet to the other side of the kitchen, when the new fridge will eventually go. However, I did some measuring and I have two 15" wide x 30" tall cabinets that are coming down, too. They will fit over the top of the new fridge, in its new home, and give me double or triple the storage space. Maybe we'll find a new home for the other wall cabinet, too. Over the doorway to the dining room for cookbooks?

The contractor arrives on March 19 with his electrician for the written estimate. Richard D. (contractor, not to be confused with my dh Richard) said he can also fix our squeaky steps. Hooray!

My Sister is Remodeling a Neighborhood!

2008-03-04T10:48:00.001-06:00

I'm only painting my entire house (from white walls to color) and renovating my kitchen. My sister Katie has to one-up me, of course. She's renovating an entire city block. Advantage Katie.

http://tinyurl.com/2x78y5

Getting Ready for Renovation

2008-02-26T11:53:00.008-06:00

A few posts ago I chatted about how my son got the idea for a kitchen island after seeing a HGTV television show. I guess it must run in the family b/c now I've watched one too many on-line videos about back splashes.

Tile? Granite? Stone? Paint? I wanted to use the white tiles that were left over from our bathroom remodel 8 years ago. But white seemed so plain. Then I thought about the buckets of Lake Michigan sea glass I have stored in my basement. Could we make the entire back splash from that? No, too much work. Maybe a mix of the white tile and sea glass?

I watched short videos on HGTV for more ideas. Maybe a mosaic back splash where I create some lovely design and add sea glass! (look at the videos here - http://design.hgtv.com/kitchen/SpecialFeatures_detail.aspx?id=12)

A mosaic seemed like the best idea and I even started to look for fun china to break but, realistically, when I'm I going to find time to do this? I'm not an artist at all.

One of the ideas was to create a back splash using a whiteboard that has magnetic properties. Hmm, love it!

Maybe that could help us with our cluttered wall (see photo). There are no closets on our first floor and no place to put keys, purses, etc. The best I could come up with was baskets on the wall. There are some cool family photos there, the baskets to hold everything, etc. At the very far right of the photo is our fridge and family calendar. I use a desk blotter size and, in an effort to keep track of everything, use color stickers to indicate when dh or I are traveling, when the schools are closed, etc.

We are getting a new fridge as part of the renovation. (LG French door, 19.7 cubit feet, fits into a 30" opening). I won't be able to put a calendar on the new fridge. What to do?

The magnetic whiteboard idea was intriguing. Could I do that in my house? I went on Craig's List and found someone selling a 3'x4' whiteboard in downtown Milwaukee. She delivered it to me, too. So for $40 I had a whiteboard but would it hold all of our stuff?

Well, mostly yes. You can see the calendar has moved from the fridge and we can now post two months at once. We also have a place to write messages, hang extra keys, etc.

Yes, the baskets are still there but in a nicer array, I think. Ignore the bag of dog food. Lulu feeds on this side we hung a picture of her and Aaron above her food bowl, for atmosphere.

As for the back splash, I found fantastic porcelain tile last night at Lowe's. They gave me 6 sheets at 1/2 price b/c one tile was cracked. It will be easy to remove a square or two and add sea glass in small bursts of color. We are going to use the white tile on the wall with the whiteboard, going to the bottom of the window sill or maybe a bit higher.

Redecorating the House

2008-02-20T13:02:00.000-06:00

We've hired a painter and are making final paint selections! This will be the first time we've painted the house - and we've been in for 11 years.

Here are two rugs that I purchased separately at rummages this past summer (paid under $75 - for both). How do you think they look next to each other in the same room?

Cabinet Is Home - Drama!

2008-02-20T12:50:00.000-06:00

On Monday, Feb 17, a bitterly cold day, we drove to Chicago to pick up the antique cabinet. We'd made reservations at the Budget truck rental several days in advance for a 10 ft. truck. We arrive only to find out that they were out of 10 ft trucks but we could have the 16 ft for the same price - or nothing at all.

Richard heroically drove the large truck to the store, where we double-parked. He tried to get to loading dock but the back parking lot was covered with a thick layer of ice and the truck would not go. The workers took the piece through the front door and put it in the truck.

Fast forward some 5 hours later when the truck was unloaded, with a neighbor's help (thanks again Raj!). It is now standing in our dining room.

We are filing a complaint with Budget in the hopes of recovering some of our rental.

Side note - looking for suggestions to paint the dining room (photo above). Please put your suggestions in the comments. Richard wants a dark color, to match the band on the rug. I'm not sure what I want - maybe a rich caramel.

Filthy? Beyond what I had expected. See above. I found out that old contact paper is too brittle to remove by hand. I did find through a Google search that you can use a hairdryer, which really does work!

What happens when you let the kid watch decorating shows instead of going to bed on time.

2008-02-10T17:58:00.001-06:00

Aaron is recovering from, what the MD called, "The Crud That Is Going Around" and has spent the last 5 days home from school. During this time he wanted to watch a lot TV (except when he didn't) . Mommy got a little antsy at not being able to see her decorating shows so she made Aaron watch one or two of them with her.

Last night was "Deserving Design" on HGTV with Vern Yip. Aaron loved the look of a built-in island with storage below. Couldn't we do something like that in our house?

Well, we could try.

Last summer I found three steel racks on the side of the road. Last month I found a retail supplier in the neighborhood that sold me the legs, brackets and another rack for the huge sum of $13. That price included the wheels, which are not attached.

And, also last summer, I found a large piece of finished wood (butcher block? Teak?) on the side of the road. I can't drive by these things!

Last night I put the large piece of wood on top of the metal rack and turned the whole thing 90 degrees so that it juts out into the room. The wood top is large enough that we can turn one side into kind of an eat-in kitchen. The microwave is hidden on the opposite side and faces the dishwasher. Now we have extra work space - enough to two people if we want! And we think this metal stand/breakfast bar/work station will work with the new kitchen, too.

The stools were free at an end-of-the-day rummage sale. The white lace curtains were also free.

This photo shows where the demolition will take place. The pantry and cabinets next to it (upper and lower) will be removed and reused in the basement. The dishwasher will be replaced with a shiny stainless Bosch with the handle in the front (cheap from Lowe's clearance area). The fridge will go right next to the dishwasher with a faux-cabinet wall around part of it so we have someplace to hang a magnetic knife strip.

Antique Hutch for the kitchen

2008-02-07T09:45:00.000-06:00

I need more cabinet space (or do I need to clean out what I already have?) and this antique hutch is just the ticket. We purchased the cabinet on the right. It fits perfectly into our space at 47"long and 90" tall. The mission-style gridwork on the (clear) glass doors matches the leaded glass windows already in our house. And yes, those doors really are clear glass but are so filthy it took several minutes of elbow grease to clean them.

The hutch will go where we currently house the refrigerator, which will mean the removal of three existing cabinets. We'll be purchasing a new, smaller fridge (LG 30" wide French door) and place it next to the dishwasher resulting in the removal of the small pantry.

The new cabinet is meant to look like it was originally part of our 1933 house. The current kitchen was fitted with 1980s cabinets and is less than nice. We plan to paint all of the 80s cabinets a creamy beige.

House Remodeling!

2008-02-06T12:32:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog! Here is where I'll post the on-going progress of our house makeover. I hope you'll enjoy reading and seeing our progress.