Reset - doorknobs

The idea of using the glass knobs as door pulls on my bi-fold doors didn't work.  The liquid weld held one screw but not the other.

I purchased reproduction Victorian-Art Deco era knobs

these didn't work - it was clever but didn't quite work

progress, part whatever

We have air conditioning!  In this heat, that is a godsend (and was less than feared).  We also have a mowed and weed whacked yard. Now we can keep up with it.


We've started painting Mom's bathroom and are unpacking books.

Some art work we applied to the living room.

Repurposing!

In my room I found that I didn't like the small wooden pulls on the bi-fold closet doors (I'm not fond of the doors either but they'll do for awhile).  I had purchased a new doorknob set for my door and they wouldn't work with the huge mess the previous owners made and hid behind contractor's grade stainless steel knobs.

I decided to get creative.

I took the wooden knobs off the closet doors and found that the glass knobs required a large through-the-door bolt to connect to each other.  Well, that wouldn't work on the bifold doors.  I didn't want to drill holes for bolts for the glass knobs so I took the screws from the wooden knobs, reversed them and used liquid metal solder/lock stuff to inset the screws into the glass knobs.

Once those set, I put the knobs on the bi-fold doors and used the wooden knobs on the inside on the original screws.  End result - Victorian like knobs on my bi-fold doors - unique and somewhat stylish.

Its odd, the green on the doors is the wall color and isn't as dark as it shows in the pictures.

Original knobs

New knobs with screws now liquid set

New knobs on closet doors to fit the Neo-Victorian/modern style of the room.

Crafting, Birthdays and Fear of Yardwork

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

For Mom's birthday, Jackie and I got her a turtle that she didn't have, a lovely card and we went out for breakfast at Waffle House (yeah, we're cheap sometimes) (in addition to a couple of errands).  We then swung around to the antique shop we found the other day.  I was intending on getting her the bedstead that she had drooled over but passed because of the price.

When we pulled up to the shop we spotted two wrought iron bedsteads and took a look.  Mom really liked one and we went in and asked the price.  Both head and foot (no rails) for $25 - done.

They need some love but they'll be awesome when we're done!

Mom has a large mirror with a scratched white wood frame that we're going to paint black, the same black as the trim of her room.

the antique paint came from Hobby Lobby
the black spray paint from Wal-Mart
the beads from Michael's

thrift store finds

to go with my Neo-Victorian interests (and Judaism)

plan on painting the lamp flat black with antique copper highlights

Details

For the walls we've used Glidden paint from Home Depot

trim and doors in my room is also Glidden

for the trim in Mom's room we went with a Valspar from Lowe's

the stylized outlet covers in my room from Home Depot

the outlet covers in Mom's room from Lowe's

the doorknobs for my room are from Home Depot and Lowe's

the file cabinets came from Habitat for Humanity's Restore

bookcases and small computer desk came from Big Lots

Wal-Mart - trash cans, dish drainers, tv stand

the desk in my room, some artwork, Mom's nightstand came from a local thrift store

artwork in my room came from a store in Oakhurst, CA and Hobby Lobby here

stencil - Hobby Lobby

box I'm going to stain and stylize for my laptop storage - Hobby Lobby

fabric for Mom's curtains - Hobby Lobby

curtains and curtain rod for my room - Big Lots

hardware for the pulley system - Lowe's

Trim and rugs

We found that Glidden paint wasn't covering the fire engine red on the trim in Mom's room, even with a darker color.  We decided to go bold and have gone with a dark black.  It's working well with the slate gray walls.  I have to work on the window casements and the baseboards at the carpet level a small brush but the major part of the work is done.

In my room we found an area rug that will work perfectly and I finished out my stencil work.  Yay!

I'm now working on the bookcase for the paperbacks.

and we found a small cabinet that fits well in the large house (and the cats love it)

But Dusty has found a way to beat the oppressive heat

Progress in Mom's room

Mom's room started out in a gun-metal gray with some.... custom paint work, i.e. horrible paint work!  Huge crosses with people's names in the middle in flat red (over gloss gray).  An inverted red triangle with the words "truly blessed" and a red square with the words "Only G0d can Judge Me"

flat red over gray gloss paint.

WTH - were these people stoned and high on religion?

We began peeling, sanding and striping paint off

We were hoping to match the gray so we wouldn't have to paint all the walls (its a large room).  We did quite well, actually.  A day later........

Next we work on the badly painted red trim!

p.s. - between working on the rooms, weed whacking, cleaning rugs, unpacking, and running around - I'm tired!

Little touches

My room started out as a flat blue room with flat pink stripes, gloss gray stripes, unpainted beige stripes, and a square of pink and gray and all painted badly.  Drips on the floor, over-painted socket and lightswitch covers, drips onto the baseboard and where the roller touched the ceiling in quite a few places.

Now - the walls are a white sage green (more of an olive tint than an ice green) with white trim.  The ceiling has been touched up and the baseboards repainted white (along with the door and closet doors).  Along the baseboard will be a stencil pattern in antique bronze (which I've started)

I've started the stenciling

On top of the dresser will be a small bookcase that holds paperbacks perfectly.  It's going from badly painted white with red splotches to white sage green with antique bronze touches

I have a small dresser and small desk in addition to the small bookcase and larger bookcase.  Each will have touches of Neo-Victorian

for example - aside from the stencil work, the door will have glass doorknobs instead of the cheap stainless steel ones currently on the door.  The contractor-grade outlet covers there will be some stylized/Deco ones.

Now - onto Mom's walls......

Nice touches

I'm going to spray paint a small bookcase for my paperbacks and bring up a good sized bookcase. That'll nearly fill the small room.

1st Bedroom - Basics Done

Finished the trim work today - painted where the prior owners hit it with the paint rollers in pink, gray and blue and the trim. No more blue, pink and gray stripes and squares

Now the walls are an olive/sage with white trim.


For those who are curious - the ceramic hanging of Mary has been over my bed/crib since Mom was pregnant with me, somewhat tradition that it goes there.

are these bookcases or cat cases?

These are some reel to reel machines I picked up at a thrift store today.  The plan was to take them apart for the gears, cogs, etc.  The large one could be worth a bit of money, however.  We'll see what happens to them.

Westling Match of the week

Sunday is not a day of rest around here!

Trying to fix the lousy paint job by former owners is ridiculous!  Trying to cover blue, gray and pink paint ON THE CEILING with white is not fun.  Nor on the baseboard and doorjam.

I did manage to get the baseboards painted, the closet doors, door frame and window frame, and fixed some of the ceiling mishaps.  Still have some left to do with the ceiling and painting the door.  Then tackling the stenciling I want to do.

Also did some rug cleaning........... = tired.

No More Princess Room

Today I got up and moved furniture (what few pieces are in the room) and wiped down the dust from sanding and taped off the trim.  Then we started.  We got two gizmos that make painting edges/next to door trim and window trim easier - they worked and the work went faster than we expected.

It wasn't easy on the back nor on strained arm and shoulder muscles, however. The humidity ensured that I was soaking wet by the time it was half done and I stopped to grab something to eat. We finished the first coat and I did the corners and then rested a bit.

I finished the 2nd coat by 4:30p.m. and I'm darn glad I'm done for the day!  My back and arms are killing me but I am very pleased with the color.  It dried darker than what it was in the can (thankfully) and with a touch of Olive drab that I was looking for.

No more Princess room!

Tomorrow I'll touch up where they hit the ceiling with awful colors and then paint the trim.  For now the trim will be white but I'm considering a dark red touch with the white eventually.  I also picked up a stencil I want to do near the baseboards (I'll eventually put up crown molding and stencil up there as well) - either a darker green, a brassy gold or a copper stencil pattern.

Compare

Before - a bad paint job in colors I'd never use

To:

The color is White Sage

the stencil I want to use for my Neo-Victorian/Steampunk interest

Prep Work

Today we worked on cleaning my carpet and sanding the walls in preparation of painting.  Tomorrow we'll clean some spots on the walls with TSP and tape the trim.  I'll probably paint Thursday.

We also cleaned half of Mom's carpet and some in the living room in addition to the usual: laundry, dishes, etc.

Overall = pain

Progress

We're getting some things done.  It's remarkable how much there is to do!

I mowed the front yard a few days ago and it needs it again.  I'm going to weed whack the front and then the sides and back beginning tomorrow.

I've rechalked the hall bathroom and scraped off the white and red paint that was splattered on the tub.  We started cleaning the rugs and picked up paint for Mom's bedroom and mine.

Day before yesterday I put together a cabinet for the laundry room and cleaned the room.  We picked up a table for sorting and folding clothes and the cat boxes are under that so they're a little out of sight.

At night I've been working on some beadwork projects.  When we were packing before the move, I'd work on my bead-work to help calm my mind and help me relax before sleep.  I've done a panel that we'll hang outside the front door - it's a combination of things that symbolize each of us: Mom (turtle), Jackie (dragon) and me.(Chai)

Mom has been working at getting the horribly painted crosses and sayings off her walls.