Happy Summer Solstice 2010! (Hopefully the longest day of the year means I have enoug

Happy Summer Solstice 2010!

(Hopefully the longest day of the year means I have enough time today to finish the project I started this weekend)

The hooks are from the Brooklyn Flea that I got several weekends ago.

I filled some mason jars with stones found at the dollar store, put a wire around them, and added citronella candles to help with mosquitoes. but these can also work as flower vases.… Read the rest

Pick, pick, picking away

Peeling paint is sort of like blisters, there is an irresistible urge to pick at it. This is what happens when you give in:

I guess one of the previous VIB occupants, at some point in the house’s 100 year history, was into gold. I suppose the current state of pocket door trim will encourage us to take care of these sooner rather than later. I am not quite sure who to call about restoration of pocket doors though.… Read the rest

Nice Turret

Of course it was the house itself – largely the original details – that was the reason behind our purchase, but location was almost as important. When we started looking for a house we had a range of neighborhoods in mind, but Bloomingdale was always at the top of the list. The location was just right, as you can walk downtown and to the mall in under 40 minutes (yay walking to work!);… Read the rest

The Vine is Dead, the Vine is Dead! Well at least the monstrosity that ate the tree.

in the ground

on the deck for now

The Vine is Dead, the Vine is Dead!

Well at least the monstrosity that ate the tree. Now all we have to do is take it down. What isn’t entirely clear is what to do with these suckers popping out of the ground. I pull them all the time, but somehow I think they are planning on being back. And I am afraid of planting vegetables / herbs for fear that they will be overtaken.… Read the rest

Boudoir

While grand plans are in the making, we are also adding items to rooms bit by bit as we also live here. So here is a sneak peak at the curtains that Sergey’s mom made for our master bedroom. She picked out the fabric – and it works really well, because I wanted something light but these are heavy enough to block out the light.

This weekend, we also picked up this mirror at Ruff and Ready, which will go up above the future fireplace mantel also in the master bedroom.… Read the rest

Internets II: Craigslist

I love craigslist. It is very useful if you do not have copious amounts of money to spend on your house. We have gotten great things on craigslist, like a pair of matching city bikes made in Austria. or a pullout couch that has seen many guests and will see many, many more.

As anyone who has ever used Craigslist to search for something either really popular: for example, free couches tend to go within minutes of the initial post – or something really obscure: I am currently attempting to secure real wood doors to replace the plywood ones that we have in the house – it is really all about timing.… Read the rest

We Have Come a Long Way As I have

We Have Come a Long Way

As I have mentioned several times, painting kitchen cabinets was a huge pain, but in the end, I am happy with a result and am very happy to live with them until a major kitchen re-model.

my materials:

painter’s tape
Sergey + drill (to take off cabinet doors)
brushes
sand paper
TSP substitute
primer
paint (True Value Marquee (blue) and Doli (white) in semi-gloss)

my steps:

Remove doors from the cabinets — this went pretty fast the power tool, but i think can be done with just a screw driver as well.… Read the rest

Kitchen is complete (with the exception of the curtain for the window, which I can’t figure ou

view from entrance

kitchen cart storage has been priceless

curtain cover for basement entrance

Kitchen is complete (with the exception of the curtain for the window, which I can’t figure out just yet). Sergey actually put up the hardware for the cabinets a few weeks ago, but I waited to write the post because I needed to reorganize cabinets/storage, which still refuse to house as many things as I would like.… Read the rest