The 50th Post

by Annie Posted on May 15, 2012

This weekend was a goodie-probably more of a greatie. Even though we were both away from our moms for Mother’s Day (they live in Indiana as most of our family does). We had another work-outside-all-day-into-the-evening splendid time. An estate sale just happened to be down the street but alas, prices were high and pieces were of the pass variety.

The only thing I picked up at the estate sale. Cute, huh?

On our way to the dog park, we spotted this lustworthy Royal Enfield motorcycle with sidecar and leather saddlebag. We don’t have $6,000 to throw frivolously at desired objects. We both wish in this case. What a find. Did I mention we used to ride around on a Harley Sportster?

Greg came home with some wine from a coworker about to start a winery for him doing a favor at work. So very nice on both accounts. (I’m still trying to forgive him for not bringing me a brownie…something that accompanied the wine…she says scowling.)

This is my 50th post on the Wits. That feels like a milestone. Forget that I’m going on my 400th at my food blog, the Dabble. It all still feels new and shiny. I am overjoyed coming here to discuss things I love with people who appreciate our work and shared interests. Thanks to you! Here’s to many more posts.

I know you might be wondering what did we do to the dresser below-one of the two coming out next and I know how I’ve been talking about it and revealing nothing post after post.

I forgot to take the before picture so this is all I have from the seller.

Well, we tried a new wax and don’t like it paired with the paint so we have to sand and repaint the side, allow some time to cure then snap its snazzy self so maybe the end of this week or early next week. Maybe. The other dresser is simply waiting on its prop to arrive. A prop that may not even end up in the frame. I’m experimenting and not the best stager or stylist. Can’t really say that. It’s more that I’m trying to convey a certain style or establish one which takes some practice. And I haven’t really had the time or equipment to do the pieces justice.

Before...after to come in another post

The dresser looks classier and more sophisticated, similar to Room & Board we’d say, due to a simple sand, strip (the Soy-Gel) and stain with a wax finish. Takes away the old manufactured look with the orange hue and bad finish. It is our first mid-century piece-the style we most enjoy working with and collecting. Hopefully that entices you to stick around, come back or subscribe by email.

End of Saturday progress...and the orange cable line there will soon be buried by the cable company's cronies

But oh yes, the weekend and the yard. If you’re following the progress, you’ve probably noticed we’re doing the yard in sections towards putting grass/ground cover in places it doesn’t exist/needs better coverage, opening the space up then extending the patio and putting new pavers down in the breezeway, between the 3-season porch and garage, plus some general tidying up. The entire yard-both front and back-need attention and leveling. We have some water damage and an occasional wet basement since the slope is not correct. That means taking the grass out or making it into sod to put back on the yard once we move the high points around although the pine area behind the garage/shed may not grow grass but we’re going to try. I’m a barefoot in my own space kind of woman. Walking on the grass now is an ouch-oooch-eeech with each step kind of thing. Why does saying nonsensical words make it easier to get through?

That unpainted strip bothers me so we're going to paint the shed (that's the shed wall) and the downspout will be replaced by a rain barrel with a rain chain.

Last weekend was full of us getting back on the weed pulling and root digging pony. To work behind the garage meant moving the compost, branch pile, landscape rocks and things we are storing. I spent way too much time and care making a rock wall…that is temporary. But the results are a more level yard, no more tripping hazards from the roots and no green anywhere in that area. Slowly getting there. This weekend will be us doing the same thing in a different part.

end of Sunday progress

It seems we are anti-anything green in the yard. But even weeds can be pretty and green with flowers. Little purple, white and yellow buds that I imagine are yelling at me for taking them when they finally get to show their pretty heads. Makes me hate myself to pull all that foliage out at times then at others, I’m sore,tired and fed up and you might hear me cackling cruelly while I rip them out and imagine them screaming. That’s how I work. Even Greg isn’t sure which person he’s going to get. I keep telling myself it will look worse before it’s better and just deal with the process like a big person. Putting on my big girl pants.

Remember this gold mercury glass lamp I found for $14? It's getting a makeover.

We’ve been doing some small tasks I’ll eventually show you. If I forgot this, Greg might be hurt. He made the gravel parking space much improved, less grass and debris. If only we could afford to pave it like the rest. Le sigh. I’m trying to get Greg on board with getting plastic adirondack chairs so the rusty patio set left by the previous owner isn’t our only option for sitting in our backyard. If only I had our vehicle during the day, things would magically appear around here.

Thanks again for being around on the 50th post, readers!

Antique Empire Dresser and Organizing the Garage and Garden Shed

by Annie Posted on May 10, 2012

If you were in the room today and if we were pals that came over to each other’s houses to share life and the goodies we found (like in the show Cougar Town which is awesome), you’d see a giant smile on my face and know that I was up to something or I found something really special. I wouldn’t say a word while walking you to our porch where this now sits…(beside our other 2 dressers in the small space)

and I’d make the ta-da motion with my hands like Vanna White until you had a look on your face that satisfied my need for approval on the purchase (you’d probably have to fain more interest than you’d like). Knowing me, I’d probably do it a bit too long with dramatic song and dance towards the end. I get way too excited but that’s good because I also get way too upset sometimes. It balances somehow. Once I started to speak, I’d tell you I picked it up for $100 the night before and go into why it’s beautiful. But you can see the antique empire dresser. It’s glorious. Sure it has some damage and was made to look like quarter sawn oak with a faux finish but is actually birch or soft maple. Greg needs to investigate further. It looks heavy but isn’t. The curve in the top drawers add great character. This one gets the stain treatment after a few repairs and stripping. But I want it in my possession for just a little bit. I have a hard time letting unique pieces go.

Craigslist find. Not too far away and it has a mirror. I’m not usually crazy about mirrors with dressers but this one rocks…and I don’t have a picture. Doh! I’ll put it on and show you later. Before I delve into the depths of what could feel like a trip to Snore Town for you, I want to tell you that I started a Pinterest board for what can only be described as dresser porn. Dressers I find online or in person will find their way here and you can follow along and comment away…for those of us with a little problem. I promise to add more than one…the number in it at this very moment. I also should have noted that I created a Pinterest board for just the things going on in our life-before and after furniture pieces, house projects, thrifty decor finds and the like.

But I’m here today to tell you about the cleaning/organizing of our garage and garden shed (attached to the back of the building) that took place Sunday like I said I would in my last post. Swear I had the ‘before’ pictures. Victim of the move to a new computer I suppose. And just to let you know, I’m not that uptight about life but I like my things in some fashion that makes sense and I do not believe you or anyone has to live in such a way. To each his or her own. So this is not a how-to or tips to organize…those posts have a tendency to drive me crazy and I like the topic.

Imagine cobwebs, dirt, bugs, wasp nests and my husband placing things wherever he wants while I’ve been trying to make areas for everything (car maintenance, grill and accessories, tools, trash, garage sale, etc.).

We took out the rickety shelving on the one side (I can now get in the car when it’s in the garage without contorting my body) and made the other side where we house our lumber (and in the rafters). Most from the house and basement demo over the winter. Oh, the junk on the right side of the shot is for the upcoming garage sale. Priced, sorted and ready to go.

Just as anal picky as I am about organizing, Greg is about constructing and repairing things. Take these shelves. He did a beautiful job. A beautiful, precise job on a shed that wasn’t made with such precision. It drives him crazy. Most of the house is like this. Our camping equipment, totes, “things that come out in summer,” and other belongings are stored here now. Nothing of real value to others for any stalkers or potential thieves.

I actually got to bring in some things Greg’s mom gave us, like his grandma’s wedding dish set and crystal stemware, vintage Pyrex and such. (I organized the kitchen cabinets this week too and it now sits at the tip top for safekeeping.) If only I could get that “we have a puppy” smell out of the house. One solution I know you us smartasses are thinking is to get rid of the puppy…not amused.

Greg reconstructed the table in the shed by giving it a new top and bottom shelf. I imagine seedlings and other projects happening on this top. Because my ma-in-law gave us artwork-things in the family and made by the family-I really wanted to give them a home. Greg’s uncle is a talented artist now living in Arizona and we have a number of his pieces.

The space is warm and comforting now but I think my wet-dry vacuuming pissed off the previous tenants and they are trying to rebuild. My space now, buckos! I’m not a fan of s words (spiders)…so much that I can’t say what they are and refer to them as s words. But not so much that I can’t sweep them up when they stand in my way of organization. When I’m determined, I can do anything (and so can you…I felt that was my sappy, after-school message of the post time).

I know you can’t really see with this picture but it was near the end when everything found its place. The two ladders are up on the wall, things stored in the basement joined their fellow similar items outside and the trash is very full. There it is. Probably boring to you. I feel better. Enjoy your day!

Weekend Finds

by Annie Posted on May 7, 2012

Little did we know that our town in Minnesota, Northfield, was holding a town-wide garage sale event. The profits going to various charities. That kind of news sends me into happy dance territory. Greg, my husband, has grown fond of garage sales despite what he claims was torture as a child when his mom would drag the kids along. He now knows the value of these treasures aka someone else’s junk. Plus, our monies went towards worthy causes and we never spend too much anyway that would put us in any financial hardship. I mean geez, it’s a garage sale. I’ve been recently hitting the thrifty find lottery. Here’s what we nabbed this time.

Brody milk glass vases-the modern shape and $.50 for both made them irresistible. I plan to put striped taper candles in these babies.

I found these canisters at two different places. A woman was by the smaller tin so I acted like I had no interest… pretending that whatever was around it was the object of my affection until she was far enough away then I scooped it up. I was thinking “ha” in my head when in reality she probably had no interest. Isn’t that thrifting nature or am I just a jerk? I think they were $.75 together.

This was not from a garage sale but from the store I’m in love with in town. A minty jade glass shade for $12. The salesperson said she saw this elsewhere for $40. But I really like that jade color paired with a blushy pink, coral, or purple decor and didn’t need convincing.

From the same sale as the vases was this cheap lamp base. It’d be so easy to build on and use in any decor. Now I have to decide which direction to go shade wise. $1

From the store with the shade, was this $5 quartz pen holder. Gorgeous. I’m trying to make it into something other than a pen holder. More on that later.

For the geek in us-a vintage Italian Quercetti binary “toy.” $1 or close to it. I forget. Greg loves it.

These ReadyMade magazines of yore were free from a like-minded woman’s sale. Why do the good ones stop being published-Domino, ReadyMade, Gourmet? At least Domino Quick Fixes is out.

Books! The 4 volumes of Popular Mechanics Home Handyman (these are sweet) and childhood/adolescent favorites. $13 (the highest amount paid that day)

Cheap rustic frame and the sheep was for our pup Henry (a sheepdog). $.50

Monkey chopsticks. No explanation needed, I think. $.25

This mug is for Greg to take to work because we thought it would be funny in an office full of sarcastic guys. Just have to wait til they notice during one of Greg’s several coffee sipping moments. The smirk no doubt on his face is stuck in my head.

We actually passed on this $10 dresser. I know. What the deuce, right? It was heavy HEAVY and we took it as a sign since the lug sat there all day (we got to that church sale late). The amount of repair and trouble storing it had us walking away after a 5 minute discussion of the pros and cons. It’s not a good time in terms of storage space and time to spend on repair. We’re still doing the whole backyard makeover thing (different links there) and putting the indoor renovations back on the list for upcoming tasks (umm finally back to the new attic entrance).

We also house/pet-sat in the country (us new town dwellers miss living there) and had a little break from working on house projects. A little. The garage and garden shed were cleaned and organized Sunday. (More on that later.)

Speaking of pets, I bought Pet Sematary at one sale. It scares the bejesus out of me but also holds fond memories with my friend, Jennifer, who was in a horrible accident and killed before graduating from highschool. We watched this at her house when we were in middle school, when she lived down the road from me. That was a fun night. But I have to work myself up to seeing it again.

We bought some herbs and while in a downpour, hence the poncho and boots, had to plant the aromatic guys and keep ‘em in the garage overnight until the rain passed. They are sitting in the sun today looking simply marvelous (like Billy Crystal would say).

When we came downstairs to work on the two current dressers Sunday, we found standing water that had come through the brick…we now need to move up the plans to level our yard.

Hopefully we don’t get that much rain until we can address those issues. But the water caused a setback on the one piece since it was taking a bath when we found it. Wood and water do not mix nor make furniture happy.

Henry obviously enjoyed his time in the country.

For anyone waiting on the Soy-Gel stripper review, I swear it’s coming.

Flotsam and Jetsam

by Annie Posted on May 3, 2012

Having one of those weeks where pictures say it best so heres ya go. But you know it won’t be just pictures with me. Actually this is a fairly new blog and you may not know that about me…might need one of those “talk about myself” posts. Didn’t you always love those questionnaires about your favorite this and that in school?

Last weekend we cleaned up parts of what we call “the pine area.” The saplings and roots are gone. You couldn’t take a step without tripping over something. Wish I had a before picture. The posts against the tree are to keep some star-crossed lovers (our male pup and the female neighbor pup) from jumping to be with each other. We’re back to making piles of yardwaste again. I was not pleased but knew it was coming since we still have at least a dozen bag’s worth of waste to collect. Back to the compost someday. We also have quite the collection of treated lumber and varnish/paint/whatnot left by the previous owner. Like the high-class people we are, they and the lumber we removed for the spare parking spaces are in our driveway with no idea when they will be removed. Stayin’ classy.

It was rainy most of the weekend and we spent a good deal of time prepping the two dressers for paint and stain. One got the new birch veneer treatment I mentioned before and the other got the Soy-Gel service (review to come).

I should show you the before dressers but for some reason I want to be secretive about these projects. They are going to be a little delayed because we are housesitting some of the weekend and I changed my mind (again) about the hardware. I mean the painted piece is my favorite color so it deserves some kickass pulls. Gladly wait for those suckers.

Almost forgot-we, and by we I mean Greg on this one, took the old shades down in the kitchen to expose the old wallpaper. Stylish, no? The blinds were probably original to our 1952 home and the same ones in the bedroom. Attached to a wood board next to the existing trim on one window and directly attached to the trim at the sink window. (Much work to do on the trim around here…it took a beating.)

My week was spent organizing our file cabinets and desk. Proud to announce that sh** is under control. It’s a task I dread every few years but it’s really not that bad because I secretly thrive on making life more efficient and am rather good at it. Greg likes to challenge this even though he seems to be fairly organized at work. I swear the man was put in my life to help me ease up on things of this matter. That’s why the house isn’t clean. (Yeah, that’s why…) Love that guy.

Found this vintage wall-mounted Falstaff beer opener my pop-in-law gave us years ago. We’re beer drinkers and wine and mixed drinkies. We are pro-alcohol I guess is what I’m saying. I was told it could be a hot commodity.

I’m off to eat some lunch and to paint. But not to eat the paint. Made that mistake before. True story: my husband didn’t mention that I had paint on my face-lip region once on a quick trip to the store. He let me walk around talking to the employees and then I finally saw it in the car mirror on the way home. I’m probably referred to as ol’ paint lips around these parts. Could be worse I suppose.

Weekend Finds

by Annie Posted on April 23, 2012

Here are my finds from the weekend.

Gold mercury glass lamp

I spent a whopping $35 on the bench, $4 on the frame, the splurge to me was the “odd but something caught my attention” double weave banner at $12 and the “you might hate me for the price” $14 lamp, vintage mercury glass to be exact. Gold mercury glass. I held it like a major award on the way to the register, looking at the other people in the store with a big smile, as if they knew how great this lamp is and were jealous. As if they had the same knowledge as I about how hot mercury glass is right now…and once was…a little glass blowing humor. Very little. Maybe none infact. (I also must add how that Hansel is so hot right now….Zoolander quotes always work in conversation and I use them when I can.)

Loved this harvest table and that rug too

Speaking of work, Greg had to also do so Friday and Saturday (2 days he doesn’t normally have to)…don’t get me going on why…and he came home exhausted from fixing someone else’s screw up most of last week that he requested a relaxing weekend. So, we ran some errands, had a nice lunch, sold the long couch (shorter version still available due to a last minute cancellation) and a nice young woman picked up the blue dresser with the stained top for her nursery (a supporter-thank you!) and went into a few stores we used to frequent when we lived downtown Northfield (that’d be Minnesota-infamous Jesse James stomping ground). Oh yeah, we put our ginormous mirror up for sale too.

For sale

Most of the items we found over the weekend are going to be revamped and of course, I’ll be sharing. I am not one to hide much of anything. Open book. It can be a bad thing when you start sharing and someone makes the TMI call. TMI time-out.

What to do what to do

Should I share my ideas or wait? I say wait. Just when I say I’m an open book. Wait mostly because I have multiple ideas for each thing and am waiting for that “decorating instinct” to decide then buy the supplies. We are on a budget and buying supplies willy nilly isn’t too friendly on the ol’ wallet, coin purse, debit card may be more current. We’ll go with that.

This came with our house in the garden shed. It's huge!
We gave the frame some love

So, there was no work outside this past weekend and just a little-Greg says more than a little-work on Sunday. Two dressers will be coming out for their big reveal soon. Just waiting on some birch veneer to arrive.

I’ll also be sharing our opinion of a product called Soy-Gel stripper which states it will “easily remove multiple layers of paint, urethane, acrylic, epoxy or enamel without the back-breaking work of sanding and chiseling — and without the odor of other furniture strippers! Made with 100% American-grown soybeans, SOY-Gel starts to lift the coatings in minutes.” I wasn’t asked to and we bought it ourselves but a product definitely down our alley to sample. Can’t wait!

Inspiring piece

Have you found anything you simply can’t keep to yourself?

DIY Chalkboard

by Annie Posted on April 19, 2012

We put a chalkboard on it! The wall in the studio that is and yes, I’m mocking Portlandia residents Lisa and Bryce as we often do around our place (“put a bird on it” or “put a coat of paint on it”…you name it, we’ve probably said it). Such a great show!

Along with our DIY pinboard rests this easy and thrifty chalkboard. This is the DIY task I said I’d share from the last post about crafts and craft fails. I forgot to mention one other fail that involved a cheap picture frame, glue, burlap and a paint pen…the glue and the pen didn’t like each other and turned my phrase ‘you’re my favorite’ into a yellow, streaky mess that looked more scary than sweet. Another crushing craft blow.

But this chalkboard is going to turn things around.

This used to be in the frame (hope you don't mind Eva aka ma-in-law)

First, we took this free frame (my ma-in-law gave it to us) and prepped the surface by applying wood filler to the back (a piece Greg’s dad made just for the frame) to help the warping-both sides need this since it’s plywood-then sanded and primed.

The frame had some special treatment too with a little filler and sanding then a few coats of semi-gloss white spray paint (that might change later).

By the way, I’ve seen cute frames like this at garage sales and thrift stores so you too can do this fairly cheap or make your own frame like we did for the pinboard.

The only thing we spent money on was the chalkboard paint and I’ve seen some tutorials (here is a link to Martha Stewart’s custom paint tips and to a Beautiful Mess Blog-both great sources for many, many things) on how to make your own if you wish to go that route or add color.

At the time I did not. I wanted a vintage/classic feel to keep things neutral since my accessories are the pops of color in the studio space against a light grey, cool tone wall. But I can see it in my future since I’m clairvoyant and all. No, I’m more sarcastic and jokey than anything.

Oopsidoodle, guess I’m wrong, I did go out and buy an eraser and white/color chalk too. And now that I’m adding that link, I see the wrong chalk was sent to me. I got the neon which was supposed to be the less vivid shades. Happens. A little contact-aroo will help. I really just typed that in there and am keeping it.

It took about 3 coats, maybe 4, of the chalkboard paint. I can’t recall since we finished it a while back then had a chaotic time (still are) functioning with the old laptop and moving over to the new computer. The back was attached to the frame, placed on the wall with a nail and the original hanging wire and just like that, all easy peasy, our chalkboard was made. If you’d like more detail about a step or product, I’ll try to do my best to help.

DIY, Crafts and Things Marked Fail

by Annie Posted on April 16, 2012

I documented the process, in case I would ever need to prove that I actually did something crafty beyond furniture overhauls, of some DIY décor. Admittedly, I made it because I was curious and thought each idea, seen on Pinterest, was awesome, not with the initial plan to have it for my studio workspace.

I took these free paint samples, that I cut with a 1 ½” circle punch, a piece of cardboard and some glue and made this.

No, it’s not finished and this particular thing serves no purpose but to look snazzy. I intend to frame and place it somewhere in the house.

Then I used the leftover circles to pin on the real pinboard I made (not the Pinterest one this time) since the colors inspire me.

I also cut the free samples into tear-shaped pieces with the intent to put it around an existing, bare chandelier in our bedroom but then I found the Urban Outfitters shade and came up with a new idea (that remains to be completed since we have ceiling work and painting to do first).

So, the tear-shaped pieces, after some brainstorming, were to become a mobile for the corner of the second bedroom…but, and this is normal for me, after purchasing the rods and materials, the mechanism fell apart and I was so over it so they sat on a dresser top where I keep my sewing machine (used to be my mamas) for months. But then the studio came along and I saw an opportunity to tape these babies around that bare light fixture (and yes, no “real” ceiling). Nothing inspiring but it fills my heart with joy that they finally found a home. A temporary one because I’m giving the mobile idea another shot…someday.

But really, I’m seriously bad with most crafts. I’ve always been the one to organize, research and plan something with the vision I had, then delegate the tasks if any skill had to be involved in the world of crafts, sewing, and such.

Lucky for me these Poms came partially finished and I only had to form them into the fluffed shape you see.

The Poms are from an etsy seller called Pom + Love because I know on the day I made these and shared them with my facebook friends, a number wanted to know more about these. You can make them yourself but like one point of this post says, I’m not really very good with crafts. I can show you that I made this and this and this and these then this but I do not consider myself an authority on the craft subject. Don’t ask me how I’m good with the furniture thing.

The old, now dead, laptop. RIP but the point is that I made this banner.

I’m not saying this to be ironic either. I’d be the last person on the craft team picked. They’d be like “aw man, she can’t even cut straight” and I would mumble “I can if I have my tongue sticking out…” and my voice would trail off from being hurt then I’d saunter over to join my team while they walked away from me in disappointment. I’d probably try to fain a positive outlook and high five people to be ignored. And I’d be all “I’ll show them” and then there’d be a montage of me ruining everything. Snipping the wrong thread and the entire project falls apart, me in the center of a huge crocheting mess with the hooks and my arms trapped at my side in the jumble, and an entire minute of me just trying to pick up tissue paper without tearing it. I get carried away but I do envision things like this then stamping the word ‘FAIL’ on anything I touch in the crafting world.

Seriously? What the hell was I thinking? This was marked fail but still hangs on the wall in the studio, serving as a reminder of a painful misdoing.

I’ve got the plans, I just don’t have enough skill or maybe it’s patience. I get them confused when it comes to things of this matter. I ask my mom to do some things for me. Now she’s talented.

My DIY wallpaper sample letters

On the very same day I made the paint sample art, I must have gained some confidence because I grabbed ahold of the cardboard letters (find them at JoAnn Fabrics) I bought weeks before and took my (some were free) samples of wallpaper and put them together. Not all willy nilly-like.

The day I realized I hate working with burlap.

I’d actually made burlap letters months before which is the day I realized how much I hate burlap. Burlap should go to that place where bad fabric dies.

Anywhosal, letters with fabric and wallpaper. Ta-da! You trace, cut and glue then stick ‘em wherever you’d like. On a shelf, on a dresser, on the wall, in a nursery, child’s room, adult’s room, kitchen, dining or living room, on a plane, a train, a boat…how’d I get on a boat? Never dreamed I’d be on a boat. Watch the adult language and material on that video I linked to which is hilarious. Wonder if they’d like a wallpaper letter or have ever made one?

Now Henry is one hip guy-you can tell by his glasses.

I’ll be back to show you one more DIY project we did for the studio later this week…although I’m having difficulty transferring and adjusting to the new imac (of course we got a good deal on it from an Amazon seller) we got to replace our dead laptop. I spared you the technical post that I had brewing in my head full of words like back-up, Carbonite, Google Docs, Applecare Protection Plan and support, OS X Lion, iphoto and icloud (crying/yelling/frustration). All things we’ve had issues with in the past week since moving the show on the road to an Apple once again. (I had an ibook in college then we got a Dell from Greg’s brother when that became obsolete.) The day our pup knocked the wine on the laptop was the day I spent hours organizing and writing several posts for each blog, along with documents filled with ideas and directions I wanted to go with both blogs. I was feeling pretty good that day until “the incident.” Our back-up did not do its job then it was gone and I only had the chance to grab one document in Google Docs before it died for good.

Old, old laptop not cutting it any longer

Now I’m attempting to learn the iMac, organize and edit my pics all over again, find other docs for our personal use, back-up the new and obtain things from our old which is taking forever and get back to where I was-efficient and organized-before the spill.

A pile of brush taller than me used to reside here. Another weekend accomplishment.

Then the in-laws are coming to visit in a month (that’s a thing we’re looking forward to), a garage sale needs organized, the backyard is finally rid of all yardwaste bags, brush, and the second clothesline post (as of this weekend) but we now have to pull every single weed and sapling/plan the layout/fix the outdoor plumbing/do something attractive with the walkway between the porch and garage since we removed the ivy and it just has dirt right now, then indoor projects are about to continue, the budget needs to be gone over, appointments for potential customers need arranged for our current inventory (some are not on the public market yet), two dressers need our attention and a million other of life’s things need attention.

One of 6 trips to the compost site this weekend. That tarp proved a great solution for getting all of the stack out in one fell swoop. Kind of felt bad for people picking each brach out of their vehicle. Thanks to our neighbor for the truck again!

Driving me a little bit crazy and weighing on my mind. But I love it.

Oh, and we mowed the lawn for the first time in our first house which sounds silly to announce but you know that feeling-one of those small steps that makes you feel all warm inside.

Product Review: Magid Glove & Safety and Backyard Update

by Annie Posted on April 10, 2012

Greg is picky about products. Quality is key and I am, from years with this man paired with my own level of “particular-ness,” just as choosy about certain products. From tools, equipment, boots, paint, hardware, etc., and we feel we have every right to be since a product can make or break a piece, project or your back. I make fun of my husband sometimes (you should see the man try to make a decision about shoes) but what it comes down to is that we’d rather research and spend the money on quality items we’ll use time and again. Take for instance, my last post about the laptop being destroyed…it’s not coming back, folks, so we’re researching a new computer (bad timing for budget) and will soon buy, most likely, an imac or other quality item. Hopefully very soon because to produce this post is taking 3 times longer and making my old computer smell like burning. Anyway…

But when you’re given an opportunity to get these awesome products for free, you just can’t pass it up. That’d be crazy.

You see, we were given a special offer to try some of Magid Gloves for free in turn for a review on our site. Sounds fair. And we also don’t support causes and products we don’t believe in- it’s just our thing. After looking over the company and their safety gear, we agreed. Magid provides businesses with safety solutions/products, such as, hearing protection, respirators, first aid kits, eyewear, protective clothing, ergonomic items and much more. Fast delivery, efficient shipping methods (some of my recent experiences with companies prove they could learn a few lessons from Magid), “leading manufacturer, importer, distributor and direct supplier” (impressive) of protection equipment with a kind and responsive rep. We were in. Unlike an offer we had to put an ad up for a casino…what?!

When he first laid eyes on these gloves, his face lit up. “Oooh, Kevlar-nice,” and “goatskin leather-ah” (as in wow, soft yet durable…Greg has kangaroo leather gloves he cherishes from his childhood so gloves are his thing). Cut/puncture resistant was important to me and you could tell these weren’t your use and toss in a week kind of products flooding the market.

Greg and I began wearing them around like the weirdos we are…doing activities not needing gloves just to get a feel for their comfort and durability. We used the Kevlar/Lycra pair for some work on current woodworking projects downstairs (show you later of course) and the the Kevlar/leather pair outside for yard work. Both proved superior to anything we’ve had before and the form fitting style, comfort and durability were vastly greater than previous pairs we’ve purchased. These gloves are amazing pieces of quality work so we’d like to see the word spread.

The weekend came, as it tends to do with great relief, and we put these babies to good use. Actually, I had a head start and worked outside a few days (and 9 hours longer than Greg…a point I kept making when he made fun of how sore I was compared to him) last week, ripping out the last of that pesky ivy.

The day I took the ivy on alone.

During what we called our “clean up and organize what we’ve done before and let go” weekend, the gloves came out again. There were at least 20 bags (39-gallon yard waste bags to be precise) sat behind our garden shed with the removed trellis, fence, yard ornaments, rocks, brush and other debris. Thus we began two, yes two, full days of visits to the compost site, pruning, removal of vines, various dead plants, and one clothesline post buried 4 feet in the ground (ouch) and we also “attacked” the side yard where limbs came down, dirt came out, the giant pile Greg made that I told him not to (ahem) was raked into 23 of those 39-gallon bags (after our already twenty-something were taken to the dump) in our new wheelbarrow (a real Truper-ha-not free).

Not our backyard but the compost site in town. They look similar....wish I were joking.
The new batch of yardwaste to remove...never seems to end.

The gloves did not tear, the wrists fit snug even after putting them on and off a hundred times and my fingers didn’t hurt like they did with the other gloves we used to rip/dig out most of the ivy and countless plants. The grip was wonderful and they are ready to keep rocking for many weekends to come. And you know there are plenty of those left with this backyard/house renovation task. Things are really starting to shape up around here.

We can dig it and we did.

Side note: just before Easter, I found a bunny nest by our garage, in the ivy, and I used those gloves to move the nest from harm since I had exposed them. So for tough jobs or actions done with care, these gloves can do it all…corny, I know but the bunnies were adorable and had to make their way into my post.

Bunnies not mice.

The mom found her babies and took them away which is dandy since I am the type of person to care for orphan animals even if they are considered pests to some. I just hope they aren’t around here causing more damage to the property as we’ve witnessed on the last 5 or 6 weekends of outdoor work.

Next weekend, we’ll be back to the compost site, back to borrowing our neighbor’s truck (we put a number of bags in our Subaru Forester which worked but a truck was easier), and back to removing various items that have worn out their welcome. I’m preparing for a garage sale as well. I’m pretty good, if I do say so myself, putting those together.

Believe it or not, this is cleaner than it was.
This must go too...cue Gone With the Wind music...after all, next weekend is another weekend.

Big thanks to Magid Glove & Safety-your rep was right to think they’d be a good match for our projects!

Heads-Up

by Annie Posted on April 4, 2012

My drunkard lush puppy knocked over his glass of wine on my laptop the other night. After some dry time, it came back to life then (not joking), died again as soon as Greg, my husband, left for work but only after using it to check some email without a single issue. It’s still not functioning hours later. Hopefully with a little dry time, all will be well and we won’t have to figure out how to purchase a new one. I think it involves something called cash or currency in exchange for the item but I’m not familiar with the term ‘cash’ as a new homeowner.

I’m on the dinosaur laptop, Brachio-Dell, that’s barely functioning. If it doesn’t go extinct, I could be in business for a short period of time. Trying to download my desktop from the other computer-thanks to Carbonite’s back-up-is proving to be a major pain in the arse.

Anywhosal, I might be absent for an unknown amount of time.

Lush puppy

DIY Pinboard

by Annie Posted on April 3, 2012

After a bad hair “trim” where I’m now missing several inches and the layers my thick, curly hair needs, a dog bite on our pup Henry yesterday from a known aggressive dog (too bad no one said anything til he chomped on his ear Tyson style) and uncooperative weather, I can still say the weekend was a good one. More yard work, more soreness but grilling, some sun and a feeling like we’re actually getting somewhere outside since almost all of the ivy ground cover stuff is up. I’m not familiar with it but if I had to name it, it would be called the ivy from hell. And I may or may not have met our new neighbor, in the beautiful mid-century house behind us, with my rear in the air, hands on the ground (except the one waving when I turned) and dirt on my face.

Talk about aggressive. This stuff climbs on everything and the attempts to contain it were futile by the previous owner (plus we’re finding out outdoor maintenance wasn’t a priority with them). You take one look and think, no biggie and then numerous hours (6 or so for one tree surrounded by the ivy), blood, sweat and tears later and you know this is enemy numero uno up in this joint. But it’s gone and it feels so good. Almost gone. We still have to tackle it on the side of the garage.

Ripping the ivy, after loosening it with the shovel, was the only way to remove ALL of it so there was a lot of crawling on the ground for those 6 hours while the college guys next door watched.

We meant to have more things to show you that we did for the new studio but only one is in place (spray paint dries better when the temps are warmer and the weather person fibbed about Saturday).

I’ll show you what we did. I’m fairly proud. While roaming around our local Menards for supplies, I saw a corkboard/pinboard and recalled how I wanted one in the studio. Not just my virtual pinboard on Pinterest which is a life changer.

This is not how it came.

I noticed how boring the board was and thought gee, and I know I’m not the first, what if we put some different trim around this puppy and added some color. I found this…

One piece wouldn’t suffice and that’s what was in the bin-I’m picky and didn’t want to choose another. The heart wants what the heart wants. I played the role of annoying DIY blogger and asked the guy if there was more and there was…on the cart, in the middle of the pile, requiring him to literally hammer it out until we could grab it. We only needed one more piece but one end was damaged enough that we couldn’t use it so 3 it was. And I am not above pointing it out to get a reduced price but somehow my attention was elsewhere and the chance slipped by.

Henry helping Greg
Henry and Greg disagreed on where the screws should go...
then it came to blows.

Greg removed the old frame, cut the trim, pre-drilled then put the screws in to make a new frame, filled the holes with wood filler, then we sprayed a few coats of Rust-oelum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2X in teal which I can’t find on their site but have seen in several stores. Love the stuff. I grabbed the meadow green, this teal and a few other shades. It’s great stuff.

Rust-oleum Meadow Green...this was a frame given to us by Greg's mom (hope she doesn't mind)

Then we attached the dry frame to the corkboard, by gluing and screwing, and began attaching the bracket to the back then the other portion to the brick wall. Easy project.

And by the way, the corkboard is just a thin sheet of cork on cardboard and this size cost $10. We have a ton of cardboard around here and a roll of cork is inexpensive . Next time we’ll make it ourselves cheaper.

The entire cost, and this is probably not that impressive since we should have made the cork portion on our own, was less than $40 with the spray paint (on sale for about $3 and enough to do another project from Rustoleum in a teal with a name I can’t recall but reminds me of a peacock which I totally love), the trim $7/piece (and we have some left to use on another project-picture frame), corkboard, we already had the glue and screws, and add the bracket to hold it on the wall.

My cute pushpins from a great store, the Curiosity Shoppe

I like my custom board which rests by my desk with all kinds of things that make me happy.

A close-up
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