Old wallpaper had to go!

I've been saving money for quite a while to fix up my "upstairs living room" which is a kind of swollen hallway that the bedrooms and bathroom open into - SIX doors counting the stairway door. It does have a nice double window and room for a seating area at one end. And we're also renovating one of the front bedrooms which had yucky paneling on the two outside walls. We took the paneling down this past winter when we augmented the old blown in insulation, so that got me planning. The picture below is what was on the one unpaneled wall in the living room. I have no idea how old it is, probably the same age as the paneling. I kind of liked it, except that it was old and dirty. I saved a piece to frame and hang in the room if I want to later.
 

Here are more views of that room and the wallpaper. Dd and I tried to get if off with fabric softener this spring but it took forever and was very hard. So a few weeks ago a friend and I rented a steamer - and even then it took 2 days to do the rooms.

 

 

 

Here are a couple of pics of the walls in the front room. They had an interesting brown on cream botanical paper at one time. Most of it had paint on it too. Then underneath everything in both rooms was a gold paper that was often very hard to remove, though in a very few places on the green wallpapered wall it came off with all the other layers at once, easy peasy.

 

 

I don't know why I find the old paper so interesting. Its history I guess.

The old walls in this 1920s home were in rough shape underneath, so dh insisted that we put a kind of thin fiberglass stuff that goes up like wall paper. I've been doing unskilled labor on the project before and after work, like pull out hundreds of nails from the paneling and daily clean up. I'm going to paint the rooms when ready, buy a new couch (I've picked it out: its chartreuse), make curtains, paint some of the existing furniture and keep dh, who thinks i'm out of my mind, at bay. Oh and another friend has offered me a cute little love seat which is a similar style to the new couch, but I'll need to slip cover or reupholster it.

Other than that I've been repairing wallpaper and baseboard in another bedroom where we hadn't gotten around to filling the little holes left in the aftermath of the blown in insulation. (We had to make holes from the interior since we have aluminium siding.) And putting cork on the closet walls in that room, don't ask me why - long story. Its all taken a lot longer than I thought! And I've made some new plate flowers but they aren't in the garden yet. Nothing much to show yet! But soon...

Kathy

Yard Art Thursday - Faerie & flowers

 

I'm linking to Work of the Poet. Please check out more yard art here!

Above is a faerie from my friend Sarah's garden. I think she is my favorite garden fairy ever.

And nature's garden art. Usually these would be long gone due to the frost. But I still have blooming begonias on my back steps this year.

 

 

 

 

I've also been busy doing things! Will post pics when I've actually finished a project.

Kathy

Gargoyles and gnomes in Sarah's garden

Here are some of my friend Sarah's garden art:

 

I just love the gargoyle and these two gnomes:

 

 

Check out Yard Art Thursday at Mary's "Work of the Poet"

Sky shots from Windsor Vermont

Check out amazing skies from all over the world at Skywatch Friday.

Mine are recently taken from Windsor Vermont.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking. I lost my camera, and my dh got me a new one for my birthday. I took these pictures on my birthday, and I'm not used to using it yet!

Kathy

More from the Path of Life Sculpture Garden in Windsor VT

Here is the area for Family.

 

You can see the circle of figures symbolizing Community from Family.

 

And then a couple of closeups of the figures in Community. They are 10 or so feet tall.

 

 

You can look at an earlier post about these gardens here.

If you decide to visit, Simon Pierce glass blowing, and a brewery with a restaurant are nearby! The cost to visit the garden is $5 for adults.
Kathy

Update: I posted some pics of the maze on Garden Web. Here is the link. I hope that the fact that I also linked from there to here doesn't destroy the universe or anything.

I'm linking up to Yard Art Thursday at Work of the Poet.

Custom porch chair cushion

I got this chair and cushion for our newly reno'ed screen porch at HD at the end of season sale. It was the last chair and last cushion at the HD in our town.

 

DH really liked the cushion, and wanted me to get another one for our old pale yellow rocker figuring we could use something else for the back. This nice compact rocker for our small porch has family sentimental value, but has been difficult to fit with modern cushions. And the few that sort of fit obscure the pretty shape of the back.

So I when I went to help my mom in my hometown, I went to the HD there hoping to find another like the one I bought. All that was left in that pattern was a chaise cushion - but it was only $21. Thats a lot of material and padding for the price. So I thought I can do this. In the picture below I've removed the padding and cut 3 layers into the shape of the seat of the chair, using a pattern I made out of newspaper. You can see it sitting in front of the rocker.

 

I did the same for the back, with 2 layers of batting. For the fabric on the bottom seat, to minimize sewing, I only made some adjustments to the existing chaise shape, making it smaller and sewing box corners on the front. The back I was more daring and totally remade, cutting 2 pieces in the shape I wanted then cutting strips for the sides. I intended the back cushion to slide in back of the seat cushion and just reach to top of the back, but I discovered its so much more comfy this way:

 

Its now the best seat on the porch! And it was easy, inexpensive and fun to realize I can do it. Now I want to make cushions for all my chairs.

Check out some inspiring finished projects at Lit and Laundry's Finished for Friday and at My Romantic Home's Show & Tell Friday.

Kathy

Guitar guy! Yard art Thursday

 
This 20 foot tall (my estimate)guy is made out of river drift wood and recycled wood. He is one of five similar musicians at the Path of Life Sculpture Garden in Windsor VT. The boards at his feet are the xylophone of the adjacent musician!

 

I went yesterday for my birthday with dh and dfd and her boyfriend. I'll post more on the garden with more pics this weekend.
Please check out Yard Art Thursday at Life of the Poet to see more cool yard and garden art.
Kathy

Yard art Thursdays - sculpture accidental and on purpose

I'm linking up to Work of the Poet's Yard Art Thursdays. Check out the other Yard Art posts there!

I love the way my dh stacked our birch logs then the cut down slabs of bark that the sawmill cut off first before making boards out of the trees that we cut down. (The operator brought a portable sawmill right to our drive way - it was very cool and interesting.)

Next to the pile is the old porch footing - concrete cast in a nail bucket (bucket long gone), and a round metal "box" from the dump on top.



My neighbor piled some stones up on one of the stumps which is almost flush to the ground. I kept thinking of Mama Rabbit in Beatrix Potter when I was in my driveway.



The funny thing is that my neighbor had them stacked differntly until they fell down, and that time they looked like Jemima Puddle duck to me! Can you see Mrs. Rabbit?

Kathy

Why I am following myself.

I feel a bit silly, but its the only way I could get Google friend connect to work. Something changed and I couldn't access anyone's e-mails. This was particularly a problem if someone commented who doesn't have a blog and I wanted to respond or just say hello! I don't know why this worked, but I'm glad it did.

So do you follow yourself? Sounds funny, like being your own shadow. Or having an evil twin.

Kathy

Rainy day mushroom pillow

OK it finally rained and was cool enough that I made some more concrete stuff.

Here is Ringo who ran into the picture to give you an idea of the size of these 'shrooms!



And here is one in its natural environment:



I made some other things, but they are still works in progress!

Check out the cool stuff at Yard Art Thursday at Work of the Poet and Lit and Laundry's Finished for Friday!

Kathy

Udate: I secretly put one in a friend's garden whose birthday is Sunday. She hasn't found it yet.

Finally have a screen porch!

Last night I had some women from the neighborhood over to hang out on my new porch! And I'm sitting there now to write this post. Check out other projects at Bobbypins Boardwalk's Bragfest!

Two years ago our back porch was listing and we knew we had to have it repaired. The 1920s vintage footings for the porches were concrete poured in nail buckets. In the process we decided that we should screen the porch in and make it look similar to the upstairs screened in sleeping porch. Finally the screening was completed on Monday! The reason it took so long, is that my dh wanted to do all painting and repairing before the screens were up. I'm so pleased. Our house is not beautiful, but it is a nice practical comfortable home. The trim is white (and peeling) in this pic - not sure where the yellowy green came from! And we did have lattice on the bottom, its been torn off in the pic in prep for the digging.

BEFORE:


AFTER:
We also replaced the skinny corner boards with wide ones all over the house at the same time. The porch faces east and the siding is a bit washed out looking cuz of the morning sun. We used Screeneze system (downstairs, upstairs is traditional screening.)




We have these engineered wood steps that are nice to sit on and a stone patio so that we still have outdoor living space. I was skeptical about the faux wood, but the steps are not slippery in winter like real wood steps.


Thanks for looking. I'm sitting here drinking coffee with the kitties. They are slowly learning to use the kitty door in the screen to left of the people door.

Kathy

Celebrate the Fourth of July

I'm linking to Someday Crafts Catagorically Crafting: Patriotic Crafts. Check out what other people have done for the holiday!

I made a red white and blue glass totem and a plate flower.


I don't have the plate flower mounted cuz I can't find my right glue, so laying on the ground just doesn't do the red glass justice. But here it is.


The totem is out front in the heat. I may move it after the holiday.



Happy Fourth!

Kathy

Vintage Thingys Thursday - I wasn't supposed to go junk shopping but...

I needed some more red white and blue pieces for holiday decor.

This post is about the other stuff that I got. Check out the Vintage Thingys at Colorado Lady to see lots of Vintage Thingies posts.

This pretty set of dishes and all these willow ware saucers:


Here's a closeup of the dishes (They are white with pretty edges):


Here are some other saucers (25 cents each), and some clear pressed glass to use for garden art. The glass goes with a "set" of 3 that I have already. This will make 2 yellows but that's ok. The terra cotta markers and birds aren't vintage but they were also 25 cents each.


I love the lily of the valley saucer:

I did get some red white and blue stuff. I may post it on the Fourth!

Kathy

Yard Art Thursday!

Check out the other Yard Art at Work of the Poet!

I like to make concrete shapes and pile them up. I'd like to make really tall ones, but I haven't figuerd out what to use as spacers. Someday...

In the meantime:

The big blue pot and little concrete bird are "store bought"


Zorro likes this little one. Check out Spiderman's nemesis hiding in back of the trillium at the base of the rock:


Stepping stone flower:


I love making things from concrete. Want to make some mushrooms over the weekend.

Kathy