It’s been quite a summer for us and I finally have about a week of downtime before my postdoc position begins. I am determined to finish the projects I’ve daydreamed about while finishing my writing and letting the house and yard and sweet little Jax fend for themselves!
Some of these took more time than others. Some things we’ve been working on:
A little project for my little nephew. I’m not finished yet so I can’t reveal any more about it!
I made this craft table and chair set from found items and decoupaged scrapbook paper. The only issue we’ve had is that because I used non-toxic milk paint, the finish is not very durable. You can see from the multicolored stains that we’ve done a lot of various painting projects!
A 5-minute craft organizer for under $10: That’s an inexpensive towel rod from Home Depot, some industrial S hooks, and metal buckets found for a dollar. If you wanted to make it a 30 minute project, you could paint it to match the decor. We’re all about function for the moment!
We also had a momentous month, with my finishing my dissertation and Seth contributing to the cover story of the current issue of Fortune. Whee!
This is a classic chair update, nothing too fancy or unusual here, but it’s so quick and easy, I thought I’d photograph the process and encourage others to take on a similar project. You can do this in an afternoon (including drying time), and the actual active time is only about an hour or so. That means that instead of taking coffee/snack breaks, just take a quick painting break and it really takes no time at all.
Before: We picked up these two chairs at a now-closed antique shop in Cold Spring. I think we paid around $10 each and the seller believed them to be from the 1920s. They were cool and rustic-looking, but had some issues, one of which was smelling kind of stale. I knew those chair pads had to go.
The wooden parts are pretty beat up, especially in the cut-out backing and around the bottom where feet have weathered away the corners.
So let’s get going! First, I took off the seat, which was really easy. I turned the chair over and just had to unscrew four screws.
Next, I sanded it down so that the paint would adhere better.
I used white furniture paint and brushes, but would probably recommend a spray paint for an object with so many nooks and crannies.
The first coat will look terrible, but after 3 coats, it wasn’t looking too bad. I let it dry about an hour in between coats.
While the paint was drying, I dealt with the seat. See how there are 2 layers of fabric? That checkered layer is actually a napkin from Pier I. I figured it out as I took it apart: its still had its original tag with a $3.50 price. The orange layer is probably original, and below that was that old-school stuffing that just falls apart. I’m not sure what it’s made of. Animal hair of some sort? Anyway, I pulled out all of the staples and upholstery tacks and got down to the wooden base.
All clean and ready for new padding.
I just took the wooden seat to a sewing store that cuts foam to size and had a new foam pad (2 inches thick) in minutes. I discovered a place that does this only minutes from our house, so this was really an easy step in the process.
I measured the old fabric for size. I figured I needed a square about 22 inches wide.
So I measured my new fabric and laid the foam and seat on top to make sure I was giving myself enough clearance for the new pad height. I think most upholsterers use more than just the foam padding in this process: they would at least add a layer of batting to the top, but I was keeping it quick and simple.
By the way, the fabric is a Japanese print I found at Purl Soho a few months ago (no longer available there) and bought specifically for this project, since it has a heavier canvas-like weight. It’s by Nani Iro for Kokka and called “Antique Label.”
I used these tacks to attach the new fabric to the seat with a hammer. One package contains 24, but I actually needed 28, so I used some of the really old upholstery tacks I recovered from the old padding and used them on some of the parts that wouldn’t show as much (not that any really show being underneath.)
I used the same technique to do this as you would to stretch a canvas: Start in the middle on one side, then the middle on the other. Then turn 90 degrees and tack the middle right and middle left. Work this way slowly extending to the corners, leaving the corners for last.
All attached.
Now all I had to do was reattach the seat to the chair with the four screws I had taken out at the beginning.
1. First I hemmed the bottom of the entire piece of fabric I used. This helps insure that the stripes will line up, since the bottom seam will be identical on all curtains made from the fabric piece. Next, I held the fabric up to the bed and decided where I’d like it to hang, and marked what would be the top of the fort curtains. Adding 2 inches for the top seam allowance, I cut the whole strip of the fabric so it was even in height.
2. I measured the length of the bed (75 inches), divided by 2 (37.5 inches) and added a 1/2-inch seam allowance for each side, which meant I needed two panels 38.5 inches wide. I measured and cut two such panels from my hemmed piece and sewed the side seams. Ironing before pinning and sewing makes this process go smoothly.
3. I sewed a 1-inch seam into the top of the piece (the red band in the photo below) and then pinned a strip of velcro (the soft side) along the entire top seam on the right side of the curtain. I sewed the Velcro to the fabric along each edge of the Velcro, including vertically at the ends (picture one big, long, rectangular seam on top of the Velcro).
4. After wiping down the wood, I attached the self-adhesive side of the Velcro in a strip onto the inside of the bed frame.
5. Voilà, the two curtains attached to the bed using the Velcro strips. I somehow ended up a couple inches short (I say 1/2-inch seam allowances and then don’t actually measure) but I find it doesn’t matter at all. You can play around with the curtain placement and keep them open by stuffing the corners into a space you make with a finger in the Velcro (my method) or by wrapping it around the top frame a few times (which looks more like a valance).
In action!
6. Finally, I feel compelled to note that the top of the bed is completely open and we remove the curtains entirely at bedtime. Jax is a pretty calm sleeper, but you never know if there could be some sort of entanglement risk at just 19 months…
The beauty of this project is that it is inexpensive, easy, quick, and open to interpretation. You could add appliqué elements to make it look like a castle or a fruit stand, change striped curtains for starry blue ones, or get the child involved in making it into any kind of structure he imagines. My sister even had the idea of suspending several yards of fabric from the ceiling and around a hoola hoop, to make it into a circus tent. As time goes on, we are sure to play around with some other ideas for Jax’s bed. In the mean time, we’ll be playing in our new striped fort.
It’s amazing the things people will leave on the street on trash night. One rainy night in January, we spotted a huge pile of furniture, many pieces with drawers pulled out and stacked, and doors painstakingly removed. I suppose the furniture’s previous owner was sure nobody would want the stuff, so they were making it easier for garbage collection. With my solid-wood, dovetail-drawer-spotting prowess, I jumped out, surveyed the pile, and schemed its transport home (about a block away). Two trips later and we made off with:
~ a dark wood secretary desk with vintage envelope openers still in one of the drawers
~ a vintage Raleigh women’s bicycle (old-school cruiser kind)
~ a steel industrial-looking fan
~ a black buffet
I was able to find all the parts to all the pieces, with the exception of the buffet’s hinged front doors. Never discouraged, ten dollars in supplies made it look like it was supposed to have open shelves all along. I thought about refinishing the whole thing in a new color, but it was in really good shape. So here it is:
Materials:
~ 1 small can (1/2 pint) Rustoleum Painter’s Touch paint in black, semi-gloss ($4)
~ 1 3-inch paint brush ($4)
~ 1 1-inch paint brush ($1)
In progress: All I really needed to paint were the two removable shelves and what had been two cabinets on the left and right. If I hadn’t been pressed for time, I would also have filled the holes left by the hinges (which I removed), but the paint at least makes them less noticeable.
The bottom shelf contains a basket for all of Jax’s shoes.
I also painted over some nicks in the top and along the sides. The square pedestal plate usually holds mail that just came in, or the camera.
On a somewhat related note, we use this antique French plate my friend Cécilia sent us as a catch-all for keys and randomness.
In all, this was a really quick, inexpensive project, and really not that creative. It was just one of those simple things we could do to make our neighbor’s garbage our own new-found treasure!
We have some decorating to do in the living room, and I thought taking a close look at our rug would be a good place to start. Since it was quite an investment (hand-woven in wool and silk) and we really love the floral pattern – and the fact that there is not a very clear center to the design, so placement isn’t so important – it’s a logical point of departure.
That’s a lot of orange {because of the photo quality}, but the peaches and pinks are pretty close to life. I thought I could get a more “real” representation of the colors in it with some closer shots:
This is more like it!
Finally, I wanted to bring out what appears to be a light blue in some of the flowers, but the color seems to be coming up as a gray. When I look at the rug up close in person, the software indeed didn’t lie: definitely more gray than blue.
Of course, the carpet is not the be-all-end-all of the color possibilities. In fact, I’d rather steer away from the too matchy-matchy tendency that could make our room look old and fussy and predictable. I think I may throw in a light aqua color, which I hope will make the space seem more bright and creative if done right. My first project is going to repaint an awesome buffet/dresser that I found in the trash just down the street – perhaps in a distressed aqua finish. Or maybe gray?
There is also the question of what color to paint the walls, since the room needs a paint job anyway.
We are definitely in the market for a couch for the living room. I’ve been impressed with the quality and prices of Room & Board‘s sofas. Custom made in the U.S.A., with seemingly endless fabric choices…
The Hutton Sofa in Vance Fabric, Cloud color, would work very well and maybe add more of a modern touch to the room’s style.
These are two chairs we already have in the living room, which we definitely love but could easily lead us down a too-traditional path. We love the classic French lines, but some modern accent pillows could spruce things up. The color on the left is sort of a dark eggplant, with a cool darker finish on the wood. If I were really adventurous, I’d reupholster the ivory chair in a modern fabric and add a new finish to the wood to make it pop. For now, you really can’t go wrong with neutrals.
The color palette generator is definitely a useful guide for accent fabrics. We need to come up with a few contrasting fabrics and patterns for pillows and perhaps some window treatments as well. A quick look at Calico Corners yielded some fun patterns I think could work, at really affordable prices, too.
Some neutrals:
Blues:
Pinks and Reds:
Some of the floral patterns may conflict too much with the rug, but I think the over-sized ones would make a nice accent. As long as it’s just pillows, a bright pattern can work well. Isn’t that coral pattern cool? If we’re thinking about curtains (and the room could probably use more window insulation help), I would have to look to the neutrals and figure out which would best complement the rest of the room and keep it feeling airy.
Anyway, it’s just some brainstorming to give our living room more color and style. This post has sort of been an idea board to plan it out. We’ll see where the project takes us over the next few months!
Our heating bills for January and February were each over $400, most of which was made up of gas charges for heating. And that was with us being away for a week each month, during which we set our thermostat to 45. Yikes! Maybe it’s just because we were used to low bills in our 350-square-foot apartment, but we still thought we could do much better. It was frustrating knowing that we’ve taken all the little steps to save on energy (covering drafty windows with plastic, setting the thermostat to 64, wearing extra sweaters and wool slippers indoors…) and still end up with a huge bill.
We had heard from several neighbors, friends, and websites that a wood-burning stove was an energy-efficient and effective way to heat a house. Even better, you could have a wood-burning stove insert put into an existing fireplace so that you need not have a freestanding stove in the middle of the room (something a bit more than scary with kids in the house). The big snowstorm that knocked power out of half our town and left many households without heat (even gas heating systems have electrical parts) basically sealed the deal for us. Oh yes, and with an EPA-certified clean-burning stove, you get a big tax credit that cuts the cost by a third.
So yesterday we had the wood burning stove installed and we are all cozy now!
Some photos of the process:
Before: Just a regular ol’ fireplace, which was actually quite well insulated, but couldn’t really heat the room very well.
Delivery on Thursday: The stove is the big cube and the insulating pipe for the chimney is in the box at left.
Always a favorite toy.
After!
A close-up shot: Sadly, we have a little smoke in this one, but in fires since we’ve had a clear view. You get that comfy by-the-fire visual with the major heating capacity of the stove.
Inspired by this product found via Ohdeedoh a while back, I grabbed an old wine box we had laying around, added $4.50 worth of casters, and voilà! Toy storage for the den:
With a little more time and research, we could score some awesome colored skateboard wheels to resemble the $100 original, but for now, we’re pretty pleased with the result.
We moved over four months ago and are still settling in: there are so many projects we’d like to get to! Updating kitchen, repainting, installing ceiling fans, new windows, adding a deck… but for now we have barely furnished the place and are still staring at a lot of bare walls. The tag sales around here have been great in helping us furnish the empty rooms in what still feels like a mansion. What a difference an extra 1100+ square feet can make.
So keeping in mind that this is a work in progress, I present to you our first official house tour, from front to back:
The front view in mid-summer, with blooming perennials.
This side is the only sunny outdoor space we have, so the previous owners put up several window boxes to grow herbs and vegetables.
First lawn-mowing.
Check out the tropical flowers to the right! Oh yeah, and to the left is a sweet baby testing out a tricycle.
Living/Dining Room
A couch will line that wall on the left. We’re looking for something contemporary to balance out the antique-y feel of the other furniture.
Living room stained glass window, made my one of the house’s previous owners.
The fireplace we have yet to try. We now have a screen in front of it now, and plenty of wood in the backyard.
This artwork keeps changing spaces, but once we have some of our paintings out of storage, we’ll have better-decorated walls.
Dining area: We plan to get a rustic dining room table made of reclaimed barn wood (there are a couple of places in Connecticut and Massachusetts that make them).
Dining area looking out to the back yard.
Dining room stained glass
The kitchen, facing the front door.
The den, which also serves as my office. My “desk” is a family heirloom: a farm table from Hoosick Falls, NY. The chairs we picked up at an antique store and could use a makeover.
Heading upstairs…
Stairway window
Jax’s room is purple at the moment. I’d like to paint it an aqua color, but we’ll get to that in the spring.
The crib is also a family heirloom from the Hoosick Falls farmhouse, which was completely redone to meet today’s safety standards.
The upstairs full bath has the most cheerful Provençal look to it.
…and more stained glass!
Our bedroom takes the space of what was originally two bedrooms.
Plenty of room for the port-a-crib, for a certain 1-year-old who likes to be close.
I love my dressing nook.
With my own south-facing window. The stained glass piece also came with the house.
The backyard in June (it’s covered in leaves at the moment).
The dining room setup: even the high chair was put to use.
The den is just to the right of the living room and on the way outside. We had The Red Balloon movie looped and playing in here (at my desk) to set the scene. Because there is very little dialogue in the movie, it served as background music as well. Balloon garland and paper lanterns from Pearl River.
These “red balloon” mini sandwiches were an idea I got from the wonderful Party Perfect blog, the readers of which helped me brainstorm. These photos show the toddler-friendly cream cheese version. Paris plates from Marshall’s.
I also had an adult version: ham and swiss cheese with French mustard on pain au levain (French sourdough bread we are lucky to find at our farmer’s market, along with those olives in the foreground).
The inside menu: cupcakes, mini “red balloon” sandwiches, the all-important fromage plate, salad, and sangria.
I made the pennant bunting myself out of heavy scrapbook paper and embroidery floss. It was easy to divide the 12×12″ pieces into triangles, dividing in half lengthwise and in thirds crosswise and drawing long diagonal lines from top to bottom (does that make sense?), resulting in 10 triangles per sheet. The whole bundle of paper, cutouts, labels, stickers, and punch-outs were in vintage 50s prints. I used less than a quarter of the stack and created a whole party from it: liners for the invitation envelopes (above), the “Happy Birthday” garland hanging from the window in the center, and photo “frames” for baby photos adorning the wall.
Outside we had the non-alcoholic drinks: lemonade served in a this dispenser, Orangina, Perrier, apple juice boxes, milk boxes, and sippy cups for the little ones. Our wonderful next-door neighbor Jane let us borrow the beautiful folding bamboo chairs. She even had a 1-year-old-sized version. {I didn’t take any photos during the party, so I’ll post more outside pictures when I get them! Edit: See below!}
The red balloons were a huge hit with all the toddlers.
{Hint: when mylar balloons are popped, they don’t become choking hazards as the rubber ones do.}
Update: Some more photos from Grandma & Grandpa Weintraub show the scene outdoors!
Toddler sized French bistrot chair
One of the most fun activities for the little ones was to smash those balloons!
They played in a band, too
A lone balloon at the end of the driveway let arriving guests know they were in the right place.
