CORBELS AND WOODCUTS

    For a little while now I have been keeping an eye out for a set of 4 old corbels to be used on the kitchen island.  I have not been looking for any particular design.  It is difficult enough finding a set of 4 and even more difficult finding a set of 4 in relatively good condition.  Today was my day.  I found 4 fantastic corbels at Paul's Place

A little elbow grease required but essentially solid

A happy coincidence  I discovered just a moment ago when I was looking at a photo of the stairs at Hawthorne Avenue.....

A similar pattern in the woodcut trim on the stairs

DONNIE PICKED UP WHERE I LEFT OFF

The other day I ended here.

The next day, when I arrived at the house, Donnie had continued the project.

 Remember I said I would reveal Wallace's favorite adhesive/filler...bondo is it.  

The half inch gap between the hand rail and the new drywall is filled with Bondo .  Hardened, it becomes part of the wood and when sanded it can be molded to any shape.

Once painted it will look like one continuous handrail 

A BENCH IN PROGRESS

The framing for the bench seat covering the duct work in my studio

Seat as seen from the doorway

The front of the bench has 3 compartments for storage

Essential tools

A crude jig to create uniform lengths of bead board

Each board  is cut into 17 1/4 inch lengths  to face the bench

Painted bead board, salvaged from the side porch ceiling

Leveling the first board 

Two wires come out the front for electrical sockets

I'm lovin' the look of the authentically aged boards

SHINGLES

Last week the re-shingling began.  

We are using the same crew who did such a great job on the roof, gutters and copper detailing.  

Forming the copper

Old shingles come down

New shingles go up

If you need roof work done call Fan Roofing.  Ask for Joe to give you an estimate, and when he comes out to your house within 24 hours and works up a proposal in the next day or 2 you will want Thomas heading up the job.  When they make an appointment, they keep it.  If they say they are coming and cannot make it, they call.  They listen to what the customer actually wants.  Their work is high quality. And here is a big one that I never really thought too much about before this project.....they clean up after themselves.  We cannot say enough good things about these guys!

MISS MAGNOLIA

Miss Magnolia enjoys a new magazine and a drink amidst the 3rd floor drywall dust.

SATURDAY

     Tomorrow is Saturday.  One of my favorite days of the week.  Of course 10 out of 10 people would probably say the same thing but not for the same reason.

    Tomorrow I GET to work on my old house.  Now mind you...this is not tongue-in-cheek or the kind of GET to Tom Sawyer would use when he was white washing the fence or that my mother used to use when I was a little girl and she would say, "Carlie I'm going to LET YOU dust today."  I am really excited about tomorrow because I GET to use my new tools and the new skills and tool tricks I have picked up these last 2 days.

    As a sneak preview...here is a beadboard trimmed out skylite in my new studio space.  It is quite good, if I do say so myself!

TOOL? TOY?

    Guess who has a new toy tool toy?  That would be ME!  We are beginning to do more detailed work involving trim.  The agenda the next couple of weeks includes building posts for the 2nd story using the one remaining post we found in the basement rafters as a template, constructing a bench seat to conceal the ducts crossing my studio, and trimming the skylites with bead board.  The new tool for these and other upcoming tasks is a cordless pneumatic nailing gun.

Ooooooooooo....AHHHHHHHHHH !

I have already taken this lovely for a spin, so to speak, and it is a blast.  Any one need something fastened with a finishing nail?  Is it odd that I am so enamored with tools?  Does anyone else out there share this passion?

A ROOM FILLED WITH MEMORIES AND LOVE

One of my favorite features of my house on Warren Road where I live now is my studio.

     

 I designed it, had it built, 

painted it, decorated it,

 furnished it,

 and stocked it with art tools and supplies. 

 It is a place that is 100% me.

   I've sewn, soldered, and sung there.  I have decoupaged, danced and drilled there.  I have painted and printed, felted and carved, and even knitted and napped there.

   Over the past 7 years, I have enjoyed this space both alone and with numerous very special artists.

    For me, my studio is a place which causes a noticeable drop in my stress level simply by crossing its threshold.  Perhaps it is the lingering scent of fresh paint.  Maybe it is the peaceful feeling of being surrounded by calming colors and sentimental objects.   Perhaps it is the mere anticipation of allowing my creativity to flow.  Whatever my Warren Road studio has, I am attempting to transform this 3rd floor attic space on Hawthorne Avenue into my future haven of inspiration and imagination.

    Stay posted for more recent studio transformations, and, when the transformation is finished, all my favorite artists are invited to join me there to create fabulous works and to fill it with unforgettable memories!

PLASTERING 101

Today I learned how to plaster.

No.  Let me take that back.

Today I had my first lesson in plastering.

Mixing

Freshly mixed mortar on an antique mortar stand

Building up the brown coat, I try to move as quickly as possible.

As the brown coat dries it cracks slightly.

Working the edge where the plaster meets the drywall ceiling  

Plastering is WAY more difficult than I thought it would be.  

PROGRESS

My studio in June

My studio today, 2-3-12

Library wall in June

Library wall today, 2-3-12

CLAUSTROPHOBIC

    After moving through this Hawthorne house for so many months without  walls and on ocassion without windows or roof,  the return of walls caught me feeling a little claustrophobic.   Claustrophobic but pleased with the results...

I ADORE the angles outside my studio on the 3rd floor!

A FRIEND IN DEED

   In the next week or 2 Donnie is teaching me to plaster and we will repair damage to the walls over the fireplaces.  Step one is cleaning up the walls.  To this end, my friend Chris is back helping me at my "new old house".  Instead of pulling nails, he is peeling wallpaper from the plaster over the fireplaces. 

It was a game to see who could peel the largest piece.

Chris has got a long reach.

   Rather than removing the paper, former owners have been content to simply paint over the paper.   A bit of an annoyance but nothing I cannot handle....especially with friends like Chris!