Tag Archives: do it yourself

The Office Project is DONE!

04 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by in Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure 2016, Wood Crafts

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The office project has actually been done for a couple of months. I’ve just had too many other things going on to write about it.  The battle with the local fauna has begun and it’s gotten ugly, the pool water reached a point where there was no alternative other than draining and refilling (it lasted healthily for 10 years so I can’t complain, even though I complained a LOT at the cost. I’d best find flecks of 24 karat gold in that water at that price.), it’s weed season, a new planting season, and wind season. We also had a tragedy which took the wind out of my sails for a while and I’m still not over that yet, but here goes.

It’s been so long since I posted, I can’t start the reveal without reminding everyone what the office/storage/swap meet/ebay/junk room looked like before we got in gear.

Officebefore2

Before

Other than packing up some of my husband’s things, we’d just closed the door on this room for 2 years and used it to store things we didn’t know what else to do with and couldn’t let go of yet. It was the junk drawer of rooms. I had been needing to do something constructive with it for 2 years. I decided during a previous Cure that I’d turn it into a Guest room/craft room/office, but still didn’t have the energy/heart to get to work on it. My brother had contacted me a year ago to let me know he was planning to come out this spring to do some hiking and wanted to visit for a couple of days. This was the boost I needed, but I still didn’t do anything about it until finally, three months before he was to be here, I was jolted into the home renovation version of last minute cram for finals mode.

My son and I cleared the room of boxes, junk, furniture, and dust bunnies. Starting from scratch we painted, pulled down the wall shelf unit from the north wall, repainted it the same color as the walls so my “stuff” collection would take visual priority, measured for a queen sized bed and craft tables, and built the tables. We bought 3 things for the room, other than cheap wood for the tables. I ordered a bedspread, glass chimes and a fabulous painting done by my best friend. Then, we added the crafting stuff, computer stuff and my collection stuff. The result is a relaxing place to work, play and sleep. Guests can relax, work and play in here too. The way it is arranged is very wheelchair accessible.

guestbed

Eternity Tree bedspread from Pyramid Collection. Years ago I had gotten their Tree of Life bedspread for my own bed and I’ve loved it. They are machine washable!

guestbed1andprint

My friend Daphne MuShatt’s painting. She has many available, but I’ve always loved this one and it reminds me of Maiden, Mother, and Crone life stages.

daphneart

The colors in the painting and the subject suit this room, and my spirit, perfectly.

officeshelfhungwithtoys

Funny thing about those shelves William made many moons ago when we lived in town. He’d decided on a paint color for his office (our living room) and painted the shelves to match so that the shelves would disappear and his History of Space Exploration models would stand out. The color he chose for that poorly lit room made you want to sing “Under the Sea” at night and swim laps through the living room.  When I began repainting them to match the color John and I had chosen for this room, I was shocked to realize I’d picked that same color! I was terrified I’d end up in another giant aquarium room, but turns out, lighting makes all the difference here. I still think William had a hand in the paint color choice though because we went in thinking we’d made our choice online and this color caught our eye at the last minute.

curtainsandchimes

The east facing office window. I watch the sun come up every morning with my coffee and Facebook friends and relatives. Those curtains were made with cheap cotton drop cloths and they were the first project for the new sewing machine. The glass chimes were ordered at the same time as the bedspread and also come from Pyramid Collection. The breeze coming through the window makes them sing prettily. My homemade incense drying in old glass tumblers lends a pleasant aroma.

chimes

Just a close up so you can see the patterned glass and pretty colors in the chimes.

dementorsnape

Part of my Harry Potter collection arranged on the top of my bookshelf. Those “stones” were made by William about 5 years ago. We were trying to make a Sorceror’s Stone for a friend of ours. The stones in the photo were some of the fails, but too pretty to toss.

Unfortunately, my brother had to cancel his trip to Arizona, so I have a fabulous guest/craft/office available if anyone wants to come visit. Maybe if we add a microwave and a mini refrigerator I’ll just live in here.

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January into February Cure: Office Project

15 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure 2016, Wood Crafts

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Yes, I know, I got so caught up in my office project part of the January Cure that I decided to drop the rest of the Cure projects and focus on the office while I was inspired. That room has been a major sticking point in my ability to move forward and for over two years I lacked the inspiration and will power to make real changes in there.

When I last blogged about the January Cure I had managed to clear everything but the furniture out. I had laid out a plan for the swap meet items and I have stuck to that plan. If an item hasn’t sold in 3 to 4 weekends, it goes to Goodwill or the local charity Thrift shop. I’ve made a lot of room in the garage this way and I’ve also created room on my swap meet table for crafts I’ve made myself.

The room isn’t ready for a final reveal yet (hey, it was a massive project), but my son and I finished the big build of the long craft/computer desk. Once I moved my computer to it’s new spot, in a tranquil room, with a view by a window instead of the dishes in the sink, I felt like writing. So, here is what we’ve been up to on the project.

stiltpainting

Yes, we have a ladder. Apparently it is only useful for holding up the paint bucket, according to John who wanted to be practicing his stilt walking.

officepainting1

My phone camera does not like to get a good picture of the wall color. It is dark, but it is most definitely blue, not black, not light blue, not green. It changes drastically according to the type of light and time of day and has appeared as many colors in my photos, just not the correct color.

officedesk1

John started work on the long craft tables yesterday afternoon around 5:30. Here he was building the frame.  We picked up eight 8′ 2x4s and a cheap chunk of half inch plywood. We had Home Depot cut the plywood to our specifications and John cut the 2x4s in our garage.

officedesk3

Within an hour he’d built the frames for both tables, attached the plywood table tops and had started attaching the legs.

officedesk5

Within another hour the legs were on, the building was done and we decided the remainder of the evening would be spent watching Sherlock on Netflix.

officedesktilecut

These are going to be crafting, sewing, painting, dyeing, inking, cutting and probably spilled on tables. I didn’t want to worry about ruining a nice paint or stain job. I didn’t want to have to buy expensive wood to get a nice finish on that I would then just mess up with any of the above activities. Good old linoleum peel and stick tiles to the rescue! We found lovely slate-like tiles that combine a rich, nutty brown and dark grey blue. I had plain white satin wall paint leftover from my door painting project a couple of years ago so I used that to paint the frame and legs of the tables. John cut the tiles to fit the plywood table tops.

officedeskdone1

Voila! Two perfectly functional, attractive, crafting tables for less than $50.00. OH and see that sewing machine? See those curtains hanging in the window? John and I are learning to sew this year and those curtains were the first project. They’re just an inexpensive (and washable) cotton drop cloth. I’ve picked up some dye and will be dip dyeing them at some point, but they look fine just as they are for now.

I still need to add my things back, make the bed, and hang the wall mounted shelf unit. However, if a friend shows up from out of town unexpectedly I have a perfectly functional guest bedroom. Well, you know, once I make up the bed, unless they want matching pillow cases.

January Cure 2016- The Bedroom and Guest Room/Office/Craft Room

16 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by in Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure 2016

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Today is the start of the weekend give my bedroom a thorough cleaning and decluttering assignment. WOOHOO there is no clutter! I decluttered and purged my brains out in there last year and did not even think about cluttering it up again all year. There have been times I had to store some boxes in there, but those were very temporary. With the AC crew coming in on Wednesday, I had already shifted and vacuumed under all but one piece of furniture and wiped down the night stands so even that was done. I do need to launder the bed linens and vacuum under the armoire, but John will have to clean the ceiling fan. The AC dude cleaned my vents until they look brand new so I don’t even have to do that!

This means I was able to spend more time in the Guest Room (which qualifies as a bedroom)/Office. Spend time in there I did too boy. I cleared out, packed up, pitched and outboxed everything on 4 shelf units and everything except books off the fifth big shelf. All my collection of nerdy/geeky toys is boxed up. Some of the beautiful models my husband built and painted of some of my gaming characters are now displayed in my den. Framed photos are boxed up. I’ll be thoroughly cleaning those empty shelves tomorrow, getting pictures and putting them up for sale on a local swap board. I’m still trying to decide what to do with some of the stuff. For instance, my husband had saved a commemorative coke bottle from the Rose Bowl in 1987, still full of coke. It’s worth anywhere from 10.00-30.00 depending upon who sees and bids on it. I’m not sure it’s worth the effort for 10.00 but 30.00 I could use. I have dutifully moved and dusted that damned bottle for 20 years. I definitely. do. not. want. it. Pitch or sell?

officeshelf1I just need to move the books and this shelf can be cleaned and sold or donated.

officeshelves2Three shelves fully cleared and ready for cleaning. I’ll be taking that wall unit down and reusing it over my crafting area. The shelf unit on the right wall is the one I’ll be keeping  for books and gnerdy toys.

outboxpileofficeUnless John needs this shelf in his room, it will be cleaned and sold or donated. Look how my outbox pile has grown!

officeshelf3The fifth shelf cleared and ready to be cleaned and sold or donated. That is the 2nd outbox pile in front of it.

I am determined to pick out a paint color and really get this project going next week so if these spare shelf units do not get sold over the next 4 days they’ll be donated on Tuesday. As soon as John’s work schedule permits this weekend, he’ll clean my ceiling fan and I can launder my bed linens.

January Cure 2016- Plan a Party and catch up

15 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by in General Farm Stuff, Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure 2016, Rural life

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The assignment for today was to plan a get together. Took about 10 seconds to realize the backyard is not going to be ready for entertaining because I have the office to contend with. My end of the Cure party will instead be held sometime in March after the office/guest room/craft room is finished.

My freeloading chickens have finally begun producing 2 eggs a day, so I used the 10 eggs collected this week to make a cheap and easy breakfast casserole to sustain me while I catch up to where I should be on the office and the hall closet. I even ate some of that casserole. I’ve never eaten fresh eggs before and knowing chickens as intimately as I do, especially one of them, this took a bit of courage. The casserole is delicious and I did not die from it.

Just as an aside, a friend told me that chickens are immune to the capsaicin in peppers, so if I feed them lots of hot peppers, their egg yolks will be red and spicy. In a fit of giggles I asked her if sprinkling a lot of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning on their layer feed would work the same way. I’m thinking that would be a time saver in the kitchen. (Note: This is a joke people. Too much salt can kill a chicken.)

fresheggsLook at those pretty little eggs! They’re still pretty small because my hens just began laying, so it took 10 to make a 9 x 13 casserole.

fresheggbacncasseroleFresh eggs, bacon and biscuit casserole! Heat and eat breakfast all weekend.

I also still have a couple of bowls of zuppa left from last weekend for quick heat and eat lunches and some frozen slices of turkey and ham left from the holidays to cut up on fresh lettuce from my garden for suppers. I can turn all my attention to the bedroom assignment and the office. Well, I can after I pick up a new battery for the tractor.

I completely emptied the hall closet, wiped down shelves, swept the floor, pitched two sets of old place mats that were stained, saved one every day set and one special occasion set, washed the guest linens, emptied two shelves in the office and a drawer in my desk, organized office supplies on a shelf in the hall closet and took pictures of some of the items in my outbox to see if I can sell them online rather than trying to haul them to the corner swap.

Tada! My lovely organized hall closet. The linens will be on the top shelf with the blankets once I finish folding them.

hallcloset

On the office agenda this weekend will be to rearrange the craft items in the office closet so that there is a space for guests to both hang clothes and lay folded clothes. Then I will box up my toy collection and William’s computers so they can all be safely stored while we remove all the furniture. Then the room will need a thorough cleaning and paint. Then, at long last, we can build a bed frame and the wall mounted counter space for crafting and computing.

As for my bedroom project, I just need to wash the curtain and bed linens and give the room a thorough dusting. It’s also time to haul a lot of clothes to the donation bin.

January Cure 2016- Work on a Project

14 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in General Farm Stuff, Home and other Repairs, January Cure 2016, Uncategorized

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Ohh the best laid plans…

Tuesday the assignment was to clear a closet. We all saw how that turned out. Wednesday’s assignment was to work on my “project”. This was great luck because my big project is the office, which is right next to the closet I wanted to clear on Tuesday and both are related to my end game plan. I knew I could catch up. Like Bullwinkle the Moose when attempting to pull a rabbit out of his hat, I thought “This time for sure!”

“The Crew” that the air conditioning company promised to send out Wednesday morning to clean my ducts, which were threatening to kill my brand new AC unit, turned out to be one guy. One guy who apparently thought I lived in east Egypt and so decided to allow a couple of hours for a drive that only takes 35 minutes. He arrived an hour and a half ahead of time. I hadn’t even glimpsed the bottom of my first cup of coffee, much less straggled outside to feed the animals.

After rousing John and corralling the dastardly, technician eating dachshunds I let the guy in. Turns out he was a talker. This girl can’t formulate a complete sentence until an hour or so after her second cup of coffee. The dachshunds yelling their warnings at the dude, his words bouncing around in my empty head and the noise of his machine had me just about ready to launch myself to a new planet in the first 30 minutes.

That’s when it became apparent that this was not going to be a three hour job as the AC company had promised. As the clock turned the fourth hour he’d completed four vents. There are TEN in the house. I could barely get to either of two bathrooms, much less the office and closet I needed to be working on. I spent a good portion of the morning whining on facebook about this.

acchaos

It took 8 full hours to finish the duct cleaning, plus the AC cleaning. I was feeling a bit on the miffed side, but then darned if that young man didn’t turn my lousy attitude right around. Turns out he is also a mechanic and just loves older engines. He’d seen our vintage tractor and asked about it. I told him it had worked great up until a few months ago when it decided it wouldn’t start. After he finished his AC work he asked if he could take a look at it. Sure.

He asked what it did when I tried to start it. I told him. “I bet I know the problem”, he said. He popped off the distributor cap, exposed the points and said “Yep”. With a screw driver he scraped some carbon off the points and darned if that tractor didn’t start right up! I am reunited with the most important piece of equipment on this farm all because the AC tech who enjoyed talking my ear off for 8 hours on his birthday took the time to check out my old tractor and do something nice. If I’d won the lottery last night, he and his wife would have never had to worry about paying a house note again.

Needless to say, I neither worked on the project or the closet, BUT I have a working tractor which is really much more important. In the words of Scarlett O’Hara “After all, tomorrow is another day.”