Mid-Century Madness

I woke up this morning to the sound of someone running around on my roof. Happy Printemps everybody! Welcome back little furry critters!

I've been so busy around the house that I have neglected my precious baby blog over the last couple of weeks.  Luckily, I am motivated enough to keep improving my space- the blog is a preemptive strike against those days when I am not motivated what-so-ever (which totally happens when I get the blues.)

Like most DIYers, I am addicted to consignment shops, antique malls and thrift stores.  My favorite spot right now is Skyland Antique Mall because of the mid-century retro booth they have in the basement. Mmmmm... mid-century. I am obsessed. They might as well put a big, flashing marquee over it that reads : DON'T BOTHER. THIS HAS ALL BEEN CLAIMED BY EASTY.

If I were my dog, I would have already peed all over the wares in that section. Graphic, I know, but that is basically what I did when I saw this:

Just look at those classic '50s leggies! 

It doesn't look like much from the picture, but this little baby is just oozing with potential.  It's a record stand! Complete with slots to hold my non-existent vinyl...oh I have plans for you my precious. PRECIOUS [insert maniacal hissing and hand-wringing here]

I am picturing a black-and-white chevron motif, but more on that later.  Let's just call this the 'Before' post on this one.

Here is another Before of another faboobulous find:

Okay, I got a little excited (impulsive) and took the seat off the frame before taking the actual 'Before' shot, so let's call this pic a Before 1.25. Note the scuzziness on the sides from years of sitting in a smoking household. I also found a lollypop stick stuck between the seat and the frame.  Part of me was all, "Eeeeewwww," and another part (the inner-anthropologist) was all, "Hmm, I wonder how old this is? I wonder if the child who left this here is my age now, or older?" And then I promptly threw it away. Moving on.

Oh yeah, I'm gonna reupholster this bad boy.  Oh no, I have no idea what I am doing.  I'm just doing it! 

Good-bye weird, sticky blue vinyl! Hello blind ambition! Exclamation! Exclamation!

Tea Inspiration

Ya'll, I love decor books; cannot get enough.  I've been tagging my way through Grace Bonney's Design*Sponge, oohing and ahhhing all the way.  It is also helping me to put together my very own Inspiration Book to help me nail down my own personal style.  I know I am "eclectic," but what does that really mean, anyway?

This kitchen gave me an idea:

   Copyright 2011 Grace Bonney; Photo by Tec Petaja

It belongs to Genifer Goodman Sohr of Nashville, Tennessee (a fellow belle) and not only do I love the painted white brick and the delicious yellow upholstery, check out the hot pink kangaroo to the left.  That's a tea towel!  Since I am  always looking for ways to keep my budget in check for this kitchen renovation, I looked to Fab.com for help.

Well my tea towel finally came in right before my trip to Atlanta and I hit up Ikea to kind a frame that would fit.  In hindsight, I should have opened the package before buying the frame, but it was wrapped up so delicately with a little brown paper strip that I left it to bask in it's cuteness for a few more days.  I took the measurements though and it was off to Georgia.

See? It just looks too nice to open.

When I opened the towel *gasp* the pattern faced short ways, not long ways.  I really need to pay attention to the fact that width is listed first in dimension specs, not height.  No biggie.  Instead of floating it over the mat board as I had originally planned, it would have to go under.

Here we are with a freshly ironed tea towel that is most definitely too wide to float.

I laid a piece of end roll newspaper behind the sheer towel so that the brown frame backing doesn't peek through.

Skipping some really boring shots of me screwing everything into place ...

Et viola!

This will eventually hang over the banquette seating (part of Phase 4) in my kitchen reno.  I just love the illustrations (by Claudia Pearson) and red is my accent color so this will fit in beautifully.  It is a little askew due to the fact that it is a tea towel, but I think it adds to it's charm! 

More on the way!  Mrs. Goodman's fabulous dining chairs have inspired me to try my hand at re-upholstery...

My New Passion for Stripping

If you decided to read this because you thought there might be human nudity, I suggest you stop reading now before you get disappointed.  I'm talking about paint stripping and naked wood.  I love it, I love it, I love it!

About a month ago I ripped down the weird, country-kitchen-type shelving that came in my master-bath because it was, well, weird.  That room is going to be so funky-awesome ("badical" as my friend Yazzie says) and the country shelving was ruining my vision.  I took it down, removed the brackets and boom! Suddenly reclaimed wood!

Reclaimed wood I can use to build the banquette table for the kitchen...yay!  I have four aux natural three-foot pieces, and one six-foot piece.  One problem: the six-footer had been painted white and used to house red candles.  Time to break out the serious chemicals and goggles!

Before shot and materials

Glob it on, baby! 

Just look at those wrinkles!

Ohhhhhh yeah....

Whoooo! Take it all off!

Whew!  It took a lot of elbow grease to strip it all the way down, but it was totally worth it.  It is a much lighter patina than the other pieces, but I am going to saw it in quarters and mix the pieces together to create visual interest on the table top.  I found a restaurant-style, cast iron table base for about $27.00 online from Atlanta Fixture that should work perfectly.

Here it is, all alone and naked.

 And here it is with it's darker counter-parts, or should I say, table-parts?

Say Cheese!

Speaking of the banquette seating, have I shown you the kitchen plans? I haven't?? Here you go:

Note the apron sink. I got it this past weekend at Ikea!!

So this thing is really going down.  I am jazzed, really and truly.  More madness to come!

~Easty

50,000 Freeloaders

My master bath came with this lovely little greenhouse window that looks out onto the backyard.  I quickly made that the new home for my potted plants, since I made the move in December and didn't want my greenery to go into shock on the front porch.  My plants have always been very sensitive to change, like their caretaker, so I thought this would be a nice nesting spot for them.  They get plenty of sun and a light, daily misting from the shower steam.  It is a very symbiotic relationship, considering the ventilation exhaust goes directly into the attic (as was discovered during the home inspection). When the former owners put in the extension off the back, thus creating a separate second attic, they failed to divert the exhaust pipe to the exterior of the building.  Therefore, my asparagus fern, lovingly named Harvey, soaks in the majority of the moisture, as does Felicia (the philodendron) and Cornelius (the corn plant).  The only one who doesn't seem to appreciate the new pad is Octavia, the orchid.  She's kind of difficult to please.

Left to right: Felicia, Cornelius, Octavia & Harvey

A few weeks ago I noticed that Harvey had a growth spurt and two new stalks were pushed up against the ceiling of the greenhouse window, competing for sunlight.  "My goodness! What a growing boy! Good for you buddy."  I also noticed a couple of ants (let's call them The Explorers) had gotten in through that same ceiling and were making their way down one of those stalks.  I didn't think much of it; I just moved the branches away from the window and went on with my life.  I checked in later and didn't see any more creepy crawlies, so that was that.


The other day Felicia was complaining of dehydration so I did her a solid and threw in a whole bunch of water.  I gave everyone else a drink because it was only fair, and.......whoooosh!  It was as if The Great Flood was upon us.  If ants create their own historical documentation of the event, this is where an arc and one ranting, bearded, white-robed ant would be appropriately gathering microscopic organisms in twos.


Fifty thousand ants, I would say, all clinging for dear life on the side of Harvey's planter.  Felicia had some too, but not like poor Harvey.  As none of this colony had paid any rent to me what-so-ever, eviction seemed to be the only course of action possible.  Nobody rides for free, pal.


Oh, and it was 10:30 at night so I had no way of popping out to the store to buy toxic chemicals, nor did I want to.  I've been researching alternate, green ways of pest prevention but this was a swarm and it was now.  I quickly Googled "kill ants naturally" and found that certain household products will do it.  So I came up with a plan:


I got out the spray bottle I use for normal cleaning with a mixture of one part water and one part white vinegar.  I added a bit more vinegar to it because ants really find it offensive, and sprayed the hell out of 'em.  It was pretty effective but by the end of that session I was gagging from the smell myself.


Next, I lined the window sill with salt (evil spirits don't like that either) and sprayed more vinegar around the window and parameter of the room.  I really didn't want to wake up to a new ant line making it's way to my bed.


And then I waited. And slept. And had nightmares about swarms of ants all night.  Before going to sleep, I prayed that they would just leave the way they had come in.  I really didn't want to kill them.


The next morning there were a few ants moving about, cleaning up their drowned fellows and stuff.  I felt bad for them.  But we cannot have this in the house, I'm sorry.  After doing some more research, I found a substance called Diatomaceous earth.  It is a chalky powder made from the fossilized remains of a hard-shelled algae (diatoms).  The particles in food-grade Diatomaceous earth are microscopic and harmless to humans and pets, but lethal to insects.  Their razor-sharp edges cut the exoskeletons of the insects causing them to die of dehydration within 48 hours.  So it still isn't nice to bugs but it won't harm me, the plants or the Petey.  It can be sprinkled around the house (indoors and outdoors) for preventative measures, and can also wipe out Harvey's infestation.


I gave the ants a 36-hour eviction notice.  They had until the weekend to get the heck out of my house before it got really bad, not just odorous bad, lethal bad.  I have a hard time with the killing stuff now that I've somehow acquired a soul, but one cannot live with fifty thousand freeloading buggers. I won't do it; it simply will not do.


I headed to Manna Grocery, Tuscaloosa's local organic market, and purchased the Diatomaceous (rhymes with bodacious) earth, corn meal and Dr. Brommer's Pure Castille Soap in peppermint.  Along with the vinegar water, ants find the liquids offensive and the solids deadly.  I find the peppermint soap water to be quite lovely!

Saturday morning I took everyone outside to the front porch and did exactly what I did before; everyone got a really big drink.  Expecting the same swarm as before, I jumped back and waited...


And waited....

And...nothing. Not one single critter came out of those pots.  Hoooray!  Let's hear it for vinegar and the power of prayer!


Everyone got a light diatom dusting and spent a couple nights outside while I cleaned and recaulked the greenhouse.  While I was out there I went ahead and dusted the porch below the front windows too, since spring is nearly here.


I used the peppermint soap to make my bathroom minty fresh and buggy offensive, then got to scraping and caulking.  I have to admit that I went a little nuts sealing every single seam, but I really need it to keep the ants out and my sanity in.  Get it? In-sanity? <Snort>

Before (note the gruddy corners)

Scraping away the old gunk with my fancy pink utility knife

Goes on white, dries clear

After: Watching the caulk dry

Oh hey girl! Whatchu doing? 

About half-way through, this really friendly (and very photogenic) squirrel came by to see what was going on.  I guess all of that scraping was cause for curiosity.  I like making new friends.


The plants are now back in their rightful spot, all except for Octavia. I moved her to the kitchen to see if she likes it better in there.  She's such a pill.


Keep on keeping on,
~Easty