Another Completed Project -- Check!

"Before"

"After"

I spent the past weekend working on a project

that has dogged me since

I moved in a year ago.

The mantle of my fireplace

got a "slapdash" coat of paint

just before I moved in.

In addition to only having one coat

which really did not completely cover

the original paint,

it was painted with latex over oil,
which took foreveeeeeer to dry,

and the underside of the mantel shelf

never got painted.

So, lots of problems

I have lived with for the past year.

I also lived with the original red brick 

surround for a year,

trying to decide whether or not to paint it as well.

As you can see from above,

I decided to paint it.

My first coat on the bricks

which you see above

was with KILZ Hide-All.

After that I painted two coats a white latex 

on everything.

The black vent behind the fire screen

also got a coat of an oil based enamel.

I do not have a lot of experience

painting with enamel and while painting

with it, every brush stoke seemed to show.

I am happy to  say when it dried,

it was as smooth as satin!

I am very happy with the results of my

weekend project.

I am also happy to have this project off my list!

Kitchen and Baths...the End is Near!

The end REALLY is in sight.

Except for some trim paint,

the kitchen and baths are complete.

The refrigerator in this picture is not 

sitting flush against the wall,

waiting for a bit of paint above it,

so it will not stick out this much 

once it's in place.

Remember when I posted about

"happiness is having a living room full of kitchen appliances"

a few weeks ago?

I was mistaken.

Happiness is having a cleared living room...

 and having all your kitchen appliances

in place...IN the kitchen!

Missing one drawer pull in this picture.

This drawer had to be reordered, 

so it's a little late getting its handle.

My first ever gas stove!

Both bathrooms are pretty complete also.

This is the upstairs bath.

Both bathrooms have the same color way,

sinks, bead board, and flooring.

Their personalities will 

define themselves once I start decorating,

and they "tell" me 

how they want to look!

This is the downstairs bath.

Note the mirror.

It was my grandmother's 

and I used it in my present house.

It got a new coat of paint

and reoriented to hang 

differently for this space.

I'm very happy to be able to 

continue using it.

Move date:  June 6...continuing to count down!

It's "Flowering Quince!"

I had asked last time if anyone

knew the name of this

pretty flowering bush

found at the back 

of my property

and heard from several that it is a

Flowering Quince.

One of the people who informed me

was Anna, one of the four siblings

from whom I bought the house.

What a treat to have been able to

meet them all during the closing!

Anna is the only one of the four

who still lives in the same town.

She is following my progress on the house.

Hi Anna!

Hope you'll stop by to see it.

Sheet rock now covers most of the kitchen walls.

Cabinets are ordered.
The open doorway you see
is to the basement.

Remember the downstairs bedroom,

my future workroom?

I started stripping wallpaper from the walls
last Saturday.

I spent a few hours on Monday

finishing the job.

The plaster walls need some repair,

but will be fine.

This is the same room with a view

through the adjoining hallway

into the kitchen.

Please note, the toilet 

is only "visiting" from the hallway bathroom.

The bead board in both bathrooms is starting to go up.

So, although the house is far from finished,

I feel good about the progress thus far.

A friend is running for city alderman
and I was asked to have one of
his signs in my "new" yard.
I already feel like part of the 
community!

I Need a Manicure!

Daisy and I spent the weekend at our new house!

 Not overnights,

just all day Saturday and Sunday.

(She's such a trooper!)

Our mission was to remove some wallpaper.

Hence the sorry state of my nails today.

 This is one of the upstairs bedrooms,

which will become mine.

Tools of the trade.

My method is to first score the wall 

with a razor knife.

Next, I saturate the wall 

with a mixture

of white vinegar and water.

 After about 15 minutes,

once the vinegar and water

 have done their magic,

I began to pull the top layer 

of the paper off the wall.

Underneath the patterned paper

is another layer of paper.

I am not really sure if this layer

is backing for the original paper,

sizing paper,

or a layer of glue.  (???)

At any rate, 

I then saturate it 

with the vinegar/water mixture,

wait until it soaks in and

voila!

That layer can be pulled away too.

One finished wall!

Truthfully, I have made this 

appear much easier 

than it really was.

Not all the paper comes away 

in nice long pieces.

Sometimes it's seemingly, 

by the square inch!!!

After about six hours 

of very tedious work...

...the entire room was done!

Sunday, it was onward 

to the second upstairs bedroom.

I do not have a finished pictured 

to show you of this room.

By the time I finished it,

I was too tired to think about pictures!

Other things accomplished this week -

the subway tile is here!

It will be used as a back splash 

in the kitchen,

and as wall surrounds for the tubs.

The "old pantry" has now been 

framed in for the new laundry space.

The kitchen has a new sub floor installed.

The wall around the upstairs tub 

has been replaced.

The wall at the foot of the tub,

next to the window,

was bare brick 

when I arrived Saturday morning.

It has now been covered with sheet rock.

So, things are moving along.

Daisy and I discovered this blooming bush

at the back of the property 

during one of our breaks.

Anyone have any idea what it is?

It is lovely...

as are all the forward steps made 

in the past week!