recent projects, photos of

[chelidon]

Removing carpeting from main stairs, to be capped with hardwood treads
"She turned me into a newt!"
Chop wood, carry water...
Deepening a swimming hole
Enjoy the green
I toad you so
Wall marbling experiment begins
Marbling success!

And this one was fun... I was driving through the center of our little town last Saturday on my way to the town lumber mill, and someone had a few things out front of their house, including a few wood furniture odds and ends. For $45, I snarfed a wooden dresser with a mirrored shelf back attached, and they tossed in something that looked very much like an elaborate headboard with shelves. I pulled off the mirrored back, chopped a foot off the bottom of the headboard, attached the headboard to the top of the dresser, did a little bit of touch-up and refinishing, and replaced the oh-so-70's drawer pulls and hardware on the dresser with stuff I liked better, and...voila! A new china hutch (which we've been needing badly since I knocked out the wall that had most of the kitchen cabinets on it ;>) Not bad for $45 and a half-day project.

Franken-hutch (dresser + headboard = china hutch)
Close-up of finished hutch

I and my partner are glorying in having an unexpected week here that we were originally going to spend off teaching in Georgia. I'm working, but she's taking the week off to play with kiddo and do lots of house projects. My partner and one of my Lovely Housemates are off buying fabric to refinish the dining room chairs, and this weekend I rip out the toilet and sink/console in the hall bath so they can put in the floor tile, then I'll put back the toilet and install the cool green glass basin-sink and copper sink fixtures I found a while back. Renovations can become totally addictive, donchaknow... Quite seriously, it gives me a huge charge to see all the things of beauty, large and small, take form in the house and on the land. I am very, very blessed.

Comments

[coraljune.livejournal.com]

Nice job on the hutch - it's amazing the things you can do with motivation, time, tools, and a little thinking outside the box.

And, oh how deliciously inviting that swimming hole looks on a hotter-'n-blazes day like today! Lucky, lucky you!

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

I've put together a pretty kick-ass woodshop, I figure I'd better use it for something useful ;>

Speaking of swimming hole, what the heck am I doing sitting in here writing when I could be out swimming? It's only 83 degrees here, but still...lunch break! Gosh I'm stoopid sometimes...

[anthologie.livejournal.com]

Absolutely gorgeous. Would love to visit someday. :)

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Please do! :>