The Man and His Machine

Friday night we went to rent the machine- a floor sander. My Hubby spent his evening getting to know the machine and taking it for a test drive...he had sanded the whole floor before he came to bed!

Saturday he spent on his hands and knees with a hand sander getting in corners and around the baseboard where the big machine could not go.

You could really see how pretty the old wood is now-

On Sunday we started early- he finished painting some trim. I wanted to finish scraping around the window panes. He cleaned the floor one more time. We hung the valences. Then he spent hours staining the floor.

It looks so good- better than I ever imagined! There will be more layers to the window treatments- white sheers and floor length panels. I have them cut out, but I wanted to wait to make them until I could hang them. I hate to have to re-iron them once they have been sitting around.

It looks like we will not finish the floors until after the shower. You are supposed to wait 7 days before you have traffic on the poly. We may have to touch up the stain after the shower but that will be easier than repairs after the poly is down and is not ready for traffic!

My job for Monday- Clean 154 crystals so he can rehang the chandelier- There are 50 years of dust on them!

One More Step Closer

The countdown has begun. Next Sunday afternoon I am hosting a shower for the daughter of my oldest friend. ( Not that she is old...our friendship is...at least 35 years. ) It will be happening in the dining room -finished or not!

The painting is done except for a few little touch ups.

The ceiling is done except for the chandelier...which is MIA....!

The floors are not. So this weekend the floor sander will be rented and my chief handyman will spend his days off making the floors beautiful for their big day!

Yep, he will! I have faith in him!

Big Hole in the Kitchen Floor!

I usually leave the house before projects like this begin and return after the coast is clear. I get really anxious when my Hubby cuts big holes in the house. But, he needed my help today so I had to tough it out. We have some water damage in the dining room (not to mention the hole where the piano leg was hanging in the basement!) so we needed some wood to patch with. Since my hope one day is to tile the kitchen floor- we decided to recycle wood from there. It started with a big saw. My job was to hold the hose of the shop vac close to the saw to minimize the dust. I was not prepared for the sparks when he cut through nails!

Then my job was to stack the wood he pulled out. Interesting how there is no sub floor....but the boards are very thick.

That's a quick trip to the basement- Don't worry no Pugs were allowed in the construction zone!

A piece of plywood nailed in place.

My final job was to cover the plywood with some lovely :( peel and stick tiles. Cause some dogs have accidents in the kitchen so I can't cover it with a rug!

Just pretend it isn't there under the table.....

Anyone want to place a bet on how long it will be there.......???????????????????

Weekend at the Swamp

We hit an estate sale on Friday. I got a few things, the Hubby saw some things that were too high for him to pay. It was advertised as a tool and car sale with a few "girly" things...
My favorite key is the tiny one...love the little birds on the plates...

I always hate to see people sell their ancestors...

The next day we went back- everything was 2/3 off so Hubby found it more to his liking- he bought a huge folding table, a branch shredder, a pressure washer, a box of tools, and a box of assorted junk( including several tubes of glue and caulk- unopened).

And I bought some more things that I didn't take pictures of-milk glass plates, etched glass plates and wine glasses, more keys, tiny wooden rulers and this old school picture...

I also got this large platter that I think looks nice with the dining room fireplace tiles...

Which brings us to the rest of the weekend:

The fireplace is almost done! He just has to finish the poly on the wood and hook up the electricity! This week's goal include getting paint samples for the walls painted and a decision made, starting the curtains, and getting all of the tools out of the room! PROGRESS!

The Fireplace -2 Years Later

The fireplace today-




The fireplace about 2 years ago is here.
Slow but Steady Wins the Race!

Goodbye January !

I hardly left the house last week! I just stayed up in the sewing room and worked- really made a dent in the stuff that had built up! This weekend I packed up January and opened the Valentine's boxes. It was nice to see the bright pink and red - fun stuff!

That's my Ginny doll and my Lolly- I think they are wondering why I have them standing next to a bowl of vintage baby shoes!!???!!

I sprinkled some vintage Valentines around the room- Love the sweet little pictures on them!

Meanwhile in the Dining Room....work has resumed at a fast pace.... after a long break!! Once Spring gets here I will lose my worker until next January- so we are determined to get this room done! One of the main problems was the huge old piano that was stuck in the room- Look it is gone!

Monday some wonderful men came from a salvage/rehab store came and took it away. Now there is room to work in the room! Windows and doors are stripped and being painted and stained. I got out the fireplace tiles to play with again because I have totally forgotten what my plan was!! But, the best news is that the corner cabinets are done....and oh, how. I. love. them...!!!!

V

Times Flies...

so quickly when you are having fun!!!!! Where has January gone? The newlyweds have their 1 month anniversary today!In honor of that I decided it was time to get rid of the last of the beautiful wedding flowers! I kept pulling out the drooping blooms and they lasted a whole month!
The dining room is coming along. The final piece of tile came in the mail. I ordered them in the fall but, counted wrong and had to order just one more. These are some of the accent tiles we are using to tie the future wall color with the original tile that was in the fireplace. I keep moving the tiles around and trying different patterns. Decisions!

The first corner cabinet now has a drawer. The lights and plugs are in place. The bead board in the back and the shelf trim are going up.

And I've been looking around for some Valentine craftiness. I found these shoes in some of the old Christmas decor. They came from the Dollar Tree years ago. About the same time a catalog from Victorian Papers came. In it there were shoes covered in sheet music and decorated for Valentine's Day!

So out came the Mod Podge and an old hymnal....

Then some ribbon scraps and some millinery flowers.....

I'm also trying some shadow boxes with vintage Valentines and Dollar Tree jewelry boxes. An artist friend made some at Christmas that were really cute....mine...so far.....not so much...just need time to play with them a little more!

Back to the Dining Room

We have postponed the dining room project for a looooong time! We just had too much on our plates to get enough time to work! But, it is a new year and we are committed to get back to work! The Hubby is working on his masterpiece X 2. The vision I have had since we moved in includes 2 matching built in corner cabinets to store my china. I wanted a drawer, shelves with a glass front door and bottom shelves with solid doors. He has planned and measured twice, started buying wood, run the electricity, and framed one. What have I done? I have done consulting, helped move wood and gone on most of the supply runs with him......mostly nothing! We work better this way! My time will come later and he knows if he needs manual labor I am just a yell away....still trying to organize the attic!

Dullsville

There is not much going on right now at the Swamp. I am so ready for Spring! My wonderful husband has been working away on the sheet rock- he has almost completed the mud. Next comes the sanding and much dust-not really looking forward to that!

I had a week of alterations...nothing creative....until a friend of mine went with me to Angel's, our favorite antique mall, for the afternoon. We always find inspiration there! We discovered some tiny garden stuff for Fairy Gardens. I have a old tiny greenhouse so I dug that out and cleaned it up. OK - I know I'm a little old to play with dolls......But the greenhouse at Angel's had a chandelier so I decided my fairy had to have one....and I had to make said fairy....

So now I will be able to watch my fairy (I haven't named her yet!) play in her little garden while I sew! Coming soon: a little giveaway to celebrate my one year Blogiversary !