tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86819091002164003812024-03-05T09:57:25.286-05:00Nikki In The CottageSettling into the U.K. The Cottage, The Allotment, The adventuresLongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-91629829948234223382020-02-13T13:21:00.001-05:002020-02-16T07:09:24.727-05:00A Year in the Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2019 was a busy year, I started working, we traveled, and we settled into the garden. We grew a lot from seed and small starter plants got huge with the the power of miracle grow. Its our garden's drug of choice. Forgive these photos, they are the only two I took from the same angle..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">BEFORE AFTER</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwHsXS3TbamrBDjWZ5NI0xxcSYpf8-56ydA1VIupFs5H4Aba6zbTgfwQBHArTb7DcIkpuNt4jcTtQWBQV8M_OAHW-4XxWa4qJe0Dy20EI2oq_ZBGzpDXVjV8Ej1dt6mp8ziByRPtbbAw/s1600/Garden+before+and+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwHsXS3TbamrBDjWZ5NI0xxcSYpf8-56ydA1VIupFs5H4Aba6zbTgfwQBHArTb7DcIkpuNt4jcTtQWBQV8M_OAHW-4XxWa4qJe0Dy20EI2oq_ZBGzpDXVjV8Ej1dt6mp8ziByRPtbbAw/s640/Garden+before+and+after.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The garden in 2018 when I first moved here was a minor wreck, after all the work Matt had done in the house I was excited to turn this into more of an outdoor room/ extension of our living space.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFCoeok48HUuwMakc82jf_HfJP1UrVkdFw-m9Uu-5Hf7Drp-firpi-JFWOR_ZptFlipTK1Eoqi4crcpOPUkHJmlcLp2DfNIPz_g66r3ZK_r5vBnQ3jjwuMttJOxav3AnB3lWwmOTB6ZM/s1600/IMG_1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFCoeok48HUuwMakc82jf_HfJP1UrVkdFw-m9Uu-5Hf7Drp-firpi-JFWOR_ZptFlipTK1Eoqi4crcpOPUkHJmlcLp2DfNIPz_g66r3ZK_r5vBnQ3jjwuMttJOxav3AnB3lWwmOTB6ZM/s400/IMG_1006.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglf1M1RCWNrk6Yv5cArvGKH4gDLNCvL6rWSc-zGOnZ84XY3FgbwmdmMuZjK-lu48gYR2WDibpJEmiIWa7LpaEwZyQz3p94YsgsWbbYvegyQLdL_zbJ8QKLNdmEyDMJRBC5QKZqLRavJ20/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglf1M1RCWNrk6Yv5cArvGKH4gDLNCvL6rWSc-zGOnZ84XY3FgbwmdmMuZjK-lu48gYR2WDibpJEmiIWa7LpaEwZyQz3p94YsgsWbbYvegyQLdL_zbJ8QKLNdmEyDMJRBC5QKZqLRavJ20/s400/IMG_1029.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglf1M1RCWNrk6Yv5cArvGKH4gDLNCvL6rWSc-zGOnZ84XY3FgbwmdmMuZjK-lu48gYR2WDibpJEmiIWa7LpaEwZyQz3p94YsgsWbbYvegyQLdL_zbJ8QKLNdmEyDMJRBC5QKZqLRavJ20/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I moved this pallet of tiles by hand...twice, before it was finally taken away by someone who wanted them for their own garden. We also had a few loads of ruble and renovation mess to haul away before the work could start. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZ-znrxW-CZSrb13amN_5g278DCc3xcXNbfygUJKD0Uq_GJa3VRQ-uXBIytIHrLWPiLBC0RYIuQeBDI4AMZK5jZyiMqfbKflBuxO1439-6EoNsg1S6LySxl0jVppooYbmcEoDRkaeYxM/s1600/IMG_1028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZ-znrxW-CZSrb13amN_5g278DCc3xcXNbfygUJKD0Uq_GJa3VRQ-uXBIytIHrLWPiLBC0RYIuQeBDI4AMZK5jZyiMqfbKflBuxO1439-6EoNsg1S6LySxl0jVppooYbmcEoDRkaeYxM/s400/IMG_1028.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBdvblK7c58SWAixub8YVrIKw8Qm1USlQhvN_fKl7Ew94gP1lOU7OGRoAA5xMDl8qsZ-XCWgXuoYoudYpJgKek25cNjCuoidCsNnSxtZkPqPDEv30AkUOy4CZE3L2YFVJ4K_L38QnmZ0/s1600/IMG_1030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBdvblK7c58SWAixub8YVrIKw8Qm1USlQhvN_fKl7Ew94gP1lOU7OGRoAA5xMDl8qsZ-XCWgXuoYoudYpJgKek25cNjCuoidCsNnSxtZkPqPDEv30AkUOy4CZE3L2YFVJ4K_L38QnmZ0/s400/IMG_1030.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We dug out a drainage ditch so water wouldn't sit against the house, and built two mini retaining walls. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These photos don't truly illustrate how dry and dirty and dusty the garden was. With nothing growing here the soil just dried up and blew around like dust. I know that sounds crazy but the summer of 2018 was a very hot and dry one here in England. In fact I'm almost certain that it did not rain here from the day I moved here until the night of our wedding almost 8 weeks later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The grass was laid about a week before our wedding, so when my family came to see the house I wouldn't let them walk on it. The Flamingos were a surprise gift we came home too after our wedding, we adore them and named them Monty and Don in honor of our favorite gardener. The first bit of planting was done because the installers were a little short on grass and I had to cover up that bare dirt some how. The best thing I bought early on was the little red tree in the middle called a Smoke Bush. The Smoke Bush has really fantastic purple and red leaves which are hydrophobic, so water beads up on them like little jewels. I'll get a photo at some point.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo67n5A90VmevLjC1M2xVtJrz5Bb9P6-uto85N2PkYwLWAiygH95TXJ9opI8kTh9hsByB6k9Q9JtecjRoXQyymI_nebuI5mn3wG4k1E338MvPCngxdyLeySZE7Y1fYhdztxnkqa2sJ8Co/s1600/IMG_2499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo67n5A90VmevLjC1M2xVtJrz5Bb9P6-uto85N2PkYwLWAiygH95TXJ9opI8kTh9hsByB6k9Q9JtecjRoXQyymI_nebuI5mn3wG4k1E338MvPCngxdyLeySZE7Y1fYhdztxnkqa2sJ8Co/s400/IMG_2499.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFt-TVizrwN6rwfeqYprP2ahrZMj0bYiax0K_dl2Ucu49zDovX63d3yhjaaFTvBjZBWOTAE341WJ4i0jiwjLisfM3cmihiGgbe-LzejwFpIDLyfP_3anCczsZSh1XsDD445LZT6gGLNQ/s1600/IMG_2497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFt-TVizrwN6rwfeqYprP2ahrZMj0bYiax0K_dl2Ucu49zDovX63d3yhjaaFTvBjZBWOTAE341WJ4i0jiwjLisfM3cmihiGgbe-LzejwFpIDLyfP_3anCczsZSh1XsDD445LZT6gGLNQ/s400/IMG_2497.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fall of 2018 I planted about 100 spring bulbs, and they put on a spectacular show starting February 2019. (Currently in Feb 2020 I'm hoping they'll come back, but they seem later than last year.)</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPhsB5F06B5rrw8rNlyyw9-32EkJkTUbPDqmgGXyoqdN9I9i5vV2eLKVDGRu8mal2dh42ilvwFAFOAEdFhaCbMEH1oKncnNIJz72nF_QfGBzakqvrLiPRgGC6ak960WNGIb64IgGBBEk/s1600/IMG_2447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPhsB5F06B5rrw8rNlyyw9-32EkJkTUbPDqmgGXyoqdN9I9i5vV2eLKVDGRu8mal2dh42ilvwFAFOAEdFhaCbMEH1oKncnNIJz72nF_QfGBzakqvrLiPRgGC6ak960WNGIb64IgGBBEk/s640/IMG_2447.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Spring of 2019 we began carving out the rest of the garden beds, and starting seeds both for here and the allotment. We also picked up several large Terra-cotta pots to sit in the gravel trench against the house. I propped them up on bricks and blocks, to make the garden feel taller on that side. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQ19QKmjBNIvdqcBHwG244SPJt2fO_9x7Ro_mRohvZ_WkEKOxyfJ9VZP5HE_ZvEgG55nwpn3BWACH624HwIMrB6R4uLhzcONevsrRytz08ZNtDbN7DrU-EywILkoMI5YmjYah_Sg0DbE/s1600/IMG_3077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQ19QKmjBNIvdqcBHwG244SPJt2fO_9x7Ro_mRohvZ_WkEKOxyfJ9VZP5HE_ZvEgG55nwpn3BWACH624HwIMrB6R4uLhzcONevsrRytz08ZNtDbN7DrU-EywILkoMI5YmjYah_Sg0DbE/s400/IMG_3077.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirENxZgGOAMKoIEGMRmmCpGH4ZxBPK1L2O4-TW-tdL_xnrOQGPNKyEWsSDEWI9LM3X7ljF36I6vQi1XRIaUifCqJlrEHA929EOtrkGGni22w3KlOyOhq-NcQjvI6Lz4WDRs6wJOvoGOcU/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirENxZgGOAMKoIEGMRmmCpGH4ZxBPK1L2O4-TW-tdL_xnrOQGPNKyEWsSDEWI9LM3X7ljF36I6vQi1XRIaUifCqJlrEHA929EOtrkGGni22w3KlOyOhq-NcQjvI6Lz4WDRs6wJOvoGOcU/s400/IMG_0949.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Matt bought a nifty climate controlled seed propagator I highly recommend. We had mixed success with our timing, but for the most part it was positive. We didn't grow everything from seed, but enough to be proud of and fill in the gaps between the things we purchased. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNCSEkmfAyMJV9EjVOeP2XksHYw0WtX94-sQIrQLRq9kjsKUcVSjo9zD4-AZ6oG_oU8q5Qr5qwpI5RgjAA3uBO0-BUWJiAxbb9dvcd8FgUx7vugI4_KUb9zO9UqaP3_0qfmn65ucsrQw/s1600/IMG_0989.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNCSEkmfAyMJV9EjVOeP2XksHYw0WtX94-sQIrQLRq9kjsKUcVSjo9zD4-AZ6oG_oU8q5Qr5qwpI5RgjAA3uBO0-BUWJiAxbb9dvcd8FgUx7vugI4_KUb9zO9UqaP3_0qfmn65ucsrQw/s640/IMG_0989.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We got the most bang for our buck from buying dried Dahlia roots, the Lemon-Ice put out huge dinner plate sized flowers! I also bought a gorgeous climbing rose which you can see against the brick wall. I'm hoping to train it up and over the wall this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had to have Black-Eyed-Susans (Rudbeckia) as they are the Maryland state flower. I grew them from seed and they were my little piece of home in the garden. To be honest I'm not sure they ever looked so good back in MD! </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot9fAyL2ZDHvPaqeo-pkalUzPKua4JBTbVnV9PS5Id23rW4tAVNu1oCot4JseMdandkgdh7JTDsYuZGJuDsffOhXz2qMSn_L7h2Z9GK1mEsJ5AVkyyiQSHFbLJc8CysjEBpYhIoaGbRI/s1600/IMG_0932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="1600" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot9fAyL2ZDHvPaqeo-pkalUzPKua4JBTbVnV9PS5Id23rW4tAVNu1oCot4JseMdandkgdh7JTDsYuZGJuDsffOhXz2qMSn_L7h2Z9GK1mEsJ5AVkyyiQSHFbLJc8CysjEBpYhIoaGbRI/s640/IMG_0932.JPG" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Drying onions from the allotment on the grass in the summer sun! About July is when the garden started to feel a bit jungly, which we loved. We went through a lot of plant feed, and things just kept blooming. We would feed the pots every week and the garden about every other week. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigolJya2CvJOP0FkkxZ7M7busPc2vz9xsa24PSFPqcj6Uv1g2Zcrhv7mZ2Ve5s4oVZediQaLFU6HetE7iFRf76nWZ6b4oSLXEiVfN0nHPfydpnVO1Ar7wI3bEx2nOm5h1SZk4WF1DpTUM/s1600/garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigolJya2CvJOP0FkkxZ7M7busPc2vz9xsa24PSFPqcj6Uv1g2Zcrhv7mZ2Ve5s4oVZediQaLFU6HetE7iFRf76nWZ6b4oSLXEiVfN0nHPfydpnVO1Ar7wI3bEx2nOm5h1SZk4WF1DpTUM/s640/garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Garden made me feel so refreshed every time I went out into it even though there was always a lot to do. One mistake I made last summer was not staking and tying things up before they started to lean. The annuals especially got so big so quickly they were flopping all over the place, but we'll be better prepared in 2020. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHq6uVAxi4OiWjRAwdo4tjTPva-w4wodiDO39znsxfOCyKgsRzVbEUYn60R3Eh_pZ5siNDOVJhCQ9Gy5wFcV9dpq8pD-1wEZWyFHT3G51SAehsEZOHHjRRa4bPdyBlxXx9o2a7Dv6kQg/s1600/IMG_0276.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHq6uVAxi4OiWjRAwdo4tjTPva-w4wodiDO39znsxfOCyKgsRzVbEUYn60R3Eh_pZ5siNDOVJhCQ9Gy5wFcV9dpq8pD-1wEZWyFHT3G51SAehsEZOHHjRRa4bPdyBlxXx9o2a7Dv6kQg/s640/IMG_0276.HEIC" width="480" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'd never grown a garden like this before, and it honestly was a lot of work, but it exceeded my expectations as a lush floral escape. There were two major differences I found from trying to grow a flower garden in Maryland. First we didn't have to worry about deer coming in and eating everything and second it was a small enclosed space. I think both can be considered positives, the lack of deer obviously so, but the smaller enclosed space, is a limiting factor so we really pushed for WOW in the space we do have. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRktHHRCE3UMhD0bl_ItEbAOaRyt9kguzgNYsjuBGthtdI12DCHHhzP-0I2Y70dr7iouVacahW6EHLaban2qXqlcN0NtFApdnCv0Lrm2TKdTOIaAaHh_98Gf2u2DsquMz4pOBREa6MCg/s1600/garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRktHHRCE3UMhD0bl_ItEbAOaRyt9kguzgNYsjuBGthtdI12DCHHhzP-0I2Y70dr7iouVacahW6EHLaban2qXqlcN0NtFApdnCv0Lrm2TKdTOIaAaHh_98Gf2u2DsquMz4pOBREa6MCg/s640/garden.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In 2020 our goal is to improve on this design as things get bigger. We've promised not to buy any more plants. We will only grow from seeds and cuttings this year. (We'll see, it can be hard to resist a new flower!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
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<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-91997262596767140392020-01-30T11:34:00.000-05:002020-01-30T11:35:02.515-05:00DIY Gold-leaf Agate Bookends<div style="text-align: center;">
I think I get bogged down trying to do blog posts that cover the grand scale renovation projects and thats why it takes ages for me to publish them. I'm always editing them down trying to be sleeker, less-wordy, more sophisticated, to generate some idealized version of myself to put out there. Well news flash: thats not how I am, in real life I'm verbose, project oriented, and tenacious about the little details. ANYWAY here I made you this thing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwroZo34w3HlWyFZHd0ccVYmv2rHQ-p7tonGVOFEl9vVUvd7XaNWjGOI-AHYWURT2WmGszzLGnzICYU9RpUBgXYhD5PusNK9VZbKHWT1vW_MkP386ZZb6ZVKPJU32t9vi3NHU3QRPkL3E/s1600/IMG_0161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwroZo34w3HlWyFZHd0ccVYmv2rHQ-p7tonGVOFEl9vVUvd7XaNWjGOI-AHYWURT2WmGszzLGnzICYU9RpUBgXYhD5PusNK9VZbKHWT1vW_MkP386ZZb6ZVKPJU32t9vi3NHU3QRPkL3E/s400/IMG_0161.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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DIY Gold-leaf Agate Bookends.</div>
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Its exactly what it sounds like. I've always been a collector of pebbles, shells, and curios, so when I saw Agate slice bookends showing up a few years ago I knew I wanted a pair. I prowled my favorite thrift stores back in Maryland until this lovely natural pair popped up for only a few dollars!</div>
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They needed a little more glam to lift them from ordinary to extraordinary so gold it was.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uvsY8q3sSK77gYMmdP7ID0fIfIPeiN82Z_g2lS0e3bS1G8uXdpzv5iTXSCibFZrdxIslBYNKpDBSddo-HR4gqoU5RJBZz7_DIYJg588VajDdD65hRFldsdp_kLvJc0HgYON5EU0OxZ8/s1600/IMG_0152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uvsY8q3sSK77gYMmdP7ID0fIfIPeiN82Z_g2lS0e3bS1G8uXdpzv5iTXSCibFZrdxIslBYNKpDBSddo-HR4gqoU5RJBZz7_DIYJg588VajDdD65hRFldsdp_kLvJc0HgYON5EU0OxZ8/s320/IMG_0152.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I forgot to take a photo before I started the project..blogger fail, but basically the outside edges were just plain stone. First I taped off the cut sides with quality blue painters tape, you don't want to risk edge bleeds here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfvmebtmz7KzuPed1J4eI4kFFyDvvPtkSe7HOQfZnxGlXAMVvbFgXDQC2HM8usun8xsRxdfFFdNsrb-74G94ljphuPJLGhfFn9a-UoNZlWiP0vqoK8Jq3IjjS1Ke8Ee-Uu5uDgWL-axQ/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfvmebtmz7KzuPed1J4eI4kFFyDvvPtkSe7HOQfZnxGlXAMVvbFgXDQC2HM8usun8xsRxdfFFdNsrb-74G94ljphuPJLGhfFn9a-UoNZlWiP0vqoK8Jq3IjjS1Ke8Ee-Uu5uDgWL-axQ/s320/IMG_0149.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I went for quality metallic gold spray paint from Rust-oleum, I've had mixed results attempting to give a metallic finish to smooth items in the past, (plastic or stainless steel) but on a rough surface like rock it works quite well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6jtXrZup7076lqA_3VEft7l8rLa_P_0tOgwmc9eSDJcoUpEWMfMx40vgCPW5cM57XAoc_J632keRxUcovye_XhAJJFpdAcI_aJvHquAbi54_obYQYlSOJp20GB8wmOIhs2txquk64Hg/s1600/IMG_0150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6jtXrZup7076lqA_3VEft7l8rLa_P_0tOgwmc9eSDJcoUpEWMfMx40vgCPW5cM57XAoc_J632keRxUcovye_XhAJJFpdAcI_aJvHquAbi54_obYQYlSOJp20GB8wmOIhs2txquk64Hg/s320/IMG_0150.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LNQfHJT6J1cw07LPus6fgLtj5_uuAhhSZ2KkMmAOfjluqsG1U9RzfHpviqM9plYxf-7fs7Zgi-4eZ9uOMbhGTgvrm3v5T0l5SVhQJ9lkW98Z7_aU0kYr_Co-ZThldtHCNG2AG3teYu0/s1600/IMG_0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LNQfHJT6J1cw07LPus6fgLtj5_uuAhhSZ2KkMmAOfjluqsG1U9RzfHpviqM9plYxf-7fs7Zgi-4eZ9uOMbhGTgvrm3v5T0l5SVhQJ9lkW98Z7_aU0kYr_Co-ZThldtHCNG2AG3teYu0/s320/IMG_0153.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Let the paint dry, I recommend two thin coats, then peal the tape off of the cut edges and you're all set!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDPdkmdhE8bAuJzcfP3fAdZH0AqSwOUtaigetNNzvpBQNcBvHWcTieCHg74Z4ka47gTbLV-yGo9nSxdhA8O8e7ivymupvKymb1gu6LKapKR4lcG-3fzIwDUY0xe33Ge5A5T0waynauBg/s1600/IMG_0165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDPdkmdhE8bAuJzcfP3fAdZH0AqSwOUtaigetNNzvpBQNcBvHWcTieCHg74Z4ka47gTbLV-yGo9nSxdhA8O8e7ivymupvKymb1gu6LKapKR4lcG-3fzIwDUY0xe33Ge5A5T0waynauBg/s400/IMG_0165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My assistant..</div>
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-Nikki</div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-13771236253715131902019-02-02T12:08:00.000-05:002019-02-02T12:08:04.193-05:00A Cottage Kitchen!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6XYPKlegtu9Z_ilWnre7sU0xDdWTAxhXfoiMN_t676zef-kR3G6_-6G_Uwl60KvXneam_OJR586tjvBkhYkB5wTHYzdB_-UftTJYX1lO6DM2i_aU3c5u-7HgYwXA641ABeY9rz6KVGU/s1600/IMG_0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6XYPKlegtu9Z_ilWnre7sU0xDdWTAxhXfoiMN_t676zef-kR3G6_-6G_Uwl60KvXneam_OJR586tjvBkhYkB5wTHYzdB_-UftTJYX1lO6DM2i_aU3c5u-7HgYwXA641ABeY9rz6KVGU/s640/IMG_0973.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You guys this post is a long time in coming...but Ta Da! Kitchen fitted! Here is a quick kitchen recap...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHe7k8CtDmegsZTb7GKxn6uow3lvTgs0gspC0u7Dk2w8LSUBxxXTh0QCVWSG4mAZmrWNDhFjalT48dm1EGZPF30nPH9Jq4G3A3GhNK7h05ka6jBfxVLtVuH72dDBlqOe1llttH4cEapA/s1600/IMG_4548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHe7k8CtDmegsZTb7GKxn6uow3lvTgs0gspC0u7Dk2w8LSUBxxXTh0QCVWSG4mAZmrWNDhFjalT48dm1EGZPF30nPH9Jq4G3A3GhNK7h05ka6jBfxVLtVuH72dDBlqOe1llttH4cEapA/s640/IMG_4548.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't miss this nightmare 'kitchen' at all... no storage, questionable electrics, sink that didn't drain, or alternately leaked onto an outlet that was for some reason installed underneath of it.. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPnXhbrgwanFiBNgUqBYNWAznG4FiFPOfk9nGUhiPi5KyHnquUh3mnfutsyOtkyMPG_LPYQqAvtR4nPjMNs0y6o4Fsa8BiM7DcCL73BeeD-EFQ4unbREQT-UseNN6sv5y2QipdTKNG7A/s1600/IMG_8011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPnXhbrgwanFiBNgUqBYNWAznG4FiFPOfk9nGUhiPi5KyHnquUh3mnfutsyOtkyMPG_LPYQqAvtR4nPjMNs0y6o4Fsa8BiM7DcCL73BeeD-EFQ4unbREQT-UseNN6sv5y2QipdTKNG7A/s640/IMG_8011.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mr.F stripped everything out of the kitchen, and I mean everything. He started from scratch to create a dry and level base for the stone floors!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQC4-7n7_HBphpoA_YFHTRI6tPp00zwPKnvNm3p5df3IpzPo8HyAhpMZM-ohG2cDw83YVdsBiAzI54nw_voM4vL_HIYEa3gsyOeiHAhoHmVS-BUZc99y91JmyVXh1XljgUdTTP34aBD4/s1600/IMG_8784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQC4-7n7_HBphpoA_YFHTRI6tPp00zwPKnvNm3p5df3IpzPo8HyAhpMZM-ohG2cDw83YVdsBiAzI54nw_voM4vL_HIYEa3gsyOeiHAhoHmVS-BUZc99y91JmyVXh1XljgUdTTP34aBD4/s640/IMG_8784.JPG" width="475" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was lucky that I didn't have to live here during the installation even though it went much more smoothly than the bathroom renovation catastrophes, feel the pain <a href="https://longdistancediy.blogspot.com/2017/11/bathroom-blues-wooden-floor-woes.html">here</a> and <a href="https://longdistancediy.blogspot.com/2017/11/bathroom-blues-delivery-drama.html">here</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDmGCAftJ4o9EYdYphdYO37_FQtAaick1o2aWFbjCFOaJntS-q5x9hXN-qMEyliUgMyIxvrbXZi6b1MiCEmUfR7FZg-NtpqUysvHroptFzPI-t6Oz3WrbU-ImdEXRYPDNWCXFdK6Y8fU/s1600/IMG_8841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDmGCAftJ4o9EYdYphdYO37_FQtAaick1o2aWFbjCFOaJntS-q5x9hXN-qMEyliUgMyIxvrbXZi6b1MiCEmUfR7FZg-NtpqUysvHroptFzPI-t6Oz3WrbU-ImdEXRYPDNWCXFdK6Y8fU/s400/IMG_8841.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fun kitchen deliveries!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We decided to have the kitchen professionally fitted, which came with its own ups and downs but now that its in and we've lived with it for a while (a year, yes that is how long it takes me to get around to blogging.) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm already thinking about how to tweak it.. mostly just fun stuff like shiny brass handles and painting the cabinets. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMP0nhX3A3RuZ_BrP1CyC49smtsjdboshT4fIGdGPh3yuZuGixSSD4ULlLw7OuRc4f97uucO3tDwMSPUc-kidk4QZKS-P3XBk45x_CEGX7xABAdCVhO8EDIdmnqHUyPd69zOtG_ixyL8/s1600/IMG_8840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMP0nhX3A3RuZ_BrP1CyC49smtsjdboshT4fIGdGPh3yuZuGixSSD4ULlLw7OuRc4f97uucO3tDwMSPUc-kidk4QZKS-P3XBk45x_CEGX7xABAdCVhO8EDIdmnqHUyPd69zOtG_ixyL8/s400/IMG_8840.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting for installation!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The cabinets are primed white, and originally I thought white and bright was the way to go, but it shows everything and I've really been feeling the deep jewel tones in decorating lately. So maybe a deep ruby red or a sumptuous dark plum paint color is on the horizon..</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZPOF9b0nKfYpBIkvDZNOwB7Bh4kVKpXIuDMufsBucCMb3ExPMn7COth27AN6fXtVPmmB8UM9pRcaawhO7jWZN40rsckQLFDiVf_seaBgX6E9cxw0StOVX4R7cRzRAA36fOSj0v6wHlo/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZPOF9b0nKfYpBIkvDZNOwB7Bh4kVKpXIuDMufsBucCMb3ExPMn7COth27AN6fXtVPmmB8UM9pRcaawhO7jWZN40rsckQLFDiVf_seaBgX6E9cxw0StOVX4R7cRzRAA36fOSj0v6wHlo/s400/IMG_2878.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What color would you choose?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We went for lots of classic cottage kitchen features like the farmhouse sink, the breakfast bar, and butcher block counter-tops. The counters are a beautiful light Maple, a material traditional to Victorian kitchens, I love them but I'm not sure I'd do it again. The Maple stains easily so we have to be careful to always wipe dry spills, in fact its probably time to oil them again.. add it to my list. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7YLntfWClWGBVgN2JALYE347HhlPNSM_UVczQKj_VhCBXzJnaCrr8m1KT6fcaQoCLZRpgSLF5fyWt4NeKBGCyUcVmQSqrr4NevaAa0iKrSMmhOFa705Y9P8RFwc4ID9eakEPGmHxpNg/s1600/IMG_0967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7YLntfWClWGBVgN2JALYE347HhlPNSM_UVczQKj_VhCBXzJnaCrr8m1KT6fcaQoCLZRpgSLF5fyWt4NeKBGCyUcVmQSqrr4NevaAa0iKrSMmhOFa705Y9P8RFwc4ID9eakEPGmHxpNg/s640/IMG_0967.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The scene of frequent cooking shows staring myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Check out those gorgeous backslash tiles we had exactly the right number left over from tiling the <a href="https://longdistancediy.blogspot.com/2017/11/bathroom-tile-and-color-reveal.html">bathroom</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ok so, what color would you paint the cabinets?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
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LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-74616197336973460652018-12-19T15:03:00.000-05:002018-12-20T04:10:43.088-05:00Summer + Fall adventures: A summary.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeGlnpCLrPy1fSyxoFRkITa0_754m2RKZk_UELlrQ1LqGP4eWDTY1U0LNihyphenhyphenGDXh-9sv-1bjQDOl3DLP00PciIx8zx3SOH6lxlYq-yPTsxmHGJJV2k_1Fq7HxMgGNTvDnj7RWa4Zu5kk/s1600/AES_Photography_Wedding_Nicole+%2526+Matt_219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeGlnpCLrPy1fSyxoFRkITa0_754m2RKZk_UELlrQ1LqGP4eWDTY1U0LNihyphenhyphenGDXh-9sv-1bjQDOl3DLP00PciIx8zx3SOH6lxlYq-yPTsxmHGJJV2k_1Fq7HxMgGNTvDnj7RWa4Zu5kk/s640/AES_Photography_Wedding_Nicole+%2526+Matt_219.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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(Us at Wortley Hall.)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We got married in July 2018 in Sheffield (U.K.), it was wonderful, definitely one of the most special days of my entire life so far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The rest of the summer was spent exploring around the Cotswolds with our National Trust membership cards, and working on the house (of course, that is why you're all here.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaVJxZTpaD-7JN19SIb0GZIhazuzgmQErpoRuNfQ7jJOCsuKKFDU3o9_vWgrULl9eVti1_S2tPVwkWdhBzdIwcuvnu9Eof1hm5VBxoykujheLr_s7S6cjeCyzg-NUv9gZHx45vjaQsJs/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaVJxZTpaD-7JN19SIb0GZIhazuzgmQErpoRuNfQ7jJOCsuKKFDU3o9_vWgrULl9eVti1_S2tPVwkWdhBzdIwcuvnu9Eof1hm5VBxoykujheLr_s7S6cjeCyzg-NUv9gZHx45vjaQsJs/s400/IMG_1333.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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(me at Broadway tower.)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Right before the wedding we managed to get carpet in on the stairs and two bedrooms, we went with a modern light gray and now that its winter I'm so glad we did it. The rooms feel so much cozier than they would have with just bare floorboards. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgKDvYRCNYiMIoiNKYx5EFOZcYr9o9nFtIrvyE_CEpUi8zbRhb7ODNc_xzNGFxUaCjTTgpx57yGJH-EheK8_1EKnkifaIzrTZ85V9_VsOw8BQ5mQoMrsuz8kCPqsofCH4k7Dw-Mulj6c/s1600/IMG_0894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgKDvYRCNYiMIoiNKYx5EFOZcYr9o9nFtIrvyE_CEpUi8zbRhb7ODNc_xzNGFxUaCjTTgpx57yGJH-EheK8_1EKnkifaIzrTZ85V9_VsOw8BQ5mQoMrsuz8kCPqsofCH4k7Dw-Mulj6c/s400/IMG_0894.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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(No we haven't done the radiators yet..)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We hung loads of pictures/paintings and some pendant lights, plus curtains! Curtains really helped to make the rooms feel more finished and comfortable, they hide the fact that the windows don't have trim yet and stop people from being able to see in. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgb0hg8fw8cBpz9ohthUc96Eodz2-U5ujrnf0BjQ6qwgBWR4uHzdxbeAuoV5w1FubEtGh8HnChyphenhyphenAsfyAAHArlJtIcOA8mb2Y2AVCm1hxh7pimoDqAFkOqcW_lyXmQmgGtgknOx3Is_iw/s1600/IMG_1068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgb0hg8fw8cBpz9ohthUc96Eodz2-U5ujrnf0BjQ6qwgBWR4uHzdxbeAuoV5w1FubEtGh8HnChyphenhyphenAsfyAAHArlJtIcOA8mb2Y2AVCm1hxh7pimoDqAFkOqcW_lyXmQmgGtgknOx3Is_iw/s400/IMG_1068.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We also did a lot of work in the garden, we built a retaining wall to keep the trench next to the house clear, fresh grass was laid down and I pulled up several of the big flagstones to make a little flower boarder. I put in about 65 assorted spring bulbs and a purple smoke bush and two rose plants.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibssDgPJhknVEH_trKVpTIRbM5y1Bk5addWNOH4Ad-c_TKik8shG3YzbAQxzmDJ2ITqNIyvB8eXQ0_3ZaTdJL9-PNPNstoE_E0UTMYIdlfJJDPWJO-rNqkKAfn8FdWaRdL2l2-yNyZEBw/s1600/IMG_2388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibssDgPJhknVEH_trKVpTIRbM5y1Bk5addWNOH4Ad-c_TKik8shG3YzbAQxzmDJ2ITqNIyvB8eXQ0_3ZaTdJL9-PNPNstoE_E0UTMYIdlfJJDPWJO-rNqkKAfn8FdWaRdL2l2-yNyZEBw/s400/IMG_2388.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">More on the garden to come later in its own post (we have flamingos!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We also chose a paint color for the back-bedroom! This room with have warm amber brown floorboards and dark forest green plaster walls. I'm hoping it will feel like a cozy retreat. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOQnnfozn0ExEhPYOCjtb-IGGX3U__2nr1RtEn1NdpO5UDb_Ugl4RKhyHOYNTB0HRuY7iyBQ-hwkDoougpk5Zdni72ynaAP1UtcscAeNc6bw9tXiYQlFg4gpSlgiB7d7KQJjgzRiyXHk/s1600/IMG_2380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOQnnfozn0ExEhPYOCjtb-IGGX3U__2nr1RtEn1NdpO5UDb_Ugl4RKhyHOYNTB0HRuY7iyBQ-hwkDoougpk5Zdni72ynaAP1UtcscAeNc6bw9tXiYQlFg4gpSlgiB7d7KQJjgzRiyXHk/s400/IMG_2380.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As fall began we took on a garden allotment to grow our own vegetables (because we don't have enough going on), I went through the visa process again, (much simpler this time), and we planned our honeymoon. Most of November was spent traveling around the United States. We did a mega road trip (2000+ miles) through Arizona and Utah, and we had a second wedding reception in Maryland for the USA side of the family. It was s</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">o much fun that I think we should get married every year.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rb4G25tHw2G-leS2MPv7tkxP1hNtP7L8Rgd3lxrbvJOCVm88Dkp3ioHcb8KnPX69rfDQc3-5QCZs7j6m3yBwGhD3xHeGYQgJQYGMqsJxxKCbnyeWv5eXAV72sGZNhrSGYhLU1vffgG8/s1600/IMG_1547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rb4G25tHw2G-leS2MPv7tkxP1hNtP7L8Rgd3lxrbvJOCVm88Dkp3ioHcb8KnPX69rfDQc3-5QCZs7j6m3yBwGhD3xHeGYQgJQYGMqsJxxKCbnyeWv5eXAV72sGZNhrSGYhLU1vffgG8/s400/IMG_1547.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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(Waterholes slot canyon in AZ.)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Tewkesbury I also started volunteering at a local charity bookshop and at the local town museums, its been a fun way for me to get out of the house and meet more people in my new community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those of you who are house detail junkies like me, don't panic, I'll go into more detail in later posts. I really needed to get the big picture out first before I started in on the room by room stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
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LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-33044662362853030812018-06-21T13:18:00.000-04:002018-06-21T13:37:29.465-04:00Watching Paint Dry<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ias-4Xp89Iqcl4J03TUjrmqYsMk1vK8VyHEHxr0d1YhFv6lj45338O_yAWSoF8sivfLSm_XomiAf8aRIxsysdpmtNELXIuIBeeFoSobK_oJw0w8RmwZIZNP4bEiVM6HLjaFOuonHQk0/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ias-4Xp89Iqcl4J03TUjrmqYsMk1vK8VyHEHxr0d1YhFv6lj45338O_yAWSoF8sivfLSm_XomiAf8aRIxsysdpmtNELXIuIBeeFoSobK_oJw0w8RmwZIZNP4bEiVM6HLjaFOuonHQk0/s400/IMG_0724.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been in the UK about three weeks now and I've settled in somewhat. The studio is now completely painted with Cat's Cradle (Earthborn Claypaints) on the walls and Off-Black Estate Eggshell (Farrow and Ball) on all the trim. I even painted the inside of the little closet over the stairs and picked up some classic clear storage containers to organize it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNcqM-xLqwI6-CvoPpC9AD30s3qX-yVD3LOGOoUl79zUcE6qDVa3zkGOMgTGxQkaUyPbV22G5T0nHoosY5-8t0t76Om0vOks8H8K8bVpqRthpN7Rxg_xfM3qIkM9UO-3Ixthu3kUdpjc/s1600/IMG_0586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNcqM-xLqwI6-CvoPpC9AD30s3qX-yVD3LOGOoUl79zUcE6qDVa3zkGOMgTGxQkaUyPbV22G5T0nHoosY5-8t0t76Om0vOks8H8K8bVpqRthpN7Rxg_xfM3qIkM9UO-3Ixthu3kUdpjc/s400/IMG_0586.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also finally had a chance to clean the paint off of both sides of this little transom window! Now even if all the doors are closed the hallway gets some natural light, a welcome change!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLM7HJA7ja7xALwKOJpib3-2k-DrRpYDrmhOG9TKfZpFvWVOnPUWHmPQOB90R0RuwnSlH3Ir6wRZZmNAJOVW3OjNUHo6au9dGnzreHHaN3Xt1sr2WNBS9fxYzWnz4AuY2qwv0Ljo8gXUo/s1600/IMG_0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLM7HJA7ja7xALwKOJpib3-2k-DrRpYDrmhOG9TKfZpFvWVOnPUWHmPQOB90R0RuwnSlH3Ir6wRZZmNAJOVW3OjNUHo6au9dGnzreHHaN3Xt1sr2WNBS9fxYzWnz4AuY2qwv0Ljo8gXUo/s400/IMG_0576.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jxokV3x2w562qlnySQqu3CB5leZ9r01ZhWrhDSM3qBwvJCuAr1_oXby0PW6x5yXAd2B4y-QDcnRAi8Dm5bqQmSpv8jVaeA8iwPEVaeP4VbFU8hzWQ-qHOVZk8WhilRaHhDhE2NXwYME/s1600/IMG_0580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jxokV3x2w562qlnySQqu3CB5leZ9r01ZhWrhDSM3qBwvJCuAr1_oXby0PW6x5yXAd2B4y-QDcnRAi8Dm5bqQmSpv8jVaeA8iwPEVaeP4VbFU8hzWQ-qHOVZk8WhilRaHhDhE2NXwYME/s400/IMG_0580.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love this little room and I can't wait to see it carpeted, which, SURPRISE we are going with wall-to-wall carpet in the studio, the front bedroom, the hall, and the stairs. We attempted to revive the floorboards but they are just in horrible condition and at this point we really just want the space to feel finished and cozy. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRN3fL3KdZ-FxEbiallmnvEpT_utozz1RYt9l1LOdfxi1Qsyj31yb_-OBNfrU1heE-mHpg3XZHm75VFGqasaGiMuhOI9UiN09pkg8F_zuMPRjsgz9awOiFWobup9RPiquIPTnaHkxzwfc/s1600/IMG_0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRN3fL3KdZ-FxEbiallmnvEpT_utozz1RYt9l1LOdfxi1Qsyj31yb_-OBNfrU1heE-mHpg3XZHm75VFGqasaGiMuhOI9UiN09pkg8F_zuMPRjsgz9awOiFWobup9RPiquIPTnaHkxzwfc/s400/IMG_0574.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next I used Farrow and Ball's Off-Black downstairs on all the new baseboards. All through the lounge, hall, kitchen and dinning space, we have brand new baseboards (because of the new floor.) All the screw holes (huge masonry screws) had to be filled and sanded, then a wood primer coat and two coats of Off-Black. All this took the better part of 3 days. Long days spent home alone; on the floor, listening to true crime podcasts, I went a little stir crazy. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZREDqzTyDIRMElxA3u5XGlXAejw4p9koewHEFj4wpXr6VOyPRCSmzj0IPUwIZTuL7fZnLGvw7cD1SjJlLlBAstsCH6nYCN78UacPggKukUBtfHb1eIfQbivQ9NQOf8IqODeILMDrvOqE/s1600/IMG_0738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZREDqzTyDIRMElxA3u5XGlXAejw4p9koewHEFj4wpXr6VOyPRCSmzj0IPUwIZTuL7fZnLGvw7cD1SjJlLlBAstsCH6nYCN78UacPggKukUBtfHb1eIfQbivQ9NQOf8IqODeILMDrvOqE/s400/IMG_0738.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyHVAUEu2BJB9FQSKhGPhqi_BJYY4NjBDSulRObpMfdoAQnMRZOar7-xOv2MvRcl804mhkGn1YYi1uFyNAiRgKeDpK36vWKN0bJZXlXNbknnuKuEoiIWVFewUyWqhQhonbgUEv-FfwE4/s1600/IMG_0736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyHVAUEu2BJB9FQSKhGPhqi_BJYY4NjBDSulRObpMfdoAQnMRZOar7-xOv2MvRcl804mhkGn1YYi1uFyNAiRgKeDpK36vWKN0bJZXlXNbknnuKuEoiIWVFewUyWqhQhonbgUEv-FfwE4/s400/IMG_0736.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm so in love with the way it came out, the soft black feels sophisticated and elevates the color of the limestone floors in a way I did not expect. I'm not 100% happy with my fill job though, when the screw holes were on the curved section of the trim, it was a real struggle to get a seamless fill (whos idea was that!?)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpGgrNRSJ_jfu0V1jKvcdVIjNArKK_m_ReNdfpr53iI-lE4D1xiATTi_fwB0l5UQ3eOntZuo6DqrWEX9Lexqaw_PUgEtJMlGTiVmcgLyFrt5U8y9WMXQHoDlF8LoGyCOANrjPpXI__bU/s1600/IMG_0726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpGgrNRSJ_jfu0V1jKvcdVIjNArKK_m_ReNdfpr53iI-lE4D1xiATTi_fwB0l5UQ3eOntZuo6DqrWEX9Lexqaw_PUgEtJMlGTiVmcgLyFrt5U8y9WMXQHoDlF8LoGyCOANrjPpXI__bU/s400/IMG_0726.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9K3AnrFPb7e0Qh-IKYiOyQ2NwYu2F6Uc7rQgiTl3XxbHtQg72WoLTMXKB-Hhb0GfOt2U1W5miaCPe1RLqZJAWcRnnmacJljn9SUrSQs7IoWjbFapdTXyGNmjfVg_LRTOWZGlFJyLbfA/s1600/IMG_0703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9K3AnrFPb7e0Qh-IKYiOyQ2NwYu2F6Uc7rQgiTl3XxbHtQg72WoLTMXKB-Hhb0GfOt2U1W5miaCPe1RLqZJAWcRnnmacJljn9SUrSQs7IoWjbFapdTXyGNmjfVg_LRTOWZGlFJyLbfA/s400/IMG_0703.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I used Farrow and Ball's Railings for the baseboards in the front bedroom (no pictures of that room yet!), this one is a deep blue-black, though it just feels black in there, maybe that will change once the carpet goes in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also painted the woodwork going down into the cellar. Previously the spookiest space in the house, it is now tidied up and a little more welcoming. I only had enough paint to do the one wall, but after I added new light bulbs, it made a world of difference. My next job down there will be to get some new shelving. I need a place to store all these cans of paint!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8RY9YR5WFGIH_blJ4dK56uE8BIpTuJGngOu5hHZZr4GVlzJyERMdxOwA7aHeezKs8dsvH1X1spB0tA9cvHrwiX0fZCiXPxFCza82r2BXjP1HfcIjS0GUTnbkvjN54djP0Cq8yGyvsPI/s1600/IMG_0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8RY9YR5WFGIH_blJ4dK56uE8BIpTuJGngOu5hHZZr4GVlzJyERMdxOwA7aHeezKs8dsvH1X1spB0tA9cvHrwiX0fZCiXPxFCza82r2BXjP1HfcIjS0GUTnbkvjN54djP0Cq8yGyvsPI/s400/IMG_0713.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPwOe31ytqQkDnE6vmOjbgITbhyphenhyphenVkQHGdEiTjXL84Yp2VDx2z2mXwI5x0XX-Uid8Njs6H2nJTbbxdacooq3PeAYc8zo-Y3tKjjm01BTgvVq4YKsvMC0MTJJ0lJnIRhHKpmtQVIc99UZE/s1600/IMG_0717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPwOe31ytqQkDnE6vmOjbgITbhyphenhyphenVkQHGdEiTjXL84Yp2VDx2z2mXwI5x0XX-Uid8Njs6H2nJTbbxdacooq3PeAYc8zo-Y3tKjjm01BTgvVq4YKsvMC0MTJJ0lJnIRhHKpmtQVIc99UZE/s400/IMG_0717.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, I threw paint at the outer garden gate, it is a POS but the paint helps a little and is a step towards the garden not looking abandoned!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In wedding news: We picked up the succulent favors! They are cute and now I don't want to give them away...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-2027685078025165062018-06-11T11:15:00.002-04:002018-06-11T11:16:31.022-04:00Moving to the UK and planning a wedding in eight weeks or less.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So lots to cover here. Matt and I got formally engaged back in September and told all my family when he visited in November, it was a very exciting and happy time. We then began the visa process so I could move to the UK and we could get married. Getting a fiancee Visa was an extremely stressful, expensive, and time consuming project, which sucked the fun out of the last several months, so you'll forgive me for not posting about it or wanting to dwell on it now that I am HERE! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5ggSDIk_rxidpv6GiH7Ywy213DX7hrP0c1_IOFFsubcGrR1zpS0xmT6awmPIjTCcCvM2hwW3LXjZz_qTqa5jiyyPmOCDEsjzLEOBtVCu2YFXEm8K9Lxh5krKkZAOmurwJlrWaZ-Hbqo/s1600/IMG_0505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5ggSDIk_rxidpv6GiH7Ywy213DX7hrP0c1_IOFFsubcGrR1zpS0xmT6awmPIjTCcCvM2hwW3LXjZz_qTqa5jiyyPmOCDEsjzLEOBtVCu2YFXEm8K9Lxh5krKkZAOmurwJlrWaZ-Hbqo/s400/IMG_0505.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thats right, LongdistanceDIY will be needing a new name, as I officially moved into the house about two weeks ago! It was great seeing how much had been done without me, Matt was able to get the baseboards installed downstairs and in our bedroom, finishing the bathroom fixture installation, paint the study, and more, but then I arrived and all hell broke loose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What have we been doing for the past two weeks? We choose a wedding venue and date, less than eight weeks away (I like to be busy, what can I say.) </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2laqZpsSjd8Vrob1TU7CVtlIPkXP-0cGhJWSdCBs7Rvjh0fJzvxfBEWFYluttVCep0ggz3ekHldPD7Ajd0q4r-RRMeeU7OLHZ513wb6oERMlvmes48yBLfbvJHFx3yVeYk7a0nv-Ays/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2laqZpsSjd8Vrob1TU7CVtlIPkXP-0cGhJWSdCBs7Rvjh0fJzvxfBEWFYluttVCep0ggz3ekHldPD7Ajd0q4r-RRMeeU7OLHZ513wb6oERMlvmes48yBLfbvJHFx3yVeYk7a0nv-Ays/s400/IMG_0628.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Sneak peak from the venue.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I've been sort burning the candle at both ends, doing lots of wedding things and working on the cottage so it will be guest ready before the wedding so that people can stay with us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The thing is, because the date we picked is so close, (six weeks now!) all of the last minute details and meetings are supposed to be happening right now, but I'm not really caught up yet. I collected addresses and sent out invitations, I've made all the appointments we need to make it legal, put together a registry, etc. But there is of course a long list of things still to do like find a photographer, hotel bags, get my dress hemmed, find shoes, set the menu with the caterer, put together favors, etc, etc, etc Everything is happening all at once, but its a lot of fun and luckily the venue is all in one, food, music, hotel, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The next post will be all about the cottage I promise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-56371969612425086972017-11-12T14:35:00.001-05:002018-06-21T13:21:41.915-04:00Bathroom Tile - And Color Reveal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The fun part first; Tiling is finished and we painted the bathroom blue! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We ordered a few samples of Earthborn Claypaint for the bathroom and ultimately went with Toy Soldier for a dark midnight blue color. Which looks amazing and dramatic against the bright shinning tiles!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYQ8k2yKm2Clpyss7_VMBOUGJAVq7yPfWI08CA5dx-IYHgV_zWFCasXUpyPpzbFLOKB1FRL8_LY0dUjFMf-mGM0fDL36M75B9jzzvIIN_zVkHT92ll-XDYpJ-gLXbibqS1qyvVkIIQzM/s1600/IMG_0351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYQ8k2yKm2Clpyss7_VMBOUGJAVq7yPfWI08CA5dx-IYHgV_zWFCasXUpyPpzbFLOKB1FRL8_LY0dUjFMf-mGM0fDL36M75B9jzzvIIN_zVkHT92ll-XDYpJ-gLXbibqS1qyvVkIIQzM/s640/IMG_0351.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Something I like about these specialty paint lines is actually the smaller color selection, so I can't be paralyzed by to much choice (today's theme). That is not to say they don't have a good selection, its just way more manageable than the thousands of colors and shades to be found at certain big box stores. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I love this color, it came out beautifully rich and dark, it has a sumptuous, luxury feel to it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITjJfFDYM3I7IECiv_5VwGISFaUkyDE5JzUb7TeA-q451tImstLQivMXBhKqZCB-9Ay1bFswCK55oH2eyIhA99rPLNGLtwItA35Ietl0XexwCaR6PGUi2KtA_teEoy5NGm2qyBtWaKf0/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITjJfFDYM3I7IECiv_5VwGISFaUkyDE5JzUb7TeA-q451tImstLQivMXBhKqZCB-9Ay1bFswCK55oH2eyIhA99rPLNGLtwItA35Ietl0XexwCaR6PGUi2KtA_teEoy5NGm2qyBtWaKf0/s640/IMG_0461.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Toy soldier is the dark swatch on the left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the negatives to long distance DIY is having to choose</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> finishes I haven't actually seen or touched. This is frustrating for both of us, fo</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">r instance, it took me weeks to choose the wall tiles for the bathroom. I felt the need to look at every possible tile option online, while trying to envision them in the space (talk about paralyzed by choice!)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWrZpqhc69x76JIeRKEfa_gKrQiBhb0BCKWQtnOBwOdugnK0xNgnxLh-7Urj4uoyyilGMH3Y2t4y8vJ64ZHTnVduRqWv78uMlh_hpHkYH0fTIbu96yoX9nMn1j_JxIBlsxiCVhf3mXdc/s1600/IMG_0437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWrZpqhc69x76JIeRKEfa_gKrQiBhb0BCKWQtnOBwOdugnK0xNgnxLh-7Urj4uoyyilGMH3Y2t4y8vJ64ZHTnVduRqWv78uMlh_hpHkYH0fTIbu96yoX9nMn1j_JxIBlsxiCVhf3mXdc/s640/IMG_0437.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ultimately we went with these beautiful </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Winchester tiles, handmade in England, in a gorgeous white called Papyrus. The tiles are actually a few different shades of white, they are an extra long subway tile and we opted to use white grout as well.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXBYq7aq-rn4b3YXxOc-p9erD5NiIX50RGGLsk8cocPt3ENrzhC_WyfYJJTNUpV6BHCHCXz1aI77cqigNBpgfHEZP2FGpuu9qdZogdwJ49UvHsYcOqA6D2ueMJg5nT7UyI7Dl5pOtpcQ/s1600/IMG_0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXBYq7aq-rn4b3YXxOc-p9erD5NiIX50RGGLsk8cocPt3ENrzhC_WyfYJJTNUpV6BHCHCXz1aI77cqigNBpgfHEZP2FGpuu9qdZogdwJ49UvHsYcOqA6D2ueMJg5nT7UyI7Dl5pOtpcQ/s640/IMG_0460.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Pisa tiles for the floors.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In stark contrast to the difficulty I had in choosing the wall tiles, are the floor tiles. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last June when we realized the floor would have to be tiled, Matt and I went together and looked at some options. In about 20 minutes we picked three samples, brought them home, and in another 10 minutes, we had ordered our favorite, so easy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was a huge relief, to both of us I think, to realize that we were on the same page and that all we needed was to be in the same place at the same time. After all the delays, and dragging of feet on choosing finishes, this really put things into perspective. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVVjauPRBm9LYetZSo7b133jTm_bb1m7KhG9wSUM2Mna7ojKiPld4fjAupqCRn9BlIjzeUB4yd_5Lem2DP3MVbLV4oSbp24Igi5tCC95zgapkK8udqRduMSkZjpxe5kEqi3Aj7dGmx80/s1600/IMG_0820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVVjauPRBm9LYetZSo7b133jTm_bb1m7KhG9wSUM2Mna7ojKiPld4fjAupqCRn9BlIjzeUB4yd_5Lem2DP3MVbLV4oSbp24Igi5tCC95zgapkK8udqRduMSkZjpxe5kEqi3Aj7dGmx80/s640/IMG_0820.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So the floors were leveled and installation began again, including the shower tray, finally! Matt sent me lots of progress shots of this, it was an exciting time!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I have tried my hand at tiling on a much smaller scale than this and it still took several hours, I can only imagine that I would still be working on this if I'd taken it on myself.. tricky since I don't live there. So glad we hired a professional, he did an amazing job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the shower we decided to build in a little shelf/bench, this happened while I was away, but it came out just as I envisioned. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can see the unfinished shelf here and the pipes before the tiles went up. We had already grouted the other walls before tiling the shower, (delayed while waiting to install the shower tray, which was delayed by the flooring issues, a tangled web I know) so that by the time the herring bone wall went up we had already committed to white grout. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8At9ZeB8kQ_UdxNNhLPhnZD879phHR-4hjlpb8k2ZSiR5D5YvctBidbcJMh45xQPiFDXrOXrS8_r7mMw5ewNZ8DK5ODeNd1ehsSpl2xX3Fxw8HoY13wSh3pQngFSWYJ1QIg0OfEb1Uo/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8At9ZeB8kQ_UdxNNhLPhnZD879phHR-4hjlpb8k2ZSiR5D5YvctBidbcJMh45xQPiFDXrOXrS8_r7mMw5ewNZ8DK5ODeNd1ehsSpl2xX3Fxw8HoY13wSh3pQngFSWYJ1QIg0OfEb1Uo/s640/IMG_0829.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before grout.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I got a little worried about the white on white with the tile and grout. Before grouting the pattern was in high contrast, afterwards its much more subtle. I've decided I like it and it opened the way for us to do something really dramatic with the paint color, otherwise I probably would have stuck to "safe" colors, like grays and whites. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After grout, everything shines like ice and the natural tiles reflect the light in a rippled textured pattern. As the tiling neared completion, the room looked amazing, it feels so high end, so luxurious. I can't wait to get in there with a candle and a plant and call it done. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD38IIDiWUPOK6sfMCyqeQ4hzKoqUn-Kxb7EZ7OsPnMbUn0zCnq8yPz6YxYSMQUnFpKqA2OajyN_GqjGUgdvD4n8BYUrojn_XsnzAoIr1zxB_VEik6JW1ISGYruW9tQrtOOMBNTJtSc2c/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD38IIDiWUPOK6sfMCyqeQ4hzKoqUn-Kxb7EZ7OsPnMbUn0zCnq8yPz6YxYSMQUnFpKqA2OajyN_GqjGUgdvD4n8BYUrojn_XsnzAoIr1zxB_VEik6JW1ISGYruW9tQrtOOMBNTJtSc2c/s640/IMG_0847.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gorgeous right? And a huge space! There were some side effects to all this luxury though. Remember the story of When you Give a Mouse a Cookie? Well when this mouse saw the beautiful tile it made other parts of the room look worse in comparison. Most notably the trim, which we had to strip, clean, and repaint. It also lights a fire under me to bring the rest of the house up to par.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next time, Fixtures!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span> </div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-91997033886899076702017-11-07T10:48:00.001-05:002017-11-07T10:48:14.453-05:00Bathroom Blues - Delivery Drama<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So while the <a href="http://longdistancediy.blogspot.com/2017/11/bathroom-blues-wooden-floor-woes.html">Bathroom Floorboard Mistake</a> was going on last June, we also had some delivery and installation drama. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">All of the beautiful new bathroom fixtures (except the vanity and sink) were delivered together in this neat, not so little, package. This thing was about 6 feet tall and had every little piece boxed up and in the tub. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPI_eY5QvU1tVaP0hR6GZcM56Bl2HNjX0DZzum6sAh2xqTYe1_zpCgsZzYt1ClmG19o4XNZ4GvZ_S-7DBsTm2tB8AEo9mrvLngciP8DXXSk_CqdP39nGbCj4_ytlbhdU7X8n6bmg7_EX4/s1600/IMG_0369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPI_eY5QvU1tVaP0hR6GZcM56Bl2HNjX0DZzum6sAh2xqTYe1_zpCgsZzYt1ClmG19o4XNZ4GvZ_S-7DBsTm2tB8AEo9mrvLngciP8DXXSk_CqdP39nGbCj4_ytlbhdU7X8n6bmg7_EX4/s640/IMG_0369.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We took the packaging apart and got all the small stuff inside. The tub was difficult as Matt and I had to bring it into the house on end and then up our tight turning stairs. We almost didn't make it, with all three of us; Matt, the tub, and I, suffering a few scrapes and bumps. In the end though, success! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The tub is upstairs! It came with gorgeous chrome claw feet too which you don't get to see until the final reveal. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKDlmXDHUP3ONJkauK-oPDLsZYbmu44YrI9Y_D0nvAnmS3G6mDPDBQaDwAOuN99aGwXaeRbX1RgrFhc80ilm7wYMBZFPQTuZgIgk-Co_igTDpAKCG_mKEFSPwe2eeeUAViW2Le5SGiDo/s1600/IMG_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKDlmXDHUP3ONJkauK-oPDLsZYbmu44YrI9Y_D0nvAnmS3G6mDPDBQaDwAOuN99aGwXaeRbX1RgrFhc80ilm7wYMBZFPQTuZgIgk-Co_igTDpAKCG_mKEFSPwe2eeeUAViW2Le5SGiDo/s640/IMG_0458.JPG" width="480" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The real drama of the delivery was the HUGE glass shower screen, this thing was not going up the stairs, it was to big by several inches. Oops. I'm actually quite proud of how we solved this one though....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After we realized that there was no way we could get that piece of glass up the stairs on our own we had a moment of panic (Maybe more than a moment.) </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I started calling moving companies who claimed to do sofas, pianos, etc through upstairs windows.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By this point it was rather late on a Friday evening, and we were feeling really stressed and dejected, so w</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">hen I got a hold of Sofa Assist it was a huge relief</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sofa Assist came out and expertly dismantled the window, lifted the panel through, and fixed the window. In fact that window didn't work properly before, now its perfect. The huge shower panel lived in (what will be) my studio for a few weeks before being installed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The installation delay was directly related to the shower tray drama. The tray couldn't be installed because the floors weren't level (this contributed to us scrapping the floorboards and going for tile), plus the pluming had to be finished. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1ybFUYryG7fvYa6OHe6GfFrK7LDkouVKQIUZvjSLJtwAy-iqmWhEaHbVR8YMEjHnObDfEb9DVnWtefgrN03MXBDQgKJwX3WJLHroGo1CKxDJVKt8926xcujcJdWzs8vM4xpUyhaFmJY/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1ybFUYryG7fvYa6OHe6GfFrK7LDkouVKQIUZvjSLJtwAy-iqmWhEaHbVR8YMEjHnObDfEb9DVnWtefgrN03MXBDQgKJwX3WJLHroGo1CKxDJVKt8926xcujcJdWzs8vM4xpUyhaFmJY/s640/IMG_0464.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By pluming I mean the pipes had to be fit into the wall, a plaster and brick wall shared with our neighbor. She was very sweet about it, but I suspect it is difficult to live next to a renovation when they spend all day hammering into the wall.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IWmh5SB58NfNSmNKLh6_BJ__5lek_zBAPLtJ2hXjxL8njlk7yYL27R0Uz7TmKKqkB1FxFD0YkLT2VeQn53OtepUVHXmHf2g7nKu2qc0HX5jrx5CCPJYe02IHEi1mK4x6du5ueCyJhwY/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IWmh5SB58NfNSmNKLh6_BJ__5lek_zBAPLtJ2hXjxL8njlk7yYL27R0Uz7TmKKqkB1FxFD0YkLT2VeQn53OtepUVHXmHf2g7nKu2qc0HX5jrx5CCPJYe02IHEi1mK4x6du5ueCyJhwY/s640/IMG_0463.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now though the pipes are fitted, the installation is done and the tiler has been able to get in and finish the walls and floors, Spoiler Alert: it looks amazing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That same week, we ordered the sink and vanity unit from Ikea (see below.) I usually love Ikea, but in this case </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Matt had to jump through a lot of hoops for this sink. I think my advice would be: If you can't see it and take it home day-of from Ikea, don't bother attempting a delivery. </span></div>
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<img alt="IKEA HEMNES/RÄTTVIKEN wash-stand with 2 drawers" src="http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/images/products/hemnes-r%C3%A4ttviken-wash-stand-with-2-drawers-black-brown-stain__0382310_pe557158_s4.jpg" /></div>
<img alt="IKEA HEMNES/RÄTTVIKEN wash-stand with 2 drawers" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is gorgeous though, a big porcelain top, chrome faucet to match the others and loads of storage in the big drawers. Stay tuned for the tile and wall color reveal!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
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<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-69539021460110975422017-11-01T00:14:00.002-04:002017-11-07T01:20:52.028-05:00Bathroom Blues - Wooden Floor Woes<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If it seems like it has been a while since I last posted that is true and directly related to my process of grieving and getting over my failure with the bathroom floors. I didn't want to discuss it until everything was beautiful and finished..HA. In case you've forgotten where we started...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoPI2anFmDFRIKKRC2Ma5v4YNbEQuWXIl65Od9_7Kk1PwabGdBH-I6lrpT-90dL3B06KY3XhzmKOArtvXjwZhqZupCMtIzr4hdg0cU9-w3LxUVFVESFg5H6uabLQgQOxLHQEEwwwHsdA/s1600/TC3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="620" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoPI2anFmDFRIKKRC2Ma5v4YNbEQuWXIl65Od9_7Kk1PwabGdBH-I6lrpT-90dL3B06KY3XhzmKOArtvXjwZhqZupCMtIzr4hdg0cU9-w3LxUVFVESFg5H6uabLQgQOxLHQEEwwwHsdA/s640/TC3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let me preface this by saying that I originally wanted tile on the floors but was woo'd by the desire to preserve as much original character of the house as possible. Matt really liked the look of the wooden floorboards in bathrooms and eventually won me over (with reservations.) We went round in circles about water getting under the boards and the poor condition of the boards, but forged ahead anyway. (I really need to start trusting my gut on these things.) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The plan was to bring some light into the dingy space, I effectively wanted to clean and white wash the boards and go for a sort of Scandinavian-vibe.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWi5auzy5wIqw14aGZSEpdL2O6iH85LhWNDJwA_1NOcipTAA7afNhE8o341Fo3OQMkD4lpyOnXa6LcRVWg4ujWi8_vbF_OACd5IB_xETMz9-e0b1j8mECFrjALMR4IJEGab93Hnjr9ac/s1600/IMG_0299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWi5auzy5wIqw14aGZSEpdL2O6iH85LhWNDJwA_1NOcipTAA7afNhE8o341Fo3OQMkD4lpyOnXa6LcRVWg4ujWi8_vbF_OACd5IB_xETMz9-e0b1j8mECFrjALMR4IJEGab93Hnjr9ac/s640/IMG_0299.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last June, Before and after sanding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The boards</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> had been stained, painted and heavily damaged over the years. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seriously, we had some horrid, messed up floor issues. Woodworm, nails, cracks, unevenness, and more. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is one of the most telling photos.. some of the worst woodworm damage...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBQozHx6hz4xC8pXoqHsNA7NNGKZyaazhJ4y90DtnbggipoNFHD7Xk1_ODh5a6utkWlzNTCbFKUG47Q2JdTkL5azJl-p28AHW9SCCvfiK-5cyCfxFTU4S4YOhMUJl2gjyRbHYCqdwNcQ/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBQozHx6hz4xC8pXoqHsNA7NNGKZyaazhJ4y90DtnbggipoNFHD7Xk1_ODh5a6utkWlzNTCbFKUG47Q2JdTkL5azJl-p28AHW9SCCvfiK-5cyCfxFTU4S4YOhMUJl2gjyRbHYCqdwNcQ/s640/IMG_0320.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I used Osmo wood filler as an attempt to even things out. The product itself I like, application is easy and it works as expected, but I think the boards were too far gone. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0Ja04U3gXqXa-SwUYqyi6m9KGky6V-VO-Bk5hmilyCD8CAmP7Yj_RHfDBZ-UmyM-X9ei4brgi5hCBAMCJIDxXhvEr_KF_VcDIVbe9_r-kvKjtW_IZeU_1bjP5jarxO-OdbOp-1fKMtA/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0Ja04U3gXqXa-SwUYqyi6m9KGky6V-VO-Bk5hmilyCD8CAmP7Yj_RHfDBZ-UmyM-X9ei4brgi5hCBAMCJIDxXhvEr_KF_VcDIVbe9_r-kvKjtW_IZeU_1bjP5jarxO-OdbOp-1fKMtA/s640/IMG_0317.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even a liberal application of wood filler didn't seem to help (though I told myself it did), and potentially made the situation even worse, by high-lighting the "character" as we called it. We were rushed, trying to finish in only a week, but </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think I could have spent a month on those floors and still not been happy. So even though we weren't ready, we moved on to the next step.. long distance diy projects (and relationships) sometimes have a time crunch, deal with it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAMX-XXgpWiizIeGxCpQ71b-vnD11LLh9iruuNbfH1o4BVoATv_2HNN9DhPrVvNPBse-ASw4FnTOfD0zNSPRw0mXLt9eD3qyCuh_eAYIGMHh-FyIFMcxib9YdJ_RMa24Id9Q90CajGgA/s1600/IMG_0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAMX-XXgpWiizIeGxCpQ71b-vnD11LLh9iruuNbfH1o4BVoATv_2HNN9DhPrVvNPBse-ASw4FnTOfD0zNSPRw0mXLt9eD3qyCuh_eAYIGMHh-FyIFMcxib9YdJ_RMa24Id9Q90CajGgA/s640/IMG_0309.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Osmo oil is fantastic, but it can't work miracles. Nothing wrong with the product, just our horrible floorboards. We used a white tinted, water resistant oil recommended for floors. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEw9iqJlogWYzHm4atNrG6aQKJ1fE9l4v0SNJJiHoS17VUf5X8pLd3SBm-XCWLeNw-kbUQf-TE3Hgu-WgyOeHZy3HuRo8M2u0UYs6OP7w_EPTnML_TRmeaUvSuaTPKGkkDWKRjHfyuTE/s1600/IMG_0324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEw9iqJlogWYzHm4atNrG6aQKJ1fE9l4v0SNJJiHoS17VUf5X8pLd3SBm-XCWLeNw-kbUQf-TE3Hgu-WgyOeHZy3HuRo8M2u0UYs6OP7w_EPTnML_TRmeaUvSuaTPKGkkDWKRjHfyuTE/s640/IMG_0324.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Working late into the night... I'm not holding a phone to my ear... You can also see the unfinished shower area.. the real bane of my life as all this was going on last June, during a heat wave. I think shortly after this the love of my life went out and found pizza and a bottle of wine. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NwpCmsjFsUdvfwmg7u6VKsnDKIjgIswAa6sqt589SsUzHDampRyGhq-UyjjA_alt-64zEJ01WN7aw9jOqJ3cCXf0MTOV_rgECgeSjBabtjdFs_vJ2Emj55NGhw1V4PuuOxbIwVN3fbI/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="722" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NwpCmsjFsUdvfwmg7u6VKsnDKIjgIswAa6sqt589SsUzHDampRyGhq-UyjjA_alt-64zEJ01WN7aw9jOqJ3cCXf0MTOV_rgECgeSjBabtjdFs_vJ2Emj55NGhw1V4PuuOxbIwVN3fbI/s640/IMG_0361.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over two evenings I painstakingly painted on two coats of the white tinted Osmo oil and a final protective clear sealant. Look at that gap... come on past me.. you were never going to accept that! This was the result. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhYQ4VjZUdsq7ri7Fq6p8iCZlKeSdQ6O68rbqjDud6NfH8RSP7PQ2kQULUgxdrY98qhR3XoE_w-WER4Qbgy14i5BVZlrytOKsKnmF_4noLsVenqQy_bkGvTycsMeRJnuWEBpg2ouirR4/s1600/IMG_0354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhYQ4VjZUdsq7ri7Fq6p8iCZlKeSdQ6O68rbqjDud6NfH8RSP7PQ2kQULUgxdrY98qhR3XoE_w-WER4Qbgy14i5BVZlrytOKsKnmF_4noLsVenqQy_bkGvTycsMeRJnuWEBpg2ouirR4/s640/IMG_0354.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I tried to love it. I really did. I never would have admitted I didn't if Matt didn't finally say he didn't really like it. Then it all came pouring out, I hated them. They were still rough to the touch, uneven, the color was ok but not what I'd envisioned. We probably would have been better off just painting them a high gloss white, because I hated these floorboards at this point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So then he said the magic words.. "</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">lets go look at floor tile tomorrow" </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is there any mystery as to why I love him?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKZafJSu12Dzns4ah1soltz5HQGM32q4fsN1w2Qg9J4iTilX0wue_199_twQe0g2Xl-5HtsHPZIvDRmLh09iv9nj31q1iy9viv79m2WU6XMr_nFDiBJMNKV9oeAQ9pv969cKXJ2Fqhlk/s1600/IMG_0356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKZafJSu12Dzns4ah1soltz5HQGM32q4fsN1w2Qg9J4iTilX0wue_199_twQe0g2Xl-5HtsHPZIvDRmLh09iv9nj31q1iy9viv79m2WU6XMr_nFDiBJMNKV9oeAQ9pv969cKXJ2Fqhlk/s640/IMG_0356.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is a final before and after of all the work that went in.. top is the unfinished hallway, bottom is the bathroom. A major difference, too bad it was wasted effort... still I'm glad we tried. Otherwise we would have always had a nagging feeling that the wood may have been a beautiful and cost saving style. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While all this was going on, the tiler was working on the walls and we had a major curve ball with the actual bathroom fixtures delivery, tune in next week for that minor catastrophe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
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<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-41554004044604867612017-09-09T13:12:00.005-04:002017-09-09T13:14:18.696-04:00Sealing the floors.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For background on the floors start <b><a href="https://longdistancediy.blogspot.com/2017/03/stone-floors.html"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>,</b> we used a beautiful Aged Heritage Limestone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On my last visit the floor installation</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> was finished but not yet sealed. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A lot of time and money had gone into building a vapor permeable floor and sub-floor</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, which should prevent issues with rising damp. Naturally, a</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> lot of anxiety went into choosing the right finish to protect the floors while maintaining their vapor permeable properties. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnlJvS-fQpkaBHypvJhf5Y25nIx2POSI7EemwVw-IE7_9rLYj-mmF8yygiVcIMCNONWrhl9JpBY56Vu01lcQL9Jv9o_-S6lqMq_CuwRv_bBvN5nIDOSfZddZ7DYxgaFalMBONcAs14MI/s1600/IMG_0330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnlJvS-fQpkaBHypvJhf5Y25nIx2POSI7EemwVw-IE7_9rLYj-mmF8yygiVcIMCNONWrhl9JpBY56Vu01lcQL9Jv9o_-S6lqMq_CuwRv_bBvN5nIDOSfZddZ7DYxgaFalMBONcAs14MI/s400/IMG_0330.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We cleaned them several times, before applying (by hand) a special vapor-permeable 'damp-look' stone floor sealant called Prevosil. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGT923g5RO850srnkv6Uva_C92T83_sNM45s-DiyneNpucNG-FpRPpssHtOjIMqQVDH-A9dpMqKWbD4fnzIwlFzXPQPUr2erA-RPlk1OcEVaNMR4F_Sbu9_GPe9AyjNZCiEEZU677s6o/s1600/IMG_0328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGT923g5RO850srnkv6Uva_C92T83_sNM45s-DiyneNpucNG-FpRPpssHtOjIMqQVDH-A9dpMqKWbD4fnzIwlFzXPQPUr2erA-RPlk1OcEVaNMR4F_Sbu9_GPe9AyjNZCiEEZU677s6o/s400/IMG_0328.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Prepping and sealing the floors was a labor of love, I felt like Cinderella on hands and knees scrubbing that floor, worth it though in the end. There was a rare heatwave during my visit and I have to say I took full advantage of the cool stones, laying on the floor to cool off (it wasn't as weird as it sounds I promise). Speaking of heat, get a load of the gorgeous cast iron radiator Matt ordered!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once finished we tried out some rugs! Both were vintage finds from eBay or Gumtree. Completely in love with both for very different reasons. Also on display is our fancy new chair! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvP6qRa-3rNHJr2CAnX7nBuhMTVN5pH-6wkVxCQPQFJyn8BJtL_Ad9ep3oto8gPExV10F6KH41Eh2Nfc0n7whmGrw7asr-P_H_8Svv3Nh8Fy-tj37KcVmNOR9WrlJQu_o6d0oYAaqVXQ/s1600/IMG_0376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvP6qRa-3rNHJr2CAnX7nBuhMTVN5pH-6wkVxCQPQFJyn8BJtL_Ad9ep3oto8gPExV10F6KH41Eh2Nfc0n7whmGrw7asr-P_H_8Svv3Nh8Fy-tj37KcVmNOR9WrlJQu_o6d0oYAaqVXQ/s400/IMG_0376.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Matt has gotten very good at assembling my Ikea whims..</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYY6ISu_1duuXNs-pLc6XbyCTOweV60SCmRiHSKb-mBc07xLEzaFjK8F0PgUoF_u6nrtim9-tY2fkpHy3eh_xhP3srbxkrKB0AqI0yDkYbYbq22GpHYPQumHRnQWzN1GhPDhYOvdGrr8/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYY6ISu_1duuXNs-pLc6XbyCTOweV60SCmRiHSKb-mBc07xLEzaFjK8F0PgUoF_u6nrtim9-tY2fkpHy3eh_xhP3srbxkrKB0AqI0yDkYbYbq22GpHYPQumHRnQWzN1GhPDhYOvdGrr8/s400/IMG_0473.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm considering this rug to be one of my better Friday Finds. I experimented with cleaning it, using diluted dish soap and the garden hose, and learned two things. First: Rugs are extremely heavy when wet, and Second: wool smells awful when wet. Luckily it dried well and did come out cleaner. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">See you next week when I'll be back in Tewkesbury!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
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LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-12777908531459043742017-08-29T17:15:00.000-04:002017-08-29T17:15:33.215-04:00The Woody<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know its a silly post for August but, j</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ust look at this lovely wood burner, hand made in Wales by the <a href="http://www.chillipenguin.co.uk/">Chilli Pengiun</a> company. They are super efficient, have a sleek modern look, come in a range of sizes and colors, and there is even one with a little pizza oven! </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjUsBL92TJmvjr-DwLe3h4ptLKo7rOhHTGX4Yk0DvlqDW3osmud1oB3y13t41stINN88pqZuOYzgV2CKRhfDyPLK79P6uOg3IsCov9PUjbL9nr3gkd7R90r727fu65qd0FbAVcDUihR8/s1600/IMG_8833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjUsBL92TJmvjr-DwLe3h4ptLKo7rOhHTGX4Yk0DvlqDW3osmud1oB3y13t41stINN88pqZuOYzgV2CKRhfDyPLK79P6uOg3IsCov9PUjbL9nr3gkd7R90r727fu65qd0FbAVcDUihR8/s640/IMG_8833.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This style? Its called the<i> </i><b>Woody</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Plus those flagstones going back into the fireplace and the excision of that hideous and dangerous old hearth stone? A total flooring coo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The floors are finished and sealed, post coming soon about our living room and rugs!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><3 Nikki</span></div>
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LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-10942514926974376112017-08-25T10:04:00.001-04:002017-08-25T10:04:48.897-04:00Friday Finds - 1970's Floor Lamp!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today I want to show off two vintage lamps found a few weeks apart from the same source down by the Maryland Shore. And I want to pat myself on the back for spotting them and jumping on the opportunity. I love them so much, the structural, architectural quality is very striking to me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I realized they would need to be rewired and refinished completely. Luckily my dad was just as excited about the find and has been leading the charge on cleaning them up. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuAmIA5gIVO8vwUgJJS3CLXV7aNEv1UnZ_HCxLO7AcCAxNlgfsIYmdqgj_gvBfLRlb4gvemIgRmS9LufrOmYJWpW6TR1kj6ediRYxxEwl89i8ytBvQOz0FGNsE1O2tbbyMd-WSq14w_g/s1600/IMG_0656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1393" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuAmIA5gIVO8vwUgJJS3CLXV7aNEv1UnZ_HCxLO7AcCAxNlgfsIYmdqgj_gvBfLRlb4gvemIgRmS9LufrOmYJWpW6TR1kj6ediRYxxEwl89i8ytBvQOz0FGNsE1O2tbbyMd-WSq14w_g/s400/IMG_0656.JPG" width="347" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first lamp is an over sized (taller than me) angle-poise style, this a gold finish, which Toby is helping to model. It is missing a base and has lots of rust spots. Both lamps had been stored outside so this is not unexpected. The anglepoise won't be finished until after it is moved to the UK and rewired correctly. I'd love to finish it in a copper like this...</span><br />
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<a href="https://cdn.noths-static.com/system/product_images/images/002/271/976/normal_copper-angled-floor-lamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Copper Angled Floor Lamp" border="0" src="https://cdn.noths-static.com/system/product_images/images/002/271/976/normal_copper-angled-floor-lamp.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">but in my experience I struggle to achieve the finish I want with metallic spray paints, so I will probably go with a glossy black instead. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Speaking of a glossy black finish, meet our second vintage lamp, the club lamp,from the 1970's (we think). It has four arcing lamp arms and a dimmer switch, plus a very heavy base, shaped to fit under a sofa. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2hEyr11yMaKOQFQLDZCktyVJlV7fuIzUS9lcAuqex1fL2BBHJBf567xy6ZKP55lT6MWSwb4WWPgy5io9BQdk79r9MvV7iwymtQR2UO_ZTowah2FxCktneDqMmFLrDxy2ZskqtZNokcU/s1600/IMG_6569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2hEyr11yMaKOQFQLDZCktyVJlV7fuIzUS9lcAuqex1fL2BBHJBf567xy6ZKP55lT6MWSwb4WWPgy5io9BQdk79r9MvV7iwymtQR2UO_ZTowah2FxCktneDqMmFLrDxy2ZskqtZNokcU/s320/IMG_6569.JPG" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGYiE-ziCdSCRO_zGA8e3xNvZhsWbUXIlsR9p525p86gFDPPC9N0m0FeOVY5DCQminqMyiyR1TN5Gy0qzg2SOoVZxEcCUGuj8D6PonPCtKD7jEyI4gQ3A-5Yf6IfRsyGIAIHCJe7dYZw/s1600/IMG_6577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGYiE-ziCdSCRO_zGA8e3xNvZhsWbUXIlsR9p525p86gFDPPC9N0m0FeOVY5DCQminqMyiyR1TN5Gy0qzg2SOoVZxEcCUGuj8D6PonPCtKD7jEyI4gQ3A-5Yf6IfRsyGIAIHCJe7dYZw/s320/IMG_6577.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n13ZqUmtZXndjFYFSTpSJzuxOTWKyGd8OCDdLC4zLrOLFl21uG_Ec1CoABCg3HVHRs9e1aYKlLIae6Ojq2ezPPULRI0yKjntpX6UviIVAOnSa_avFwmbQck7hI4g-sZgY4ry7C-DaHw/s1600/IMG_6573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n13ZqUmtZXndjFYFSTpSJzuxOTWKyGd8OCDdLC4zLrOLFl21uG_Ec1CoABCg3HVHRs9e1aYKlLIae6Ojq2ezPPULRI0yKjntpX6UviIVAOnSa_avFwmbQck7hI4g-sZgY4ry7C-DaHw/s400/IMG_6573.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The club lamp was in pretty poor condition, with a lot of rust spots and I disliked the original color (mottled gold, black, and red) so we choose to strip it and refinish. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some people may see it as sacrilege to have stripped the original finish but it's done now so please keep that to yourself. When you find your own vintage lamp you can do what you like with it. Besides in this case it was gross and not for resale, so its only value to me was in how it could fit into our new contemporary space. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTPcNHwFVEeqxOEnZ7abG6ntgWUHUa2pbOO_p8LJ8Yypxe4A7MXooxAFvbz-gIfU65srbbh_DizmWXSjynHk70bNyUIUsOkPPMQaxRHrMdR1InEmrVgVJaa0vLqvHm9XbmjM3kNB6egA/s1600/IMG_6576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTPcNHwFVEeqxOEnZ7abG6ntgWUHUa2pbOO_p8LJ8Yypxe4A7MXooxAFvbz-gIfU65srbbh_DizmWXSjynHk70bNyUIUsOkPPMQaxRHrMdR1InEmrVgVJaa0vLqvHm9XbmjM3kNB6egA/s320/IMG_6576.JPG" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0PRZ6GAEkYU71n8bGY4wWnN7iuJMeQM7N-E_5NXQVoGRY_lhmZtCBifIXk3MszP-hEfYyNf6aXTEvpN3IyFZ-KojU9-WZyY7YfLh2AJ0SLKDbyHiBllFjOulTkGj8TmdhULpVMMMMeo/s1600/IMG_6608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0PRZ6GAEkYU71n8bGY4wWnN7iuJMeQM7N-E_5NXQVoGRY_lhmZtCBifIXk3MszP-hEfYyNf6aXTEvpN3IyFZ-KojU9-WZyY7YfLh2AJ0SLKDbyHiBllFjOulTkGj8TmdhULpVMMMMeo/s320/IMG_6608.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dad used a mix of chemical paint stripper and sandpaper. He protected the white enameled surface inside of the shades with tape. From there it was just about finding the right color with spray paint. We used a primer to prep the lamp for paint. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfqMbqI9U9Y7SIXVxW8mWDWN8pPpxx20rxjaoRSnDwus-C7JE558VnHnUVZ6RfRWdhS6Raon7nH8pXzyzOdL5uGhm_lt2nniPegOErwLv2V5f0bJDFVV0TOEJ7_jdloTlb5JliqgjTfg/s1600/IMG_8274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfqMbqI9U9Y7SIXVxW8mWDWN8pPpxx20rxjaoRSnDwus-C7JE558VnHnUVZ6RfRWdhS6Raon7nH8pXzyzOdL5uGhm_lt2nniPegOErwLv2V5f0bJDFVV0TOEJ7_jdloTlb5JliqgjTfg/s320/IMG_8274.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqM8_RpexiPlBGi9oTva_94pRQWiesVo3VtLuPHOrP3ev-R-fzwd7KxerRQWZ5D3VGpp8lpg_trtF7PPamTuo7RyTDUYRN7Qiln6jthJTgbG7EtP5X3PvqtCkmcXZbB3HziFdTRkb-KU/s1600/IMG_9751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqM8_RpexiPlBGi9oTva_94pRQWiesVo3VtLuPHOrP3ev-R-fzwd7KxerRQWZ5D3VGpp8lpg_trtF7PPamTuo7RyTDUYRN7Qiln6jthJTgbG7EtP5X3PvqtCkmcXZbB3HziFdTRkb-KU/s320/IMG_9751.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My first instinct was to try a pop of mint green, but unfortunately we hated how it came out. I think the club lamp looks much more classic in black and it looks great at its new home in Ocean City, MD. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRMJDkrRfhn5FpPH_MUUWR9LRkzp1ViLVOlEnUEPB6_vUOdS9p0XU_VVh8pk_uCCN2EbP3oQ2P6kSXHdyGyf6GMLoa6UwMNQHCa5nwG7WfHF0VeywgrScQmFVS-LTY0VRyc171WbkxYM/s1600/IMG_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRMJDkrRfhn5FpPH_MUUWR9LRkzp1ViLVOlEnUEPB6_vUOdS9p0XU_VVh8pk_uCCN2EbP3oQ2P6kSXHdyGyf6GMLoa6UwMNQHCa5nwG7WfHF0VeywgrScQmFVS-LTY0VRyc171WbkxYM/s400/IMG_0014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The perfect reading corner! Best part is the cost, both lamps came from the same salvage place down on the Eastern</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">shore and were less than $50 together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Plus we found it very cool to breath new life into a vintage piece like this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-63580270224740637082017-03-14T15:41:00.000-04:002017-08-30T11:54:48.454-04:00Stone floors!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The downstairs floors have been re-done and they are looking very lovely. U</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">nder the linoleum we had an uneven concrete slab and quarry tiles, all of which was sitting on dirt and rubble.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik-mRXxYw0JUrNuxndw4jog1Tg7IPW3eH_hf5twGxb4cjnEmnhSbdojz1o2xe4xv_vsIJ5_dl_IoVsNIoW4Lx8WysWFNGD-itgWXbMVOfKzOXMLTl64hzlSvSCU_W5MP2ueeRCKTvjWc/s1600/IMG_7854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik-mRXxYw0JUrNuxndw4jog1Tg7IPW3eH_hf5twGxb4cjnEmnhSbdojz1o2xe4xv_vsIJ5_dl_IoVsNIoW4Lx8WysWFNGD-itgWXbMVOfKzOXMLTl64hzlSvSCU_W5MP2ueeRCKTvjWc/s640/IMG_7854.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Matt had to do a lot of digging out to safely remove all the bad old stuff and prepare for laying in the new sub-floor. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJb5zTCrHfP_NxjOlTurQsYqXLtHarikSLYurPxjUn6Y9FOlLTPG3Q7qKJI27dJJt77SEYXW-tPbe9GReUYc679ypEn9iX6l98nkoTJ13aLms33YDkGlLPCibQ4weBdnrt0LgXDGdRlw/s1600/IMG_8011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJb5zTCrHfP_NxjOlTurQsYqXLtHarikSLYurPxjUn6Y9FOlLTPG3Q7qKJI27dJJt77SEYXW-tPbe9GReUYc679ypEn9iX6l98nkoTJ13aLms33YDkGlLPCibQ4weBdnrt0LgXDGdRlw/s640/IMG_8011.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">They dug down to dirt, literally, that is a dirt floor in the kitchen, and living room.. and dining room... But soon enough things started going back in to construct the new sub-floor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The new sub-floor consists of layers of foam glass insulation with lime</span><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">crete on top meant to be vapor permeable. It was fun for me to see these progress shots each evening.. especially because I wasn't living in it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The whole process took them several days, but resulted in a gorgeously level new floor which should also help stop the rising damp from destroying our plaster walls, because at the same time as all this flooring fun...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzhM2KnxF0bme5MujcQAW2K6nYRnCrF7bu76E0nmFF36X66I2u2VGUzR1yRQtMDpLDPdaA2eUx_w4B5I8B-7iukrOYZ93wl5yp1ygI4M3uu56RNQ7VVWdiPMhadiey9v5zeMu-ADUrq4/s1600/IMG_8575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzhM2KnxF0bme5MujcQAW2K6nYRnCrF7bu76E0nmFF36X66I2u2VGUzR1yRQtMDpLDPdaA2eUx_w4B5I8B-7iukrOYZ93wl5yp1ygI4M3uu56RNQ7VVWdiPMhadiey9v5zeMu-ADUrq4/s640/IMG_8575.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">...Most of the downstairs plaster was being redone. To deal with that same rising damp issue, the bottom half of the walls had to be demo'd and re-plastered. I was very glad to not be around for all this, I know the disorder would have made me go a little mad.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8MWRm8B4zShQnN1o_pLSkJnyXy_sXNSDPq8PV4Hz1y6CpdMW7kv3TkC6dOYy6OH4epves_r1gQaoVyl1TSbI3n94oDoK_8LlxJLh332d06qMLGO2Uhb9ymW2zsk34WjpyIz38PV9aVI/s1600/IMG_7719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8MWRm8B4zShQnN1o_pLSkJnyXy_sXNSDPq8PV4Hz1y6CpdMW7kv3TkC6dOYy6OH4epves_r1gQaoVyl1TSbI3n94oDoK_8LlxJLh332d06qMLGO2Uhb9ymW2zsk34WjpyIz38PV9aVI/s640/IMG_7719.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The stone for the new floors is an Aged-Heritage-Limestone and before deciding we looked at several other samples. Naturally I spent an entire afternoon moving the samples around to different rooms to see how they would look. Below you can see my three samples, the linoleum we started with, as well as the ugly hearth stone, and the partially hidden mess that is the old cracked tile under the old wood burner.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaMwumUIWCv5WHvhYupbjYyvZwxfi11UVD3-RIrKTLCx-a3DX3QVibDv2CNSraedW0A-_ok960PDULhIn7nTFxR02XXGwTglZqr0EgnXE_QbTv3qgyIDseogFQpsnmX_nXuP0lswSU9Y/s1600/IMG_7735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaMwumUIWCv5WHvhYupbjYyvZwxfi11UVD3-RIrKTLCx-a3DX3QVibDv2CNSraedW0A-_ok960PDULhIn7nTFxR02XXGwTglZqr0EgnXE_QbTv3qgyIDseogFQpsnmX_nXuP0lswSU9Y/s640/IMG_7735.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I had this vision of bright whites/ivories everywhere in the house, but in the end I was won over by the ripples and texture of the gray limestone. They look something like river stones and what I really like is the fact that they are common around Tewksbury. Once I started looking I saw the texture and color used in several other old buildings and on some of the sidewalks! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5ofEG4aT7dDZJEXZGw5EQX1InUt8w6kNQiddYH6qu4CvCNq_PQHkcWANNm9eMjoppmaSUPGR1wiSGVEG3z_mIMhayUaX3ChOF6JzCPunuVR5USBJn5z6xbZSaVgBRirzoGfFKH0Gt3I/s1600/IMG_8813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5ofEG4aT7dDZJEXZGw5EQX1InUt8w6kNQiddYH6qu4CvCNq_PQHkcWANNm9eMjoppmaSUPGR1wiSGVEG3z_mIMhayUaX3ChOF6JzCPunuVR5USBJn5z6xbZSaVgBRirzoGfFKH0Gt3I/s640/IMG_8813.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">We are still trying to decide how to seal it though, the options are a 'wet-look' or a 'dry-look'. Above it is dry (very natural, maybe a dusted look to it) and below is right after mopping (slightly glossy, shiny). <b>Which would you choose?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">If you compare this photo of the finished stone floor in the kitchen to the earlier process photos of the same space you can really see how far we've come!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Now the downstairs is nearly finished structurally and a post on the kitchen is coming soon. Walls have been whitewashed, the furniture moved back into the space, and I've been obsessing over rugs. Now, final flooring thought this week, check out my new Kilim area rug!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4BHJCQSr8D0bzKpoptZAWf-txs3u5bI2r6NlprQ2CteMbnD6yx3BCHUvACXgKIcAgpXC70HhNlZeYMRAAP9Ww23lP0eED0ZIsfsz4TNBd2VP1Yb0In8b2cjxdF5AY_Ma1S7pTOLsplE/s1600/IMG_8819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4BHJCQSr8D0bzKpoptZAWf-txs3u5bI2r6NlprQ2CteMbnD6yx3BCHUvACXgKIcAgpXC70HhNlZeYMRAAP9Ww23lP0eED0ZIsfsz4TNBd2VP1Yb0In8b2cjxdF5AY_Ma1S7pTOLsplE/s640/IMG_8819.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Thank you Ebay for existing! This is a colorful over-sized beauty from the 1940's all the way from Istanbul and I am so in love. It currently is living with me in Maryland, but I can't wait to see it against those stones in the cottage! One side is very faded for a more muted look and the other is still incredibly vibrant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">- Nikki</span></div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-7026728527635199362017-01-15T15:35:00.000-05:002017-08-30T11:54:59.066-04:00DIY Outlet Upgrades!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As promised I have an overview of our process installing new outlets into what we think will be the master bedroom, <b>we are not electricians and this is not a how to guide, always consult a professional</b>. (We did end up having a proper electrician do the rest of the house and he checked out our work.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now that the disclaimer is out of the way... we needed more outlets in the bedroom, and Matt had the brilliant idea to upgrade to a set with USB ports, so we were pretty excited and motivated. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxi28KsKdcoccyzSKQd1U636w4R5SEJOgWhYJg6hBepcHar3yjv1x5Tz4R7lq4fRlFJJadB-R_YQNl48J5DkgQEDafDhywnlGS4Kx0kHSkVXQxPH0BHBfAC_jMfJX4jwCJ44aQ-Syf-M/s1600/IMG_7619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxi28KsKdcoccyzSKQd1U636w4R5SEJOgWhYJg6hBepcHar3yjv1x5Tz4R7lq4fRlFJJadB-R_YQNl48J5DkgQEDafDhywnlGS4Kx0kHSkVXQxPH0BHBfAC_jMfJX4jwCJ44aQ-Syf-M/s400/IMG_7619.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The upgraded receptacles only cost a few dollars more than the standard and came with installation instructions.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBriCQdsNjwPyoknR7of3L9NrlLIAHmpRAP1AB1av0ZmiJ0aLZ5obWDK3HpHYpLhdfXUGg8SO8gesCNgS5noBLMXvnHIXFAcxAuNrSPBjAYQypbC6HPWUHzGeCa5I62GjmmALtn_2_Zc/s1600/IMG_7624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBriCQdsNjwPyoknR7of3L9NrlLIAHmpRAP1AB1av0ZmiJ0aLZ5obWDK3HpHYpLhdfXUGg8SO8gesCNgS5noBLMXvnHIXFAcxAuNrSPBjAYQypbC6HPWUHzGeCa5I62GjmmALtn_2_Zc/s400/IMG_7624.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We measured out the size of the bed so that the outlets would go outside of it and got about securing the casing to the brick. Drilling into the brick was tricky because, in an old house like ours, the bricks are not uniform, some were way to soft and crumbly, others were very very hard, the mortar was to soft as well, so there was some trial and error here. The first of the two outlets we installed went back in the original space, IE: where the wires were coming up from the floor. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXCK8fl3RQ1Jq4SW1eC9dIrdW-vjP-HOI2vkrVxsW5d8psGfRZAoZX1jjfNzJiVlxa20-dMdg1K2x1AXHEE17bJHas2pNPc4F49pmbNHnBunWFFpHMzF5VOfzmHJB1E8AEqib8pvE73c/s1600/IMG_7631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXCK8fl3RQ1Jq4SW1eC9dIrdW-vjP-HOI2vkrVxsW5d8psGfRZAoZX1jjfNzJiVlxa20-dMdg1K2x1AXHEE17bJHas2pNPc4F49pmbNHnBunWFFpHMzF5VOfzmHJB1E8AEqib8pvE73c/s400/IMG_7631.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I threaded the wires (electricity was shut off at this point) into the case and Matt took over attaching the correct wires to our new outlet face as well as separating out the ones which were to go off to the second new outlet. (See the gray cord going off to the left.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RVsujETJDPizr0_PgyPKhpTrcjO93B4xCzupqmNX_N6HOtQ071OmrW_x2q88SKMQwaJOjM0fhcB2v0ad1f87y47Da7L7Pe2xScVmiJ9dRnsbn8YfbQIv-8MKWFusS3DzVjM-BonwJuE/s1600/IMG_7633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RVsujETJDPizr0_PgyPKhpTrcjO93B4xCzupqmNX_N6HOtQ071OmrW_x2q88SKMQwaJOjM0fhcB2v0ad1f87y47Da7L7Pe2xScVmiJ9dRnsbn8YfbQIv-8MKWFusS3DzVjM-BonwJuE/s400/IMG_7633.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second case and cover went faster than the first, though there was some hanky panky using the electric drill to install because to use the drill the power had to be turned on... <b>Do Not Do This</b>! But glossing right over that...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9Akm9URYJgd3MdLq5vPurGPF-sr3dRyO35e9G9Kw9pY2pVkGewSqROJfE9TTonrSGpFaOtkUluCgWoWi4G1X_mbMw_nNnTp_nwCCAyTmALHspQ-XkyUwkHxJBpmT6rAWw8mzyqGjNsk/s1600/IMG_7634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9Akm9URYJgd3MdLq5vPurGPF-sr3dRyO35e9G9Kw9pY2pVkGewSqROJfE9TTonrSGpFaOtkUluCgWoWi4G1X_mbMw_nNnTp_nwCCAyTmALHspQ-XkyUwkHxJBpmT6rAWw8mzyqGjNsk/s400/IMG_7634.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Look how pretty! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And it works! Our next move was to use this metal strip to secure and cover the wire to the brick, protecting it and us from any reno in the future. This took forever to get right, but with some good brick anchors for the screws, careful measuring, and pilot holes we got it done. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnTUtMul46NNKkGbMVff6GEktSJl5hDbNl0M6XTE4KNmKV3oVI9IZXpbjQD7wPEcbjXjpUSeHiBTRfiQUwsONcxTRRSEgmVtUuENzjQrgEYiu1hJr5rthq3YtdAhHnfMRSadOCJLVfyU/s1600/IMG_7637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnTUtMul46NNKkGbMVff6GEktSJl5hDbNl0M6XTE4KNmKV3oVI9IZXpbjQD7wPEcbjXjpUSeHiBTRfiQUwsONcxTRRSEgmVtUuENzjQrgEYiu1hJr5rthq3YtdAhHnfMRSadOCJLVfyU/s400/IMG_7637.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Very proud! This was one of the bigger projects that we've taken on and successfully finished all in one day with no outside help. When we plastered this room the wire housing was secured further and covered over, the outlets are now nearly flush with the surface of the wall and rock solid. I'm so glad we made the effort here, we really needed the extra outlets in there and now with the built-in UBS ports we have a plethora of options. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqJdR-VGPuMaThymYGJjh3Aws5PDhviWfNG9ybub64ec4TV9u5sz_FwvbQwwhyphenhyphentZyUBUrzS86VHoLBxmpi45znucPjg5mH2TnlzqoJeCWtRVvh5veYewGJMQFSCJP-oxG3vJtheMMC4w/s1600/IMG_7646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqJdR-VGPuMaThymYGJjh3Aws5PDhviWfNG9ybub64ec4TV9u5sz_FwvbQwwhyphenhyphentZyUBUrzS86VHoLBxmpi45znucPjg5mH2TnlzqoJeCWtRVvh5veYewGJMQFSCJP-oxG3vJtheMMC4w/s400/IMG_7646.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I should probably pick out some cool bedside lights..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- Nikki</span></div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-30094337049872099612017-01-15T15:05:00.001-05:002017-08-30T11:55:26.677-04:00Plastering at the Cottage. Fall 2016.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last time I brought you up to date on my holiday and new job, but naturally, I spent most of my August holiday 'helping' at The Cottage, that is part of why it took so long for me to publish this, I didn't want to come off to whiny... Plastering is hard work. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVZQSsqSRE2SXsPZyXE3y1iH2eIc2BljVzx_Dirwz1k8HwnKoB0N-Puyg1leX6xvlD9MbRmo2YnnoaGQPD1X6OVBCG1tlex-YZ3gbHhjQhi8rru2GTzfo-jSK58noNPLiRFl9rl7Jlos/s1600/IMG_7232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVZQSsqSRE2SXsPZyXE3y1iH2eIc2BljVzx_Dirwz1k8HwnKoB0N-Puyg1leX6xvlD9MbRmo2YnnoaGQPD1X6OVBCG1tlex-YZ3gbHhjQhi8rru2GTzfo-jSK58noNPLiRFl9rl7Jlos/s400/IMG_7232.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, as of August 2016, Matt had spent a lot of time before my visit pulling down the ruined and damp lime plaster, exposing the brick in what will eventually be our bedroom. This allowed for the brick to dry out and for us to update some electrical work (post on how we totally didn't do anything dangerous with electricity coming soon!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now I know this goes against the grain and probably ruins any Hipster cred I may have earned when diving in to a <i>Victorian Renovation</i>, but I don't love exposed brick. It's cool for a bar or a loft apartment, but it wouldn't be right for this house. The exterior is already red brick and the interior would have originally been plastered anyway, so this is in part wanting to sta</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y true to the character of The Cottage.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Matt likes the exposed brick, so we compromised and ultimately decided that the fireplace in the bedroom could remain exposed, but that I can do a thin lime wash over it to tone down the red. Additionally, Matt finished the raking out and re-pointing of the fireplace front, so it looks very sturdy now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A big part of what we did this August involved plastering. There was also a lot of driving to get more plaster, and then some more, and several meals, and then plaster. P</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lastering the rest of the room was a major undertaking, there is definitely something to be said for using Sheetrock... </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lime Plastering 101</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step one: Be great at plastering as you assumed you would be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step two: Arms aching, cry tears into your pizza at dinner because you are actually terrible at plastering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step three: Play assistant and try to be somewhat helpful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway we got the bedroom re-plastered and no one died. Did I mention that new ceilings were put up for us? They look great and have been painted white. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The attic has been fully insulated, which has already made a difference in heating the home, and we made major steps towards picking out the kitchen and flooring! The next post will be much more fun, I promise, with some pretty pictures!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Nikki</span></div>
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LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-42281119262305774312016-10-20T23:31:00.000-04:002016-11-04T20:51:03.341-04:00Plumbing and camping.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So let me take you back to August, I have just flown in and was faced with a house that still needed huge amounts of work and was in part a construction zone. However we had to be able to live there (at least for the month that I was in town!) So on my first afternoon home alone (the babe was at work) I tackled the sink problem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This was my first ever plumbing adventure, coming hot on the heels of my father attempting to plumb, and requiring six stitches in his right hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sorry about the photos... my camera seems to have had an identity crisis...with a smoke machine?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixT21Jl7t1gf6wG0-98TwvUPf2h2fKSMhk86fjfrZ335Heegs94yNV2uKdCD1cpt7eRiuvb663JM7I3txUH4L_N11U7hbJXZBpREteP8QBQBCerbm1ZzTHWMeCU08bAZSy29D2nTFGSk/s1600/Fixing+the+Sink%2521.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixT21Jl7t1gf6wG0-98TwvUPf2h2fKSMhk86fjfrZ335Heegs94yNV2uKdCD1cpt7eRiuvb663JM7I3txUH4L_N11U7hbJXZBpREteP8QBQBCerbm1ZzTHWMeCU08bAZSy29D2nTFGSk/s640/Fixing+the+Sink%2521.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After much cursing, cutting, twisting, and luck I was able to McGyver a connection for the little sink, using the random pipe fittings that for some reason were already scattered about in buckets and on shelves. Originally it was not plumbed in so we couldn't use it for fear of filling the cabinet below with water! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Honestly plumbing is gross, the pipes were mucky and slimy and had a.... smell, but the supreme sense of satisfaction I felt when it finally worked! Like a high with no negative effects and a long lasting shine. When we gut the kitchen I want a new, deep, single bowl sink. Matt wants a Belfast sink, it meets the requirements, so I'm good with that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Disclaimer: This sink (and kitchen) have since been gutted!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">During the second week of August we escaped to the south for some much needed camping and sunshine in Cornwall.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSosSTwgSwYAHjh9ZzCfdzJlvMM4unbmQJBeDbFSQGHYeKXpte5y2jthh2JhtmEDzA8OHeOwDzWm31zrtfdabuJRgZ_r2fiHRfykYHMOZk-DZ9sCq79m62-k6ujZ6XEKrIoGjn1fI-B9c/s1600/IMG_7537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSosSTwgSwYAHjh9ZzCfdzJlvMM4unbmQJBeDbFSQGHYeKXpte5y2jthh2JhtmEDzA8OHeOwDzWm31zrtfdabuJRgZ_r2fiHRfykYHMOZk-DZ9sCq79m62-k6ujZ6XEKrIoGjn1fI-B9c/s400/IMG_7537.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9Jh3xbpq7opUtcdSGsj4nEKcdDqNwEqsBjJPDetj0OlW2_1IK_lQfLVQZvBY3tXDmlWHURf-eDJbk3coVUvJVtwU0hcWlh4Do99QgfP7kuV41jM1i8aYa3-EyhiFmoWsfSuG5a988Z8/s1600/IMG_7462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9Jh3xbpq7opUtcdSGsj4nEKcdDqNwEqsBjJPDetj0OlW2_1IK_lQfLVQZvBY3tXDmlWHURf-eDJbk3coVUvJVtwU0hcWlh4Do99QgfP7kuV41jM1i8aYa3-EyhiFmoWsfSuG5a988Z8/s400/IMG_7462.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pictured: Him (he who hates to be photographed...) and Me (she who loves to be photographed, with the obvious basic disclaimer that I get to see and delete as desired.) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbL06q5foe8WSBNugQxb1qar0qEa8xMqcyj2ZClOt6knGFg-IrDZ7FIktI7Yh-UDXc92DV8qI5sDJ1lCloDmCelK4LjI9E7WUOZ4asI9NwxBPJJN7s50aSpnbd8L9jmFPzaZBmoNVsg0/s1600/IMG_7413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbL06q5foe8WSBNugQxb1qar0qEa8xMqcyj2ZClOt6knGFg-IrDZ7FIktI7Yh-UDXc92DV8qI5sDJ1lCloDmCelK4LjI9E7WUOZ4asI9NwxBPJJN7s50aSpnbd8L9jmFPzaZBmoNVsg0/s640/IMG_7413.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cornwall was seriously beautiful, full of hidden coves and beaches, with spectacular views around every corner...is it weird to think about retirement already? I mean I literally just this week started my first <i>proper, adult, full-time, job.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes. I'm dropping that in here like its no-big-deal, but its a huge deal, and a big relief to be honest. So bear with me as I play catch up with my project posts because I'm finally working full time, still teaching two courses at the local community college, and of course attempting to coordinate renovation efforts from across the pond. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mean you didn't really expect me to slow down and enjoy the moment did you? Nope. I need to be making messes and terrorizing nice English tradesmen with midnight e-mails about washing machine specs, apparently its how I relax.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- Nicole</span><br />
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LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-9249363806409342882016-10-03T19:42:00.001-04:002017-08-30T11:55:13.931-04:00DIY Padded Headboard. -Very simple!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know I haven't posted in a while, life has been very busy with job changes and traveling, so here is a short one to get back in the groove. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A room decor project, for the beach condo, completed this summer with some help from my sister, who I might add has been even more busy than I, starting her Ph.d program. I'd always wanted to try diy padded headboards and used the mismatched existing headboards as an excuse. The goal was to update them and make them match along with the other decor. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyw3gGF4e29Wlg7WOxfyc6NFytsErHgPdJIjye3kkxNJTVmbiS40W9JkOt1E-k5IGuc45b5j-vYevuKVHzj6zBwYCGPROuSlfK3YqMVE_kQd416EnOujau4_gwsDSybUPz3Q4AzNpGFik/s1600/IMG_6381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyw3gGF4e29Wlg7WOxfyc6NFytsErHgPdJIjye3kkxNJTVmbiS40W9JkOt1E-k5IGuc45b5j-vYevuKVHzj6zBwYCGPROuSlfK3YqMVE_kQd416EnOujau4_gwsDSybUPz3Q4AzNpGFik/s640/IMG_6381.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finished product first! Bananas for scale!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are the headboards I started with.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOx0j-ZgXz-gYvvhFDwceok9xpw4gUs8_rcOaXPLZcAB5DsLgqa0du0jAvH2qbQV6pcDhTV5gysNPDAHp-F89-f4hRVzkbaH-gI85B_sCL2T1Nf5ZocMQMEvie3dRP-7RiDKLOoNL5Fs/s1600/IMG_6313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOx0j-ZgXz-gYvvhFDwceok9xpw4gUs8_rcOaXPLZcAB5DsLgqa0du0jAvH2qbQV6pcDhTV5gysNPDAHp-F89-f4hRVzkbaH-gI85B_sCL2T1Nf5ZocMQMEvie3dRP-7RiDKLOoNL5Fs/s320/IMG_6313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I attacked this project just like I was recovering a set of chairs, using some egg-crate mattress pads and left over fabric from the sofa makeover.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcTKbbsbctj2gHNGsnlbrpb4yV0nP7LzBAWxtGyp5VsSOhMnmGCL2nQOys2L-LtkzhjKCKn3CsYImudS0TCPhksc3HQAjfbkl6glu4knCJzhdBD5MBB5AB1cwwN91ehUiwjjZoBPtmvQ/s1600/IMG_6316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcTKbbsbctj2gHNGsnlbrpb4yV0nP7LzBAWxtGyp5VsSOhMnmGCL2nQOys2L-LtkzhjKCKn3CsYImudS0TCPhksc3HQAjfbkl6glu4knCJzhdBD5MBB5AB1cwwN91ehUiwjjZoBPtmvQ/s320/IMG_6316.JPG" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2tMHbNWCqYC6FCCwmA4SGLO3DT8qr-fyDU7SptHhzEoQevlSEbLkHUaC4ounB-BM6E4hAxMkd5xz2BjiqRvXsrz2NmeK0KDr7NHRYKrirJj8S6e5ww5RsvEbHpz4uNpQG0q-jKOG6zg/s1600/IMG_6317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2tMHbNWCqYC6FCCwmA4SGLO3DT8qr-fyDU7SptHhzEoQevlSEbLkHUaC4ounB-BM6E4hAxMkd5xz2BjiqRvXsrz2NmeK0KDr7NHRYKrirJj8S6e5ww5RsvEbHpz4uNpQG0q-jKOG6zg/s320/IMG_6317.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We measured and cut the materials to size then stapled on. This is where my sister Cat was a huge help, taking turns to hold the layers of padding or fabric in place and stapling (and taking photos!). We wanted a smooth front so all the material was cut large enough to reach around to the back of the headboards and was secured there out of sight. To secure the fabric and padding we used a staple gun (pictured) and a hammer to drive them in properly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The corners were the only tricky part, but we tried a few folding combos until we achieved a neat look. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few hours, and a pizza, later we were finished!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thats it, now the headboards match and are very comfy to sit up and read against. Next time I would try tufting them by pre-drilling holes in the headboards to string covered buttons to for a more upscale look. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- Nikki</span></div>
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<span id="goog_1092788823"></span><span id="goog_1092788824"></span><br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-43997588776887959612016-05-27T17:35:00.000-04:002017-08-30T11:55:36.975-04:00Sofa rehab - DIY<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsLuE-YCU_z240DCOkg17ibmA3HlBWhYLkjjPZ2MNnNxq5L913BdoRP4z7NeB4q-FstkU7QZVFSb0FRwJNN-mYS-fcZbVlOtyx5kKAt1WNF8nQRUSQY9SBH_omFk4MMenUrgxWrY3DIg/s1600/SOFA+DIY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsLuE-YCU_z240DCOkg17ibmA3HlBWhYLkjjPZ2MNnNxq5L913BdoRP4z7NeB4q-FstkU7QZVFSb0FRwJNN-mYS-fcZbVlOtyx5kKAt1WNF8nQRUSQY9SBH_omFk4MMenUrgxWrY3DIg/s640/SOFA+DIY.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">My parent's <a href="http://longdistancediy.blogspot.com/2016/03/beach-condo.html">beach condo</a> came with a plethora of white wicker furniture and pastel floral cushions. We are in the process of redecorating, in a neutral modern theme, so mom gave me the go ahead to try and tone down the sofa. I couldn't make things much worse and I know they plan to replace the old couches eventually so I channeled our gray theme and experimented a bit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I decided I would dye the cushions, since the covers are removable, and cover the rest of the fabric with something neutral from the fabric store. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The first step was to remove all the cushion covers and put them through a hot wash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I then used a handy tip from Threads Magazine </span><a href="http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/31497/how-to-identify-fabrics-with-a-burn-test" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">ID fabrics with a burn test</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> for determining the type of material, since the tags were long gone, I pulled some loose threads from an inside seam and held them to a lit match. Using the handy chart which describes how different materials will react to the flame I was able to determine that the fabric was most likely cotton, rather than a synthetic. This is important because the dye bath requires differing additives depending on the fabric type to help the dye set, in this case, salt. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN87FvmB5SjU5sgaqDagBuTKNCC24lNJdkwZU_LsC45WmCvdjmEkgvbXFG15vvP9anjVqn-h7cfUvTrNNbVMpnjF2WsSBLSMjbNQn28U90DEVO2ljAcPxKhLTuFxoqHhaHacqZ9zJqTAM/s1600/IMG_5824+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN87FvmB5SjU5sgaqDagBuTKNCC24lNJdkwZU_LsC45WmCvdjmEkgvbXFG15vvP9anjVqn-h7cfUvTrNNbVMpnjF2WsSBLSMjbNQn28U90DEVO2ljAcPxKhLTuFxoqHhaHacqZ9zJqTAM/s400/IMG_5824+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I've dyed clothing before so I felt pretty comfortable choosing black dye with the aim of reaching a dark gray. I had over 16 lbs of fabric to dye in a stock pot on the stove (I didn't want to risk ruining the washing machine) so it took all afternoon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">After soaking in the dye bath the covers got another wash to remove any traces of loose dye, don't want that rubbing off when we nap on it, and then I spent about an hour repairing some split seams and little holes. They actually weren't in bad shape for their age, and we suspect they are from the 80's when the condo was built. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The dye worked out as a dark gray, mottled over the pattern, so the pastels were toned down a bit and I'm trying to spin it as a positive... the pattern showing through means any stains will be easily disguised.</span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhM9FrjI7o-hDUG4heBs8dLfQqPA6UObye8JJCAv3Pdwo70Y9YUzkU9yK-Q3GrQ1z6e_ZCNqUu24WATUrB-HvkPQ_13B2TG43vAasrieK8AVCKGJ_BMHH1IE5JGm56umyXvFnwsl1laZc/s1600/IMG_6253+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhM9FrjI7o-hDUG4heBs8dLfQqPA6UObye8JJCAv3Pdwo70Y9YUzkU9yK-Q3GrQ1z6e_ZCNqUu24WATUrB-HvkPQ_13B2TG43vAasrieK8AVCKGJ_BMHH1IE5JGm56umyXvFnwsl1laZc/s400/IMG_6253+-+Edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">For the parts of the sofa I couldn't remove and dye I decided to recover them, I headed to Jo-Ann fabrics with a few of the dyed covers to find a simple fabric to match. I ended up buying 15 yards of a very plain neutral gray cotton, it was on sale too! I rounded up on all my measurements and purchased a bit extra too, figuring that what I didn't use would go to other projects around the condo, working towards some continuity in the space.</span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0L0xzB3gjhJBjMIo-nNITuaOsszF9Htne6Ci4QXcVOWl2EJEjxCQVOE97c9osQDtZC3kUmhWjaNDtgCBHZjHThSo6MC018672h3IkS7fKjz2onRC6YEoobqgRfiSs4eFAyV6iRNsSkE/s1600/IMG_6257+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0L0xzB3gjhJBjMIo-nNITuaOsszF9Htne6Ci4QXcVOWl2EJEjxCQVOE97c9osQDtZC3kUmhWjaNDtgCBHZjHThSo6MC018672h3IkS7fKjz2onRC6YEoobqgRfiSs4eFAyV6iRNsSkE/s400/IMG_6257+-+Edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The back, sides, and footer portions of the sofa all had that same tropical pastel fabric which had been stapled on, I decided to run with that and just stapled my gray fabric over the original. The large backrest section was simple, just cutting to size, pulling strait and staple to the frame underneath and out of sight. for the sides and footer there was a bit more finagling because the fabric was originally attached before the sofas were assembled and I wasn't able to take them a part in this case. In order to get a clean look I used a flat Spackle edge tool to wedge the edge of the fabric in to the gap very tight, and stapled where I could, I wanted to avoid visible staples as much as possible, to mimic a professional look. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v8WGx82eRQkKVDCAiv5iLeI0n1LdtZ_s3EeIZrL95BNVJnpzEuY8QB7S6yd87FkjG7S-0-Yz5rWCRil-WsZbRrFG40xSYeguL601Q2jTC4Lumm9aSY9fDbbbpa63dxwtvE6rsrxILQ8/s1600/IMG_6258+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v8WGx82eRQkKVDCAiv5iLeI0n1LdtZ_s3EeIZrL95BNVJnpzEuY8QB7S6yd87FkjG7S-0-Yz5rWCRil-WsZbRrFG40xSYeguL601Q2jTC4Lumm9aSY9fDbbbpa63dxwtvE6rsrxILQ8/s640/IMG_6258+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The fabric seems to be wedged tightly enough that it will stay in place, but if it does come loose I'll just wedge it back in and secure it with a line of glue.</span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jK1QMMBzQY7bRNhztECMPiWYaX-bxXsx-E6izjVPgWgIDQ1t1-NbD63H24BCOqFqwAJ3f7RUIHR82hfpY5V5g5JY0sZHPtt3LeMvYwCE4_Qz9lgtAvrJeD7z1qkfuF4Pxy7_huru-aI/s1600/IMG_6259+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jK1QMMBzQY7bRNhztECMPiWYaX-bxXsx-E6izjVPgWgIDQ1t1-NbD63H24BCOqFqwAJ3f7RUIHR82hfpY5V5g5JY0sZHPtt3LeMvYwCE4_Qz9lgtAvrJeD7z1qkfuF4Pxy7_huru-aI/s640/IMG_6259+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">This project was bigger than I had expected it to be, but the result is an improvement in my opinion, not great... but better and I learned some lessons. In the future If I am thinking about reupholstering something I'll see if the arms are removable or something, that would have gone a ways towards speeding up this project, rather than trying to slide and thread pieces of fabric through the wicker.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi4bDOW75zTumqdmxQSRfJRs4QTpIcCZDudW-mB1V8MwWPdCZ5wYhBb8iZqmw8uEy6UGxOBMDzkdFuItppDQ7ZL1y-41rDjtdYnKdcL5J6M7Svqpf7VitblqbHR8m1y9_UDiRdgT27mA/s1600/IMG_6260+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi4bDOW75zTumqdmxQSRfJRs4QTpIcCZDudW-mB1V8MwWPdCZ5wYhBb8iZqmw8uEy6UGxOBMDzkdFuItppDQ7ZL1y-41rDjtdYnKdcL5J6M7Svqpf7VitblqbHR8m1y9_UDiRdgT27mA/s640/IMG_6260+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Against the new light gray walls I think this is a definite improvement over the pastels. The whole project cost about $70, including all the dye and fabric and took about 10 hours (and I have lots of extra cloth!) I would definitely attempt this sort of thing again. Depending on the piece I'd be willing to shell out for a higher quality fabric as well, proper upholstery, something more durable and dynamic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Plus I got a free trip to the beach out of it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">- Nikki</span></div>
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LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-21186364463626166442016-04-13T15:07:00.002-04:002016-04-14T01:17:55.101-04:00Building a Terrarium - DIY<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOx3EDIe1c-Mt5K2Zi5TMid1d-3YboCJklm8np48kGr10lm8hF3w-SmvEVVlQQDGyUMCxD3Jz4dAjW6v0YWKLFUoNhYDeNBiNy85lrjnZOMNwpS3-eLSvakUIIN_W5T_CykrTrVbOZv1Q/s1600/TERRARIUM+-+Edited.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOx3EDIe1c-Mt5K2Zi5TMid1d-3YboCJklm8np48kGr10lm8hF3w-SmvEVVlQQDGyUMCxD3Jz4dAjW6v0YWKLFUoNhYDeNBiNy85lrjnZOMNwpS3-eLSvakUIIN_W5T_CykrTrVbOZv1Q/s1600/TERRARIUM+-+Edited.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I love plants, I think every room can be improved by some living color, but I killed the first few plants I ever had. Basically I over-loved them with too much water, bad planting, and not looking into the basic requirements for their survival. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">One of my worst plant murders was the planting of succulents in a "cutesy" terrarium, this is a popular look right now, but it goes against the natural environment these plants thrive in. Succulents and cacti prefer low-humidity, more arid conditions, to be deeply watered in the growing season, but left alone when dormant, the opposite of a terrarium.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">So after finding a large glass jar with cork lid I started looking for moisture loving, medium light plants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I used white stones on the bottom and then a clean dust sheet to keep the soil from falling through.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Fgyf5BPEmmSTUzVh8vCI0mxjMY4ELZwCLLZTke86A3X3kFFP70kql6XaYLl-27sR8x13VAJzTl2kiuUFjjuyFnq-PzgAMo5dH_hxteHlprsQdkJSbINGM9bcdFMx3wazjQOcFXfb1Xw/s1600/IMG_5922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Fgyf5BPEmmSTUzVh8vCI0mxjMY4ELZwCLLZTke86A3X3kFFP70kql6XaYLl-27sR8x13VAJzTl2kiuUFjjuyFnq-PzgAMo5dH_hxteHlprsQdkJSbINGM9bcdFMx3wazjQOcFXfb1Xw/s320/IMG_5922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9trVgZD_KMN_XtIM1pl74bfXfNW_3IG6v9ebhi2uEZUH9PJM0EKIEZNPJM-i3-_KRijct7q-llfYy-DwB4u70fAgNUhdivqSyadPSC2rJOm-iM92AG9bqnOOERy8Awz0-BpxR0eANouo/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9trVgZD_KMN_XtIM1pl74bfXfNW_3IG6v9ebhi2uEZUH9PJM0EKIEZNPJM-i3-_KRijct7q-llfYy-DwB4u70fAgNUhdivqSyadPSC2rJOm-iM92AG9bqnOOERy8Awz0-BpxR0eANouo/s320/IMG_5919.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I added a layer of perlite, and a little soil, then pulled out all the tiny plants I'd picked out. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">This is the moment I realized that the mini orchid was still way to big, I returned it. I added soil and figured out the plant arrangement. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilskgrkhZ0bhYtoPPgYc62rvklbkx9o47YXz_J5zZLrjyvj9yMjwZ77qrQC26rgeDA7AU26HZalfX0UJuZggGZAI8aIIiUounCRzNve-9GceYzT3KEiYYZ5_hwbFfY8ZHcpjVJwoz3qRc/s1600/IMG_5924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilskgrkhZ0bhYtoPPgYc62rvklbkx9o47YXz_J5zZLrjyvj9yMjwZ77qrQC26rgeDA7AU26HZalfX0UJuZggGZAI8aIIiUounCRzNve-9GceYzT3KEiYYZ5_hwbFfY8ZHcpjVJwoz3qRc/s400/IMG_5924.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Pretty! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZndB25WjIEzU8hT2IY59u_m_AHQpRoZfohUP6Q-WzvPxAuMGudVO7eIA93fQnb5_vQXYoBUK0r_rX9xH074HpQtDUwUZdCTnC6UYMek5OzWhWOWCNLxP0MAhQsZtKiPINMNt785JEwUE/s1600/IMG_5931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZndB25WjIEzU8hT2IY59u_m_AHQpRoZfohUP6Q-WzvPxAuMGudVO7eIA93fQnb5_vQXYoBUK0r_rX9xH074HpQtDUwUZdCTnC6UYMek5OzWhWOWCNLxP0MAhQsZtKiPINMNt785JEwUE/s640/IMG_5931.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Once the plants are arranged give it a good watering, this will also help clean the dirt from the sides and leaves. I let mine sit for a day then popped the cork in. Ideally these plants will thrive and the only time I'll need to open the jar would be to prune if things get too big.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo1XjLiNp2KJK8DlP3tWCiYRPLdzuTLhwzq4RmJCZVqkGOvV0ZI3UkTVy30EiRwwSAdaIFXXgRFyP1MeLcRPQTQebCuSeRadD-4BkZ1oG-wLo0a5ZowyipRtCL7QdCfUcpj72AHwymiU/s1600/IMG_5934+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo1XjLiNp2KJK8DlP3tWCiYRPLdzuTLhwzq4RmJCZVqkGOvV0ZI3UkTVy30EiRwwSAdaIFXXgRFyP1MeLcRPQTQebCuSeRadD-4BkZ1oG-wLo0a5ZowyipRtCL7QdCfUcpj72AHwymiU/s640/IMG_5934+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finished!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I love terrariums for the rare occasions</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> when I can cheat and open the lid, the smell inside takes me strait to a lush rain-forest</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Since this was a thrifted jar and tiny plants the whole project cost less than $15.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">- Nicole</span></div>
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<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-2629297050825005692016-04-11T09:22:00.000-04:002016-11-04T20:49:33.813-04:00Roof Adventures and Lime Plastering.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The cottage recently had some roof work done, thanks to Matt and family. A process of laying lead in the valley of the roof peaks, so that water can't get into the attic and house.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgsc5CsQ9cUQKcKKfad6mwgNM8yBOIgrqWNN_qwlvaZSgi2hy_NLbQ7oKgXXDZJkmz-THuAz7l6eYgoGtIt_U6Jke8C0JI4RPVm9y2QlOpLb-_79VJKw8NdXDunP4VbDKC23Jg0LVdXc/s1600/IMG_5750+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgsc5CsQ9cUQKcKKfad6mwgNM8yBOIgrqWNN_qwlvaZSgi2hy_NLbQ7oKgXXDZJkmz-THuAz7l6eYgoGtIt_U6Jke8C0JI4RPVm9y2QlOpLb-_79VJKw8NdXDunP4VbDKC23Jg0LVdXc/s640/IMG_5750+-+Edited.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Fancy roof!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsg11ldZEEzD55o9BbMYr045bE2ZIAUxUg4Es4vQ_K7RocxYLQjV7g0yjPkD1NXtTS3gxLoXX8pKujAtzPc7OxCeQbULnhjlMloesJ0lW7-BnwCnh7CiWvUWoplR7hx0vHRAjEh9mrW8/s1600/IMG_5719+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsg11ldZEEzD55o9BbMYr045bE2ZIAUxUg4Es4vQ_K7RocxYLQjV7g0yjPkD1NXtTS3gxLoXX8pKujAtzPc7OxCeQbULnhjlMloesJ0lW7-BnwCnh7CiWvUWoplR7hx0vHRAjEh9mrW8/s400/IMG_5719+-+Edited.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X0uJNeqeLlBDfh6XXDFyORCGiA3pxECZhK-ELcgAC_k5PfwfiURxZlO0t4c0XgvQ_VB8WF14SxMoZkE0Ezvu3mgGUkSqzMC_kc8hDPzPT7pQbxvorpRXr3rN5Ec7vyjoFj2Qt8YjgSY/s1600/IMG_5748+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X0uJNeqeLlBDfh6XXDFyORCGiA3pxECZhK-ELcgAC_k5PfwfiURxZlO0t4c0XgvQ_VB8WF14SxMoZkE0Ezvu3mgGUkSqzMC_kc8hDPzPT7pQbxvorpRXr3rN5Ec7vyjoFj2Qt8YjgSY/s400/IMG_5748+-+Edited.jpg" width="300" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The lime plastering has begun in the front bedroom, meaning we are starting to have walls again. After re-pointing the loose brick and wetting the wall thoroughly, Matt applied the first layer of plaster. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymgCMtRmFdZppx-wnPMzF-z5e3fGUpzTlSN7g2-T_DfhaPBPpRNqNU6hN4mhDw0M5Bi__H_f6xyrnqczEgkPQwoBrD_JamufLCWlyDqkP4scGYpzRSzHB4c9iy4fToHhJAMswSZ6PAro/s1600/IMG_5657+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymgCMtRmFdZppx-wnPMzF-z5e3fGUpzTlSN7g2-T_DfhaPBPpRNqNU6hN4mhDw0M5Bi__H_f6xyrnqczEgkPQwoBrD_JamufLCWlyDqkP4scGYpzRSzHB4c9iy4fToHhJAMswSZ6PAro/s400/IMG_5657+-+Edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Lime putty!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoOzkgC8obJd57PAcku3QcsRac8wzfkS1_L4D28LBAkcqxhPXIK_TZhyphenhyphen6ljF-d76t8yYQBhaL_sTldb2YjZcABeBFvTmnV7FTDLRo3eQIcasci3KimP2LOboVAgQ_qAc3el8WjlJGdkY/s1600/IMG_5663+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoOzkgC8obJd57PAcku3QcsRac8wzfkS1_L4D28LBAkcqxhPXIK_TZhyphenhyphen6ljF-d76t8yYQBhaL_sTldb2YjZcABeBFvTmnV7FTDLRo3eQIcasci3KimP2LOboVAgQ_qAc3el8WjlJGdkY/s400/IMG_5663+-+Edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mix lime putty and sand to make plaster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The plaster goes on about 10mm thick and Matt was careful to keep misting the plaster so that it doesn't dry to quickly. If the plaster drys out too fast it could crumble and fall away from the wall. After a day Matt scored the first coat, giving the second layer something to key into.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF9qmV2IEErnsxsNJGz6o7qyOgiKCWcNewIZL9RWOMiu633MjR1sKVi4liLFkLNP7TQhRO6gS0mWDCD0j-FCMo-bimTiSbzVQ-Prgtqua7QRFBw4BfWEe8wzs3Z9Gy6GoIgrUs3lIrEY/s1600/IMG_5696+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF9qmV2IEErnsxsNJGz6o7qyOgiKCWcNewIZL9RWOMiu633MjR1sKVi4liLFkLNP7TQhRO6gS0mWDCD0j-FCMo-bimTiSbzVQ-Prgtqua7QRFBw4BfWEe8wzs3Z9Gy6GoIgrUs3lIrEY/s640/IMG_5696+-+Edited.jpg" width="475" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Right there between the corner and window! New plaster! Woohoo!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The second layer is also about 10mm thick, but meant to be very flat. This layer is scored in a swirly pattern in preparation for the final coat. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTIuH8B_7YUv-YhA551x2Vk_qqRxp4YbJrf-QhcXffI_DufT_-k9LaxnmxgbZ8QfqJ9qiaHJJBZQGY8cZCniGSd_zBPx6HbFHARwUhI1NL2TZmmbGpSKIbNTlDdwVaMy1EfowXMem6Rc/s1600/IMG_5722+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTIuH8B_7YUv-YhA551x2Vk_qqRxp4YbJrf-QhcXffI_DufT_-k9LaxnmxgbZ8QfqJ9qiaHJJBZQGY8cZCniGSd_zBPx6HbFHARwUhI1NL2TZmmbGpSKIbNTlDdwVaMy1EfowXMem6Rc/s640/IMG_5722+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The third layer is a very thin skim coat, made with a finer grain of sand and a higher ratio of lime putty to sand, to give a smooth appearance, as opposed to the coarser bottom layers with sharp sand and hair. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd4XiovSnW7lAtgVzPDyhCSZ2G5O-z1LdF9rBfWknRPFFxAc9xmX16o5HsfRq4O2JzVFJ4xq9Pic1mJAbgZQ8I0UH8fIKHChrxd-U-tdBQjg-OomCA60uXIHU9Q8HFSNKC1RRINIRgHg/s1600/IMG_5724+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd4XiovSnW7lAtgVzPDyhCSZ2G5O-z1LdF9rBfWknRPFFxAc9xmX16o5HsfRq4O2JzVFJ4xq9Pic1mJAbgZQ8I0UH8fIKHChrxd-U-tdBQjg-OomCA60uXIHU9Q8HFSNKC1RRINIRgHg/s640/IMG_5724+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The plaster is left to slowly dry and eventually we will paint it with a special, breathable paint, like lime-wash or clay paints. So that the plaster can continue to work, by letting moisture escape the house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I also have an update on the hidden fireplace from the back bedroom, there was literally a skeleton in the wall. Matt has removed the extra bricks and cleared out a space.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADrYRwcM_PAqdzoyOKnC7SLI0VpnjIwHc8XFwxQS1DxRgAAcUM2Jy3jekFTdbtBDIHHYFP_mS3w2fQ9bmgNplV46MjveSLk_82F1jbBah2c4r39Ws0lPcpFiUqIECFiE2dJHZGC3xcls/s1600/IMG_5671+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADrYRwcM_PAqdzoyOKnC7SLI0VpnjIwHc8XFwxQS1DxRgAAcUM2Jy3jekFTdbtBDIHHYFP_mS3w2fQ9bmgNplV46MjveSLk_82F1jbBah2c4r39Ws0lPcpFiUqIECFiE2dJHZGC3xcls/s400/IMG_5671+-+Edited.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCvs90eoEfdjnC-sDEhYBRGW6liO7IU5APn-BBo26_LbWa0WcTTyMACVpHgm6mvHAy7qhunRykhUgsIvslgDtf0yeP9rc4DNj5ZtUbf1Kns2KToRjXvFJHOnodZQtZvTX-8aWPj-YHoE/s1600/IMG_5674+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCvs90eoEfdjnC-sDEhYBRGW6liO7IU5APn-BBo26_LbWa0WcTTyMACVpHgm6mvHAy7qhunRykhUgsIvslgDtf0yeP9rc4DNj5ZtUbf1Kns2KToRjXvFJHOnodZQtZvTX-8aWPj-YHoE/s400/IMG_5674+-+Edited.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">- Nicole</span></div>
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<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-66314527674365694122016-04-08T00:04:00.000-04:002016-04-08T00:04:10.507-04:00Friday Findings - Fun Stuff!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I picked up this weeks Friday Finds at two local thrift stores and I'm struggling to decide which is my favorite. There is a little copper tray (with copper-craft guild seal: a mid-century find to add to my collection), a little plant pot, and a very large glass jar. All for less than $12, and yes I have big plans for that jar, terrarium post coming soon!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRj_rnSsjz2PhXy6sKsgoYzAd4KG6fjtvccwoG7c4Y71nptAX_QbcqSYqHaDLaJjHjESOMNX6i1Y1_V3FnvmWeJIFFI2RVY7VRY02rsFZrtoQs3BCINm4vbWnK9OOmiwXHiN8uz1ChMo/s1600/image+%252810%2529+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRj_rnSsjz2PhXy6sKsgoYzAd4KG6fjtvccwoG7c4Y71nptAX_QbcqSYqHaDLaJjHjESOMNX6i1Y1_V3FnvmWeJIFFI2RVY7VRY02rsFZrtoQs3BCINm4vbWnK9OOmiwXHiN8uz1ChMo/s640/image+%252810%2529+-+Edited.jpg" width="491" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">- Nicole</span></div>
<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-33783396412004623042016-04-06T21:57:00.001-04:002016-04-07T12:16:34.116-04:00Dresser Makeover - Experimenting with bleach.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrGOV6QKgT71A-mdEW3dGAHwoZE0Q3FCL9SSuYpJRLWRCQUMdCKgfvnuhrMpsdu443__PyN7NnGb7HOus45TbVofa7f-IJiGBUdCw9UfDyT42rA3XO7qBLXKFfPt2w3udEk8kwP3pCZI/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrGOV6QKgT71A-mdEW3dGAHwoZE0Q3FCL9SSuYpJRLWRCQUMdCKgfvnuhrMpsdu443__PyN7NnGb7HOus45TbVofa7f-IJiGBUdCw9UfDyT42rA3XO7qBLXKFfPt2w3udEk8kwP3pCZI/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember this little chest of drawers from the Friday findings? </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, it got a make over, the goal was to update the look for a fresh clean natural finish. Read on to find out how!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">My first move was to sand off the varnish/stain and get back to clean wood. I used a coarse 100 grit paper for the bulk of the work, then followed up with a fine 240 grit paper, now the surface feels so smooth and perfect!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Naturally I had some help...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Sanded and ready for phase two.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I'd read a few articles about lightening wood with chlorine bleach, and since I wanted to test out ways to lighten the pine floors at the cottage, this pine dresser seemed like the perfect opportunity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I tested the 'method'. Admittedly, I just brushed bleach onto the back of a drawer and timed it to see how long the bleach needed to sit, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">no real technique there</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had originally planned to stop the bleach with vinegar and was in the process of brushing vinegar on during the test process when I realized that is basically how you create deadly chlorine gas... So glad I didn't just pour the stuff on. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think I had confused myself by reading too many bleach diy posts with differing methods.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Do not</b> mix bleach and vinegar people.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I decided that five minutes soak time, with a reapplication midway, gave the color I was looking for (see the swatch on the left.) I proceeded to 'paint' the whole dresser with bleach and neutralized it with lots of water, then it sat for a few days to dry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Once dry I did a quick sand again with a fine grit paper as the bleach had raised the surface grain. I wiped it down carefully with tack cloth and tested out a water based Polyacrylic finishing coat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Chosen so as not to affect the bleached out color too much. Water-based finishes don't yellow in the same way that oil based ones do and the whole point was to move away from that original orangey pine look.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I did forget to take into account how the poly finish would darken the bleached wood slightly, as though it was wet. In the above photo the left side has wet poly, the right side is the bare bleached wood. I ended up doing 3 coats of this great, clear, quick-drying, poly-acrylic, sanding lightly in-between each coat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The surface is now clear and silky smooth, I'm loving the clean natural look, the whiteness of the bare bleached wood doesn't really shine through, but perhaps it will keep the wood from getting too yellow with age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I used these vintage glass knobs, found in Dad's garage, after cleaning them so they are crystal clear. The total cost of this project was about $15 for the can of poly, which I barely made a dent in, and my time. Time spent outside in the sunshine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">My helper again, stealing credit in the finished project photo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I love it the way it came out and I learned one method I do <b>not</b> want to use on the cottage floors. All the rinsing with water to stop the bleach would be impossible on in-situ floorboards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">- Nicole</span></div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-1443964249667774382016-04-01T15:13:00.000-04:002016-11-04T20:48:01.245-04:00Friday Findings - Picture Frames and Vintage Art<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I am always on alert for frugal framing options, and t</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">his week I came across 3 very large wooden picture frames. Framing can be very expensive and I tend to need a lot for wall art as I like to both create and collect. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> So spotting frames at garage sales (this huge frame for only $2!) or at the thrift stores is a great game for me.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The best is when a frame comes with a white mat already!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These came out of the condo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">About two years ago I created my first gallery wall in Matt's old flat, using mostly second hand frames and original artwork. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Looking at that gallery wall I see some things that worked and some that didn't, now I can't wait to do the next one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I like to mix in photos (Matt has a great eye for photography) and some 3D art for texture, like this small bird embroidery I found on one of our day trips.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAaOo0mAeUzbihdGdGfxS9jcpaIF3fk6j0Khf0K9CDnzBXw_yFqO_no8tT8x8spZ3axz08X64UGhwqV8oVUDCRwgCVkweGW5tU-wOv7HU5kX_Ee3KYGtwOGPmYWSx867U0rOlcCnMHI8/s1600/birds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAaOo0mAeUzbihdGdGfxS9jcpaIF3fk6j0Khf0K9CDnzBXw_yFqO_no8tT8x8spZ3axz08X64UGhwqV8oVUDCRwgCVkweGW5tU-wOv7HU5kX_Ee3KYGtwOGPmYWSx867U0rOlcCnMHI8/s400/birds.JPG" width="398" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How cute is this? Found in a charity shop in York.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I like buying vintage artwork when visiting new places, rather than the typical tourist chachkis. Using those pieces to decorate results in something personal and unique to us; every piece tells a story, and acts as a one of a kind souvenir. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">From our day in Kutna Hora last fall.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Vintage book prints and a water color we found in an out of the way antique books store in the Czech Republic, all for less then $10. Check out the whale print, all the names are in Czech!</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another vintage book plate, Matt found this one in an antique book shop in Sheffield.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I've always been quick to fill my living spaces with art, so to me blank walls represent opportunity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">How did your favorite piece of wall decor come into your life? What is it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">-Nicole</span></div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-13267636830614180682016-03-31T18:48:00.000-04:002017-08-30T11:56:37.609-04:00Beach Condo!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">My parents recently bought a condo on the eastern shore, seemingly a time capsule to the 1980's, so mom and I went down this week to begin cleaning it out and redecorating. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">We focused on updating the living/dining area, from dated beach chic to a sleek modern look and mostly on making it look and feel more clean. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Before pictures!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out the wall to wall mirror, fake trees, and huge conch shell lamps...</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> see also the pastel pink artwork and white wicker scattered throughout the condo. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The view is well worth it though.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Progress:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First we had to remove the wall paper border and prep for painting, fixing lots of dings and holes in the walls.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zh4EtiOE6kaXHisvZ50pA4Qz5qec1xT7mr0wpw66gJwAYmj-WiQy_arscsfkZuGBNj3v_YFHNuRFvD0wWYwg3xeBPJUoWsV5II72QvdeG3_cEcFyE54QRNxZKohNS4ohoXrcNScS2HU/s1600/image+%25286%2529+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zh4EtiOE6kaXHisvZ50pA4Qz5qec1xT7mr0wpw66gJwAYmj-WiQy_arscsfkZuGBNj3v_YFHNuRFvD0wWYwg3xeBPJUoWsV5II72QvdeG3_cEcFyE54QRNxZKohNS4ohoXrcNScS2HU/s640/image+%25286%2529+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Always want to have the proper tools, a crisp new paint brush makes doing the cut-out simple, and I have steady hands so we skipped taping.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> Over 20 years of grime on the "white" ceiling was very evident when we started putting a fresh coat up... bleh!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> We went with a gorgeous light gray called 'Garden Stone' very neutral, but pops against the freshly painted white ceiling and the white gloss on the trim. Now that I've see the gray on the walls I know I'd love it somewhere in the Cottage as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> The goals now are to find some darker gray accents, update the furniture (aiming for the opposite of <i>beach chic)</i> and bide our time until the carpet gets ripped out for engineered wood flooring!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Also to enjoy some sunsets!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">- Nikki</span></div>
LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681909100216400381.post-28935215079656890262016-03-25T23:17:00.002-04:002017-08-30T11:56:21.478-04:00Friday Findings - Chest of Drawers.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgr91EhyphenhyphenVxg_QQDaUVc6Olb2hqMW_ENLLGDmEttfk9I3IkahNnhTxLFaHxPi-XSPw9YE0gMw1Qd3gdQmh-gR3wzcirx2HkRxBFFB2cq52CnFMu4LJm_WSGv0zlia0NEIrL55qle3paYA/s1600/IMG_5682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgr91EhyphenhyphenVxg_QQDaUVc6Olb2hqMW_ENLLGDmEttfk9I3IkahNnhTxLFaHxPi-XSPw9YE0gMw1Qd3gdQmh-gR3wzcirx2HkRxBFFB2cq52CnFMu4LJm_WSGv0zlia0NEIrL55qle3paYA/s640/IMG_5682.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">This little dresser was a free find! Technically a gift from friends of my parents, and ohh baby do I have big plans for it! This is basically the before picture and a post is coming soon about the process of bleaching out the yellowy pine. Sort of a practice for lightening the pine floors in the cottage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I also dug these glass pull knobs out of the junk drawer in dads garage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before and after..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">They cleaned up so well!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Check back next week to read about how I definitely didn't almost mix dangerous chemicals together...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">-Nikki</span></div>
<br />LongDistanceDIYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264047080735126073noreply@blogger.com1