tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-163920042024-03-19T05:13:13.777-04:00DIY or Die TryingGardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-91925002149246413292010-01-16T08:03:00.000-05:002010-01-16T08:03:07.418-05:00Progress ReportThanks to 1<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2</span> Kettle One dirty martinis last night, I didn't finish putting the bed together. I did, however, discover that my bedroom is big enough to hold two queen beds, one of which is under construction.<br />
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I haven't built furniture for a while, and I'd forgotten that I actually like doing it. Yes, it's challenging and messy and time consuming and yes the directions can be obscure (these are actually pretty good, but still). But I get satisfaction from putting the puzzle together. Not to mention I will actually have a bed when I'm done.<br />
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Also on the agenda for this weekend: table salvage. I snagged a big, beautiful table out of the loading dock of my building. People ditch their unwanted furniture here and the garbage men come and break it up and haul it away. Honestly it makes me ill to see so much waste. I understand that not everyone wants a used couch or a giant media console. But to me it's disgraceful that this furniture isn't hauled away to someone who can use it. Maybe someday I'll start an organization to do something like that--it's going on my list of things to do.<br />
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But in the short term, I have personally snagged three tables from the clutches of oblivion. The first is a Crate & Barrel children's table that needs a little TLC--I plan to sand it down and stain it and use it as...well, not sure what yet. The second table--originally from Ikea I think, but big and sturdy--is serving as my desk. And the third table is the real find. It's a heavy, solid, dark wood, 4'x3' dining room table that had to cost more than I paid for...well I don't like to pay a lot for things, so that's not a good analogy. But it's a beautiful table, with the exception of a heat stain on the top--trivets, people, trivets. <br />
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I already have a dining room table (the one I bought for the condo in Connecticut, which I love), so I've ordered coffee table legs and I'm going to convert the big table to my coffee table. Of course I'll save the legs in case I ever want to turn it back into a dining table. Know where the decorative arrangement is going to go?Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-85610882732333215482010-01-14T20:15:00.000-05:002010-01-14T20:15:29.472-05:00Bed Time<div class="mobile-photo"><a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwiEVJR4yTfPxMmJGI3oJINxsDlc4aMnTf_wYxX_oZyQVeSfap9_U7Kichprxat2CrncfcyF6BCfUqMB957xUO-WIKimVx_dtuimgOcSUqEuwyKchrm_O9s2iDnyvWi3vgRqs/s1600-h/IMAG0009-721065.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426768579862284210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwiEVJR4yTfPxMmJGI3oJINxsDlc4aMnTf_wYxX_oZyQVeSfap9_U7Kichprxat2CrncfcyF6BCfUqMB957xUO-WIKimVx_dtuimgOcSUqEuwyKchrm_O9s2iDnyvWi3vgRqs/s320/IMAG0009-721065.jpg" /></a><br />
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My new bed arrived today. It's HEAVY and has approximately 80,000 drawers. I'm doubtful that I'll sleep on it tonight, but I'm going to start building.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-53575268898817392522009-07-02T09:47:00.001-04:002009-07-02T09:48:10.800-04:00Chair RemodelIt's been a while since I did a DIY project, so to start my comeback I gave my friend's rustic Mexican-style chairs a makeover. <br />
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The bottom gave out on this one, so the first step was to strip off the fabric and cushion and see what the frame looked like. <br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGmbk7TV9ZSzv2xVDhgW5D4iEisLnPiOeglDGuEGTzFeBDGaeqebiArKzAwxCrykW3AaMBPbMJHq4DfhrlYO4NoOy3b5EUYPiQxyUBLAqhfTYv2N_5NJyYdbopq0O_qHCPShM/s1600-h/DSCF2099-793470.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353083999476562546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGmbk7TV9ZSzv2xVDhgW5D4iEisLnPiOeglDGuEGTzFeBDGaeqebiArKzAwxCrykW3AaMBPbMJHq4DfhrlYO4NoOy3b5EUYPiQxyUBLAqhfTYv2N_5NJyYdbopq0O_qHCPShM/s320/DSCF2099-793470.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It was obvious that this chair needed a new base. The chairs have a slightly trapezoidal shape and cutouts on each corner, and at Home Depot they can only cut square, so I bought a saw to do the rest.<br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRBUquZ_fia7jrjJUoMD8dk_gGr2EB0NT7bc_LF1oHlDBZjDc9B1ZzZ_GuA_Lv7qFvZ9tZvy1ufKafN1-rKllGLePK7Io3STad06kPTjboUFpn9pHdWbQdsb7EjJx4NtQLgjJ/s1600-h/DSCF2125-794435.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084005529549650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRBUquZ_fia7jrjJUoMD8dk_gGr2EB0NT7bc_LF1oHlDBZjDc9B1ZzZ_GuA_Lv7qFvZ9tZvy1ufKafN1-rKllGLePK7Io3STad06kPTjboUFpn9pHdWbQdsb7EjJx4NtQLgjJ/s320/DSCF2125-794435.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I cut three new bases from a 2'x4' piece of tri-ply. I only needed two, but since I had the material, I decided to use it. Like my sexy orange gloves?<br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl77yjuANctbkBHhAdhuORUEkCfxfZLvl1ajvduMnvel5-i9pyHU9ZDrb7o4N5_hK4uvw1HVRmwmlkaj4fPiI22PGFPbSJ8pzBsq0GzmVBDqoQs7Sj7aTS2x8phE2Ru3NVybd/s1600-h/DSCF2126-795386.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084010298364610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl77yjuANctbkBHhAdhuORUEkCfxfZLvl1ajvduMnvel5-i9pyHU9ZDrb7o4N5_hK4uvw1HVRmwmlkaj4fPiI22PGFPbSJ8pzBsq0GzmVBDqoQs7Sj7aTS2x8phE2Ru3NVybd/s320/DSCF2126-795386.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Once all the chairs were stripped, I sanded them down to prep for a coat of new varnish. <br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPtJN_Mb9HDYKhSOvH9aUyjhLcZ-_csudE9iPyqsxDSc8FprsgMezgpylr3S-EYzXjS2p1lR8ZRXFZbGaiEuXWH-pScgXscmyvKdOusvm4xWNizs_gHHlLcJBxyyNgZjTwlnN/s1600-h/DSCF2128-795971.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084015912012978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPtJN_Mb9HDYKhSOvH9aUyjhLcZ-_csudE9iPyqsxDSc8FprsgMezgpylr3S-EYzXjS2p1lR8ZRXFZbGaiEuXWH-pScgXscmyvKdOusvm4xWNizs_gHHlLcJBxyyNgZjTwlnN/s320/DSCF2128-795971.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhnEDQytTBovGrgCa0OWeO5MjFQ8M6lXknhPBE_E2lph9J2h6E9ZTe36gFkMMEMAS7O8b44N4vEwiNJ6yc35saHuk2ysL-Gw8d0E0w3IOb6ZMnA7r49UuODDKOlLPjKCCtqk_/s1600-h/DSCF2129-796853.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084013809486834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhnEDQytTBovGrgCa0OWeO5MjFQ8M6lXknhPBE_E2lph9J2h6E9ZTe36gFkMMEMAS7O8b44N4vEwiNJ6yc35saHuk2ysL-Gw8d0E0w3IOb6ZMnA7r49UuODDKOlLPjKCCtqk_/s320/DSCF2129-796853.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifHwNEBtMUJuluyD8x9p0GmusoteDMX2iNNJ_7CC2VEap-naTVt7DvbdlqOlrxS63QU-YnEJASE12kcp5gjaq6DJBS4i4OFxBr4HAYUFOASlxekTBSkWtuoNh0CvmlMKceLiv/s1600-h/DSCF2130-797439.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084020364139986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifHwNEBtMUJuluyD8x9p0GmusoteDMX2iNNJ_7CC2VEap-naTVt7DvbdlqOlrxS63QU-YnEJASE12kcp5gjaq6DJBS4i4OFxBr4HAYUFOASlxekTBSkWtuoNh0CvmlMKceLiv/s320/DSCF2130-797439.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-cYdOAWlzi87DJSbdIcLB0DkQ1be0aGSdOnEodDF3z1Tu3ATI1DSZMi2vPJq2qAEGv_sO-ykRq8-a9NDqIvkL-aMVLNuUl0f3UZ4PEdJgXEDMdyWq8K7FVN_WDEqYOyNpzMx/s1600-h/DSCF2132-798258.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084020888455538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-cYdOAWlzi87DJSbdIcLB0DkQ1be0aGSdOnEodDF3z1Tu3ATI1DSZMi2vPJq2qAEGv_sO-ykRq8-a9NDqIvkL-aMVLNuUl0f3UZ4PEdJgXEDMdyWq8K7FVN_WDEqYOyNpzMx/s320/DSCF2132-798258.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPLUoiUyCVDRlEDQ-V4l_UuRAsbaU_9W02YGvKlciMLmKQFCNExC_6m-ZyjLC9SLbB9mqxnMkHBE7-QoiHBlKt5SLb9iA1G5XYUdbvarMfaIH3518An06kbu3WOZIJPR9n5t8/s1600-h/DSCF2134-799507.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084025400781922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPLUoiUyCVDRlEDQ-V4l_UuRAsbaU_9W02YGvKlciMLmKQFCNExC_6m-ZyjLC9SLbB9mqxnMkHBE7-QoiHBlKt5SLb9iA1G5XYUdbvarMfaIH3518An06kbu3WOZIJPR9n5t8/s320/DSCF2134-799507.jpg" /></a></div>It's quite a lot of work to prep for varnish, but putting on the varnish is pretty quick.<br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS9j2XlXT4GiBgtE-q_dpwMPxHviLpl8JG5EWSueu7U3P019dElAPpA0lYoE73pt7jqBqbkC56lGlm3GWr1_sIPsT9_De_Iab90RQt4syA3hXESVdBkYIKo4gxBycDL6hLW-H/s1600-h/DSCF2137-701188.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084034876332658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS9j2XlXT4GiBgtE-q_dpwMPxHviLpl8JG5EWSueu7U3P019dElAPpA0lYoE73pt7jqBqbkC56lGlm3GWr1_sIPsT9_De_Iab90RQt4syA3hXESVdBkYIKo4gxBycDL6hLW-H/s320/DSCF2137-701188.jpg" /></a></div>On the right is the sanded and prepped wood and on the left is the new coat of varnish. The color came out great. <br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1T4nI-rXK3HkiLadNFMXvvDBkG0jqoFRfEXDeeiIGfd9nOuI2in8RLzWP_UnU-ippBImBWbVcn_bqH_P4BUZZtr_i5BLEQQ971wex82OcREJ0WJQQRYevulOrxNqB8FAVjb7e/s1600-h/DSCF2136-700209.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084031772052594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1T4nI-rXK3HkiLadNFMXvvDBkG0jqoFRfEXDeeiIGfd9nOuI2in8RLzWP_UnU-ippBImBWbVcn_bqH_P4BUZZtr_i5BLEQQ971wex82OcREJ0WJQQRYevulOrxNqB8FAVjb7e/s320/DSCF2136-700209.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Once all the chairs were stripped, sanded, and varnished I cut the new material: red pleather. (You can see a piece of the old fabric, a cream- and red-stripe.) The tricky part was the corners. <br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDvqvszZJXfTz4tVOmvYxYV2yvRglVlLz1ilF1Gbws3FuOwd5to4ieqtdcEGAxFMTBw_m1hVBTbYRhI61g49F81Pfd57k9paa9DgrJ435OXar708mLaE8K7MHsxENMhpsX4R5/s1600-h/DSCF2138-702215.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084038022530482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDvqvszZJXfTz4tVOmvYxYV2yvRglVlLz1ilF1Gbws3FuOwd5to4ieqtdcEGAxFMTBw_m1hVBTbYRhI61g49F81Pfd57k9paa9DgrJ435OXar708mLaE8K7MHsxENMhpsX4R5/s320/DSCF2138-702215.jpg" /></a></div><br />
For cushion, I cut a full-sized egg-carton mattress pad into 12 approximately equal pieces--three layers per chair is pretty plush.<br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UsDoKoqShezvy4Uh77G4J_EG9a0znKi1AwdvRipMkgzzgIud9ckB_5Mbd5TsouIC9vqhlFYOQ6udRdAt0phhELHvcnvKvFM-nTi1jjzQZmrNPZ_DyiGihcc_PWdfhyphenhyphenB4CmH6/s1600-h/DSCF2140-702764.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084038067031474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UsDoKoqShezvy4Uh77G4J_EG9a0znKi1AwdvRipMkgzzgIud9ckB_5Mbd5TsouIC9vqhlFYOQ6udRdAt0phhELHvcnvKvFM-nTi1jjzQZmrNPZ_DyiGihcc_PWdfhyphenhyphenB4CmH6/s320/DSCF2140-702764.jpg" /></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUBwLO7aAsmPUhD5_6D0xhUyiXagr-dIWy6z-fK5jRQvPtu2GyyM5yR0CwEJfgCopcORZhk-oRrT4smbCyCtBDtgrz3a_eNKrqG55LPoLwd8zjLp3iSGSaQ_Pw4SzjiOBzUZ5/s1600-h/DSCF2142-703413.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084043296410674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUBwLO7aAsmPUhD5_6D0xhUyiXagr-dIWy6z-fK5jRQvPtu2GyyM5yR0CwEJfgCopcORZhk-oRrT4smbCyCtBDtgrz3a_eNKrqG55LPoLwd8zjLp3iSGSaQ_Pw4SzjiOBzUZ5/s320/DSCF2142-703413.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And here's the finished product. The pleather was a little hard to work with--next time, fabric for sure. But ultimately, they look great and they're a lot more comfortable.<br />
<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzK0kJI8ciwug40sPK9LXaa5cLpiBKjxy8X3Lyx40FkD9p7HdfN4TeZ5mqafZHy0z2kE9mnBN4odw44AuKGfv95s-LUW-EircngLo0kE1WGOSlCfZfUX-ysJkbb0pF0yd3_LQ/s1600-h/DSCF2154-704102.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353084049784961362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzK0kJI8ciwug40sPK9LXaa5cLpiBKjxy8X3Lyx40FkD9p7HdfN4TeZ5mqafZHy0z2kE9mnBN4odw44AuKGfv95s-LUW-EircngLo0kE1WGOSlCfZfUX-ysJkbb0pF0yd3_LQ/s320/DSCF2154-704102.jpg" /></a></div>Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0Zapopan, JAL, Mexico20.725290873994211 -103.5624504089355520.705221873994212 -103.59163290893555 20.745359873994211 -103.53326790893554tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1130071243793039252005-10-23T08:39:00.000-04:002005-10-23T08:42:14.526-04:00Show and TellOkay, mostly <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/gardenia/sets/1195073/show/" target="_blank">show</a>.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1129767026692593232005-10-19T20:03:00.000-04:002005-10-19T20:13:22.436-04:00Three......days until the party!<br /><br />Here's what's left to do:<br /><ul><li>Have the stairs carpeted. This one will be checked off in about an hour--much to my surprise, the guy actually showed up today, an hour late, after missing four appointments. I was begining to think I would have to preface the party by saying "please excuse the twenty-year-old carpet in the entry." Fortunately, that's not the case.</li><br /><li>Nail down the trim in the dining room. I will try to do this sometime when my neighbors aren't asleep.</li><br /><li>Buy a bed and mattress.</li><li>Install threshholds on the bedroom, bathroom, and closet doors.</li><br /><li>Find some way to hide the holes where the floor doesn't meet the wall. A finish carpenter, I am not. My miters don’t match, my trim is dented where I banged and crooked where it doesn’t fit in because of the paint, and ... you get the idea. But there must be a product for this.</li></ul><br /><br />It's really not such a bad list, considering.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128997595378827842005-10-10T22:17:00.000-04:002009-07-02T11:12:58.110-04:00Etruscans: 1 Gardenia: 0Okay, so here's the update. I took the faucet back to Home Depot and showed it to the first guy I saw in the plumbing aisle. He remembered me from the last time I was there ... or more likely, he remembered the faucet ... and went to find another guy, Andre, who I had also met before. Andre took one look at my faucet and the mutilated hoses and said "What the heck have you been doing?" <br /><br />It turns out that Manny gave me the wrong connectors. He gave me a female to female compression nipple (I SWEAR that's what it's called) but unfortunately I needed a female to female ... something else nipple. IU? UI? Some acronym that means <i>do not try to screw a compression threaded piece in here</i>. Well as you can imagine, I put quite a bit of thrust into trying to get the pieces connected yesterday, and now it turns out that I probably stripped the faucet.<br /><br />(Jeez, stripping and thrust and nipples and female to female connectors ... but I digress.)<br /><br />Andre helped me out and talked to the manager, so I <i>think</i> that Home Depot is going to replace my faucet, but what a PAIN in the BUTT this has turned out to be. <br /><br />But here's the thing. I said that I needed a man for the screwing, BUT if the first man I talked to had given me the right advice, I would have been able to do it myself. However, Andre was very helpful, and also not bad looking, so perhaps there's something to be said for the damsel in distress.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128996837463771692005-10-10T22:11:00.000-04:002005-10-10T22:34:56.613-04:00The first room is ALMOST finished.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/51411370/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/27/51411370_07f9681e0f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="27Taylor - 107" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/51411369/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/30/51411369_da7cebb148_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="27Taylor - 108" /></a><br /><br />Don't look too closely at the faucet yet! But you get the general idea.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128892762355553442005-10-09T17:14:00.000-04:002009-07-02T11:12:58.110-04:00It's all in a name.I learned that faucet handles are called <i>escutcheons</i>, but I keep geting <i>escutcheons</i> confused with <i>Etruscans</i>. So as I'm fiddling with the chase that I'm building (it's built, looks like crap, but it's built) I keep thinking "Where do the Etruscans go?" This is surely not the question I should be contemplating.<br /><br />I wasn't even sure what, or who, Etruscans were until I <a href="http://www.answers.com/etruscans" target="_blank">looked them up on answers.com</a>. Here's my favorite quote from the entry:<ul><li>The Etruscan language also presents difficulties to the scholar. It can be easily read (the alphabet is of Greek extraction, and the sound value of the signs is known), but, with the exception of only a few words, the vocabulary is not understood.</li></ul>I'll bet an Etruscan could help me with my hoses. The problem is, how would I ask him?Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128892141039917732005-10-09T16:45:00.001-04:002009-07-02T11:12:58.110-04:00Okay, I finally found one good reason to say I NEED a man.Plumbing. <br /><br />Actually, it's not the plumbing part that's the problem. It's the screwing. <br /><br />I tried to turn my faucet on today (I finally connected the drain with a series of j-bends, p-traps and sawed-off plastic pipe) and water spurted EVERYWHERE. This is not a good thing. The water is spurting everywhere because the female to female connector that I'm using is not tight enough. <br /><br />I screwed it in as far as I could, which seemed to be about halfway. I thought to myself "well, that's as tight as it goes" and bravely turned on the faucet. Apparently, that's not as tight as it goes. Which is the first legitmate reason I can think of that I need a man. I mean, I suppose I could find a woman who is stronger than me and could tighten the hoses all the way, but lets face it, I'm not that likely to find a woman who's stronger than me!<br /><br />(Okay, let's face it for real: I'd rather ask a man for help with the screwing. Screwing of the hoses! What were <i>you</i> thinking?)Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128865815710591432005-10-09T09:49:00.000-04:002009-07-02T11:13:10.493-04:00A day without Home Depot ...is my biggest fantasy.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128772196518599262005-10-08T07:43:00.000-04:002005-10-09T18:43:01.890-04:00A mile in their ... uh ... aisle.Remember how I was scoffing at the people in the toilet seat aisle in Home Depot? Standing there agonizing over something as simple as a toilet seat! How absurd! Pick on and get on with your life, like I did. Well ... I had to return the wooden toilet seat I picked out. It just wouldn't make sense any more, now that the bathroom floor is tile, not wood. Returning was not the problem. <br /><br />The problem was picking out the new seat. There really <i>are</i> so many different styles! And my toilet is almond color, not white, but <i>which</i> shade of almond is it? And if I get the nicer seat and it's a little too big, will it look ridiculous? Will it even fit? What if I open the box and change my mind? What's Home Depot's policy on that? <br /><br />I think I went back to the toilet seat aisle four or five times, but I'm happy to report that I have made a selection. I still have to see if it fits and if the color is okay. And don't worry, I have learned my lesson about how hard some choices can be.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128684880656116932005-10-07T07:28:00.000-04:002005-10-07T07:34:40.676-04:00I'm impressed.I have to admit that I was pretty impressed when I wired a chandelier in my kitchen. It's not the <i>most</i> remarkable thing I've done, but it is something that you don't do every day.<br /><br />I'm about to become undeservedly impressed with myself again. I just bought a hole saw, and I'm not afraid to use it. A hole saw is a metal circle with saw teeth that has a drill stem, so you attach it to your (really hot, really useful) drill and use it to cut round holes in ... well in whatever you want. In my case, I'll be using it to cut holes in the wainscoating for the drainpipe and the faucet escutcheons. I actually got a little set of FOUR hole saws with an interchangable drill stem, so I can make holes of multiple sizes.<br /><br />How cool is that?Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128647991663626852005-10-06T21:19:00.000-04:002005-10-06T21:19:51.696-04:00I GIVE!!!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/50092388/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/24/50092388_7b16806fe5_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/50092388/">27Taylor - 101</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/gardenia/">gardeniajoy</a>. </span></div>I have purchased EVERY plastic drain piece known to man, woman or child and legally available at the Home Depot, and I CANNOT get my sink connected to the drain!<br /><br />I GIVE!!<br /><br />The problem, I think is that the tailpiece of the sink is 1 1/4" and the wall pipe is 1 1/2" and as far as I can tell, never the twain shall meet. But seriously, I cannot be the first person to wish to connect two dissimilar pieces of pipe. Has nothing been invented to solve this?<br /><br />Fortunately, this issue has not reached a critical point, because I can't connect the sink yet anyway. But after tomorrow, when I build the little case for my sink ... THEN it's going to be a problem.<br clear="all" />Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128607359667098342005-10-06T09:58:00.000-04:002005-10-06T10:02:45.690-04:00Nothing like the smell of Home Depot in the morning.For the last two days I've been going to Home Depot first thing in the morning. It's a great time to go. The aisles are empty of customers, except for serious contractors picking up the day's supplies and Home Depot associates who are all in pretty good moods for 7:15 in the morning. This provides a nice atmosphere for me to wander around and try to figure out the last few pieces I need to finish my projects. And maybe I'm crazy, but I find that people are very helpful when I'm dressed for work. <br /><br />I will always wear high heels to Home Depot from now on.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128393392113786052005-10-03T22:24:00.000-04:002005-10-04T09:29:33.583-04:00And to think I doubted myself.I opened up the wall in the bathroom today to start installing the faucet. It <i>seemed</i> like it should be as easy to put the new faucet in as it was to take the old one out. After all, all the instructions say that removing the old faucet is the hard part.<br /><br />Except that my faucet didn't come with instructions.<br /><br />In the interest of helping anyone who wants to install the wall mount faucet pictured a few posts below, here are the instrucitons I wish had been included:<br /><br />Step 1: Drill a big hole in the drywall.<br />Step 2: Check your Leatherman for a saw blade.<br />Step 2 a: Shake your head in frustration.<br />Step 3: Try to figure out if you should go to Home Depot for a drywall saw without knowing what else you might need because you haven't seen the inside of the wall.<br />Step 4: Try your hand saw--it will work.<br />Step 5: Contemplate the copper pipes.<br />Step 6: Call your dad.<br /><br />I did manage to get the hand saw into the drywall and cut out a big chunk. I took a few pictures of the escutcheons and the pipe sizes, and trooped off to Home Depot. Fortunately, my dad called me back while i was still there and I learned that it <i>wasn't</i> a crazy idea to want to mount the faucet on the wall and build a little case around it. Apparently, this case is called a "chase." My dad told me the bits and pieces I'd need, and and I found a few nice people at Home Depot to help me find everything.<br /><br />Although I didn't finish the sink tonight, I did get the faucet hooked up and mounted to the wall. I've also roughly designed the chase and will be able to go get the wood at Home Depot tomorrow. <br /><br />Bit by bit by bit by bit ...<br /><br />And speaking of bits, what is the deal with drill bits? I needed a 5/16ths bit to drill holes for the mollys I got to mount the faucet with. But in my giant case of every drill bit imaginable, there was nary a 5/16ths to be found. I had 7/32 and 1/4 and 3/16 and about a hundred others, but no 5/16ths. I faked it with a 1/4. Seemed to work. I guess truth will tell when the faucet falls off the wall.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128343447516766022005-10-03T08:32:00.000-04:002005-10-03T08:44:07.523-04:00Not in your average tool belt.When I was cutting the laminate flooring, I was pretty much doing it by eyeball. (An aside: someone on NPR this weekend identified "eyeball" as her favorite <i>verb</i>. It took me a minute too.) Eyeballing a crosswise cut on a 7.44 inch board is not much of a problem, especially when you take into consideration the 1/4" space that you're supposed to leave for the floor to expand.<br /><br />Eyeballing a lengthwise cut on a 44.7 inch board is a different story, however. Especially when, for reasons unknown and best not contemplated--it looks FINE--the last row that you are cutting lengthwise is wider at the top then the bottom by about three inches. <br /><br />I realized quickly that scratching in an approximate line with my carpet knife wasn't going to work. Neither was my ballpoint pen. Oh for a china crayon from chemistry class! Oh for a carpenter's pencil! But alas, I had none of these items. All I could think of was a Sharpie marker, but those are all up in the attic. Somewhere. And then it hit me:<br /><br />Eyeliner.<br /><br />Pros: makes a nice dark line; sawdust adheres to it so you don't obscure the line while cutting; wipes off easily if your hand slips while tracing; and most of all, easily available.<br /><br />Cons: at $7 for two to three inches of usable pencil, it's a little pricey--but then you <i>are</i> supposed to replace your eyeliner every three months, so think of it as an economical way to recycle.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128303362763801622005-10-02T21:27:00.000-04:002005-10-02T21:36:02.770-04:00It finally hit me.I was brushing my teeth in the kitchen tonight, like I've been doing since I ripped out the bathroom vanity last week. So I was standing in the little space between the bedroom and bathroom doors, looking at my bed, which is now set up in the living room. I'm camping in here now that the floor is finished so I can work on the bedroom. <br /><br />Suddenly, for no reason at all, this place felt like my home. Maybe it was seeing my things strewn across all three rooms, a breadcrumb trail of shoes, purses, tools, video tapes, Bose remote controls, blankets, towels, unmentionables, laminate flooring and partially assembled flat pack furniture. Mine. All mine. All here because I put it here. All mine because I paid for it with money that I worked to earn. Mine mine mine!<br /><br />But it's not a selfish kind of "mine," although it sounds that way when I say it repeatedly. It's an accomplished, proud, happy "mine."<br /><br />I wonder how I'll feel when this place is finished and decorated and everything is put away. I wonder if I'll ever put everything away.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128297830401358592005-10-02T19:54:00.000-04:002005-10-06T21:29:12.780-04:00This is getting very 'spensive!Now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I can also see that I'm going to need a pile of cash to make it all the way out of the tunnel. I've been trying to do this as affordably as possible, but even if you get a great deal for something at $100, if you have to buy ten things, it adds up fast.<br /><br />One way I'm saving is by getting a DIY sofa. Hey, my motto is DIY or die trying, so I might as well carry it through to my furniture. <br /><br /><a href='http://server12.partnersmanager.com/click.php?mid=1470&APID=9&affID=0000023'><img src='http://server12.partnersmanager.com/imp.php?mid=1470&APID=9&affID=0000023' border='0'></a><br /><br />Here's what I still need to buy:<br /><ul><br /><li>Bookshelves for the living room (I found a set for $55 that I ignored because I figured they were cheap, but I'm going to go try to find them again. Cheap is good!)</li><br /><li>Bed frame (I've got my eye on one from Overstock.com that I'll probably order in the next few days. They're running a 10% off sale and my job has a program that gives me 5% off. I wonder if I can combine the two offers? Shipping's only a buck, too.)</li><br /><li>Mattress (I'm thinking Memory Foam mattress because it can be rolled up--I have learned my lesson from this move, which I did ENTIRELY by myself. I will not buy anything I can't move on my own.)</li><br /><li>Box spring (need to hunt online for this; locally they appear to run about $300)</li><br /><li>Dining room table (Overstock again)</li><br /><li>Chairs (no idea)</li><br /><li>Sideboard or buffet (I may have to wait on this one)</li><br /><li>Some kind of shelves for next to the fireplace</li><br /></ul><br />That is all going to add up pretty quickly. I think I'll just close my eyes when my next credit card statement comes in. If I don't look at it, it goes away, right?Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128252813386487112005-10-02T08:26:00.000-04:002005-10-02T07:33:33.390-04:00Pose of the day: Sawasana (SAW-ah-sah-nah)I've chosen to cut my laminate flooring by hand. With a pull saw. <br /><br />My cutting technique has evolved during this process. At first I was using the stacked boxes of flooring as a sawhorse, holding the board I was cutting with my knee, but that soon became a bad idea. (Ouch on the knees, even <i>with</i> the Rollerblading knee-pads. And not real smart to whisk a moving blade back and forth next to the flooring boards.) Being older and wiser, I've moved my sawhorse to the landing of the stairs, which is still covered with nasty carpet. By "sawhorse" I mean my painting step stool, which is a low stool with metal legs and a rubber covered top. I've discovered that the saw works best when perpendicular to the floor, so now I lay the board on the stool, stand on top of it to hold it down while saving my knees, and squat a little so I can use the saw with both hands. <br /><br />Viola! Sawasana. I guess I don't feel so bad about missing yoga class.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128252394363465852005-10-02T07:16:00.000-04:002005-10-02T07:37:38.843-04:00The light at the end of the tunnel.Yesterday was a major day! The dumpster was finally emptied, so I took down all the accumulated bits of DIY refuse that I've been creating for the last week (paint cans, rollers, brushes that I'm too lazy to wash, the bathroom sink, the bathroom linoleum, ripped up carpet, etc) and I stripped the rest of the carpet out of the living room and took that down too. (Sorry, neighbors, for filling up the bin so quickly.)<br /><br />I also put a few more things in the attic. Have I talked about my attic? I love my attic. I love having an attic, and most of all I love that my attic is reached through a trap door in the ceiling. I have always wanted a trap-door attic! The ladder is a little dubious, but it's held up to the three hundred or so times I've climbed up and down it this month, so I guess it's okay. Actually, the attic ladder is on my list of things to upgrade at some point. <br /><br />I spent the rest of yesterday doing the floor in the living room. It was a BEAST trying to get around the fireplace, but I did it. It looks amazing! I need to finish up the farthest strip (where every piece needs to be cut lengthwise), and then it's done!<br /><br />Well, done except for the trim work. I need to make a decision about the moldings. I saved the old moldings, which are very dark, dribbled in paint (mostly not by me) and a little broken (by me when removing them and taking out the nails). I could paint them and reuse them and buy what I need from Home Depot to replace the broken bits. Or I could order all new. I haven't decided yet. Neither option seems like fun. Maybe this is where I flex my other DIY muscle: Dial It Yourself. I <i>could</i> call someone to do this part for me. (Somehow I doubt that will be the choice.)Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128046115120090772005-09-29T22:01:00.000-04:002005-09-29T22:08:35.120-04:00Officer CanadaLast night I was changing my doorknob while waiting for the latex primer to dry in the bathroom. There I was, on my knees in front of my door with my drill in my hands, when my neighbor came downstairs on his way out to his car. Now, my neighbor is a police officer, although I had never seen him in uniform . . . until he and his partner, Officer "Canada" (I can't remember his name!), walked by me and my drill. It was a totally <i>Sex and the City</i> moment. Me on my knees with a drill, gaping at two uniformed officers and them staring back at me, jaws dropping. <br /><br />They were <i>really</i> impressed when I told them my drill had twenty-four adjustable torque settings.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1128045704099750492005-09-29T21:50:00.000-04:002005-09-29T22:01:44.126-04:00Inch by inch . . .. . . row by row. <br /><br />Everything takes so long to do! I'm trying not to get frustrated that I can't do everything at once. Instead, I just keep plugging away a piece at a time. I had to stop laying the floors because there's no room in the Dumpster to throw away the old carpet, so I took a break from that and did the bedroom closet.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/47876203/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/29/47876203_c211c4b06f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="27Taylor - 89" /></a><br /><br />i used an area rug and just carpeted over the old carpet (too hard to pull that up) and it looks pretty good. I'm starting to get nervous about the borders between doors and different flooring ... all that finish work is a little frightening to contemplate.<br /><br />I also finished up in the bathroom, except for the sink--the faucet hasn't arrived yet! I like the tile that I picked out, and I like the blue walls. I still have the wainscoating to do, but that comes after the plumbing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/47876207/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/31/47876207_386cf9ea58_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="27Taylor - 91" /></a><br /><br />By the way, what's the deal with caulk? Yuck!<br /><br />I also put the washing machine and dryer back together, with burst resistant hoses. I'm still not sure I understand what "channel locks" are, but I used them to tighten all the gaskets.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/47876205/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/33/47876205_fb40ff2fda_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="27Taylor - 90" /></a><br /><br />Now I just have to wait for someone to take away the trash so I can get these piles out of my living room.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1127689381831832492005-09-25T18:50:00.000-04:002005-09-25T19:29:59.826-04:00Improvise, overcome, and adapt.Based on yesterday's floor adventures, I've made a few adjustments to the master plan. I'm going to carpet the two closets with installed area rugs (actually, bamboo for the living room closet, and white for the bedroom closet). <br /><br />Today was actually pretty productive. I got the washer/dryer out of the bathroom (that took some doing and many shouts of "Why am I doing this?"). <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/46572351/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/24/46572351_8c501e3cd4_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="27Taylor - 84" /></a><br /><br />What I found under the washer:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/46572349/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/26/46572349_37b4d4badf_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="27Taylor - 82" /></a><br /><br />I ripped out the sink in the bathroom too, so I could paint. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/46572353/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/30/46572353_e17585bba6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="27Taylor - 86" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/46572352/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/32/46572352_534c1b035e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="27Taylor - 85" /></a><br /><br /> I decided to do vinyl tile on the floor instead of the wood because 1) cutting the wood to fit around the toilet seems difficult and 2) I discovered that there's a drain under the washer and I don't want to have a hole in the wood for that. <br /><br />The walls are a little worse for the wear, what with ripping the sink out and seeing what was behind the washer and dryer. I'm going to get an ivory or white wainscoating for the two walls by the sink, so I'm not too worried about that (which will also come in handy to cover up the holes I'm going to make trying to install the new faucet). The tile I got at Home Depot is a sort of dark blue marble color. <br /><br />Boy, that doesn't really sound like I was very productive ... well I did go shopping (twice) and do laundry and dishes. I also did have to take the mirror and shelves out of the bathroom. And I cooked lunch, which I'm about to reheat for dinner. Does that seem like a productive day? Oh, I also fixed the little paint flubs in the living room and cleaned up the living room so I can take out the carpet and get ready to lay the floor in there.<br /><br />There, that sounds productive.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1127610337612961512005-09-24T20:48:00.000-04:002005-09-25T18:50:48.576-04:00Progress!What a day today! First thing this morning I decided to install my first light fixture. I had a chandelier that I bought from SmartBargains a whille ago, thinking I would hang it in my room in NY until it arrived and I realized it had to be hard wired. Fortunately, I kept all the pieces together. I lost the instructions, which made things a little tricky, but I bought an electrical 101 book at Barnes and Noble. The hardest part was not the wiring, it was figuring out how to hang the stupid thing from the ceiling using the box that was already installed. (Unscrewing the old fixture: torque 3; hanging the new fixture: torque 5) I think it took me about an hour and a half to finish, and then, just as I was about to test my wiring skills, I realized I had the wrong light bulbs. How was I supposed to know there are two kinds of "G" light bulbs? I didn't even know there was one kind of "G" light bulb. I finally got the right bulbs this evening, and the light works!! Yay me! It looks great, too.<br /><br />I spent the rest of the day laying floor in the kitchen. First I had to rip out the linoleum, which wasn't too difficult. I also tried to fix the squeaks in the floor by screwing the plywood down (torque 14), but it didn't seem to have any effect. Once I got the carpet and the lino up, the real work started. This laminate flooring does click together, but it is not easy. I ended up covered in sawdust (cutting by hand), wearing my rollerblading knee pads and cursing on the floor for hours. I finally got some results though. I can't WAIT to finish. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/46240860/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/26/46240860_51c0614298_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="27Taylor - 79" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/46240861/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/30/46240861_a58d2e6575_t.jpg" width="75" height="100" alt="27Taylor - 80" /></a><br /><br />It's a little messy around the edges, which means I'll need to buy moldings to cover that all up. Also, there are two cupboard doors missing because I ran out of satin paint and keep forgetting to go to the paint store. I'd better finish that up before I get all the floors in!<br /><br />Next up ... living room floor and bathroom walls.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16392004.post-1127609317752001222005-09-20T20:43:00.000-04:002005-09-25T18:49:13.473-04:00Baby's first power tool.My dad and step-mom sent me a kick-ass drill as a housewarming present! It has 24 adjustable torque settings and about a hundred drill bits and there's a little led light at the base that shines on the tip when you pull the trigger. He was going to get me a "mid-level" drill, but my dad is a tool guy, and he just couldn't get me a tool that wasn't the right tool for the job. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenia/45191325/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/27/45191325_e5e19cdc01_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="27Taylor - 77" /></a><br /><br />I'm about to put up my kitchen cabinets (torque 2), take down my banister (torque 14), and ... what else can I drill? Huh? Huh?<br /><br />By the way, this thing is seriously heavy.Gardeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06395284048070298886noreply@blogger.com0