Remodeling and Breaking out the Fall Goods

In the craft world, harvest and Halloween goods have to be in the shop by August, I will just make the cutoff. I should be getting mountains of Halloween things from Clarinda next week to list. I don't think I'll do a fall show this year, just counting on ebay, although why I would is a mystery...I am in the midst of painting five thousand feet of woodwork in my living room and it feels like it will never be done. I have the music room all done with pictures and everything. The pie safe will only have the 2 crocks on top when I get the living room done--the pitcher and bust go on the bookcase eventually. Here is the mess I am in the middle of:

and here is the music room, that I need to keep looking at to give me hope...

Getting a Head Start on Fall

My contractor (better known as my husband)hasn't had time to get more walls prepped for me to paint yet, so I'm went ahead and started in on fall painting projects--pumpkin milk paint and they turned out rather well.

More Stuff on the Way to Ebay

I took some things out of the antique mall today to sell on ebay, or not, as the case may be. I may have to start calling myself a collector as opposed to a dealer if this keeps up, but hope springs eternal and here are a few things to go into the internet shop.

July 4th Finds

Here are a few of the things I got at the July 4th markets, things were a little sparser than usual, but I came away with some great prims. The old tote/cubby cupboard in original blue paint is $48, the tins are $25 to $38 each, the big blue marble granite funnel is $45, the early granite berry pail is $48, and the early tote in original blue milk paint is $300.

Appliance Woes

We had furnished our old home with top of the line appliances, I had all stainless steel, the dishwasher a Bosch, refrigerator Electrolux, microwave Kitchenaid. The new kitchen is so bad, as I mentioned before, but more fun with the appliances. First, they took the microwave, so I don't have one. The others are good quality, but old, all white. The dishwasher is still a Bosch, but some of the buttons are missing and the whole thing falls out if you pull both trays out at once. Next problem, the disposal, which took a while to figure out what is wrong, because this you just won't believe--the rubber piece in the middle was put in backwards! Thus, nothing will fall through and you have to hold it down to even let water go down the drain. The refrigerator had a corner cubby built for it that completely wastes space and the wall is so crooked, I don't even know how they built it. So, kitchen is becoming a complete tear down, sigh. We will probably even have to replace the floor, as I am pretty sure it was put around the ugly cupboards and when we take those out, along with the crooked wall, there will be big spaces with no floor. One more complaint, the color--I am sure this paint has some name like caramel toffee sand, but it is the most hideous color I've ever seen.

On the up side, I have now used a gas stove for the first time and love it. I must explain for the cooks out there who would never dream of using an electric stove. My mom always had gas stoves and of course, they were always old and she had to light it with matches and it freaked me out every time I watched her light those burners, and became an absolute phobia of mine. Fortunately my electric ignitions work and I haven't had to get the matches out! Other upside is that the washer and dryer are old Maytags so they work, unlike the new Maytags that are "energy efficient". Has anyone else noticed that if a product is described as "green" or "energy efficient", it means they are total crap and will break down moments after you turn them on? I guess that is how it saves the environment, you can't use any energy if your appliances don't work.

the ugly kitchen, hoping to start tear-down next month

the laundry room is actually awesome, it is one of the things I love about the house

Retakes

Hoping new photography will help in this most disastrous of slow summer sales, so dragging everything back out of the cupboards I just put them in and trying a fresh new look.

Baby Steps

The house continues as a disaster zone, but a few little things here and there are slowly transforming it.

My craft room was the color of a dreamsicle and had a big old fluorescent shop light for a fixture. Now it has Belle yellow walls and Cinderella blue ceiling with a ceiling medallion and brass chandelier, plus a stained glass window instead of curtains. Big improvement!

The parlor got its ceiling medallion, new switches and switchplates(the brass is the old one, wood is the new) and one of the paintings is up!