Marblehead Prospects

My latest obsession: Etsy.com

I'll admit I can be a little OCD sometimes.  A few weeks back I saw a link from an old friend's MySpace page to a site where she was selling her art.  She called it her "etsy gallery". Little did I know that in following that unassuming link I would begin a love affair... with a website. 

According to the site itself etsy.com is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. Oh, and they have a mission statement: 

"Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice: Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade."

 Brilliant!  I can't even begin to describe how addicted to this site I am.  So far I've scored four pieces of handmade wall art (I'm still deciding where to hang all of them!)  Here's just a peak at what has inspired my obsession.

1. My first purchase was from an artist named Leanne Graeff from my old stomping grounds in Bucks County, PA.  The piece is called "The House Across the Street" and it's a lino print.  I'd like to think that I was attracted to the piece because it reminds me of home but I also liked the creative use of color and the innocence of the depiction.  Upon request, the artist will even create a custom print of your own house from a submitted photo.  What a great keepsake!
   
   


2. The second one is entitled "La mer" and is a print by the French artist, labokoff.  She's a Parisian photographer who uses a technique called "through the viewfinder" where a digital photo is taken through the lens of another camera.  I was drawn to this piece because of the serenity it evokes with its depiction of a handful of small white sails dotting the azure horizon.
   
   


3. The third is a watercolor by a Spanish artist, uluka.  It's a sweet, nostalgic piece that depicts a tufted green Victorian-style sofa.   It's appropriately entitled "vintage sofa" and I was attracted to it because of the curvaceous lines and the sofa and the elegantly simple nature of piece.
   
   


4. The last was something altogether different but absolutely stunning.  It's a hand-sewn tribute to Hans Wenger's Wishbone Chair.  The artist, Natalie, is an art teacher from the twin cities area of Minnesota.  I thought it was so simple and yet unexpected... I just had to have it.
   
   

   

   
   

No doubt I'll continue to find many more irresistible objets d'art on this delectable site so stay tuned.  In the meantime, don't waste any time in checking it out for yourself.  Who knows?  You might just discover the next Picasso... or perhaps your own newest obsession.

 

Color Magic

Ever felt inspired by a beautiful place and wished you could bottle it and bring it home with you?  Well, you may be in luck.  With the wonders of modern technology you can now take that vacation photo and use it to generate a color scheme for your living room using a tool called "Palette Generator" by the folks at Big Huge Labs.  What will they think of next?

For the techies in the house you'll be delighted to know that you can upload your photos directly from your hard drive, or import directly from your flickr or photobucket accouts.  To top it off, the application even lets you download the swatches in Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) format for all your Photoshop projects and it gives you sample css code for your website.

Well, of course I couldn't resist giving it a shot so I fired up the old Flickr account and dug up a shot from a trip to Ireland a few years ago taken at the Cliffs of Mohr.  Take a look at the results below.

Light dawns on Marblehead

Well, a small corner of it anyway... 

We bought this knock-off pendant light to replace the fixture at the top of the entryway staircase at Lowes of all places.  We had been eying a similar one in the Rejuvenation catalog (where we have purchased many other fixtures for the house) for $139 + shipping.  We've always had a great experience with Rejuvenation-- they have a great selection of styles in just about any finish you can imagine.  But in this case, we were able to find something that was remarkably similar for a fraction of the cost.  I think we paid about $40 and it was easy to install.

I think it suits the space.  Almost like it was always there.

Floored

We debated for ages what to do with the upstairs bedroom floors.  When we moved in they were covered in carpet (like just about everything else in the house).  We were excited to pull up the old shags to reveal what would lie beneath but were not exactly thrilled to find the mess that we found.  The floors had seen better days, to say the least.  There was much damage from years of neglect and clearly the last owner hadn't anticipated that they would ever be brought back to life because when we found them they were covered in splotches of white paint.

We talked about carpeting them, thought about using some of the leftover handscraped oak flooring from downstairs... but in the end, we decided to bite the bullet and just refinish them.  We had been told that the floors were fir and that we shouldn't even bother to trying to do it ourselves.  As it turns out, they're actually pine, but regardless we hired the pros to come in and do it for us.  And I must say that I think we made the right decision to bring them back to life.

It was a bit of a nuisance to prepare for the event-- moving all the furniture, emptying the closets, and moving ourselves and "the kids" (cats) into the basement apartment, where we persist to reside.  But all in all I think we'd both agree that it was worth the $481 and inconvenience we expended for the result.  See for yourself!

Before


After

Patio Daddy-o!

With spring just around the corner, Paul and I thought we'd start thinking about plans for the new patio we've dreamed of for so long.  Paul contacted a few landscape contractors to discuss our options for materials, pricing, timeline, etc. 

We decided we wanted to go with a cement cobblestone in a herringbone pattern.  There are a number of companies (Ideal and Belguard to name a few) that make these relatively inexpensive pavers and they come in several shapes/sizes as well as a number of color options.  Several companies also offer a tumbled stone version of the basic paver (slightly more expensive).  We opted for a brown/gray paver in the basic (non-tumbled) version mostly because we read that the tumbled version tend to promote weed infestation where the tumbled corners meet.

After meeting with a few landscape contractors, we opted to go with a local company that offered us a pre-season deal.  Landscape contractors tend to be busiest in the spring/summer months so many will offer specials rates in the off-season so be sure to ask for winter specials if you're thinking about putting in a driveway or patio yourself.  And, as fate would have it, we had both just received our tax returns the week prior so we decided to put the money to good use.

We had a unique situation in that our side yard is difficult to access and therefore the materials needed to be unloaded in the front of our yard and then wheeled in using wheelbarrows to the side yard.  To our surprise, the crew made quick work of the tedious task and had our patio complete in about 3 days!  See below for some before and after shots...It's amazing to think that just last week it was a big mound of dirt and dead weeds!

Before

During

After

While we were at it we decided to replace the crumbling concrete steps leading to our front door with new granite steps.  See those before and after shots below.

Before

After

Back in the Saddle Again

Yes I know, I know... we were so motivated, so consistent, so unstoppable... and then we hit a wall (actually a wall with a heating pipe conspicuously concealed within to be precise).  And since then we've been off the radar.  It's not exactly fair to say that we've been completely lax in making progress on the house renovations.  We have, after all, finished a few odds and ends here and there but when we sprung that leak in the pipe as we were nailing the trim to the wall of the bathroom (which, needless to say, resulted in a flooded basement) it's as if the lifeblood spilled out of us and pooled on the basement floor along with the mucky water.  Paul, bless his heart, had been secretly planning a 30th birthday surprise party for me for which he desperately wanted to be able to show off all of our clever handiwork.  I couldn't understand why he (instead of I) was the one freaking out about it at the time.  Little did I know...

In any event, it's water under the proverbial bridge at this point and with the new year has come new resolve.  With the wedding less than 7 months away we are faced with the inevitable reality of the deadline approaching so we're back in the saddle.   We finally manged to fix that hole in the wall and we've officially moved on.  Our latest obsession has been with getting the upstairs bedroom and front entryway/staircase up to snuff.  Now let me back up a minute and lend you some context to this scenario.   

When we purchased this house the floors (even up/down both staircases) were pretty much all covered in carpeting.  The walls, in large part, were covered by wall paper.  We thought "No big deal.  We'll just rip it up/off and undoubtedly find a treasure trove of original detail preserved beneath!".  Wrong.  What we uncovered was more of a dull, persistent, nagging headache.  The original wide pine floors (as mentioned previously) were unsalvageable downstairs and the hardwoods upstairs were dented and covered in spattered paint.  The stairs (both front and back) looked like they had been through a war and pieced together with plywood and paint, and the drywall (which nobody had ever even bothered to tape/mud at the corners and seams) looked like they had been dipped in a mixture of glue and sand. 

So, we had our work cut out for us.  We started several months ago by applying a skim coat mixture of joint compound loosened with a little water.  We also finished off the corners by installing corner brackets, mudded and taped the joints and seams.  And then came the sanding.  And sanding.  And sanding...  And along with the sanding came the powdery white dust which, despite our best efforts to contain it, has managed to find its way into every nook, corner, and crevice in the house.  And finally last weekend we finished sanding (phew) and we were ready to paint.  We selected a yellow called "mixing bowl" from the Martha Stewart Valspar paint collection for the guest bedroom and a color called "wet sand" for the entryway/front staircase/landing.

The next step is to refinish the hardwood floors upstairs.  Because the floors are fir (a very soft wood), we were advised not to attempt to refinish them ourselves.  So Paul found a local company to do the work who are scheduled to come on Friday and Saturday of next week to do the work. Also left to do is to retread the staircase and (possibly) replace the railing, and then prime/paint the existing trim and install the trim around the front door, entryway door, and upstairs window on the landing.  We'll also most likely replace the baseboard heater covers as we have done downstairs.

Lots left to do but we're getting there.  For now, I think we're just grateful to have the sanding behind us.

 

The punch list

We had a great weekend.  If you ask me, September is the best time of year to visit Marblehead-- the weather is absolutely perfect and this weekend was no exception.  We spent most of the weekend with all the doors and windows open and the radio blaring.  Now that the walls are painted it's nice to see how the sunlight spills into the room from every angle. 

We managed to scratch a few things off the punch list but we're looking forward to crossing a few more off the list over the course of the next week.  Paul and I took Tuesday-Friday of this week off to make a bigger dent in the to-do list. 

So, here's what we accomplished this weekend:

• grouted back splash tile
• grouted entryway tile
• finished hw floors
• finished painting
• hung grass cloth wallpaper on feature wall
• brought up furniture from storage

This week, our goal is to complete the following:

• install door jams, trim
• install window casings, trim
• install baseboards
• prime/paint all trimwork
• plane and hang bathroom pocket door
• install pocket door hardware
• install toe-kicks
• fix drawer slides on three-drawer cabinet
• plane and install end panels on island
• install microhood vent
• hang microwave
• install new radiant heat covers throughout

If you ask me, I think we're a little addicted to this home renovation project.  I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the week... I know, it's sick.

Now we're cooking with gas!

Literally and figuratively.  Last week the plumbers came back to hook up the sink, dishwasher, disposal, and ice maker.  They also turned the gas on to the new dual-fuel Kenmore slide in range.  Needless to say it didn't take us long to give it a test drive... and we've been back in business cooking ever since.  Oh, how I've missed my kitchen!  I never thought I'd be so thrilled NOT to have to go out to dinner. 

It's been a long road and yes, there's a list as long as your arm of things still to be done.  But to be able to reclaim a functional space is really gratifying-- especially considering we demolished our old kitchen in April!  So this weekend I've been paging through all of my old stand-by cookbooks along with a few new ones I've been drooling over, waiting for this day to come.  Two of my favorite new cookbook acquisitions are:

• Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, by Martha Stewart Living Magazine
  This book is a "best of" compilation of recipes published in the monthly magazine of the same namesake.  My mother introduced me to the magazine about a year ago and I got the cookbook for Christmas.  We've already made 4 recipes out of this book (since last week) and all of them have been delicious and quick. A great book to keep on hand especially for tried and true weeknight staples.
• New England Soup Factory Cookbook, by Marjorie Druker
  I was so excited to find this cookbook on display at the Soup Factory in Salem last weekend... and just in time for soup weather.  I've been a long time fan of the restaurant and of Marjorie in particular (somewhat of a local celebrity chef).  I'm so excited to try each and every recipe in this handsome book.  If I could have published it myself I would have.  Congrats to Marjorie from a huge fan!

And to prepare ourselves for many-a-vat of Marjorie's sumptuous soup recipes bubbling away on our new gas range, we thought we'd better make some headway on that tile backsplash. 

We ordered the tile from Home Depot Expo a few weeks ago.  I had originally thought that I wanted to go with a green glass subway tile but when I saw this ceramic subway tile I knew this was it.  It has a really pretty crackled glassy finish that blends in perfectly with the decor.  We still have yet to grout, but I think it looks great.  I'm really very pleased. 

How to pick the perfect wall color

Recently several of you have asked me about how I go about picking complementary wall colors.  First let me say that I'm no expert... but there are a few tricks that I've learned that have served me well in the past.  Maybe they'll help you too.

First, take a step back and evaluate the space you're wanting to paint.  Ask yourself a few questions...

• What is the period of my home/decor?
• How much light is coming into the room?
• What color are the adjacent rooms painted?
• What color is the woodwork in the room?  (e.g. floors, furniture, etc.)
• What color are the fabrics & upholstery in the room?
• What mood do I want this room to evoke?

These are all very important questions in steering you in the direction of a general palette.  If you have an older home (as we do) you want to avoid trendy, modern colors.  There are multiple resources out there for helping you to find historical colors.  Farrow and Ball make a great line of historical paints and there are several companies out there that still make milk paint with very authentic color palettes.   If you live in an open, modern loft-like space on the other hand, you can use bold colors to anchor a room and create living spaces where there are none.

If the room is especially dark or small, you want to steer clear of overpowering colors and remember that whatever color you pick will likely look twice as intense/overpowering in your space.  If you're set on having one bright or bold color in the space you might want to consider painting a feature wall in that color, coupled by a more neutral color palette throughout.

Don't forget to think about how colors transition from room to room.  If you have a very muted, pastel color in your kitchen, for example, you don't want to put a bold primary color in the adjoining dining room because the spaces would compete with one another rather than complement each other.  That doesn't mean that you have to paint adjoining rooms different shades of the same color.  One trick I've learned here is to look for paint swatches from suppliers that give suggested color combinations.  The Valspar Martha Stewart paint collection at Lowe's does a great job of doing this.  Another trick is to choose colors that are the same saturation level on the color spectrum.  You can do this by picking two colors in the same box position on the sample color swatches you pick up at any paint store.

Other finishes in the room will also greatly affect how well a color looks on the walls so be sure to consider the other elements in the room in your color palette.  And don't forget the trim!  You'd be amazed at how much the trim color can set off the paint color.  Even the difference between cream and white next to a painted wall can make all the difference in the world.

And lastly, give careful thought to how you want the room to make you feel.  Will you be working, cooking, relaxing, or socializing in the room?  Before you make any assumptions about what colors are best for which activities, check out the following article on Color Psychology.  You might be surprised.  Did you know, for example, that green is said to promote reading ability?  Or that inmates in prisons where the walls are painted pink tend to become more agitated?  Take it for what it's worth but it's interesting stuff.

So, what did you do this weekend?

I'm glad you asked.  We worked our butts off installing our beautiful new hardwood floors throughout the kitchen and living room, that's what!

It took all of about 16 hours over the course of two days, with two laborers (namely Paul and myself) to get the floors in.  I think if it weren't for the ticking clock on the tool rental from Home Depot we'd never have finished it all this weekend. 

If you're considering putting floors in yourself I'd highly recommend that you spring for renting the floor stapler.  It runs about $67/day for the stapler + the air compressor (and only about $30/day if you happen to already have an air compressor).  You'll also need to buy the nails which run about $13/box.  All in all, TOTALLY worth it.  Paul and his dad installed hardwoods in the bedrooms of their house in Ireland about 15 years ago and it took them weeks to nail all of the boards by hand.  No doubt it would have taken us at least that long if we had attempted the same... not to mention all of the sore thumbs!

The flooring is from Lumber Liquidators and it's the Solid World Oak Handscraped Pre-finished Natural.  Just to recap on the series of events that led to the decision to go with this particular flooring...  We had originally admired the Virginia Millworks Golden Teak hardwoods which looked very similar but had a lighter finish, which we posted on here.  Shortly thereafter when we started taking up the floors we discovered the original wide-plank pine floors beneath about 7 layers of linoleum and we hoped that we could refinish them and bring them back to their original luster.  Unfortunately, as we uncovered more of the original floors we realized that they had been too badly damaged by years of repair work.  In the meantime we had given the finish some more thought and decided that it would be nice to match the finish on the ceiling beams (which are stained a deep mahogany).  So we ended up with the handscraped oak floors instead.  As much as I LOVE those teak floors, I think we made the right decision in the end.

We still have a few bits to finish up around the cabinets this weekend and the trim still needs to go in but you can definitely already tell what a difference it will make in the space.  See below for a few shots I took at various stages of the work.

Counter tops are in!!

I was absolutely thrilled to return home yesterday to find that my brand new granite counter tops had been installed!  Paul took a half day and came home to oversee the installation.  The island (which is basically a full slab of granite unto itself) took 6 guys to roll-in and affix atop the island cabinets.  They also had to very carefully carve out around the pillar and then around the slide-in range, and install the undermount sink.  The whole process took about 2.5 hours and it turned out beautifully.

Just to recap, we ended up going with absolute black honed granite with a pencil-edge finish.  We had originally wanted to go with soapstone but were advised against it due to the fact that it tends to dent and scratch easily with the kind of heavy usage we expect to impose upon it.  The color reads almost more of a deep charcoal gray with lighter gray flecks interspersed.  The process for creating the honed finish is such that they start out with a slab of the absolute black polished finish and then they basically sand down the finish until it has more of a matte finish (that more closely resembles soapstone).  Once installed they recommend that you reseal about once a year to ward off stains.  To clean between sealing, I've read that Dawn detergent and a soft sponge work best.

I've included a few shots of the counter tops that I took last night.  Still much work to be done before we reach the finish line though.  The faucet isn't hooked up yet or the gas line to the range and the toe-kick heaters beneath the island still need to be hooked up to the heating lines (all of which we need the plumber for).  Also, the electrical for the micro-hood is connected in the upper cabinet but we still have to get the exterior vent installed before we can put the microwave in. 

This weekend we plan to install the back splash tile and get started on installing the new hardwood floors.  For the back splash we went with a ceramic subway tile in a sage green with a crackled, glassy finish (included a shot below of the tile against the counter top).  I'm starting to wonder what we'll do with all of our free time when we're finally done with this whole project.  But then again, that won't happen any time soon and there's always the patio... and the staircase(s)... and the entire 3rd floor for that matter...  (ugh). 

One step at a time.