My Stuff Is Frigid

Like I mentioned last night, I'm plugging away sanding, taping, wiping, re-sanding, cleaning, and painting. All right, I'm cursing here and there too. But it's under my breath, so I don't think it counts. Well, mostly.

Anyway, I thought I'd share an extremely useful painting tip that I picked up eons ago from one of my least favorite contractors (more on him another time), that's saved me gobs of time over the years.

You know how when you're painting you constantly have to stop and wait for a coat to dry or to switch colors or whatever? Usually, it's too long to leave the brush or rollers out, but it's just long enough that when you finally get through properly cleaning them you're practically ready to get 'em all mucked up again. So annoying, isn't it?

Wishing for freeze frame capabilities? Try wrapping up your roller or brush in some saran wrap, a ziplock bag, or anything plastic and airtight and pop it into the refrigerator. Not on top of your pizza, or anything, but safely on the top shelf. When you're ready for it in a few hours, voila! Like it never left your side. And you don't even have to have superhero status to pull it off.

What's your favorite painting tip?

Before + Progress Pictures: The Historic House By The Water: Office, Part 2

Before + Progress is an ongoing series keeping you up to date on whatever project is currently occupying our time. There is still lots to be done at this point to make the Progress photos actually qualify for the coveted After stage.

Double click on the photos for a close up view.

I'm not ignoring you, I swear.

I even have proof.

The Historic House By The Water's third bedroom-soon-to-be-reincarnated-into-an-office when the seller's lived in it:


How it looked when we closed on Tuesday:


Today, in all of it's sanded to a bloody pulp glory:


I will come back for more than a snippet. And soon.

This is only meant to be a teaser. The details are sooo much more interesting. So much.

Soon.

History Repeats Itself

Check out some of the 1930s architectural details that I'm falling in love with at The Historic House By The Water. Sure, they need some care and restoration, but that's all right.

Closed Today

Thank you for joining me on our latest adventure! Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's been so much fun sharing it. Really.


First picture in the new house! Exhausted but happy!

We closed. Phew. Finally.

We've started moving in and ohmygoodness do I have so much to tell you. A senior citizen yoga instructor with pink hair, a story beginning with a horticulturist in 2001 and ending with a widow in the early 1900s, and a deceased lime tree -- and that's just for starters.

Trust me, you don't want to miss this.

For now, though, I have 4 furry peanuts and 1 freckly husband waiting for me to get perfectly comfortable -- with my feet kicked up and Andrew's boxers pulled on -- so that they can begin their nightly routine of obscenely loud snoring, kicking in the bed, and shameless blanket robbing.

Lucky, lucky me.

Slate's Public Service Announcement

And just so you know, no, those aren't our awful green pillows. We're still here until tomorrow!

The Mullet Learns To Play Dead

Today marks my 'fro's first step toward recovery.

I even took pictures to prove it.

Say Anything: 9

Say Anything is an ongoing series of quotes that I identify with or am intrigued by.


The bridge over the Saint John's River to downtown.

"Sometimes you get the best light from burning a bridge." Don Henley


Andrew checking it out this weekend. Years ago, the only way from San Marco to downtown was by ferry.

Ever think about how final endings can sometimes be the most intimidating way to immerse yourself in new possibilities?


Driving back over at sunset. I took this from our car!

Have you ever burned a bridge and regretted it? Or, did letting go of someone or something give you the ability to be open to experiences that made you even happier? What drove your decision?

Before + Progress: The Historic House By The Water: Office, Part 1

Before + Progress is an ongoing series keeping you up to date on whatever project is currently occupying our time. There is still lots to be done at this point to make the Progress photos actually qualify for the coveted After stage.

We've hatched a plan, Stan. Remember The Office that I've been mulling over for weeks? Well, it's finally starting to take shape. Finally. Below are some of the items that we'll be introducing into our already well broken in set of laptops, 'puter monitors, files, keyboards, printers, files, sketchbooks, and... did I mention files? (Those will be going into a specially organized closet set aside just for that monster of a task. Figuring out how to keep track of all of our paperwork is sort of like trying to solve the national debt.)

First, though, let me tell you a tad about what we're working with here. The room is 12' x 11' and is located on the second floor with Southwestern exposure. It has a high ceiling, dark wood floors, white wood trim (including an antique transom), solid wood doors with (my favorite!) antique glass door knobs, and a closet which is located on the same wall as the entrance.

We'll be painting the room a subtle gray, and purchasing Ikea's Alvine Ruta Rug that I showed you the other day. Besides all of our office gear, we'll be putting in a flat screen television (the size of which we haven't settled on), a new telephone, and possibly a small dresser or table. Now, on to the latest additions...



For our desks we've gone with two sets of Ikea's Vika Amon tabletops and leifs. (Yeah, you might remember our kicking and screaming about it here.) We like the extra long, yet narrow work spaces they provide. Plus, the bases aren't fixed to the tops allowing a bit of flexibility. Should we, you know, move in six months. (What? Did I just write that?) Previously, Andrew had the Ikea Galant desk with an extension (from his bachelor days) that we were sharing in the office, and I had a Pottery Barn thing (that survived my singlehood) that I was using in our guest bedroom as a drawing desk. Most likely mine will remain in our guest bedroom, and his Galant will be sold on Craigslist. (I know some of you have been scouting for that model, so shoot me a message if you're a taker.)



Right now, the lighting consists of two windows facing the South and West and a horrid 1980s style ceiling fan. For the openings we'll use white billowy sheers like these simple ones from Walmart. We also plan on removing the fan and having recessed lighting installed. Plus, we're buying two of the lamps above for each of us to be able to control the direct light above our own work areas. They are Pharmacy Floor Lamps in Rubbed Bronze from Target. They sort of look black in the photo but, I assure you, they're not. Previously, our lamp was a floor lamp with a large round white shade that I'd purchased online from Target. We loved the way it looked, but it fell apart in less than a year. I hope I don't regret buying lamps from them again.



We finally decided on office chairs. 'Bout time, right? I know. Andrew and I sat our tushies in nearly every vintage boutique, high end specialty store, low end furniture slinger, and falling apart estate sale chairs from here to Timbuktu today. Seriously. Nary a seat was spared. In the end, after visiting them in person (we accidentally discovered that Nest Living is located a short walk from our newest pad -- and it's their ONLY showroom!), it came down to two finalists: Herman Miller's Eames Molded Plastic Arm Chair and West Elm's Garvey Chair. After a long, intellectual discussion with Andrew ("I dunno, I just like the fabric one better. My butt hurts without a cushion, Kelly...") we decided to go with a couple of the Garveys along with the Pottery Barn Bettina Pillows below. You know, so our lumbars won't hate us.



For the walls, we've already purchased a whole bunch of different white frames with mats, like the one below from Target, and we're going to fill them with historic black and white photos of our new town.


Check out some of the neat pictures that I found, below.

Our closing on the house is scheduled for Tuesday at noon. Renovations begin at around 12.01 pm.

Or possibly around 30 seconds sooner.

Craigslist Office Inspiration

A little Friday office fun for the estate find junkie in all of us.

And at Craigslist prices, it's a cheap thrill. $110 for the mid-century desk, $50 for the antique typewriters. Not bad, eh? Especially considering that these might even hold the power to lure you into working over the weekend.

Probably not, but it could happen.

Anyway, we're till searching for these. Thanks for the continued suggestions. No decisions yet.





Do you buy or sell on Craigslist? What have you scored/sold/saved? Spill it.

Details Details, Take 5: Address Signs + Outdoor Faucets

Details Details is an ongoing series that points out little things that make a big difference.

Double click on the photos for a close up view.

With our closing on the new pad hovering only days away, I've been on the lookout for ways to stake my territory. You know, make the place feel like our very own puppy-fied love shack. Home sweet home.


The Historic House By The Water, built 1929.

One of the most obvious ways to declare our presence? A new address plate. See how the numbers are splattered on top of that little white area right now? Those are going to go buh-bye, and the trim will get a fresh coat of paint. If you peer really closely, you can see that the front door is white. We will be replacing that with a charcoal paint colored glass door. We'd thought about (and are still considering) simply painting the address numbers on the door like this, but I sorta crave something more substantial, in terms of permanence. I also think that this can serve as one of the first ways that we restore some of the home's original period design integrity. After searching endlessly, I found a company, Atlas Signs, that I think might be able to develop just what we're looking for. A little pricey, but a splurge I figure we'll make up for by subsisting on Fruit Loops and selling our kidneys.

We're thinking of this style and Craftsman font (except without abbreviations):



With the metal being this smoother texture:



The new address sign will hang alongside our San Marco Preservation Society plaque near our front door.

While shopping for the new address sign, I also came across these whimsical outdoor faucets from Mailbox And Beyond that will probably make their way into our place, as well:



A sparrow and a hummingbird. Aren't they fun? They have a little gold rimmed toad that's calling my name, too.

So those are the details that we're going to tackle right away to cozy the place up and stamp our W to the double O, D name on it. Small changes, but significant ones. Some of our larger Front Facade Agenda projects will include replacing those smaller struggling bushes, adding flowers galore, tackling the old driveway, and replacing the dreary colored window treatments. That's the plan, anyway.

Stay tuned...



UPDATE: I received an email that brought up a few really good points to keep in mind. I thought I'd share part of it here...

Thank you so much for taking the time to remind us all how important this is, Cheryl!

"Hi Kelly...I finally got caught up with you -- been reading every evening before I leave the office for over a week since I found you and had to go back to the beginning after reading a few current posts!

Anyhow, I left a comment a few days ago on the entry about the house numbers and outdoor faucets and wasn't sure how easy it was for you to know about comments on old entries. I was hoping you might bring the information to people's attention about their house numbers and the need for emergency personnel to be able to see them from the street. We walk a lot on weekends and one of the things I really notice is how many houses have numbers that you cannot see. Either they are so tiny you can hardly see them or they are almost the same color as the house or entirely missing. And night time is worse -- many have no light anywhere nearby so even if they were visible during the day they aren't visible at night. What is really amazing is how many seem to have no number on the house -- only on the mailbox (many of the neighborhoods where we walk have mailboxes on a post at the street). Please encourage your faithful readers to go outside and look at their house from across the street as if they had never seen it before and determine how easy their house number is to find and read...

I really like the examples of house number plaques you have chosen, but if you put it near the front door then I hope you have a mailbox on a post at the street with your house number on it. Cause if you fly off the rolling library ladder getting a book off your new wall of bookcases I want the paramedics to find you quickly!

Love the blog and all the work you are doing. Maybe I will get inspired to finish that bathroom redo I started four years ago -- I can paint and stencil the walls if I finish washing off the wallpaper paste.

Cheryl from Orlando"

This Is Love: Rugs

This Is Love is an ongoing series showcasing products or services we dig. Don't worry, we're not being bribed to expose any of these; it's just stuff we're truly crazy about. If you have something you love that you'd like to share, please email me at kellymuys@yahoo.com.

Double click on the photos for a close up view.

While it may seem that I've spent most of my time scoping out local beaches and taking strolls around our newest town, I have been doing a smidgen to get ready for our impending upgrade from hotel vagabonds to excited homeowners.

One of the more fun projects on my This Should Have Been Done Eons Ago List? Rug shopping. I loooove rug shopping. The colors, the textures, the possibilities. Love. If rug shopping was an ugly boy with warts on his nose, I'd still consider kissing him goodnight. Below are a few of my -- surprisingly very well priced -- favorites.


Love Shack Rug made by Urban Outfitters.


The Cowhide Rug from West Elm. Andrew vetoed this.


The Alvine Ruta Rug from Ikea. Has just a dash of color.

Have a rug of your own that you adore? Or, are your feetsies lusting after a certain stretch of wool that you're dying to purchase? Please share! I'm still knee deep in my rug hunt...

I'll Have A Blue Christmas

This year, I'm pretty sure that we're not going to be clanking our mugs full of creamy eggnog in front of frost covered windows picturing fresh blankets of snow. Nope, there will be no white Christmas for us.

And, surprisingly, I'm okay with that. Especially after strolling over to the beach today. Ocean scenery tends to be pretty convincing, you know?

Actually, why don't you join us for today's walk...

Double click on the photos for a close up view.






Beautiful, isn't it? Just us, the waves, and the man who's flying through the air on a parasail propelled by a fan on his back. Oh, and Santa Claus, who appears to be searching for the earrings Mrs. Claus lost while out surfing during last year's holiday break. It turns out they had a Blue Christmas in 2008, too.

Anyway, it's getting late and the sun is setting, so we better head home.

Thanks for coming along for today's adventure. A little sand wandering, a lot of wave listening, and a Blue Christmas to look forward to. Almost makes you forget about The Mullet.

Almost.