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Archive for the ‘Bathroom Renovation’ Category

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Another Busy Wednesday

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

First, here is the gratuitous cute puppy and grandchild photo. Mia and MIles were taunting Wilfredo with their brown rice cakes through the front door window.

That was yesterday. After everyone left, yesterday, I started another piece for the SAQA auction. The first piece I did had to be trashed.  I managed to save the hand stitched area which I stitched to a new background. I used some of my new Elin Noble Perle cotton and added some other embellishments. It is still called Copper Highlights. I have to overnight it to its destination tomorrow. But, I was determined to participate this year and whew, I will make it.

Here is a detail:

We are closing in on finishing the bathroom. Most of the lights were installed today. The granite was installed yesterday. My mirrored door over the sink had to be redone as the mirror cracked when he was adding the pull. Vladimir needs to finish some tile trim. Supposedly, everyone is coming back on Monday to finish everything. I will believe it when I see it!! Anyway, I will reserve taking any more photos until everything is finished. We were excited to get lights and power. The room looks heavenly bathed in light.

Lisa has been busy today visiting friends. We still haven’t started our machine quilting lessons — that is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon after she and Steph take the kids berry picking on Sauvie Island.

Posted in Bathroom Renovation, M & M, SAQA | 5 Comments »

A Productive Day

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Some days, I get energized and I seem to be able to accomplish more than I think I can. It helps to have deadlines. Lisa is coming on Sunday and so I needed to revert the temporary dressing room/closet back to a guest room. Mr C got all the fixtures hung in my closet, but, Sergei was busy painting all day so I couldn’t get to the closet. I got enough done tonight to make me feel that we can be ready. Here is a peek at part of the closet before I messed it up with my stuff.

The problem is, I won’t be home from Seattle until after she arrives. Terry, Linda and I (part of STASH) are taking the train tomorrow to attend the APNQ show at the convention center. I am looking forward to lots of laughs and critiquing of quilts. The show only happens every two years so it is a big deal. The show is juried and the work is usually top notch. Not to mention all the vendors who will be there. I’ll take my computer and hope to blog about it.

Speaking of Lisa, she was invited to submit a piece of art for a show at the Democratic National Convention. The theme is Manifest Hope. You can see her beautiful piece here. Needless to say, I am very proud.

Thanks for the nice comments about my rust dyed shibori scarf. I decided that the scarf needs another layer of rust. I went through the basement storage area and Mr C’s workbench, looking for rusty things. I have the scarf in a plastic bin with a bunch of metal stuff, some vinegar water and bottles to hold every thing down, after I covered it with plastic. This is what it looked like before I covered it.

I will just leave it out on the patio while I am away and let the water and resulting rust do it’s magic.

My other accomplishment was to finish cleaning and organizing my desk and cleaning up the studio. Mr C is going to wash the floors while I am gone. I know, I am a very lucky lady!! I also mastered editing a new area of the SDA website today — they love to keep me busy.

Posted in Bathroom Renovation, indigo, My Brilliant Daughters, Quilt Shows, Quilting Friends, rusting fabric | 1 Comment »

A Whirlwind Wednesday

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

OK, before I blather on about my life, I know you want pretty pictures. I decided the indigo scarf that I was rust dyeing was done. Here it is:

I love how that bamboo looking motif that emerged. I am very happy with my first attempt at rust dyeing. It really took a somewhat boring scarf to a new level. I am definitely addicted.

I seem to have very busy Wednesdays. I have to get up and out of the house for my 9:30 WW weigh-in. I usually do some grocery shopping on my way home. Every other Wednesday, Maryama is here to clean up after me. Which means, I have to do some uncluttering before she gets here. During the summer, I have to get to the farmer’s market around 3:30. Once a month I have a Trinity Website meeting at 5:30. So, it is always difficult to sandwich in the things I want to do or need to do in my office and studio.

Today, I finished some reorganizing in my office. My desk was driving me nuts. Too much stufff. I was losing things — like bills that needed to be paid. I was trying to keep too many files on the desk and decided that I would not be so lazy and put them in a file drawer in the credenza. We moved the Grand’s toy stuff to the other end of the room. I was tired of looking down and seeing and tripping over the legos, etc on the floor, left from their last visit. Tomorrow, I am going to finish spiffing up the studio. I also need to move my clothes into my new closet from the guest room because Lisa is coming for a week. I don’t think she would appreciate my using her bedroom as my dressing room. Vladimir and his son Sergi painted it today. Mr C is installing the components as I sit here blogging and enjoying Project Runway.

Here are some photos of the gorgeous cabinets that our son-in-law, Jack designed and Tom, the hippy dippy cabinet maker crafted. Notice the beautiful grain in the rift sawn white oak. Tom says it is his new favorite wood. This is the tall cabinet in the corner, just inside the door. It was difficult to photograph.

This is the base of the cabinet in the entry to the bathroom and closet. Notice how the grain matches all the way down. Tomorrow, we have to go out to the granite place and make sure we are happy with the piece we reserved so that it can be cut. It will go on top of these drawers.

It was such a pretty day, I thought I would take some photos at the farmer’s market. These are clickable for a larger view.

Oh, just to be honest, I gained a pound this week. I am in one of those plateaus where clothes are getting to big, but I am not losing weight. That’s my diet life!!

Posted in Bathroom Renovation, indigo, Out and About in Portland, rusting fabric, weight loss/gain | 7 Comments »

This and That

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Today, I attended my first Columbia Stitchery Guild Board meeting. I am now the president elect. I realized today that one of my big jobs this year is to cement some relationships with worker bees who will serve on the board when I am president. Reva and I drove together; she will be doing the newsletter, with another person. It is a very nice group of women. We had a nice lunch prepared by the old board.

I arrived home to find the new cabinets in the bathroom almost finished. They are so gorgeous. It was too dark to take a photo by the time our incredible cabinet maker left for the day. In the tall cabinet in the bathroom, there is a large door, two small drawers and another large door on the bottom. He cut these from the rift sawn white oak so that the grain matches just perfectly as you scan down the piece. It is really a work of art.

One of my Coupeville classmates sent this photo of the class, today. We had the maintenance guy take the photo. I think it is a great photo of all of us.

From the left, Judy, Nita (our fabulous class assistant) Teresa, Moi, Akemi, Patricia and Elaine. I can’t believe Judy was wearing a plain white t-shirt because most days, she wore one of her fabulous Complexitees.

My rusting experiment of the indigo scarf is really looking good. I am not sure how long I need to leave it. It is so hot and dry that I have to keep pouring water over it. My rusting source said not to put plastic on it because you want to have oxygen available to create rust.

Tomorrow, I have to clean up my studio, again!! I have started working on a design for my 3-D fabric teapot for a High Fiber Diet Challenge. I do not work in 3D very often so this will be a real challenge for me.

Posted in Bathroom Renovation, High Fiber Diet, indigo, Quilting Friends, Quilting Organizations, rusting fabric, This and that, workshop | 6 Comments »

Good Things

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

We have had pretty lousy weather for the last few days. When it gets overcast in the summer, I wilt. I need the sun for energy. This afternoon, it came back, and it was lovely.

I have had some good things going on, despite the weather.

Some Good Mail: I found a manila envelope in the mail yesterday from my blogging/complex cloth friend, Kathy Sands. She saved hundreds of dryer sheets and dyed them. Then, she had a contest to guess how many there were. I was way off, but she sent me some anyway!! I am going to find some fun uses for these.

I had forgotten that I ordered Laura Cater-Wood’s new workbook -Idea to Image, Tempting Your Muse. It arrived last week, and I am looking forward to using it to get my creative juices going.

Trying a New Technique: I have been itching to try rust dyeing. I love the look of rust dyeing combined with indigo. I had a scarf that I had done last year in the Indigo Dyeing class which was sort of wimpy. I decided to try rust dyeing with it. When we dismantled our bathroom for the renovation, I hung on to the expansion metal pole with baskets for shampoo etc, because it was rusting. I have wrapped the scarf around it and secured it with steel wire. I soaked it with vinegar water. I will keep it damp for a few days and see what happens.

Shopping for the Bathroom/Closet Renovation: We are getting close to the end of the bathroom/closet work. Yesterday, we ordered some FLOR carpet tiles for my little walk-in closet. I chose the heathered, brushed felt in dusty turquoise. I am in love with this and can’t wait to feel it under my bare feet.

Then, we headed out to the Container Store to order the fixtures for my closet. A very perky and competent designer plugged the closet measurements into the computer and away we went, designing the storage that I need. There will be shelves able to hold 50+ pairs of shoes, 12 feet of hanging storage and four drawers, plus shelves for miscellaneous stuff. So, it will be similar to this, but a different configuration. Mr C is picking up the elements and will install it after they get the new closet floor done this week.

So, lots of good things to be happy about. M & M and their parents are camping until Wednesday and I missed them this week-end. But, I am happy that they are out in the woods having a good time.

Posted in Bathroom Renovation, Dyeing, Good mail, indigo, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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