This picture electrifies me

This has always been one of my favorite pictures. I got it at Pier 1 back in the mid 90s for about $20 and silly me spent $100 to have it framed. It had that typical "poster" white border around it which I didn't like. Took it to the local frame store* where I had it nicely framed and I have loved it since.

The problem is that since I moved, it's just sort of faded into wall with the frame, though it never bothered me before:







So I made a change (wish I could get a better pic of it though):





As always, a photo taken with a p&s is pretty difficult but I think it pops out a lot more.

The funny thing is, I used electrical tape to cover the existing frame. I did that for a few reasons:

1. Spray painting is not much of an option this time of year between the colder weather and the wind we tend to get right now. I would need to haul it to my bro's house but I have something else I want to do with my black paint.
2. Spray painting should be done with the contents taken out of the frame so as not to destroy the matting and the print (it can be done but I don't want to chance it).
3. I really want to frame it like the two wolf pictures with the barn wood.
4. I'd rather wait until I move to see if reframing it see if that kind of frame is what I want when a house is finally found.
4a. I need money to reframe it.

Tehe, I had been thinking about it for a while and while I was taking stuff down to dust I decided to go ahead and just do it. It's kind of lame but as outlined above, it's just not going to happen.

Also, it's a totally non-committal way to see if something is going to work and basically free since I already had the tape. It works for the time being and while I like the original color, I needed it to pop more for the 2000s. :-)

A couple of notes:

The orange box next to my monitor stand is actually a Kroger granola box I painted to contain my papers and pens. Things I use a lot and also holds mail that needs attention.

Speaking of the monitor stand. My younger bro has some primer spray so I am going to take the stand over to his house, prime it and spray paint it black.

My computer "desk" is actually a dinette table I bought back in 1997 for its current use. I have decided that I am going to strip the polyurethane finish off and stain it to this color (may vary on your monitor - mine is calibrated):



And not put any poly back on. I want this table to age (look more rustic)...more on that later. My computer desk looks darker in the photos than it really is but it's your basic pine with no stain but a protective polyurethane finish. I may have the stain be a bit more grey than that though...


* The frame shop I went into happened to employ a woman I knew in high school.  She was friends with my brother (a year younger than me) and she was totally shocked when I addressed her by her maiden name. This happened when I lived in Grand Junction so when you move 300 miles from your home town, got married and is asked if your name is based on your last name,
it's mighty shocking.  It was really cool to see her and she did a great job with helping me choose the matting and frame for a $20 print. 

Mirror, Mirror on the floor

This is the mirror and the anchors (whatever you call them) that attach to the dresser in my bedroom:





While I am in the apartment I don't desire to mount the mirror as it's pretty heavy, it's an antique (my mom bought the dresser at a local auction house in the 70s), and one of the bolts that screws to hold the mirror to the side anchors needs a bit of TLC.

No worries, the halo in each pic is from the flash. It's nearly impossible to get a decent photo of a mirror like that when you don't have the right lighting and the right camera.

Also, I wanted to show a bit of a closer up pic to show the bevel in it a bit better.

Hehe, yeah, I have some lounge pants on with socks because it's been a chilly and rainy day in Colorado Springs!

Apartment Tour: In one post!

I've been feeling a bit blue & anxiety ridden lately

Then you see moments like this:

Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool

My talker boy is vegging out on the futon as if the world is just a-okay!

I should get in the business of helping property owners during remodels

These apartments were built around 1986 and over the last year or so as time allows, they have been upgrading/remodeling the kitchens and bathrooms. I would seriously like to get my hands on the bonehead that picked out these low-flow toilets for these tiny bathrooms:



Not only that, I would like to give the brilliant designer of this toilet a toothbrush and have him/her clean this stupid thing after a weekend frat party.

Seriously, as it is, you can barely fit a small trash can between the toilet and the tub and you can't fit one between the toilet and the vanity. It is literally a pain to clean and I can't imagine larger people having much patience trying to clean that and behind it either...Ow, ow, ow. I seriously dislike cleaning bathrooms as it is but I really hate cleaning this one.

I had to erase the mounting bolts with Photoshop because they are missing the caps and you can imagine how nasty that is. I attempted to show the depth of the contours with a quarter but perhaps it didn't come across as well as I had hoped...regardless, what a crappy design and what a crappy place to put such a horribly designed toilet. (Pun not intended. HA!)

When remodeling a kitchen or bath, it is important to take into consideration such mundane things as cleaning.  Architects often don't think about the fact that you may need just 6 more inches to make a bathroom usable and cleanable, especially when it's the only bath in the living space. In addition, the people that picked out these toilets for the bathrooms did a poor job of selecting them.

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Hope everyone has had a fine weekend.  Mine has been filled with major cleaning, including washing my flannel sheets today since I ended up with three blankets to keep me warm last night.  They are a dark green, not the bluer or grassier 90s green but a deep pine green.  While they don't exactly go with my decor, they are warm and oh so comfortable!  Fall nights have definitely arrived on Colorado's Front Range.

Internet social networking break

I am going to take a short break from  social networking on all levels.  I probably will keep up with my Facebook because of family I have on there but for now this and my Live Journal will be not updated.  

How long that time frame is, I don't know.  I've been known to take a couple of days to much longer.  I think it will be in my best interest to stop posting for a while.

Catch everyone later.

Insomnia, yer killin' me

I have issues with insomnia here and there and when it hits, it really messes up my schedule. Granted I don't have a schedule but I do try to live like most other humans and be awake during the day.

This was not a problem for me when I was younger...pulling an all-nighter but these days my brain just doesn't work that way.

Well, I had mentioned here that the other vase needs a makeover too. I still haven't come up with an idea on the final design for the yellow vase but I am not in a hurry to get that one done until I see it really click in my head.

Here are the close up pictures of the other vase and a better picture of it with its shelf mates:







I kind of like it as it is and it certainly has a nice texture to it but it just seems to not have as much oomph as it once did. The other issue is I would have to use what I have on hand with regards to paints. I have a flat black and a satin "espresso" so those would be easy to use and probably only two coats needed without a primer. I also have two metallic acrylic paints, bronze and antique gold (1 - 2 oz bottle each).

Perhaps this is one of those I wait until I have a solid idea because the texture on it makes it a bit funky to visualize what it would look like if I did a dark background with dry brushing a metallic on it. If I were to do it, I would use the bronze because it's more coppery than what I think of when I think of bronze.

Someone mentioned spray painting as a commitment and that is a difficult thing. I tend to agree when it comes to this specific piece as it isn't as outdated as my "Jaws" vase.

Okay. Because it's now 2:50 am I should shelve this idea for now...haha, pun was not intended but makes me giggle it even came to mind.

Under employed means lots of time to think

Especially when you want to work on the decor in your home, specifically your bedroom since the temps are flipping between fall and summer. It's a time where one may want to make the bedroom more inviting and cozy.

I'm still a bit embarassed that I don't have a decent comforter, duvet or even a fine bedspread:



But in thinking about what I desire versus my budget and what's out there, it dawned on me what I want...it's based on an episode of "Will and Grace" (I think the one where Grace brought her answering machine to a lodge or something after a breakup with Leo) oddly enough so you know it's been in my brain a long time. Oh and subway tiles:



My thought process goes something like this:



Browns, blacks, creams, tans, etc. Much more random than what I was able to come up with on the computer but this will require me to: Get a sewing machine (a good one as the old one hosed up after a couple of years), comb through thrift stores (other places too) to find garments with the colors I desire, time and space. I have the time but the rest I don't really have.

I thought going with something like that, I could make a bed spread but that's a HUGE undertaking and an actual quilt will never happen as I have never quilted. I haven't used a sewing machine in more than 15 years but that's easy to pick back up. So if I am able to accomplish this my first goal is to get a sewing machine. I also thought that a duvet cover would make more sense. Then I could get a duvet/down comforter that would at least get started on my goal and to look at it naked all the time would inspire me to seek out thrift garments, look on Freecycle and ask relatives and friends to keep me in mind if they plan to get rid of anything from garments to sheets to whatever has fabric in my color scheme.

I have a lot of great ideas but the follow through is a huge hurdle for me. I am doctor identified as ADD (back when I was 15 and back before it was the "it" diagnosis) and it really is true that finishing a big project, unless I hyper focus, seems to be something I am unable to do. Although when medicated I can actually get and stay on task...but that's another post entirely.

So, that's my idea that's been recycled in my brain from several years ago. I think of the possibilities of finding old garments, other fabrics and such and how fun that would be to put together. Now I just have to get a job so I can start on that goal and so I can get other goals accomplished.

EDIT: I just found the name of the episode - "Saving Grace, Again: Part 2" which is described on IMDB as:

Original Air Date—18 November 2004

After taking Grace out of town to forget about Leo and their anniversary, Will and Grace stay at a hotel and Will hopes that Grace will finally find some peace. But, Will finds out that Grace has brought the answering machine with Leo's message on it with her and forces her to get rid of it so she stops thinking about going to the roof of Peninsula Hotel to meet Leo or not. Jack has to make up an idea for a promo for Out TV and meets the perfect actor for it in a hotel where he is working as a Bell Boy. Also, other people at the network think the actor is perfect, but when it comes to shooting the actor feels demeaned by the words he is supposed to say.

It's showing on Lifetime this Wednesday according to IMDB and I am bummed that I don't have cable. I'd be curious to know if in fact that was the episode I saw the comforters/bedspreads that had me wanting one like it so long ago...

Basket Makeover!

I bought the following basket about 1996 or 1997 when I lived in the Denver Metro area. It went well with the wire and wicker shelving for my bathroom. The shelving doesn't have apples in the motif but the color was the same (forest green) and I think I got them from Linen's N' Things...anyhow, here's the before shot:



For a while now I was thinking I would have to replace it with a new basket but it dawned on me this morning to clip the wicker pieces that were holding the upper part on the basket. Like, whoa (taps side of head). I was going to paint it with avocado green or burnt orange but as I have stated before, painting baskets with a brush is a pain in the butt so I pulled out "carrot" Super Saver yarn (since I already had it) and made what basically is a wide headband about 1 1/2" smaller than the perimeter of the top of the basket (it's a bit smaller on the bottom) and here we have a cheap and easy finished product:



I store some of my office supplies in it and the clear plastic thing peeking out is a peanut butter jar with my paper clips in it. It's mostly covered so I am not going to get too involved with making that pretty.

Here it is with its shelf-mates and you might notice I finally spray painted the blue basket which makes it look much more cohesive:



Bonus part of that is only my thumb would go numb instead of the thumb, pointer finger and middle finger so now I can put more emphasis in finishing my afghan.

Well, I hope everyone is having a fine holiday weekend. It's been pretty quiet around the apartment complex but I wont hold my breath for it to remain that way.

EDIT: 9:25 pm

Oh, I did a similar thing for a banker's box under my computer table (pardon the wires, I need to secure them out of the way):



I use it as a foot rest and the cat also hangs out on top and between the box and the warmth of the tower...

PS I really despise that ugly, very, very ugly "chandelier". It's just dreadful!

EDIT: Sunday 3:50 pm Oh, a bit early but I think this post is well suited for Metamorphosis Monday! Yes, it's still Sunday but with the holiday weekend, might as well get a jump on things.

Check out the links and add yours at her blog!

EDIT MANIA: Sun 6:00 pm Another link list Trash to Treasures + she's going to have a "giveaway". Stop by, check out the other links and add yours! Yay for having some idle time to click through all these links I am finding today!

EDIT yet again! Mon 2:15 pm I can't pass this one up, Thrifty Decor Chick was the second blog I fell in love with when I started looking at ways to update my decor. She's a master at this decorating thing as far as I am concerned so go check out the Before & After links other people have posted. Oh my. This poor little post is getting edited like never before a post of mine has. :-)

Worthwhile Weekend Project

I grew up around the manufacturing of and eventually sold windows and doors and an often neglected or item that people put off is cleaning their windows and doors.


Picture from stock.xchng user = Henriette downloaded 10/25/05

Last night I ran to Target to get the cheap window cleaner they sell ("Compare to Windex®" - $1.12). I prefer to use a professional grade for obvious reasons but these windows and the patio doors have been long neglected and I was not in the mood to use my expensive window and glass cleaner on their (apartment complex's) property. I don't mind using it for the mirror in the bath because I have to use it to see all my imperfections. Well, okay, my perfections as God had in mind. (grin)

Anyhow, I used up about 1/3 of the 32 oz bottle to get the what seems like years of ick off them. I have two 3'0" x 5'9" windows, a 5'0" patio door, a 7'0" patio door and the tiny kitchen window is 2'0" x 3'0". All of which were nasty as can be. I don't desire to attempt the outside of the one in my bedroom room as there is a spiky juniper tree right in front of it but I did get the inside. That's a lot of window cleaner, not to mention I attacked paint and stain drippings and other odd grossness that needed a razor blade to clean them off. For the five windows and doors minus the exterior of the one, it took me about 2 hours to get them decent. There are years of water stains, scratches from people using the wrong tools to clean and such I can't get off but they are so much better now.

While cleaning windows, patio/garden/french doors and lites in your other doors is kind of a pain in the butt, I recommend using this long weekend (for those in the US) to tackle them. It makes a huge difference in how clean your home feels. I'm glad the apt I am renting is on a bottom floor, sure makes it easier for a lot of reasons but also for me to tackle cleaning the windows.

Besides, Jake likes to leave all kinds of nose prints on the glass around here and that drives me batty. Now if only I would get to cleaning my car with the same enthusiasm.

Here's a pic of Jake from last night:
- a dog's life sure is rough, aint it?


EDIT: Oh and while I am at it:

I think this post sort of fits in with these two:




Go to their sites and check out what other people are up to. Much more imaginative than my post but some good stuff to peruse.

If this particular post isn't what you expected, these two might fit better: this post and this post may tickle your fancy.