What I did at my house today...

[Texas_Ranger]

Your in-laws looked like the folks I stayed with in NYC when I was on a school exchange! Every single room in the cramped Brooklyn apartment had a TV, including the kitchen (a tiny B&W thing on a shelf above the sink, squeezed in between the toaster oven and coffee maker). And they were all on most of the time, except the large one in the living room, that one sat unused most of the time because everyone had a TV in their respective bedroom anyway. Having grown up in a one-TV family that felt pretty strange to me!

Strenge you've got such a heat wave! Here it's unseasonably cold and we had a few awfully rainy days. Yesterday and today were a bit better 18 C yesterday, a little over 20 today) but decidedly more autumn than summer. Last year I went swimming in a local lake well into mid-September, no way I'd do that this year!

[Corsetière]

Sounds like a good way to pick colors to me! When I paint my walls, I just mix up whatever's around. I also buy mistint returns in (mostly) neutral colors. Yes, it often turns out to be "greige" but for resale, it works perfectly well. I have more color in my own house, but of course, that's a personal choice. Nobody else has to like it, but I do like your choices. Looks very rich!

Greige! I like that! lol!

[Corsetière]

The heat this week has been weirdly hard because we were used to the fall weather and now? Near 90°F days are making us like slugs. The weather folk keep saying "tomorrow it will be cooler", but then it isn't. It's 88° right now at 5:30pm. I am not a hot weather gal. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to start early morning work again which isn't fun because I'm a natural night owl.

You have a TV? Luxury!

I sort of kid, as nowadays we just watch things on our computers. It is nice, though, to not have one in the parlor. It's going to make this weekend visit interesting, because my in-laws are notorious for always having the TV on in their house. They even leave a small one in the kitchen on for their dog when they're not home.

The heat has been ridiculous here too! I had to wait until 6pm until I could plant all the things I got for free at our local plant swap this past weekend! Well, I got 10 things in the ground before it got too dark to see! 4 more plants to go tomorrow. I wouldn't have tried to do it today but I was afraid things would die otherwise! Plant swaps are the best!

It took me a year before I had a TV! lol!! And about two years before I found a couch! It's ridiculous how quickly you get used to substandard (or at least what most Americans would consider substandard) living. It was a very luxurious experience to sit on an upholstered surface after 2 years of wooden chairs! Omg, I am so easily impressed!

[Corsetière]

I have just 5 more arms of the first Chandelier to clean up, all the other components are clean now and ready for priming! I bought primer tonight that said it was good for aluminum and I sprayed down a couple of components to test it out tonight! So exciting! This project is going quicker than I expected! It's going to suck to buy the replacement electrical parts but, that can't be avoided. it looks like the most expensive part will be the fabric covered wiring! If it wasn't so prominent, I would just get the plastic stuff, but I think it will make a difference visually.

[Lily left the valley]

We've only a few more boxes to clear out of the parlor, I started moving more tools out of the dining room into the cellar, there's still some Craig's List stuff we need to move out of the parlor, as well as the unfinished Morris chair, and then we just need me to do some sewing and furniture shuffling for the parlor to be ready for company. Dining room still needs clearing out, but we can stash the few boxes eating up floor space in there in the office. At least we have a proper dining room and chairs to sit at, and I am so glad we bought them when we did.

We emptied two big cardboard boxes today, which to me is a big deal, as it now means that stuff is at least sorted out better. We also emptied a rubbermaid bin, same deal.

The heat has been ridiculous here too! I had to wait until 6pm until I could plant all the things I got for free at our local plant swap this past weekend! Well, I got 10 things in the ground before it got too dark to see! 4 more plants to go tomorrow. I wouldn't have tried to do it today but I was afraid things would die otherwise! Plant swaps are the best!

It took me a year before I had a TV! lol!! And about two years before I found a couch! It's ridiculous how quickly you get used to substandard (or at least what most Americans would consider substandard) living. It was a very luxurious experience to sit on an upholstered surface after 2 years of wooden chairs! Omg, I am so easily impressed!

Yep, I've been skirting that darkness too.

Lack of sit-able furniture is one of the things I will heading over to PYCA for tomorrow. I found a wicker loveseat curbside when we lived in NJ, but never had the funds to make cushions, and refused to spend money on cheap temps. We found a crib mattress curbside a while ago in new near condition that fits the seat just about right. I also have some foam we got for free I'll be using for back cushions. I just need to get the fabric, and the shop is only open Th-Sa. We do have the leather chair, and a mostly wood chair with spot cushions that will allow everyone a place to sit without having to bring in dining room chairs. If I finish sewing in time.

[awomanwithahammer]

Lack of sit-able furniture is one of the things I will heading over to PYCA for tomorrow. I found a wicker loveseat curbside when we lived in NJ, but never had the funds to make cushions, and refused to spend money on cheap temps. We found a crib mattress curbside a while ago in new near condition that fits the seat just about right. I also have some foam we got for free I'll be using for back cushions. I just need to get the fabric, and the shop is only open Th-Sa. We do have the leather chair, and a mostly wood chair with spot cushions that will allow everyone a place to sit without having to bring in dining room chairs. If I finish sewing in time.

I've been known to cover cushions in canvas drop cloths. You know, the ones that cost $10 or $15 for a huge piece of fabric. They're pretty durable; not the prettiest fabric, but perfectly serviceable, especially for something that doesn't really matter, or is going to be outside.

[Lily left the valley]

I've been known to cover cushions in canvas drop cloths. You know, the ones that cost $10 or $15 for a huge piece of fabric. They're pretty durable; not the prettiest fabric, but perfectly serviceable, especially for something that doesn't really matter, or is going to be outside.

I may well steal that idea for our porch furniture--but next year. Thanks for the suggestion.

The fabric I have in mind for the loveseat, though, is realistic for our budget. They bought a huge lot of industrial rolls from what was a purse factory for near pennies on the dollar. They even got a rack for it all in the deal. I do a lot of trade and buying there, and they've always been good to me.

If my only option was a full price fabric shop, I would have used the old sheets I have stashed for whatever, and would just try to be clever with hiding the worn spots.

[Corsetière]

Well I am down to 4 arms of the chandelier that need cleaning but while I wait for the water to heat up I started priming the rest of the parts! Getting close...

Now I need to start making some decisions about which colors will work best to reproduce the original polychrome effect....



Do you we have any lighting experts in the forums? I think I found a maker's mark of "ASE"? I have not turned up any info in google searches. Could it stand for American Standard Electric?

[awomanwithahammer]

Yee haw, that's a lot of pieces!

[Corsetière]

Yee haw, that's a lot of pieces!

Yeah its going to be hard to start on the second one!