Tuesday, December 29, 2009

New Year's Day...1939




Tony has been home this week perfecting the wood floors in the second bedroom. As he was sanding he found some bits of newspaper stuffed into a hole in the closet. We unfolded the paper scraps and were able to make out a date. January 1, 1939.

I started wondering...what was going on in this house at the time this newspaper was printed? I googled the terms "Great Depression Seattle" and I found this image:


Hooper family camped on W. Marginal Way (ca. 1940)

A decade earlier the stock market had crashed.  The U.S. and world economies were a disaster.  Our house was built in 1925. A few years before the crash. I wonder whether the people living here by 1939 were even the original owners of the home? Did the family that built this house lose their home?

Some sources quote an unemployment rate of 26.2 percent in Seattle at the height of the Great Depression. In the years following the crash the local economy sufferred along with the rest of the country.  The coal mining industry was destroyed. The Port of Seattle saw a huge drop in exports. An 80% reduction nationwide in homebuilding had a major impact on the lumber industry. Seattle had its very own "hooverville", a shantytown built in Pioneer Square in the early 1930's that existed until the early 1940's.

I imagine the folks living in this house on January 1, 1939 faced the new year with weary hearts.

I know that many of our friends and family may be facing January 1, 2010 with the same weariness. I wish you all the best in the coming year. May you find the strength to face whatever lies ahead and the joy to smile (and maybe laugh a little) in the midst of it all.



Thursday, December 17, 2009

Drywall on a Timeline


When we moved into the house the back door frame had significant damage.  Tony attempted to fix the frame one Sunday afternoon only to realize that the stud and dry wall on the left side of the door would need to be completely replaced.

We had our holiday/housewarming party last weekend and Tony decided that he wanted to get the whole thing completed before the party.  He was able to install the drywall, texturize the wall, paint, and reinstall the molding in just the nick of time!


New drywall after some major struggles with the door frame.


First Tony brought home a paint that was selected by a paint matching machine at Lowes.  It was the color of pea soup!  



Tony was able to make a much better match just by looking at paint chips.


Finishing Touches...


All done!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Countdown to Christmas


Today we got our Christmas tree!  I can't believe we are already five days into December.  Tonight I am pausing to count the things around me that signal the beginning of the season. Let the countdown begin!



Four felt stockings...



Three feet of garland...



Two Christmas pillows...



One Norway Spruce!


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Time Flies....

Sometimes it seems that there are never enough hours in the day.  Especially on a less than lazy Sunday. We spent most of our hours doing things around the house today.

Tony had a breakthrough today when he figured out a way to use his hand planer to finish off some areas of the floor that were not responding to multiple rounds of sanding.



I cleaned and rearranged furniture in preparation for Christmas decorations all afternoon.

Before I got my start with cleaning I took some clothes to Goodwill.   I decided to shop and found two lovely clocks.

Watching the hours speed by is so much more enjoyable with a pretty "face."




Sunday, November 8, 2009

Hooks


I got inspired to hang a few hooks this weekend.  Here are some pictures of two  different spaces behind doors in our house.  Although I can't really put furniture or shelves on the wall behind the door, I can hang hooks. In this house we need every storage option we can find!

The space at the top of the stairs involved some hooks I already had, and the  letter hooks (Tony and Claire...I know totally cheesy) I couldn't resist them at Anthropologie.

The Gap bag in the photo is full of plastic bags.  If anyone has a plastic bag dispenser that they like let me know.  I'm hoping to find something that can be wall mounted to free up another hook :)

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Treasure Hunt



We've had a couple of busy weekends and haven't really finished any house projects, but I did make a shopping excursion to my favorite Goodwill store in Seattle. This place is massive. You have to have a purpose when you go, or you will easily be overwhelmed. I went there to look for curtains and ended up finding one that is the perfect size for the window in our bedroom that doesn't have a shade.
I also found some other goodies as well. Pillows (one with the tag still on), a gorgeous orchid pot, and a table cloth that has just the right colors for a Christmas feast or a
summer picnic in the garden.

All for under $30. A very successful treasure hunt!

I also wanted to mention that this Goodwill store is hosting the annual Glitter Sale next weekend and it is a lot of fun. There is a massive collection of jewelry, designer and brand name clothes. Check out the details at the link below. Also, I'm looking for friends to come glitter shopping with me if you are interested.

http://www.seattlegoodwill.org/glitter/


Monday, October 26, 2009

Double your...pleasure? fun? closet space!!













When Tony and I moved in together I came to the realization that I had WAY too many clothes. (My wardrobe was easily five times the size of his). During my college and law school days, when money was tighter/non-existent, I felt guilty getting rid of clothes. So they stayed in my closet. Just taking up space.

I realized at that point in time that I even had some things hanging around from high school :) So I started to purge...

Despite the fact that I have been purging clothes from my closet for over two years now, I still need a good-sized closet space for all my clothing. Especially now that it is sweater season! Our new place was built in the 1920s and I guess flapper dresses didn't take up a lot of room because we have two miniature closets in each of the main floor bedrooms.

Our latest project was a pretty simple one and ended up doubling our space! We just lowered the existing bar enough that shirts could still hang and stay off the ground and added another at just the right distance above the lower bar. Voila! We doubled the closet space!

Now I just need to find a functional storage option for all those sweaters.... Suggestions are welcome!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Knobs





So I have this dresser that I "antiqued" and brought with me when I moved to Seattle. I have been thinking for a while about changing out the knobs. The knobs and handles that are on the dresser are the originals.

I was looking at anthropologie and I really like the twig drawer pulls but was having trouble finding a coordinating knob. I posted pics of the dresser and knobs I was thinking about.

Let me know your thoughts! Should I just leave the original pulls/knobs? Any suggestions for a place to find fun knobs and drawer pulls for a better deal?

Monday, October 19, 2009

Blinded!







The irony of this Sunday's events only struck me as I was sitting down to post these pictures....flashback to Sunday morning....I woke up a little later than I wanted to with a splitting headache. After a small breakfast I started picking up because today was the day we were finally getting blinds for our living room.

Our living room is the front room of the house and we have been exposed to the street since we moved in. Tony agreed to get some blinds from his dad (if you are in the market check out his website www.windowdesigninc.com). The blinds had arrived earlier this week and Tony's family was coming to see the new house and install the blinds. Yeah!

I was making my way through the weekly clutter pileup when I noticed an odd sensation in my left eye. Suddenly my vision became blurred, and slowly faded to black. I kept blinking thinking I might have stood up too quickly and was having a head rush. Eventually, I realized my vision didn't seem to be coming back and called for Tony (read panicked screaming here). Within a few minutes my vision did clear but I still hauled my butt to the ER just to be safe. Turns out the headaches I have been getting are migraines and it is common to have vision problems when a migraine hits.

When I returned home the blinds were soon installed and we all spent some time relaxing with the family (including Tony's new niece) by the fire and admiring the new blinds. Headache? What headache?


Sunday, October 18, 2009

Surprise! Wood Floors







When we moved into the house the plan was to put in wood floors because we thought the original wood flooring was removed or destroyed at some point. After a visit from our friend Mike (who is very knowledgeable about all things wood) we realized that the wood floors are still there. Surprise!

The first room to to tackle was the "stage" room. Yes, it had a stage! After the stage demo, the real work began.

The previous owner had decided vinyl flooring was the way to go at some point. The design choice: vinyl adhesive tile in a black and white checkerboard pattern. This was glued directly onto the wood floor. This project is still in progress but I wanted to share some photos so far.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

The Fireplace



So one of my favorite things about the new house is the fireplace. It is gas so I just flip a switch for instant coziness. The colors of the stone surround are beautiful, and it actually heats really well...I could continue, but on to my latest project...

I have been searching the web for a ridiculous amount of time for a mirror to grace the mantle of the fireplace. In the mean time, a small painting and plant have been strategically covering up the the power outlet and large hole left by the previous owner.

I was really surprised at the high cost of the new (and even used) mirrors that I was finding online and couldn't bring myself to fork over the $$. I am very glad I didn't because today I found a great large mirror for only $19.99 at the Goodwill store! So it isn't quite as big as I wanted, but it will do for now and once I find the perfect sized mirror this can be used in another room. A little window cleaner, some wood polish, a few fall-themed decorations...I am very happy with the results. Now what will I do with the money I've saved....stay tuned!