Come What May

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Reno Update.

The 'upstairs' renovation is nearing completion.

We are still waiting for Joe's espresso machine to arrive. (Man, that is one slow boat.) When it gets delivered, the machine will be plumbed in and the electricity to that half of the kitchen can finally get turned on.

The trim has gone on the windows and doorways. Yay!

I love this furniture.

I know people roll their eyes about my undying love for this couch and chair. But I love them. I really do. They are part of me.

I acquired these two pieces in 1981 when I moved into my very first apartment. I bought them for 50 bucks from our neighbours Mr. and Mrs. Tuckey who bought the furniture in 1927 when they got married. Art Deco all the way, baby!

The couch and chair were upholstered in mohair. Ay carumba, it was itchy to sit on! The cushions and frame were stuffed with straw and horse hair. And since the coiled springs were escaping through every hole imaginable, I also had straw and horse hair all over my bachelorette pad.

After we married, Joe came to love this furniture too. We had it re-upholstered in 1990 in its original colours of deep burgundy and teal green. But after 22 years of three kids jumping on it, 4 cats and 1 dog shedding on it, and a husband spilling coffee on it, the furniture was looking a wee bit tired. So we had it professionally cleaned and it looks great!

Our draperies arrived from Restoration Hardware! We were so excited to put them up! Down came the hideously faded, gap-toothed and UGLY pink vertical blinds.

Another mess.

Attaching the drapery hooks.

Hanging one panel.

The drapes do NOT look like this in our living room.

This drapery project has been fraught with problems. We have a valance to contend with. The window is so wide we had to screw 2 rods together. It was difficult to install the rod in such a tight space. The drapery rings catch on the lip of the rod extensions. The drapes puddle on the floor. (I don't mind that so much.) The fabric panels aren't wide enough. They gape from the top. We need more rings. We need more hooks. But on the upside, we do like the colour.

Sigh.

WE DON'T LIKE THE DRAPES. IN FACT, WE HATE THE DRAPES!

Back to the drawing board.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Phase 2 Begins

Phase 2 of this renovation started in earnest yesterday morning.

But first things first.

CAT UPDATE:
Before I went to school yesterday, I took Daisy to 'kitty daycare' at our veterinarian's. Daisy will spend her days there and the evenings at home with us. But we'll only take her to daycare on the noisiest reno days. And since removing the stairs is first on Marcel's demolition list, I'm sure she'll be shipped out every day this week.

On less noisy days, we'll lock her in our bedroom with food, water and litter box.

When I picked Daisy up from the vet's yesterday afternoon, her feeding tube had been removed. But the hole where the tube was inserted into her neck has become infected. So she is on another round of antibiotics! This time though we have to administer the pills by mouth. Twice a day! UGH.

Doesn't Daisy look happy to be going to the vet's?

Joe and I have been doing little things around the house. In addition to having the ugly shelf-like hearth removed from the fireplace, we took the mantelpiece off as well.

We removed the mantle piece from the fireplace.

We returned our damaged 22" round Newgate clock last week. We can't seem to find another one like it anywhere, so we are going to order a different clock by the same manufacturer. We weren't sure if we should get the 15" clock or the 22"one, so Joe put up some painters tape to see how the clocks would look on the wall.