glider reupholstery project

Originally, this was going to be my own little fun project: get a glider cheaply off craigslist, and then recover the cushions with a fun fabric. I found the fun fabric at Ikea, but then stupid carpal tunnel syndrome, plus with a realistic assessment of my own sewing skills, made me reconsider.

Before: The glider I found was a very basic white (approve!), with denim cushions that had faded in spots (cheesy!).


After: I used the "Alchemy" feature on Etsy, and an awesome seamstress, Jessie Skillman, agreed to do my project. And what a smart thing. They came out great. I am so, so pleased.


I love the fabric. We have a bright orange thing happening in the baby room, that will make the little squid guys really pop.


"Happening", I say with a snort. Behold the current state of the baby room. Two weeks 'til due date! (Ok, it looks bad, but what's left to do isn't that overwhelming: sand/refinish floors, install baseboards/door casings, replace radiators, paint. That's doable, right? Snort again?).

new stairs!

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

Thursday. (And yes Eliza, there will be a handrail).

something is up with the camera

Very psychedelic! I took a bunch of pictures of the semi-controlled chaos in the yard, and the ones without flash came out like this (and some even more pink):

The good news is that when I use the flash it seems to be fine. Batteries? Or some bigger problem...

one month and counting

Less than one month until due date, and at least we have new windows! Windows We Are was awesome, even Steve, always cynical and jaded, was positively impressed by their professionalism and efficiency. Although, yes, with one month to go, this is the state of the baby room.

But at least the house no longer looks like a boarded up foreclosed tenement. (oh and really Eliza, it did look like a boarded up foreclosed tenement -- when the old windows came out because Steve had to do some demo and rebuild, so in the meantime it was three beautiful sheets of plywood -- lasted about two weeks. I'm sure the neighbors loved us).

monarda

These guys have been getting better and better each year. Finally bloomed this week! Do they come in other colors? Somehow I just ended up with so much pink in the garden. Not that there's anything wrong with pink. It's just a lot of pink.

just 6 weeks left

I'm huge. And there's progress. Yesterday I came home and the baby room has a door! It doesn't have windows (or a whole bunch of other stuff), but it does have a gorgeous door, in a fun kid-friendly red orange. Yay Steve!

Now the question is what color to paint the baby room to match that door. I'm going for either a paler orange, or a blue. Pale -- we want his room to be bright. Opinions?

Bees, endangered? Not in our backyard.

In a fit of backyard organization and nestification (more on nesting later), I was trying to string up the new lights when one of these guys got me on the inner arm: big honking bumblebee. Apparently it's the females who sting, and they don't leave their stinger in, so that out-of-focus bug you see there well could have been the one. Ouch. It hurts. No Steve, I'm not allergic, and it's not a problem for the baby...

Meanwhile, a little afternoon before and after. Long term project: the white salvaged cedar is someday going to be fencing. Meanwhile, it's propped up, and the chain link rolled back. But what I really hate is the plywood on top of the big plastic garbage can. There's still more to do, so not really an "after," but here's progress so far. Put the refuse brick (which is what filled the grey tub) in the bottom of a galvanized old-school can. Then turned it into a planter by separating with landscape cloth (to prevent the roots from getting into nastiness), filled with potting soil, and replanted cucumbers. And rearranged the cedar. And best of all, moved my old college welding project so that it doesn't get lost in front of chain link, but can be a trellis for some of my many nasturtiums.


I'm really liking the backyard right now. Here's a macro shot.