Beany's House Project.

[jbeany]

So, with steps more or less done, (I.e., I can skip the 3rd coat until after the party if I need to!) I move on to the basement.  I hauled the leftover chunks of wood from the dismantled and replaced basement stairs up the new ones and out to the garage.  I hammered the nails out of them so they would stack.  Then I hauled my folding tables down and set them up in the laundry area.  I unpacked all the boxes of clutter decor I haven't used yet and set it all out, so when my sister comes to help, it's easier to see what I've got to decorate with.  Then I shifted the furniture down there into the center of the room and started repairing holes. 

The previous owner certainly entertained his friends down there a lot.  And had a dart board.  And used it while they were all drunk. 

I can tell from the 6000 tiny holes around the big round spot on the side wall.     Apparently, he had never heard of cork board.

The biggest project was covering the ass hole. (See the pic for the simple explanation.)

Tomorrow I scrub and start painting.  Hurray!
 

[MaryD]

It's looking amazing!  Of course I realise the cats supervision is probably responsible for at least 90%.

My daughter made a wonderful bit of cat furniture.  She bought a cheapish Ikea bookcase and cut holes in the back and side and covered the front of several sections of the shelves.  Now her two cats have a sort of maze that they can chase each other through and places to hide.  Her cats are utterly spoilt with entertainment choices

Whenever I check out this posting I leave in a state of exhaustion.  I love it.

[jbeany]

Oh, yes, it is alllll due to the cats!  They even killed their first mouse today.  They knocked it off the top of the step stool and it died.

[okarol]

I had missed your previous update so happily read all the news - you sure are doing an amazing job!
Kittens have grown so big too!
When is the party?

[jbeany]

The party is December 14th, so my time clock is ticking down!

[jbeany]

Well, with help from my sister and a friend who came to stay for a few days, I had everything ready for the party - just barely!  The party was good, although I, as usual, made too much food and had far to0 much for everyone to drink.  My fridge and bar are still stocked if anyone wants to come by... and it's a good thing Mexican food freezes well.

So, a few more pics, since I haven't posted any in a while.  I didn't get the basement steps painted, but I did get the top one covered in matching pine luan so all the icky construction glue that was showing disappeared.  The craft room was tidy, but not very well organized behind the closet doors and in the drawers.  I should be working on that now, but I've been using it instead of organizing it.  I figure if I use up a substantial chunk of my fabric stash on tote bags to sell, I'll have less to organize later.  Right?

I still haven't done anything to the laundry room except fix some lights and switches.  I have the paint, and I'll get to it eventually, but there's a limit to how much remodeling I can stand at a time!

Sooooo...starting with the craft room....

[jbeany]

One last shot upstairs, and down to the basement...

[jbeany]

And more....
My grandfather had the first Harley Davidson dealership in Northern Michigan, back in the late 40's/early 50's.  I have a collection of things like repair manuals, sales slips from him selling his first bike to his brother, photos of him, my grandmother, and my toddler mother on the bikes, and a great pair of his riding gloves with huge cuffs.  I arranged them all in an old bulletin board frame (with the "Property of" sticker from the Catholic High School still on top) that I found at a flea market.  The front panel is plexi, and was pretty scratched up, so I had to polish it before I could hang it.  I had kitten help, of course.

[MaryD]

I LUST after your sewing room.  I could help with your left over Mexican food, so I might just move in.  I am a fully qualified cat cuddler, too.

 

[jbeany]

One of the law students brought his wife to the party.  She's a quilter, so she was ready to divorce him and move in, too.    And you have to love cats to even enter my house, because mine are total tramps.  They love EVERYONE.  My sister ordered the bed frame for me as a house warming gift, and she used my computer to do.  She was logged onto it for about 15 minutes, surfing, when she finally asked me what was wrong with Murphy.  He was standing at her feet yelling his head off the whole time.  I told her to scoot the chair back, he jumped in her lap, and all was quiet. 

More pics, if the server will let me....

Note the fun I had using the sewing room to actually make something.  I made a reversible cushion out of painter's canvas dropcloth and a secondhand duvet cover that I found at the thrift store for $5.  My sister gave me an old bean bag so I could have the beans.  Except when the bag is used long enough, they aren't beans anymore.  They are styrofoam snow.  I think I've vac'd the whole house 5 times since I made the thing, and I'm still finding bits of it.  It's really comfy in the chair, though.  The slip cover over the platform bed is also a paint drop cloth from Lowes.  Huge chunks of sturdy material for very little money - it's a great deal for an industrial look.

[jbeany]

So here's what it looks like now... and a few Before shots for comparison!

[glitter]

awesome- you are very talented!! 

[okarol]

That was fun to see all the new photos - I love the changes - you really have transformed those spaces!
And all the kitten support really helps!
Is my room ready yet? I need a vacation... 

[jbeany]

My friends tell me the platform bed is pretty comfy for overnights, so I'm ready for ya, Karol! 

I think my friends are planning on filling the place to max capacity for next September's ArtPrize contest.  I've got the couch, the platform mattress, and a queen air mattress, and plenty of room to spread everyone out in! It's a 3 bedroom house with a full basement, so I've no lack of floor space for sleeping bags, either.    (I've just turned it into a 1 bedroom with an office and a giant craft room.)   

[okarol]

 

[jbeany]

Today's project - a coat rack for the stairwell.  I need a place for a sweater for when I'm running up and down doing laundry or when I'm running in and out the side door to the garage.

I looked at regular coat hooks at the local big box stores.  I wasn't particularly inspired by any of them.  They were kind of boring, and even the cheap ones run $3.50 or so.  Anything fun was a lot more.  I really wanted something fun - it's a pretty dull stairwell - white plaster walls and dark brown paneling.  Spending $12 on boring just didn't seem like a good idea.  Plus, hey, I just like weird stuff.

Hours spent searching yesterday's big antique show with my sister were a total bust.  I found nothing, even with a $50 budget.  Sis suggested we visit my favorite thrift store and shop for antiques in a place where the price tags don't run to triple digits so much.  The place is run as a combo of thrift. antique, and estate sales.  There are about 30 booths, and each vendor has their own specialty.  Some of them have valuable antiques.  Some of them have random garage sale crap.  It's always busy, and it's always interesting. 

My sister picked up a beat-up garden trowel at one of the back booths full of beat up tools and tool boxes, held it up so the spade part was flat against the wall and the handle angled out, and pointed it that it would be a great coat hook.  Hmmmm.....YES!  I dug around and ended up with 3 old masonry trowels.  Grand total for the 3 of them - $2.75.

So, holes drilled, drywall anchors installed, and tools mounted, I now have one more bit of recycled, useful quirkiness that I love.

[CebuShan]

Love the "coat hooks"!   

[okarol]

That's a clever solution!   

[kitkatz]

keewlll

[Bill Peckham]

Nice!

[MooseMom]

This is fantastic!!!!!!