THE SUMMER PROJECT

The following two photos are just a reminder of what once was...

 Spring 2010

Removed patio roof and pavers Summer 2010

 First of all, let me apologize for not Blogging since May.

 It was not my intention to take the summer off! 

 I swear it was as if the snow melted
and we headed outside and that's where we stayed. 

 We have had a wonderful summer here in Colorado,
 lots of exploring, camping, swimming, hordes of company along with bringing in  firewood for our long cold winter!
Oh yeah we worked on the back of the house!
We chose to work on the back of the house first
 use it as a learning tool (basically trial and error if you will)
I have never prepped or painted the exterior of a house before or worked with mortar and stucco, so the entire summer was a learning experience for me.
I spent more time in the prep...
washing, wire brushing, repairing damaged corners with mortar and filling the cracks with Stucco Patch ( I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!)  

After... Summer 2011

Then finally rolling on the paint!
I chose Manchester Tan by Benjamin Moore
 and I am very happy with the color it is light and bright but still warm.

The windows received some new wood, new glass for one and new glaze for most.

Garage corner

Meanwhile...

 my husband had the daunting task of replacing all the rotten wood,

 trimming rafter tails, and finding a solution for the electrical 

before a good wind storm rips it from our house!

Apparently this was OK to do 80 years ago!

    He is the man.

Because he fixes things and brings me chocolate!

Perfection!

 I still have a short list of things to do out here before the snow starts flying!

    -Priming and painting under the eves.

    -Paint the glaze on windows.

    -Install new porch light.

    -Attach storm door.

     -Michelle- 

P.S. I almost forgot!

We started our summer with...

  -The removal of  6 trees (and their stumps) all  in various stages of decay and leaning towards the house!

  -10 tons of gravel that we spread around the side of the house and formed a back patio!

           ( because I live with 4 males and 2 puppies, all of which attract mud!)

VINTAGE MERCURY GLASS LAMP

Years ago when we lived on the Oregon Coast
 I would drive our [now] teenagers to and from elementary school

  so they didn't have to stand in the wind and rain and wait for the bus. 

Everyday for years I drove the same route,

 past a large house on a hill with a bay window overlooking a park and the water.

Everyday I would look up to see
 a beautiful silver lamp sitting on a table in that bay window. 

One Monday morning as I drove the kids to school

 I turned up the hill to drive past the large house 

 and noticed the remnants of  a weekend estate sale.

"Darn" I thought, I'm always up for a good estate sale. 

Driving down the hill after dropping the kids off at school,

 I instinctively glanced up at the house as I always did
 and realized the silver lamp was gone!

Darn!!

That is about the most polite way to express my reaction for both missing the sale 

and not getting my hands on that lamp!

The days past and my disappointment grew,

 everyday I drove by the house on the hill and watched the cycle of changes

 as the house was emptied 

and the yard was cleaned up. 

Then a FOR SALE sign went up in the yard.

A couple of weeks later...

 I had few extra minutes and thought I would take a quick walk through

one of my favorite antique stores. 

I did this a couple times a month and often found treasures

 that I could take home and refinish and/or refurbish then in turn sell myself.

After parking and making my way down the sidewalk through the wind and rain 

I pushed open the door of the large warehouse like building. 

After shutting the door quickly behind me against the weather...

I shook off the rain,

Turned around,

  Took a step in and looked up,

And there it was!

 The silver lamp... 

sitting on a table!

Just sitting there!

I gasped and tried to control my inner scream of delight...

I calmly walked over,
picked up the lamp
 and made my way to the back of the building
 and asked in a calm and collected manner,

" Excuse me, what are you asking for this lamp?", "It doesn't have a tag."

The older man looked it over for a few moments 

and replied,

"$7.00"

He said he bought it at an estate sale the other weekend

 at that big house below the elementary school

 and by the time he had arrived it was the only thing left!

What are the chances,

 the lamp I had been lusting after for years was in my hands!

Have you ever bought something and thought for sure that it had been mis-marked or that someone was going to stop you before you reached the door?

 I could not pay the man and get out of there fast enough...

You know, before the Vintage Mercury Glass Police stopped me

 and made me pay the real value of the lamp

 or just rip it from my hands! 

When I finally got into my car

 safely hidden behind tinted windows and the camouflage of the wind driven rain 

I'm pretty sure that I screamed! 

 I also think that I strapped it into an empty child's car seat!

The lamp was covered in dust, nicotine and cooking grease

 so I gently cleaned it up and brought the wonderful mirrored shine back.

We have made about eight moves since that day

 and the lamp always rides with me in a box
 surrounded by pillows or something of that nature.

It is by far one of my favorite finds,

 right up there with the antique solid oak Arts and Crafts style plant stand I got off Craigslist for $15...

but that's another story.

-Michelle

P.S. Other items in photo...

Shutters- Purchased from yard sale in Key West, Florida.

Conch Shells - Found  (Empty) snorkeling off Key West, Florida. 

Silver Bowl- Antique store Carbondale, Colorado.

Glass Float Balls- Found on various beaches in Alaska and Oregon.

 Vase- Estate Sale find $5.00 Port Townsend, Washington.