Tuesday Project Roundup: Flat Pack Rodeo

How about some furniture instead of fabric this week? I decided it was time to upgrade my bedroom dresser to something bigger. Here's the setup before:

And here's the after, courtesy of IKEA (the Malm dresser and Hemnes mirror) and these lasercut fretwork panels:

I'm not 100% sold on how much contrast there is (maybe the drawer fronts need to be all white?) but I'm completely happy with the capacity: 

Many, many thanks to my dad for pickup, delivery, and assembly over the course of four hours. As the IKEA instructions tell us, one person assembling this is a frowny face. But two people is a great big smile!

Shelves!

It took over a year for me to get it done, but I now have shelves in the garage. (I feel like Elwood in my favorite clip.) Look at the storage capacity--a cat and a bucket!

Just kidding, I started filing it up:

If you're thinking this looks similar to the other custom, well-built shelving unit my dad put in the basement last year, that's because he built this one too, and did a similarly excellent job. Thanks, dad!

Tuesday Project Roundup: The Longest Project Of All

This week will mark the one-year anniversary of my being in the house. Since it's really the biggest and longest-term project I'll undertake, why not look at the progress made through the year?*

Still under construction.


Moved in, with cat head.


With an Eames chair and real window coverings.


And with a coffee table and Arco-esque lamp. Things are getting fancy...


And here's the orange sofa and grown-up art over the fireplace.

And on the other side of the room, there are curtains and fabric art I made (and more than two people can dine in comfort).

Hooray for home decorating!


*No, I haven't finished any sewing this week. Can you tell?

Tuesday Project Roundup: A House Project

After taking down Christmas decor the house seemed barren, so my new goal is to add more decor and accessories. I started with the office and added bulletin boards on each side of the desk:

This is another fabric-covered Homasote board, just like the one in the sewing room. Since I had leftover Homasote board on hand, this project only required one yard of fabric and the loan of my dad's staple gun again. Here's a close up:


I'm really happy with the result (but anything turquoise and orange has a 99.9% chance of maing me happy.) There's certainly more decor in the room than there was this time a year ago:

Giving Thanks While Seated

I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I could:
I finally have chairs to go with that table--and for the first time in my adult life, I can entertain more than a total of two for dinner!

So I'm thankful for furniture, and that I have family and friends that I want to fill the chairs, and for what's been a really good year, overall.

Meanwhile, Toby remains thankful for his space heater:


Enjoy the long weekend! I'll be back Monday.

So Close To A Dinner Party

What's better than an IKEA dining table that gives you the impression of a Saarinen tulip table? Finding that same table on ksl.com for $20, of course!

It needed some Magic Eraser-ing and I still may need to touch up the top, but I am so pleased with this score. Suddenly I understand why people shop at thrift stores.

Now to score some chairs...

Black Is Hot, White Is Return, Green Is Ground

Have you ever wondered why I've never posted a full shot of my kitchen? It was because I hated the industrial florescent light fixture in it. But now I can show pictures (and only cavil at the cabinets being wood, not white) because look--new lights!
Matching new lights! (Yes, I still need a dining table.)

I made my father come over last weekend and change out lights--but don't worry, I watched and learned. I could totally do the next one.

Here's a detail. These are not fancy (I had no idea how much you can spend on lighting!) but they give the look I want (mod!).

Tuesday Project Roundup: What I've Been Doing Instead Of Sewing

The short answer: gardening and spending money.

On Saturday, I mounted planter boxes to the railings of my tiny deck (all on my own!), visited two nurseries, and then planted lots of pots.

The long view, with some more pots:
(Ignore the fact that I STILL HAVE NO LAWN AFTER FOUR MONTHS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BUILDER.)

There are also pots by the front door:

Sunday I focused on the indoors and went TV and flat-pack furniture shopping. I returned with something resembling the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey:
(I have not had to hit it with a bone. Yet.)

The TV stand is IKEA--not bad for Sweden, right? I have to thank my dad for braving IKEA with me, hauling everything around, and helping me assemble. Thanks, Dad!

And here's one last picture showing a little more of how the monolith fits in the room:

What Homeowners Do

Homeowners get really, really excited about basement storage. But do you blame me? Look at this shelving unit! I was looking at the IKEA wood shelving units because they were cheap and because they had an option for a wine rack, but then my dad offered to make me something. The materials were the same price as IKEA, but I ended up with more storage and exponentially better quality. (I could use those shelves as bunk beds if I had to!)

And I even got a wine rack: Dad surprised me with one that holds twenty-five bottles and takes up exactly half of one shelf. I blame exposure to the J. Peterman catalog at a young age, but I've always wanted to be the person who has the right wine on hand (including champagne). Now I can be that person--thanks, Dad!

(Somebody else gets excited about basement storage, too.)

The Unbearable Adultness Of Decorating

I have made some serious purchases for the house lately. I know refrigerators and washers and dryers are serious, but these latest purchases feel more weighty, if only because they're essentially frivolous. (Bear with me here.)

Remember how I wanted to copy a painting instead of buying real art? Well, the artist has been doing a lot of smaller work lately and I just went for it. Meet "Amber":

The long view:

I love "Amber." I think she needs a frame, but she is gorgeous.

And remember when I wanted to buy a love seat for my old apartment--because a real couch wouldn't fit--and I found one at Target.com? (That was so long ago that the images got lost when I moved to the new Blogger.) I remember back in 2007 that I worked two jobs to get the $400 to get that foam masterpiece.

Well, things have changed a little, because Monday I ordered this baby:

Made in Virginia to my own specifications, with my own upholstery choice (orange, of course), in six to eight weeks? I kind of can't believe it. Because I remember working two jobs to get $400. Yes, I was in debt then, but not only am I out of debt now, I bought a house; and lately I just plop down money for non-essentials like real art and real furniture without batting an eye.

Tax returns help with the plopping down of money, of course, but regardless--it just sunk in that I'm not a struggling 20-something anymore. The unbearable adultness, indeed.

Will The Projects Never Cease?

It's all projects, all the time here at Chez Cat Hair lately. (Idle hands are the devil's playground, after all.) I didn't think this should get a spot on a Tuesday Project Roundup because the only skill involved was stapling, but there is fabric---specifically, a yard of Schumacher "Chiang Mai" linen stretched over a frame my dad made.

It's art!

It hangs on the east wall of the main floor, in what will be the dining area if I ever find a kitchen table.

I barely had the fabric art hung before I moved on the the NEXT project: Drapes for the main floor. Must stay busy!

It's Like My Car Has A House, Too

I got home last night and you know what I did? I went out into my garage and got my car cleaned up from moving. It was great. Toby thought so, too. I think he's plotting how to drive it so he can do this:

Yesterday Was A Great Day

Why? Lowes delivered a new washer and dryer and my dad did a custom installation for them.* Then I did five loads of laundry WITHOUT LEAVING MY HOUSE.
I used the "Bulky" setting, I used the "Handwash" setting, I used the "Steam Refresh" feature on my dryer, and I felt as if I'd finally arrived in Grown-Up Land.

Not only are they full of features, they are Toby-approved, too:

Yes, yesterday was a great day.



*Dad, I didn't realize it would be that tricky or that washers were THAT heavy. Thank you!!

Tuesday Project Roundup: I Think Unpacking Counts As A Project

Obviously, I've been too busy moving to really make anything. But I only have two boxes left ot unpack, so I think I can count this as a project. Want to see how my stuff looks in the new house? (Answer: "sparse." But it works for now.)

I call this "View Over the Kitchen Counter with Toby Head."

Just behind that shot is the kitchen. Are you blinded by the glory of this fridge? Oh wait, that might just be the florescent lights. But the fridge IS pretty glorious.

I'm not taking a picture of the empty dining area, so that's pretty much the main floor. If you go up the stairs, there's the guest bath at the top of them:
Check out that mirror my dad hung so well. Fabric for the shower curtain is there on the counter.

Turn left from the guest bath and you get to the master bedroom. I'm only showing one end of it because the other end just has a lonely dresser. I need to get some more furniture in there because there's enough room for a seating area, too. This is the less-lonely end with the bed (and Toby's bed):
And I have a master bath--I have to share it with Toby, though:

And look at this medicine cabinet that my dad hung! It's mirrored inside. It, too, is glorious.


Turn right from the top of the stairs and you get to the two other bedrooms. I'm using one as an office:
I've discovered it's the wi-fi "hotspot" in the house.


And the other bedroom is the craft room! The red table needs to become a long white table and I need to make a new ironing board cover in this fabric. I also need to assemble the rolling chair in that box. And you can see I'm trying out fabric for the valance.

Whew! Lots of pictures. Lots of stuff that got moved in. And yet, even more stuff still to buy. But that's being a homeowner, right?

DO YOU SEE THE LIGHT?!

As you read this, I am on my way to CLOSE on my HOUSE that I bought by MYSELF.

Up until yesterday afternoon, I was fully prepared to have everything implode (and then this would have happened), but the closing costs stayed as estimated, the mortgage insurance didn't increase, and I ordered a cashiers check, the heavens opened, and I could only shout, like Elwood, "The house! The HOUSE!!"


Because YES! YES!! JESUS H. TAP DANCING CHRIST, I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!! I'M A HOMEOWNER!!

And god bless the United States of America!

Where Will The Football Go Next?

As it turns out, I am not closing today. Or Monday. I'm "probably closing next week." (The appraisal, which came back MONDAY, did not have enough comparables to satisfy the mortgage insurance company, a fact which the loan officer didn't notice until YESTERDAY.) I know I shouldn't be surprised by more drama and misinformation and mendacity* with this house purchase, but, like Charlie Brown, I keep expecting it to be different.

On the bright side, it was supposed to snow this weekend anyway and now I have some more time to pack. With the delay, I may even have a real mailbox installed and waiting! Stay tuned!


*My gay best friend and I are having a good time quoting Tennessee Williams lines about "mendacity" to each other: "Mendacity is the system that we live in!" "What's that smell? Didn't you notice a powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room?" It's a good time.

Yes, It Is

I had the inevitable moving meltdown last night: I ran out of boxes again (and still have all my books and most of my dishes to pack); I learned that I may not close on Friday as planned, which would give me just Monday to not only get into the new house but to get out of the apartment and clean it; and as of right now I still don't have a mailbox at the new house--the builder insists that the postmaster isn't returning his calls, but until the postmaster comes to the site and orders a mailbox, I don't have a recognized address. Which means that I can't update any billing information or get utilities turned on.

However--this is all temporary. I hate moving (and uncertainty) with the fiery intensity of a thousand white-hot suns, but I will find more boxes, most of my bills are online anyway, and if I have the weekend to pack, I won't feel as rushed. I saw this image making the rounds on the lifestyle blogs, and you know what? Everything IS going to be amazing. I'm going to be a homeowner!

Eyes On The Prize

If you follow my Twitter stream you will know that there was more lender drama yesterday, which made me nearly inarticulate with fury (all-caps shouting of "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD" was about all I could manage). But I went to see the house last night and if I can ever get in, I will like living there.

Did I mention I have a basement? That comes already insulated?

And that I think I picked the best beige carpeting option from the six other beiges offered?

And that I have a place for a washer and a dryer? I think I will weep with joy when I do a load of laundry in my own house for the first time.


Until then, I just hope I don't weep.