Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Sunday, November 25, 2012

The Crappy Little Closet That Could: A Thanksgiving Project

Saturday: we painted the shelves.




Sunday: we filled in the hole in the floor.

before
after!  why pink?  why not?

The finished product!


Okay, so not totally finished.  We haven't filled the shelves with our belongings, or figured out if we need to buy any over-the-door storage, or hooks, or something else.  But, the hard part is finished, and it's nice to see our new closet pristine and empty for a little bit before we fill it up.  Pretty good for a long holiday.

Friday, November 23, 2012

The Crappy Little Closet That Could: A Thanksgiving Project

On Friday, we began work on our closet shelves.  First, we made a paper pattern to capture the dimensions of the odd shape (each shelf is a pentagon).




We traced around our pattern on our plywood.  Then we made many many cuts with the circular saw while enjoying the late-afternoon sun on our back patio/wood shop.




And lo and behold, the shelves fit!  We've got ourselves a revamped and way-more-useful closet!




In between times, we accomplished one other thing today: we picked up our the antique mission-style sideboard that we bought off Craig's List for a song.  Fits just right!


The Crappy Little Closet That Could: A Thanksgiving Project

On Wednesday, I got the interior of the closet all painted gray for a fresh finish.  I used leftover paint from some of our other projects.



And then, 'twas the night before Thanksgiving, and we went to Home Depot for plywood!



On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we made pies and ate them.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Crappy Little Closet That Could: A Thanksgiving Project

Monday & Tuesday: after cleaning out the closet, I spackled, patched, and caulked.  There were many holes in the walls from old hanging systems that were no longer extant (as well as an old, capped gas line you can see near the middle of the picture).  I also sealed the gaps in the drywall box (the left edge of the picture) that houses more HVAC ducts.  This ought to help cut down on the dust in the closet.

I created some additional shelf supports with scrap wood left over from my basement demolition and painted the whole space with primer.


The Crappy Little Closet That Could: A Thanksgiving Project

Hello Internet, it's been a while!

Not too many projects have been undertaken for the past few months here at the Sow's Ear.  We just enjoyed the last fruits of our garden (we had so many green tomatoes when we finally ripped out our vines -- couldn't give them all away or find new recipes fast enough) and turned our attention to other things.



I realized that I would have a good chunk of time over the Thanksgiving holiday and decided to tackle a remodel of our bedroom closet.  When we moved in, this closet had two barely-functioning, barely-hanging-on clothing rods, hung at a strange angle to get around the HVAC ducts.  We took those down (by pulling just a little; it was far too easy), stacked our shoes up inside (invariably I always wanted to wear the pair on the bottom), shut the door and forgot about it for a couple of years.  I have finally gotten tired of all the stacks of shoe boxes and decided to make some shelves.

So, the weekend before Thanksgiving, we cleaned out the closet (thanks, Mr MJ!).





Then we pulled out some drywall from the corner that was eating up space, covering two small HVAC ducts and lots of wood framing.


The wood framing is well attached and sturdy; I think I will use it as shelf supports.  But, I will have to cover up the large hole in the floor.




Monday, May 28, 2012

Late Spring/Early Summer Farm Report

Hello faithful readers! It has been a quiet spring around The Ear as we have traveled, hosted, and watched our garden grow. Since I last posted almost 2 months ago (wha?), we've made two raised beds in the backyard (full of tomatoes!) and gotten lots of salad greens going in containers. Enjoy these snaps, and have a happy Memorial Day!
(Thanks to Mr. MJ's mom for the last one.)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Happy Christmas from The Ear


Our homespun Demolition Derby is on vacation for a few days. Until next time, Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Christmas: Look, We Decorated

Welcome!


For me, Mr. MJ, and the Birdies:








Happy Holidays from our flock. Back with a painted entryway soon.

Friday, November 26, 2010

A Sow's Ear Thanksgiving

We roasted our first turkey yesterday.

Before:



After:



Thanks, Alice Waters! Happy Leftovers!