Archive for December, 2010

Bedroom Updating

Monday, December 13th, 2010

I’ve been futzing with the guest bedroom after the recent acquisition of a few items.

I know nothing is spectacularly new and exciting and slowly things have been shifting around, but I’m still coming up short on headboards and bed linen. I just can’t seem to find anything I can afford that I love. Not to say I haven’t found lots of stuff I LOVE, but usually it’s in the crazy 1st Dibs level of pricing that isn’t feasible for our tens of dollars kind of budget. I’m thinking I may have to make some sort of slab headboard and then magically acquire some Area bedding.

Change wise, burly tables came in from the master bedroom for nightstand action. I hung my estate sale vintage rug, and the new credenza also seems to have wandered in here as well as a new thrifty lamp.

Bowie/Thunder Foot was getting a bit riled up by the impromptu photo shoot, so he spent some time relaxing on the rocker. I wish he would stop growing up so quickly, he’s very much becoming a little man (with a neutering appointment at the end of January).

Yup. So there is that.

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Hey you!

How are you?

I’ve got a little post over at Emily Henderson’s cool pants blog about thrift store furniture getting a little f-to the-unky. Check it out! Slack off at work!

These weirdo things from The Salvation Army got together and made a room baby. A totally psycho embroidered Frank Stella room baby.

Front Fence

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

After we rehabbed the side yard fence I started to consider what could be done about the ugly broken down fences in the front yard. Unfortunately, these are not salvageable and whatever design is chosen it needs to be sympathetic to the slatted redwood screen, provide privacy, be easily DIY’d and be cheap.

While perusing RO/LU’s landscaping projects I stumbled on a fence idea that I enjoyed very much. It appears that they used 6×6″ posts that are held in place by 3/4″ steel rods with a spacer between. The things I love about this?

-No ugly side.
-Steel doesn’t rot.
-Easy to build. (I think).

This idea sort of fits all my criteria and could be adapted for the 16′ run on the side of the house, as well as a division between the cat neighbor and us. Hooray. Problem solved? Right?

Um. NO.

So, 6×6″ redwood is not what I would call standard in any way. I called around and got a quote for $126 for ONE ten footer. YIKES. Seeing as I needed 22, that’s almost 3K in just wood for one section of fence. No thanks.

Here are my three fence design ideas. Floating in spaaaacccceeee.

6×6″ option. I love you. You will not happen, unless someone has a clever idea about where to get 6×6″ redwood for cheap.

4×4″ option. Hmmmm. I am not loving you. I think you are too busy and I like the beefy of the 6×6″. You need 32 4×4″ posts plus 1/2″ spacers. You will cost something like $300.

1×12″ option. You were my very first idea. I liked you, I just did not like that you had an ugly side.

You need five 4×4″ posts to keep you in place and then they are all naked for the world to see. I got some quotes on you and you will be about $300 in materials.

What do you guys think? Remember, from our backyard we will see this:

Plus you will be really close to the fence while lounging in the stock tank pool. Also, we need privacy for swim time.

And the front will be important since it dictates the little side fence and will be the backdrop for our minimal landscaping and we got to show off that sexy sail.

Modern fences. Why must you be so complicated?