The Reading Nook [Again], a Light, and Two Acquisitions

K made this kicking footstool for the reading nook. I know I have been writing a lot about the nook lately but we really like the space and have been putting in time to get it together. It is an evolving process and will continue.

Here are some BEFORE shots of the footstool that K found in a little shop here in town.






As you can see it is pretty disgusting and lumpy.

So yours truly took his big ole knife and went to work on the thing to get it ready for restoration.




Now it just needs a final cleaning and it will be ready for the K magic to take place. K's magic is protected by copyright or some such legalize so there are no images of the process. So enjoy the results.

Oh yeah, we also put in a shelf in the reading nook.

Behold the footstool in all its restored glory!




Our latest art acquisition:

One night K and I were watching American Pickers and they had this guy on there named Butch Anthony who made funky art and collected oddball things that the pickers dug. Well we dug it too and thanks to this newfangled invention called the internet we found some stuff from him and broke the ice. He has these cool modified paintings where he draws in the skeletons. Ours is an antique photo. We love it. Check him out!
Butch Anthony's Museum of Wonder
Some of his Artwork on Etsy.



We put up a new light fixture in the kitchen. Nothing too fancy but not bad for a $1 find at a yard sale.


Before:


AFTER:




Our latest yard sale acquisition:

Not bad for $20 - and it comes with a mirror. It needs a little bit of polishing but should be rocking out somewhere sometime soon. Jerome is fascinated by our latest find.

Artwork, a Chair, and Dinosaurs

Here is a quick little photo featuring the artwork of Greg Murr and our Japanese print.
More coming soon.

The Garden, Daffodils, Dirt, and Weeds

Here in our new state we have learned that raised garden beds are really your best bet for success. So we hopped to the home improvement center a couple of miles away and got the goods we needed to put it together.
What follows is a K design through and through. I was there merely for manual labor.

Not the most flattering angle of yours truly with regards to the puffy shirt but I got to break out the circular saw. And Sedona got to eat outdoor nibbles.



Beer and power tools don't mix so I didn't break out the cold tasty treats until after all the wood had been cut. We made the command decision that the power drill did not actually constitute a power tool as it could not actually sever a finger let alone an entire limb.

I cut the wood and K cobbled the structure.




K relaxes in the driveway with her latest creation.


The garden bed is placed for optimal sun / shade. K admires the placement.



I wanted a lap pool but will have to settle for tomatoes and peppers and other assorted veggie goodies.



Sedona investigates...


... and is not too impressed.


We didn't get enough soil, humus, manure so I could only fill it halfway.


Some succulents smuggled in from NC on the plane from our last visit.



The tomato and pepper plants. We are trying to start them from seed this year. Wish us luck!



The weeding of the front yard has begun.


And it continues.


K planted daffodils a couple of months ago and they have started to come in - rather magnificently I might add. Jerome likes how they accentuate his svelte physique.





The house across the street - the leaves have started to come in nicely. The grass in the neighborhood is starting to come online as well. Our house is a touch tardy as the next photo will illustrate perfectly.


The picture speaks for itself. Grass has a hard time out here so every house seems to have a different strain of grass as you have to start from scratch with it and it comes in at different rates. So ours isn't quite as bad as it looks as it is a strain that starts later than the neighbor's!


Ok this is an interesting story. This is Clarksdale the 'neighborhood' cat. He is feral and hangs out in the neighborhood. We started leaving food out for him and created a bed for him in the garage and he has adopted us. Now that the weather is getting warmer and the doors are staying open he wants to come in and hang out. We still can't pet him and he scares easily but he does like to sleep in the green chair in the reading nook. He is also a bit of a drug addict - street cat / hustler that he is. I put some catnip on a cardboard scratching box that is in the front room. The other cats - more of a wine and cheese set - don't really care for the hard stuff and don't mess with the scratching box, but Clarksdale sneaks in now and again to get his 'nip fix. We are keeping an eye on him to see if he qualifies for Celebrity Kitty Rehab on MTV. Stay tuned.

Curtains & Crates!

K made the panels and C installed the wire rods in the reading nook. This is now officially K's favorite part of the house at the moment and I am rather pleased as well.







The reason I haven't been posting or working on the house:


I've been busy building crates for my new show. This is my first attempt at building crates and I am pretty proud of the results. I am now officially a huge fan of wood glue. And now that the paintings and crates are done I can focus on new paintings and working on the house a bit more. And maybe I can start going to the gym again!