Monthly Archives: January 2011
The drive in
I was treated to another beautiful drive to work this morning. Thought I’d share.
More office parts
You gotta love IKEA products like Expedit bookcases and Kassett boxes. They kill me with their usefulness.
I bought two Expedit bookcases on sale when we first moved into the house. I figured I would find something to do with them. They eventually found their way into my office.
Eight Kassett boxes were purchased for the two bookcases. They work great for organizing all sort of random items. I hold photography equipment, sewing and art supplies, gifts and office items in mine.
The biggest problem was remembering which box was which. I settled for fluorescent pink labels until I found a better solution.
Then, I had an “ah-ha” moment rummaging through my art supplies. There in the midst of acrylic paint tubes was a pack of paper stencils.
I know stenciling isn’t really the rage it was during the Trading Spaces era, but I thought this would be the perfect solution to my quandary.
Using numbers 1-8, I attached each stencil to the front of a box with removable round labels I had lying around. Then with a stiff paintbrush, I carefully stenciled with black acrylic paint.
I let the paint dry for a minute before carefully removed the stencil.
Voila! A quick, inexpensive way to organize my boxes!
For the sake of art
I woke up to a foggy, winter wonderland this morning. The fog was deliciously dense. The kid in me wanted to stay and play. Bummer, I had to go to work instead.
Luckily, the drive was pretty spectacular.
I propped up my camera on the steering wheel and took a few photos.
Which was certainly not defensive driving. Perhaps it may even be reckless.
But the drive through the park was so dramatic. I was compelled to capture it.
Caution be damned.
A measure of progress
Update – Looks like IKEA is no longer carrying the Tuppler shade! I can’t believe it! All links to the IKEA product page have been removed below.
I’ll admit it, I worked my butt off on Saturday. Eight hours of queued Parenthood episodes on my TiVo can prove it more than what I have to show for it.
My blood, sweat and tears all went into the customization of two IKEA window shade rollers. Yep, window treatments.
To me this was a major achivement. These buggers were tricky and a pain in the you-know-what. I was ecstatic to get this project done and then properly documented by Nate (thanks Honey!).
Instructions for Installing IKEA Tupplur Window Roller Blinds
Materials:
Measuring Tape
Metal and/ or Acrylic Ruler
Pencil
Fabric Only Scissors
Cordless Drill
Screwdriver
Screws (Not included)
Hacksaw
I have found that the Tupplur shades are all a little different in length, so it is very important to measure each one so you can get exact dimensions.
The instructions are specifically for hanging the shade from the interior molding of your window. If you decide to hang them above the window, you will not need to be as exact. Look at your IKEA instruction booklet that came with the Tupplur roller for more info.
1) Measure
After you have decided how to hang your shade, the next step is to measure your roller and figure out how much you need to remove.
The shade is glued to the pipe, so you will have to cut the fabric before you saw off the pipe. I have found it is easier to unroll the fabric and measure the pipe first.
The left side of my pipe has a 1/4″ (or 4/16″ since most my measurements are in 16ths) extension.
The right side of my pipe has a 6/16″ extension.
So even though my shade is 55″ long. I have to account for the additional 10/16″ of the pipe in my calculations.
I also have to add the width of the mounting hardware into the calculation. Each side is about 4/16″ wide.
Confused, yet?
The IKEA manual tells you to leave a 3/16″ clearance on each side of the pipe. I upped this to 4/16″ since my left side is already 4/16″.
My plan of attack is to cut the right side only. My window is 43 1/4″ wide.
I plan on cutting 12 10/16″ from the fabric and 12 6/16″ from the pipe (to leave the 4/16″ clearance on the right side). So my fabric shade will be (55″ -12 10/16′) 42 4/16″ wide.
2) Cut the Fabric
Before cutting the fabric, remove the wood insert. You will cut this at the very end of the project.
I know this looks a little odd, but I wanted to use a combination of my acrylic quilter’s ruler and metal yardstick to keep my measurements exact.
I measure 42 4/16″ from left to right and mark it on the fabric. I repeat this this and connect the dots to have a nice pencil line to cut along.
With my “fabric only” scissors, I slowly cut along my pencil line.
I unwind the fabric as I go, measuring and cutting until I reach the pipe.
3) Cut the Pipe
Leaving my fabric unwound, I mark my cut line on the right side of pipe and flip it so I can cut it off on the left side of my table.
Cut slow and steady until you get through the entire pipe. Don’t worry about filing the edges since both ends will be capped.
4) Insert the Roller Attachments
Roll the fabric back up. Decide which end you’d like the chain to hang and then attach the roller attachments to each end of the pipe.
5) Install the mounting mechanisms
Depending on how you’d decided to hang the shades, install the wall mounts with screws.
6) Attach the roller
And the moment of truth… install the roller into the wall mounts.
I will admit, I was off by 2/16″ and had to go back and adjust the length of fabric and pipe. But, I was happy with that. There were a lot of small measurements. This was bound to happen.
Note: I only cut the bottom particleboard insert after I had finished hanging my shade. Don’t want to cut twice!
After I was happy with the installation, I moved on to the second window. I am happy to report that the second roller went more smoothly. As the morning became late afternoon, I finished.
Project completed! You bet, I was ecstatic.
Our Prison Bath
I have not written much about our guest bathroom.
There isn’t much right with the room besides its a rather nice size.
Here’s a list of it’s current attributes:
- Shiny pepto pink walls and ceiling
- Maroon and tan tile on shower and bath
- Linoleum floor
- Separate bath and shower
- Pedestal sink
- Original fixtures
- Small clearance between shower and sink
- 4 towel racks
- Only 1 electrical plug on wall opposite sink
- Original shelf over toilet
It was christened the prison bath by a close friend who took the pink walls to look like.. well.. a prison. The name just stuck. It was a perfect description of this special place.
At first, Nate and I thought it should be the last room we redo in the house as a memory of how far we have come. But as time goes by and we have actually spent more time with it, I think we both have reconsidered.
Short Term Goals
We know we don’t have a clear plan yet on how to utilize the space. We have a lot to consider. Do we want to get rid of the shower? Move the toilet?
For the time being the plan is to do a quick update.
Paint, Paint, Paint
I want to paint the walls and ceiling white. That alone should make a huge difference.
Remove the clutter
Do we really need safety bars over the bath? Four towel racks, really? I think removing the clutter will make a huge improvement.
The sink faucet does not work well. The knobs have to be turned almost 360 degrees to get water flowing. The shower leaks. I am almost positive its just worn out. I could replace parts versus buying a new fixture. I need to spend some time weighing my options.
So, that’s the game plan right now is to freshen up the space and improve what’s already there. No demo or major purchases.
I can’t wait to attacking it with white paint. It’s going to be incredible.
