Bungal Haus

Is your bathroom a bologna sandwich?

2011-12-02T19:14:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Steve and I were catching up like we do most evenings. I was telling him of my frustration with an architect in my firm who was perfectly content to have a wall-hung sink in a public toilet. As a designer, I'm not okay with this. And not because I'm an interior designer, but because I'm a designer and no designer would be okay with this.

Friends, you'll find that though colleges went through similar schools, were trained to think in similar ways, and are working in the same place, people are still people. And people have different priorities from each other. I had an illusion that the design field was one of idealists whom all strove for the same goal as me, to bring design to the public to make their lives better. This, sadly, isn't true. There are people in my field, who like every other field, just go with the motions. They are perfectly content to do things as they always have. Perfectly content to not ask questions. They think a wall-hung sink in a little clinic is no big deal. But it is a big deal and I'll tell you why.

As Steve puts it, you can have a piece of bologna smacked between two pieces of wonder bread white and call it a sandwich, or you can have shredded turkey, cranberry chutney, walnuts, fresh baby greens, and brie delicately placed on a freshly baked baguette. There is a difference, and people know it.

Whether or not you could cook something or design something better yourself is inconsequential. People know good food when they eat it and they know good design when they see it. That's why people loved Julia Child and now Jamie Oliver. That's why they bought iPods instead of what the other guy was selling. People like Julia Child, Jamie Oliver, and Steve Jobs didn't invent what they were selling, they made it better.

They showed the world how good a simple braised chicken could be. How making the interface between you and a machine more simple, could make your life easier. While I'm not going to start a food or technology revolution, or even a design revolution, with one bathroom in one urgent care clinic. I am going to make someones life a bit more comfortable in a stressful time when either they or a loved one is not feeling well. Little things go a long way to make someones life better.

Think of how you can actually taste the difference when the person cooking truly cares about what they are making. Think of the time the sales person made your shopping experience delightful instead of just another errand because they actually wanted to help you. Think of the time you stepped into a space and said, wow, this is beautiful. Now think of how amazing this world would be if everyone followed their passion and did what they loved. No more going through the motions. No more mediocrity. No more melancholy. And no more bologna sandwiches.

Give A Little Bit Of Your Love

2010-12-05T09:59:00.001-06:00

Shopping may be the least fun part of the holidays, but seeing your loved one's face when they open a thoughtful gift is the best. Here are some gift ideas that Haus recommends.

1 | The Creative Family, Amanda Blake Soule

2 | A Long Piece of String, William Wondriska

3 | Pioneers, Phaidon

4 | The Competition Bicycle, Jan Heine

5 | At Home, Bill Bryson

{all books can be found on Amazon, but I encourage you to shop locally if possible}

1 | Safe Radio {$59.99}

2 | Bird Bottle Opener {$25}

3 | Ringpoem Napkin Rings {starting at $6}

4 | 32oz Carafe {$24}

5 | Apple TV {$99}

6 | Baggu Bags {starting at $3}

7 | Ikat Mini-bowls {$8 each}

8 | Pebble Placemat & Coaster {$6 each | $14 | set of 3}

9 | 8oz Carafe {$36 | set of 3}

10 | Tea Set {$16 - 48}

11 | Heath Ceramics Bud Vase {$22}

12 | Canole Carousel {$80}

13 | Tomato Blanket {$25}

1 | Pencil Case {$14}

2 | Feild Notes Pencils {$3.49 | set of 6}

3 | iPhone 4 Skin {$25}

4 | iPad Stand {$25}

5 | Field Notes Notepad & Leather Cover {$9.95 | set of 3; $22}

6 | Wastepaper Basket {$55}

7 | Fisher Space Pen {$22}

1 | Bracelet {$85}

2 | Serif Tote {$26}

3 | Classic Pajamas {$69.50}

4 | Ballet Slippers {$55}

5 | Cashmere Lined Leather Gloves {$98}

6 | Ring {$45}

7 | Kashmir Scarf {$59}

8 | Necklace {$150}

1 | Bike Bell {$20}

2 | Wood Wristwatch {$75}

3 | Brooks Bike Saddle {starting at $60}

4 | Classic Shaving Kit {$150}

5 | Donegal Hat {$62}

6 | Vintage Bowtie {$65}

7 | Dopp Kit {$95}

8 | Ray-Ban Aviators {$139}

9 | Wooden Flashlight {$48}

10 | Stanley Flask {$22}

1 | Wood Catapult {$27}

2 | Peasant Hat {$24}

3 | Hair Clips {$6.50 each}

4 | Charley Harper Memory Game {$16}

5 | Animal Blanket {$25}

6 | Art Dough {$9}

7 | Log Cabin {$22}

8 | Mask & Tail Set {$48 | set of 8}

9 | Robot Placemats {$14.95}

10 | Rock Crayons {$5.50}

11 | Hero Mask {$15}

12 | Wooden Blocks {$38}

13 | Rockabye Baby Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles {$16.95}

14 | Puppet {$32}

*The best kind of giving is charitable. Donate your time to a local shelter, food bank, Salvation Army or soup kitchen. Check out the links below for more charitable giving on a global scale.

1| Heifer International donates animals and seeds to bring people out of poverty throughout the world

2 | The World Wildlife Fund protects habitat and threatened animals

3 | The ASPCA prevents cruelty to animals

4 | Engineers Without Borders builds a better world and has over 350 projects in over 45 developing countries around the world (including America). They bring water, renewable energy and sanitation to areas fostering a better condition of life to those in need.

5 | Oxfam International is a confederation of 14 organizations working together in 99 countries and with partners and allies around the world to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.

6 | The United Nations World Food Program provides food and farming education to people in developing countries in an effort to end world hunger. You can make a huge difference in the life of a child just by purchasing this super cute bag.

Shower The People With Love

2010-11-13T12:21:00.001-06:00

Recently one of my best buds decided to say "yes" to marrying the perfect man for her. We couldn't be happier for them and I couldn't be more excited about the idea of throwing her a fantastic shower. I have weddings back on the brain after a four year hiatus and I can't get enough! I forgot how exciting and fun it is to plan. There are so many beautiful and unique things people incorporate into their special of day, and all of them are so inspiring. For the time being, I'm totally letting myself get carried away by love, romance, and stationary. Yup. Stationary.

This shower is not good for me. It only feeds my addiction. I love paper so much I can't even tell you. I have more cards than I will ever send, more paper and ribbons than I could use, and I want more. all. the. time. As my addiction grows, all internet searches have been to find inspiration for the best damn bridal shower invitation you've ever seen.

I am not the type to just buy something at Target or online, even though they may be fantastic. Nope. I must design it myself. And if my dreams come true, have it letter press printed. A good invitation let's you know who, where, and when. But a great invitation tells you about the tone and level of formality of the party. It gives you expectations of what is to come. The best show you the character of the guest{s} of honor. This is why no ordinary invitation will due because not many people in our lives are ordinary.

I have the tendency to get a little fancy. I'm like petit fours, too fussy for the tiniest tasty bite. But my friend is like milk and warm chocolate chip cookies. Cozy, comforting, down to earth, a classic all American treat. She's not pink, she's blue. Sure she likes to be girly, but loves her North Face fleece and sneakers more than anyone I've ever known. She likes things simple, elegant, and modern. I want this shower to be all about her, as it should be. I want her to feel surrounded by love. I want her {and all the guests} to feel completely comfortable and at home. The invitation, decorations, food, and location all play into this. This is one an invitation {and party} design challenge I'm totally up for.

The lady of honor is an architect and yoga instructor. Like all American women, she loves anything French. I love the idea of taking a form, like the quatrefoil, that is all at once architectural, Eastern, Western, ancient, and modern, and incorporating it into the invites.

This has the quatrefoil, but it's too fancy. Still . . . I'm a sucker for envelope liners.

The Bride and Groom were engaged at the lovely Lied Lodge. Maybe a faux bois theme on the Sunset Terrace overlooking the hazelnut fields?

I could give little trees as favors from the Arbor Day Foundation!

These people totally get it. This is perhaps the best invitation I've ever seen. They made a video!

Frendzies Kev & Carrie get it too. This is another wedding I can't wait to go to! :)

I love the organization of space and text in this example. You can tell, this party is going to rock. :P

Love, love, love the graphic style of the date.

This would be a great invitation to an A,B,C shower where each guest is assigned a letter of the alphabet that their gift must start with.

Have great ideas of your own to share? Leave them in the comments :)

Take It EZ . . . Leave It Level

2010-11-06T11:33:00.002-05:00

Installing your own cabinets can be a challenge if you level the traditional way with shims and do not have a laser level. It would also really suck if you didn't have someone who had some clue what to do. Luckily we had such a person in a one Papa Dish who happens to own a laser level and who also brought us the most wonderful invention since the bucket or the hyde scraper . . . EZ levelers.

The EZ Leveling system is something I had never heard of that Papa Dish found randomly on the magical world of the internet. It is truly amazing! I will never put another cabinet in without them. Especially in an old haus with uneven flooring. The extra beauty of the system is you never see any evidence of it once the cabinets are in place and the toe kick is on. Genius! {gotta love a contractor that actually cares about the finished look} Way more expensive than shims, but totally worth it as they literally saved our kitchen. More about that later. I'll leave the explanation to the experts on the website. They do a much better job at explaining how these little guys work then I ever could.

The other amazing-wonderful-love them forever thing the same people have done is put how-to videos on YouTube. After watching them, I swear anyone could put in cabinets. I'm proof.

Tip #1: You will want a tripod to place that lovely self-leveling laser on.

When you install cabinets you begin at the top with the upper cabinets then work your way down to the lowers. This is so the lowers aren't in your way for the upper cabinets. Makes sense. No matter if you are doing uppers or lowers, you start in the corner {if you have one} In our case we didn't have upper cabinets over our lower cabinets so our order didn't matter.

Before all this though, you want to find the lowest part of your floor {our back corner}. Following the YouTube instructions, use the laser to mark the line you will level your cabinets to. You would want to follow this step if you are using shims as well. At the same time, you want to mark where your studs are. You would think, considering the fact that we had just seen them too long ago, we would know where our studs were, but not so much. Our haus' studs where mostly 18" OC, but not always. Our trick {because the stud finder sucked} a tiny little picture frame nail. Tapping it in to see where your studs are is cheaper than a stud finder anyway {if you do it below your level line, no one will ever see the holes you put all over your new walls} Next, if you are doing it our way you need to put the EZ Levels in the base of your cabinets.

Tip #2: The screws that come with the system to attach the levelers to your base cabinets are a wee bit short. Some of our levelers came off while adjusting their height. Not cool and unnecessarily stressful. Unless they've changed this since we ordered our set, replace the screws with longer guys and save yourself some heartache.

Steve drilling the holes for the EZ Levels

Placing said EZ Level

You will also want to use a stain marker, that matches your wood most closely, on the edges of your cabinets. All wood shrinks and expands, and whether or not the cabinets ever do shrink you would see a nice white line where they meet without doing this. Plus, you're going to want a marker anyway to fix the occasional nick and scratch that all kitchens acquire.

Now you'll want to put your cabinets in place. With the system we used, you connect the cabinets together first {just in the front!}, then place them against the wall, then level them to your laser line. I don't know how it works with shims, look that up on some other blog. :P Once your cabinets are level, you can completely connect the cabinets together using shims. You can also shim them in the back following the line you marked at the stud and screw them into the wall. Again, this is all explained more clearly on the videos.

Tip #3: This is on the videos as well, but when you screw the front of your cabinets together, do this right above or below the screw where the hinge attaches. This way, they are hidden once the doors are on. Seriously, I love this guy!

Unfortunately we didn't take any photos of us installing the pantry section. This was probably the most difficult to do as far as phasing goes. We have a panel that encloses our refrigerator, upper cabinets above the fridge, a pantry beside that, and a little low cabinet between the fridge and the window. All of these things needed to fit just so, so we didn't have any gaps. We started with the low cabinet because this was in the corner. Then we put the panel up temporarily to mark where the uppers began. After the upper cabinets were installed we put in the pantry. The line on the wall next to the pantry is where trim around a door will go. Yay! Everything fits!

Well . . . almost everything. Do you see the fan where a cabinet should be in the picture above? Yup, that cabinet didn't fit. We made one of the easiest and dumbest mistakes you can when ordering our casework. {I blame the Menard's guy} We didn't leave any space for a filler panel against the wall. No walls are ever perfectly square. I don't care if you have a new haus. They aren't. Luckily we were not too far off from making it work so we were able to plane both sides of the cabinet and the one next to it down rather than ordering new. When I say "we" I mean Kevin with ShadowBrook came and planed down our cabinets. Kevin also cut down our enclosing panel to be flush with the face of the upper cabinets. Kevin is very talented, but good luck trying to get him. He owns a farm and a creamery. He's a busy guy.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. After all that, the cabinet still wasn't flush to the face of the corner cabinet when we put it in place. The reason, we discovered, was a nice little bump on the wall. We're not sure what happened here, if the mudder was a little over zealous, but we ended up sanding the wall down to the tape. Then after cussing and banging on the cabinet to make it go in {clamp it! clamp it!"} all was in place, flush and lovely. {PS: even after this, I still love Dallman Drywall}

This major mistake of ours was a complete pain in the tukhus but not having any filler strips makes our cabinets look like they were custom built for our kitchen. Although I absolutely love this, its not a mistake I would make again hoping it would turn out as well the second time around.

Be Nice To Your Mudder

2010-11-04T17:30:00.003-05:00

There are some things you just shouldn't do yourself. Like your own dental work. Or giving yourself a tattoo. For me, drywall is one of those things. I wouldn't really have a clue what I'm doing and it's way too easy to do a really bad job. We know our limits or are slowly learning them here at the haus, so we called in the experts for this part of construction. The crew we hired was not the least expensive, but they were fast, professional, tidy, and truly skilled craftsman.

The way Dallman works, as well as most other installers, is in separate crews that specialize in one phase of the work. The first crew the "rockers" measure, cut and hang the raw gypsum board. This is {in my mind} the only part someone with no experience could probably handle. Although it's like weight lifting, don't do it alone because you're just not that strong. Gyp. is heavy and requires at least one extra buddy, more likely two. This is not to say hiring this part out wasn't worth it. A good rocker is quick, yet precise, making it easier for the "mudder" to do his/her job. Our crew of five were done with the entire kitchen in about 45min. This would have taken us at least a full weekend plus the work of conning someone to be our extra special buddy.

rocking in the not so free world

The next crew the "mudders" come in next and well . . . mud. They cover all screw holes, make seams disappear and corners actually square. This is the part that seems to require the most talent and the area that determines a good drywall job from a bad one. Mudding our kitchen was a two, half-day job for a crew of two guys. This is the part worth paying for and I cannot sing their praises enough. We had this very bizarre {yet for some reason not unusual condition} in our haus where a previous owner decided to put in a new gyp ceiling . . . over the plaster. WHY!?!

Time out for Rants in the Pants: The thing that drives me most crazy about our haus is the fact that previous owners didn't take the time to do things right the first time. I'm all for home renovation {obviously} and for doing it yourself if you can. But if you don't know what you're doing, or you're going to be lazy about it, just buy new construction and save the rest of us a lot of heartache. Please.

When we took down the plaster on the walls we were left with a 1 1/2" gap where the ceiling hung lower than the walls. This is hard to explain, so hopefully you can see it in the pictures. We were certain that we were going to need crown molding to hide this, but our mudders came to the rescue and made the seams absolutely perfect! Seriously, have I said that I love them yet? Because I love them! :)

mudded and sanded

Next the "sanders" came and smoothed it all out. The highest level of finish in drywall work is a 5. I didn't specify this in our contract, but I'm pretty sure that's what we got, or pretty close to it. Our walls were so well done that it was well worth the cost.

Nothing goes perfectly though, and there are a few things people converting from plaster to gyp need to know:

1} Plaster is thicker than gyp. This means

   a. Your window and door casings will be an issue. They will stick
   out farther than the drywall now. This means putting trim on will
   be a bit of an issue later. This is something we are still trying to
   figure out how to deal with so I will take any suggestions you have.

b. You may need some new flooring around the perimeter because
your baseboard will no longer be where it was.

2} 1/2" gyp is standard on exterior walls. You should be using this if you are DIYing it and you should plan locations of your electrical boxes accordingly. Meaning do not nail them the standard 1/4" out from the face of the stud, but 1/2" so that your new walls will be flush with the boxes.

*FYI: add an extra 1/8" or so to this if you are putting tile on that brand-spanking new wall of yours. Otherwise you'll have to be like us and buy box-extenders, and washers, and all kinds of bits and bobs that make your outlets actually accessible.

3} Bring the sheet back out. You do remember tip number #2 from this post don't you? Of course you do!

primed time

The Disappearing Haus

2010-11-04T16:42:00.001-05:00

So . . . it has been a while since I blogged. 5 months. I am bummed out about that, but sometimes life decides to happen in ways you can't prepare for or imagine. This summer promised to be amazing {can I say new bike} but it took one seriously unbelievably horrific nose dive into the pits of hell. This is putting it mildly. I lost the will and ability {literally I broke my wrist} to blog. After some time off, a needed vacation, a fixed wrist and iPhoto application I find myself quarantined at home with a case of Mono. Two weeks have passed and I'm bored. Back to the blog!!

bike crash on the way home from the farmer's market. next time I'll fall to the left

Reitz girls after an honorary steak dinner for dad

*yes, sis #1 has a shiner. we were quite the sight

I will miss you forever, Pop

our adopted addition to the family {our new/dad's old} dog Lucy

aka: Lulu Bird

Venice Beach. good food. good architecture. crazy people.

Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, gray days but still amazing

Fisticuffs With Sour Sally or What I Bought At Biklops

2010-07-03T17:50:00.002-05:00

It seems to be my experience that there is always at least one jackass at large public gatherings. Friday night at Biklops said jackassery took the form of a lady with a big bad attitude. We were not trying to cut in line, but rather trying to get out of the corner we were pinned into, thank you very much, crazy woman. Although I imagined a throw-down in my mind, we Dishmans really are pacifists so we squeezed our way by quietly and cursed her name on our way home. All in all, it really was a good time and we managed to buy a few more posters than we planned on. How could we say no to a free coaster {that doubles as a bottle opener!} if we bought 3? Check out our new art, and new coasters below :)

Worth The Commute

2010-06-24T21:45:00.003-05:00

I live in Lincoln but work in Omaha so at least once a month I have to tell someone the various reasons why I'm willing to commute. Well I just found another . . . BIKLOPS!

Biklops is a benefit for The Great Plains Trails Network that raises funds by selling original poster art by local artists inspired by their love of bicycles. How could I not go?! How could I not ride my bike there?! Yay to art! Yay to bikes! Yay to buying art depicting bikes for a good cause! You think they have something like this in Omaha? One of the least bikeable cities in the country? I don't think so! : ) {Click on the links for all the info you need}

Keeping It Cosy At The Midnight Block Party

2010-06-19T10:53:00.004-05:00

We have a 90 year old haus. I was not surprised to discover it had zero insulation. If I could have, I would have bought this stuff to insulate with. As we would have had to go through a distributor in Iowa, husband thought it would take too long and be too expensive {probably}. We didn't want the blow-in stuff, so we compromised and got this instead. I insisted that it be formaldehyde-free, no FEMA-trailer type poisoning is going to happen in my haus. If you live in our area, you can find what we used at Lowe's and Menard's. At the time of purchase The Home D. didn't carry it.

Insulating was incredibly easy. Unless you are physically unable, never pay someone to do it for you. If you know how to use a utility knife and a stapler, you know how to insulate. If you are a perfectionist, instructions can be found on the previous links. Word of caution though, make sure you know the top from the bottom of your stapler. Steve had his upside down. He didn't think anything was coming out, checked it {like a man, facing him} and ended up stapling his stomach. He's skinny, he doesn't need his stomach stapled. The poor guy was in pain for days.

Also, you'll need to be on a ladder. After hearing horror stories about men literally breaking their necks from falling off ladders, I am super paranoid about their use. Even if you are a yoga master with insane balance skills, always have a buddy near by if you are going to be on one.

While you're insulating or framing, take this time to put in some blocking as necessary. We did this for Steve's magnetic knife strips and our hood. We had thought about the blocking for knives right away. Unfortunately, we did not have the same forethought for the hood. The night before the drywall guys came over we were discussing where the hardwiring need to be. We had the hood for a month and finally decided to open the box. Thankfully we did it then and not the next day because while reading the instructions we discovered we needed blocking to hang it. Duh.

It was now about 10:30pm and we are still discussing mounting heights . . .

Me: For gas heat it needs to be at least 30" from the top of the stove.

Husband: {shaking his head} Too low. I don't want to hit my head on it. I want it up here. {waves his hand above his head}

Me: This is not a commercial kitchen! {standing on a stool holding a tape measure to demonstrate} If you put it at 42" the top of it will be here. That will look dumb. You get 36" above the stove at the most.

Husband: Fine. 36 inches.

I did a little sketch and I told him where to put the blocking. Steve was tired but did it anyway knowing that it was insanely stupid to pay someone to put drywall in, only to remove it later. It was midnight when we finished.

Tip: Write down where you put your blocking and read the instructions of anything you'll be installing in advance so you can be prepared. The only midnight block parties I'll do from now on will involve some heavy drinking with neighbors on front porches.

knife strip blocking

The two center pieces are for the hood, the lefty is a remnant from the original construction

Freeze Frame

2010-06-19T09:46:00.003-05:00

"Try to have an open mind when you get home" This was my notorious text sent to my husband after I had torn down a wall {I was not supposed to} while he was at a meeting for work. You see, it happens quite easily. Tearing down walls. You pull a little hear, pry a little there. About half way through you discover that you can't stop because of the way the previous homeowner had constructed this monstrosity, and lookie there . . . the wall is gone. Suffice it to say, Steve was not a happy camper when he came home. After he called in his reinforcements in the form of Papa Dishman and discovered that framing a wall is really not that hard, he got over it.

Framing is easy if you have the right tools and someone with you who knows what they're doing. Papa Dish had been a carpenter so he was our foreman on the job. You need to buy the straightest 2 x 4's, which are really 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" {yes, you need to know this}, that you can find. You also need a good saw. We used the miter saw we borrowed from Carroll {thank you!} to cut down our lumber to the correct height, but you could also use a circular saw, a table saw, a hack saw, etc . . .

If you are filling in a wall that has a ceiling already, building your frame on the ground first then tipping it up as you do in new construction, will not be possible. If you are doing new construction, a basement wall, and/or a soffit, click here for very good instructions.

Tip: Use a spacer block 14 1/2" long to place between your studs. This will give you something to nail or screw into, it keeps your stud straight and level, and makes sure your studs are 16" on center. Why 14 1/2"!? Because if you want your studs 16" OC {on center}, you need to account for half of each stud width. 3/4" + 3/4" + 14 1/2" = 16" Who said you wouldn't need algebra?

The 16 vs. 24 debate: Older homes will have their studs 16" OC while some newer homes have them at 24" OC. Why? Well, in a nut shell, to save money. Wider stud width equals fewer studs, which equals less money. Personally I'm not so cool with the 24" idea. My BFF did this in her basement and then when they tried to wall hang their new gigantic flat screen, only one stud was within reach of the mount. Now they have to cut out the drywall on the backside (luckily the storage room) and retrofit their wall with a new stud and some blocking. This is a lot of work. They also work full time and have a toddler. So, no, it isn't done yet.

A compromise I've heard of is a 19 1/4" stud width. This will save you one stud for every 8' - 0" wall that you have. For me, the cost savings of $3 a stud does not justify going off standard construction methods. But if you're that cheap, and if you're fine with the next homeowner never being able to find a stud and thinking you're crazy, go for it. : )

"The Wall"

The new wall with a frame for the built-in shelving.

Mini-walls and a new floor for the shelving to sit on

This Is How I Roll

2010-05-22T10:17:00.003-05:00

We love bicycles at our Haus. So much so, we have 4. . . for 2 people. We would probably have 5 if it were up to husband. Bicycles and knives are two things he can't get enough of. After riding my new bike, I totally get it; nothing compares to riding a bike that feels like it was built just for you {I don't think I'll ever understand the knife thing though}.

Reasons why I LOVE my bike: it's the perfect size {not so easy to find for "Captain Short Legs"} light, amazingly fast, and has the most perfect cadence. I couldn't be happier with my purchase except to say I wish the paint job was a little less girly. Coming from me... this is saying a lot. But I do have to admit once I'm on and riding around, I'm having way too much fun to even think about it.

For the folks here at the Haus, it's not enough to have two bikes per person. We also feel the need to express our bike-love through art, accessories, and apparel. Apparently we are not alone because it's easy find like-minded people willing to sell you a little bike-love of their own.

PS: If you live in Lincoln and want a bicycle built just for you or for two check out ReCycled. Cycle Works & Monkey Wrench are also great shops to check out.

my new bike {except I have white tape on my "bullhorns"}. isn't it glorious? yes. yes it is.

The ultimate Hipster bike from Redline.

It's a "fixie" with sweet whitewalls.

{someone knows their demographic :P}

Learn the lingo with a letterpress from Bittersugar

super comfortable T -Loftymornings

this will be mine. oh yes. this will be mine.

Beautiful photos from Patrick Andrew Adams

cufflinks -The Cufflink Maker

adorable invitations from Archer Printshop

the best messenger bags EVER - Timbuk2

riding off in style to happily ever after -elizabeth dye

{the second bride pictured is a wonderful photographer, check out her site here}

spread the joy and teach them early with a balance bike from

LIKEaBIKE or Balance Bikes

Ever Mine, Ever Thine, Ever Ours

2010-05-06T06:58:00.001-05:00

Four years ago today I was doing this...

with this guy

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

-e.e. cummings

I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Happy Anniversary my love :)

Following The Wise Words of Kennny Roggers

2010-05-05T20:40:00.003-05:00

I learned the words to "The Gambler" a long time ago, but I never abided them until this weekend. I officially folded and walked, no strike that, ran away from the kitchen for the first time this last weekend. After a few wins {getting the electrical done, installing insulation, and framing a wall; see pics here} we started counting our renovation chips before the deal was done. You see, we forgot the odds are always in the Haus' favor.

It is a fairly simple concept really, having open shelving for dishes and such, and in theory it is basically a box. So, it should be easy to construct right? Wrong. Well wrong if you don't have the right tools for the job, which we definitely did not. It is amazingly difficult to make a square box when you can't cut a straight line. After feebly attempting to cut a piece of 3/4" plywood with a circular saw that decided to die every 10 inches or so, I was at the end of my rope.

The executive decision was made to hire the work out. Husband was not pleased. He fancies himself a handy type of man and he does not deal well with quitting. There was also the fact that it was now going to cost about three times more. But I was done. I had made the decision that the price was worth my sanity and my marriage.

It took Steve a while to get over the fact that we were failures but I was secretly relieved. It was nice not worrying if I had all my measurements perfect, all my cuts straight, my construction level and true. I didn't have to be perfect, I could hire someone else to be. And if they screwed it up, I could make them fix it. The only thing left to do was figure out who to go to. One quick email for a recommendation and that was solved. I was in the clear. I finally had the upper hand simply by dealing out of the game.

That is until the Iske's decided to be our backers and pay the blind. Apparently my best friend has a table saw. Who knew? So now the action is ours once more as we start our second round with the bookcase. Steve's all in, but I'm a bit nervous. I've never had a good poker face, and somehow I know the Haus is calling my bluff.

Haus Recommends: Playing poker with friends for a super fun time. This is a good link to all the terms you could ever want to know :)

A Spring In My Step

2010-04-30T21:46:00.005-05:00

I don't know if it was the ridiculously long winter with record snowfalls, or the seemingly endless string of sunless days that followed, or the fact that it's our first spring in a new neighborhood, but this spring seems especially sweet and is the most beautiful that I can remember in years. Apparently you need about 3 feet of snow from October to March in order to achieve these results. I was miserable this winter and couldn't wait for it to be over, but I'm seriously considering being up for another round next year if that if it means that my neighborhood will smell like the most amazing mix of dogwood, honeysuckle, and lilac everywhere I walk or ride my bike. Spring has always been my favorite season and while I'm still in my blissed-out state of joy I thought I would do what I do best... make a list. Below are my "spring must do's" that help me maximize my enjoyment of this sweet but short season.

Haus Recommends: Putting a little green in your spring cleaning and use environmentally friendly products. I switched 3 years ago when I saw the dog licking the tub after I just cleaned it with comet. You may need a bit more elbow grease, but all in all they work just as well and they aren't poisoning you or the earth. At Bungal Haus we use Mrs. Meyers and Method but Seventh Generation is good too or you can make your own.

BTW: It's Arbor Day today. Now go plant a tree and thank Nebraska for reminding you how much we need them!

Spring Must Do's

{gardening}

{playing with Gus outside}

{celebrating our anniversary}

{taking pictures of the green stuff I almost forgot existed}

{buying a new dress, preferably pink :)}

{going on bike rides}

Spring Playlist:
"Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra
"New Soul" by Yael Naim
"Hard to Beat" by Hard-FI
"Something Good Can Work" by Two Door Cinema Club
"If She Wants Me" by Belle & Sebastian
"Talk of the Town" by Jack Johnson & Kawika Kahiapo

"April in Paris" by Doris Day

Tearing Down The Walls Of Heartache

2010-04-10T09:25:00.004-05:00

Okay, so Patty Smith's lyrics are really "shootin' at the walls of heartache", but we would never be so violent in our haus. Nevertheless, we've definitely been warriors of the DIY sort over the past few weekends. This story of demolition started months ago with taking out the built-in banquette to make room for cupboards and more counter space and has ended with something that doesn't resemble a kitchen in the slightest. {Unless you count the fridge hanging out in a completely random spot in the middle of the room or the Flair that is about to be taken out of it's 40 year home in a few short hours.} Demo is pretty straight forward but we can all use some good tips so here are a few pointers to making it run more smoothly.

1} Be Prepared:

Not only do you need to be physically prepared but mentally prepared for what is about to happen to your once lovely home. The mental part is a lot harder to achieve and we certainly didn't get there, so I'll focus on the physical.

First you need a plan of attack. Know what is going to be taken out and when it's going to be taken out. Be very clear with your partner {if you have one} about this part. We weren't so much good at that and well... it caused problems. Before you tear down anything have the all the supplies you need. I.E. safety goggles, work gloves, high quality respirators {aka: face masks}, a few good hammers, a crowbar or two, a few chisel/scrapers {for removing trim}, heavy plastic, duct tape, cardboard or canvas to protect your floors {if you are not ripping them out too} some saran wrap, old sheets, a spray bottle, a shop vac, a roll-off dumpster, and of course various standard tools.

2} Be Proactive:

Seal ductwork and ventilation sources with saran wrap {seriously. it works so well}. Tape it up nice and tight around the edges. Cover your floor, if you like it, to prevent damage. Cover doorways with plastic on the side that is about to be destroyed and a sheet on the side you still like. Wet the sheet with water using the spray bottle. It will capture dust and spare the rest of your house from the storm that is about to ensue. {We unfortunately learned this one after the fact but we'll do it when we put up drywall} Just be sure to replace the sheet with a clean one every day.

3} Be Safe:

This is mostly coming from the husband as he swears I tried to kill him at least 3 times during the demo. Rather than relying on your wife who promises the power is off, get a multimeter and be sure. Wear a hat, long sleeves, jeans and closed toe shoes. Steve was stabbed in the belly by a piece of flying lath and I almost broke a toe when a crowbar fell on it. Husband was also plastered, literally. A large chunk flew off and nearly broke his nose. Although it's fun and it can take the place of a gym visit and therapy session in one go, demo can also be pretty dangerous. Also, be sure not to hit your partner in the head with a pot when you are doing dishes in the tub as you will no longer have a sink. They don't like it anymore than being electrocuted.

#4} Be Grateful:

In general more hands make light work so it's always a good idea to ask a few buddies to chip in. If you friends are unwilling to help you, it's because they're sane and understand fully what is being asked of them. Thankfully ours had no clue. With a little help from our friends Dip 'n Dots and The Nuj we tore down our south wall and part of the north in no time. They've also graciously had us over for dinner a few times to prevent us for starving or worse, getting fast food. We'll be treating them to bowling and beer tonight as thanks.

Good Taste in Recession

2010-03-12T12:29:00.002-06:00

While writing my last post I noticed an unhappy common theme. All the magazines I love have died. Is it just the recession? Or is my taste really that unpopular? Either way I've certainly made Conde Nast's blacklist. Rest in peace my beloveds.

Modern History

2010-03-11T19:16:00.003-06:00

My best bud Mare hates blue. Why? Because her room growing up was a blue explosion. Carpet, paint, curtains, bedding, you name it. Everything was blue. Naturally she got sick of it, because too much of a good thing really isn't a good thing. After years of buddydom, I still can't recall seeing her wear blue. Individual style is influenced in so many ways whether it be from childhood traumas or adult inspirations.

I find that my own style is constantly evolving and growing and so it presents itself as a bit of an eclectic bird. I love historic houses with modern interiors. I prefer to be in comfortable spaces that don't take themselves too seriously. I like simple, uncluttered, design with thoughtful details. Basically my taste is classic design done in a modern way. And although I adore anything girly, to appease the Squeeze our haus' style tends to lean more to the masculine.

Figuring out your own style, isn't necessarily the easiest thing for most people. I found when working in residential design it was usually easier for our clients to say what they didn't like rather than what they did. If you are unsure about the direction you want to take your home, I suggest looking at your wardrobe, the magazines, books, and blogs you read, restaurants you go to, hotels you stay in, shops you frequent, etc... I've talked about figuring out a palette for your home in this post. Understanding your style is just one more step in that process and achieved in basically the same way. Eventually you will see a pattern in the things you find appealing and a style will emerge.

For my own inspiration I look to blogs like Desire to Inspire, Apartment Therapy, The Nest and my magazine archives from Domino {RIP}, Blueprint {RIP} and Dwell. Check out where our kitchen style is headed and figure out what style is yours with helpful examples in the pics below.

Modern

Contemporary {domino}

Transitional {domino}

Hollywood Regency {Kelly Wearstler}

Traditional {Thomas Pheasant}

Country {Southern Living}

The only crystal balls I use are in lamp bases

2010-03-11T18:17:00.002-06:00

Before my brain and blog are completely overrun by the kitchen remodel I thought I post an old draft that I never got around to publishing. Enjoy : )

I had been working on picking paint colors for the haus, no easy feat considering there are literally thousands of choices. I was very excited because I had chosen this apple-kelly green to paint the back wall of our built-in bookcases. {Before you shriek in horror about me painting built-ins know this; there are built-ins and then there are bookcases that happen to be between your walls and fireplace. The former involve beautifully detailed woodwork with glass doors and antique hardware. We have the later.} So I have this green and I love the green but something just doesn't feel right. I can't decide on a wall color to go with it and I don't see how it belongs with everything else. Basically, the green was the wrong choice and I wasn't following my instinct.

My advice for picking a palette for your home: 1) look in your closet 2) have a vision and 3) know thyself.

Rule #1} Look in your closet:

It's a general rule of thumb that if you like wearing a color you'll like living in it. When I look to my wardrobe most of my clothes are brown, gray, white and black. Yes, there is the occasional hot pink sweater, orange T-shirt, and yellow skirt but in general I wear mostly neutrals. Does this make me boring? Maybe to some, but I love wearing brown trousers with a gray top and a pair of unexpected red shoes. I've learned over the years that I like my color in bold, but small doses.

Rule #2} Have a vision:

By vision I don't mean go in the back yard, build a teepee and smoke peyote until you see your spirit animal. I mean have a plan and know where you are going. The best design choices aren't random, they come from somewhere and have a purpose. Starting points can vary from a piece of fabric, a piece of artwork, to favorite place to visit. Begin by gathering things you love and photos of rooms you relate to, eventually you will see a pattern. Think about the type of space you want to be in and how you can make what you have, transform into what you want. The vision is a map, but it doesn't mean you can't go off-road occasionally. Keep your map in mind while making selections but don't pass on something you love because it doesn't quite go. Trust me, if you love it, it will find a place in your home.

Rule #3} Know thy self:

The problem with the green was that is just wasn't me. It wasn't my husband either. {yes, I remember he lives here too} Be honest with yourself. Just because you saw it in a magazine does not mean it belongs in your haus. At the same time, don't be afraid to make a choice or try something new. If you want an all white haus, have an all white haus but if you want a red room, go for it. Color, especially when it comes to paint and accessories can be changed out fairly inexpensively. If you hate it, at least you tried, and you'll know yourself better the next time around.

So what did I pick in the end? A bittersweet orange and I love it!

Boring Before

Booyah After

Uppers Schmuppers or Our New Kitchen Layout

2010-02-28T08:04:00.001-06:00

No matter where the party starts, it always ends up in the kitchen. Somehow after all these years of people going to McDonald's, it's still the heart of the home. Kitchens are where memories are made learning your grandmother's favorite recipes {or in my case, my husband's}. It's where we cut flowers, feed pets and mix drinks. But most importantly it is where we reconnect. It's where we tell each other about our day and where company migrates to. Because so many activities happen here, special attention needs to be given to how it will actually work.

In our haus the kitchen is a BIG deal because cooking is husband's art. His motto, "My knifes are my life and they need to be sharp". For him, the kitchen should foster performance, precision and skill. He wants a highly organized, highly efficient, super functional space where everything is in reach. In his case it doesn't have to be big, it has to be fast. Hence his pining as of late for our old 7 x 10 kitchen where everything was in reach. No more than one person could be in there without crashing into each other, but we forget the details over time.

For me, the kitchen is the hangout. It's where I go to see my boys at night {the dog's post is directly under whatever is being chopped or cooked}. I like to bake, but most of the time, I'm not the one doing the work. If I'm in the kitchen it is so I can talk to Steve, make pretty platters for parties, cut flowers, occasionally make cookies, and hang out with guests.

If I had clients like us, I would recommend a layout with multiple stations or activity centers and an island for people to gather. There would be prep, cooking, and plating stations for Steve and a large counter for baking and serving for me. This would be the dream, and someday we'll have that. But today we have a limited budget and 5 windows.

Ideally, when looking at our current layout we would remove the top west and south windows, and the wall that separates the kitchen and the dinning room. This would allow us to have an island where the wall was and a place for the refrigerator to go. But we wanted to keep the scope of work small so, that layout is not an option.

This is our current layout. Notice the lack of counter space and location of the fabulous Flair. We have a HUGE dining room, so the built in bench is completely unnecessary. Plus we would rather have storage and counter space over an eat-in kitchen any day. The Flair is the bane of my existence and the reason for the gutting of the kitchen as there was no way we could make a modern stove fit in it's place.

This was an option with the sink relocated and the first stab at the pantry design. The hatched areas show where upper cabinets would go. We scratched this because the layout just doesn't match our work flow pattern. We need a place to prep, cook, plate, then clean. For us, these motions tend to move from left to right. So this design was backward. Plus, it is crazy expensive to move a sink.

Our future kitchen! Finally after multiple attempts {I didn't post them all} we got it. Our future kitchen leaves the sink where it is and creates a work flow that moves clockwise. Cooking starts on the bottom with the food and beverage area, then moves to prep, then cooking and ends with the dishes. Open shelving will take the place of the Flair and house our cups, bowls, plates, and platters. In this design the hatching shows where the countertop is. There are no upper cabinets other than those above the fridge.

Yup. You heard me. NO UPPERS! I didn't think we were revolutionaries with that decision, but apparently our folks just can't wrap their heads around it and look astonished every time we explain it. See, to us it was very simple. We have 5 windows, we want a chimney hood over the stove and we have 9'-0" ceilings. Because of all this, we would have to build a bulkhead to tie the few uppers that we could squeeze in together so they didn't look like they were just {pardon the pun} hanging out on the wall. All this equalled too much work for not much gained. So we said, okay, no uppers. All and all we are pretty pleased with the final design but I'm still longing for my own private island. Oh well, next time. For now, here is some eye candy to feed your room porn cravings.

{Two islands?! Who does this guy think he is, the Pope?!}

Budget Jones' Diary

2010-01-30T14:57:00.001-06:00

In our short six months as homeowners husband and I have done some updating to our 90 year old haus such as installing a closet storage system, putting in a new garage door opener, and installing a new ceiling fan. I would say we were in the minor league when it came to home improvement. But all that is about to change. We are moving up to the big leagues people because in 4 short weeks the dreaded kitchen remodel begins.

Kitchen remodeling is notorious for being a gigantic stress ball of a mess, but in theory it doesn't have to be. If you have a budget you are sticking to, a clear vision of what you want, a plan to get there, patience, and a contractor that keeps showing up and doing their job, it should go pretty well. Unfortunately at least two of the aforementioned items usually don't happen.

One would think that because I am a professional interior designer, I should have no problems with my own haus, but not so much. Just like everyone else I had this little freak out moment of, "How do we even start this?" So I thought that in these last weeks of clarity that I have before demolition and renovation begins, I would share my experience and advise on how to go about remodeling a critical part of your home.

Step 1: Establish a budget

This is easier said than done. Figuring out a reasonable budget for the kitchen you want and the amount of work to be done is a daunting task. The cost of a kitchen remodel varies with the scope of work. If you are doing fairly minor things such as refinishing the cabinets, installing new hardware, appliance upgrades, or changing your counters, expect to shell out anywhere from $5 to $10K. A more comprehensive remodel such as replacing your cabinets, counters, flooring, lighting, and appliances will generally run more around the $10 to $30K range. Major remodels like gutting and reconfiguring the layout, tearing down walls, and adding on to your haus can run over $40,000 easily. These numbers have been known to cause panic attacks, but realize that 80-90% of the costs are typically recouped when you sell your lovely home with it's gorgeous kitchen.

Tip#1: Budget calculators rock! I found this fabulous one about 6 months too late, check it out here.

Tip #2: Keep the neighborhood in mind. A costly addition could put your haus out of price range for potential buyers.

Tip #3: Keep the neighbors in mind. Let them know what you are doing and tell them a completion date, even if it is tentative, so they can plan for the extra noise and traffic. Trust me, they will appreciate it.

Tip #4: Figure in a contingency which is a fancy word for an oh sh*t fund. On most projects this is around 10-20% of the budget.

If you hire a designer or architect keep in mind they generally charge 5-15% of the total project cost. I think we're worth it, but honestly we're not necessary for the facelift/refinishing type of stuff. If you are painting your cabinets white, you probably don't need an interior designer to suggest a shade. However if you are ripping off the back of your house you will need some help. Not to toot my own horn, but professionals can offer expert advise, catch problems before its too late, and get more competitive bids from contractors. Protect yourself, not all of us are as wholesome and sweet as I am. Be sure to see previous work, get a detailed bid and references and require proof of licenser for whom it applies.

If you are going at it on your own, the first thing I suggest doing is starting a spread sheet so you can easily and clearly see what you are going to spend your money on. I found a terrific template here. {you will need Excel, but the template is free} Begin with a general sum of what you want to spend in mind {see budget calculator in Tip #1}. As you start researching how much things actually cost, fill in the spreadsheet and see where you stand and either adjust the scope of the project or your budget {if you are able} accordingly. {Example: My dream of having soapstone and husband's dream of having stainless steel countertops were both crushed pretty instantly so we compromised with quartz}

A lot of people would suggest starting the process by looking through magazines, websites, blogs, books, etc . . . to get an idea of what you want. Once you have that, you can compare your dream against what you can afford and "value engineer" it down. I couldn't disagree with this more. As a designer I pretty much knew what I wanted. Figuring out that you have champagne dreams and a beer budget can be pretty discouraging.

Starting with your budget first, gives you the freedom to dream within your means. Being realistic about what you can actually have sounds like a total downer but its a much better feeling to discover that you can upgrade than it is to be slapped in the face with a a price tag you were not expecting. Trust me, there were a lot of "okay, that price is insane so what are our other options" moments for the hubby and I.

Figuring out the scope of your work also includes deciding how much of the work, if any, you are willing to take on yourself. Be honest. Yes, not hiring a contractor can save you around 30% or more, but do you really feel comfortable rewiring your kitchen by yourself? We have an old haus who's floor, that I know from where my dog's ball rolls when he drops it, is not level. Because of this, we are going to hire a contractor to install our cabinets. Taking them out, we can do ourselves. But, making sure all our cabinets are level, flush, and true so the counter installs seamlessly and onions don't roll off when you try to cut them, that's for someone else to figure out. There are also things you will find you could do yourself but don't want to, such as drywall. This is the time you need to consult your spreadsheet and decide what is more valuable to you. . . your money, or a job well done?

Tip #5: Dwell has a great article about how to hire a contractor. Read it.

You are probably already noticing how quickly things add up and how complicated this all can be. To make it easier and because I'm a gigantic nerd; I've put together some charts of what typical items in a remodel will cost you. Click on them to make them legible. {keep in mind these are averages and can vary by location, I live in Nebraska not San Francisco}

"All is Flair in love and war" or "One thing leads to another"

2009-12-19T08:55:00.002-06:00

"You know the Nazi's had pieces of flair that they made the Jews wear"...

I may like fancy, but I am not a big fan of flair. I am especially not a big fan of The Flair in my kitchen. Yes, folks, that's right. As of August I am the not-so-proud owner of a Frigidaire Flair Electric Range. While the Flair was a marvel in 1960's its not so much our style today. I'm sure the double ovens with DeLorean style doors and space saving built-into-the-wall style range has its benefits. It is just hard to see them when it burns the bottoms of all your cookies and you have a beautiful, new, stainless steel, gas stove just hanging out in your basement begging to be used.

Husband and I have a habit of doing/buying things out of the conventional order. Example: We got Gus {our adorable yet crazed doggie} two weeks before we were married and off to Mexico for a week on our honeymoon. Because, you know, that time in your life is not stressful and crazy enough, we thought we would throw a puppy into the mix. Well, the purchase of the new stove was a lot like Gus, completely unplanned for. I'm sorry, practicality, but just like you cannot sit back when someone says "free puppy", you cannot sit back when there is a sale that good. It was only after we bought the stove that we thought, hey we should probably figure out how we are going to install the gas line to run the thing. This is were we ran into a bit of a snag.

On my birthday of all days, a grumpy old man from the gas company came out to do an estimate of how we would route the gas line from its current location to its new home, connected to my lovely new range. Mr. Cynical informed us that hooking up the line would involve Steve doing most of the work only after he had managed to crawl through this tiny little hole into a small pit of despair filled with cobwebs, and who knows what else. Oh, and did I mention that it would cost $500? Of course we would never think to figure this out before the window of returning the stove was still open, that's just not our style. Yeah. No happy campers in the Haus that day.

"Well that's just like...your opinion, man" we said to Mr. Cynical and called in our reinforcement in the form of Green who luckily has a plumber as a friend. Thankfully, it looks like we'll be able to do the work ourselves without paying $500 to some old man to watch us do his job. The downside to Green taking a look is that we found out we need new plumbing too.

Apparently we have galvanized pipes {not a good thing} that have most likely rusted on the inside {a really not good thing} resulting in a lack of water pressure in the kitchen {it takes 5 min. to get hot water}. These could eventually burst, costing us and our insurer a lot of money and lead to a basement redo before we are ready so... they must be replaced. The only plus to the matter is we will be able to install a much needed shut off valve so that while we are remodeling we will still be able to take showers and brush our teeth saving our neighbors and coworkers from the real pain of remodeling.

All I can say is this remodel keeps getting more and more expensive and it hasn't even started yet. The lesson we are learning pretty quick about our 90 year old Haus is that its sneaky and has tricks up its sleeves. The ride never starts how you think it should or ends where you think it will. But we're game. So, Haus, bring it on! I will have my new kitchen one way or another because as much as I like kitsch, I can't stand to look at that Flair anymore.

Samantha with her Flair in Bewitched

Wayne's Flair

My Flair, Husband, and Gus

Knock three times

2009-11-07T10:41:00.002-06:00

Replacing a ceiling fan in a new home is a relatively minor task that most people would be able to accomplish in a day. Replacing a ceiling fan in an old home with knob and tube wiring and no structural support for the previous fan, is another story altogether. We knew this was a job we would have to tackle pretty early into our homeownership for three reasons. The original fan was A} not attractive B} not operable and C} kind of falling out of the ceiling. My mom was kind enough to make the new fan our house warming gift and after debating a for few weeks we finally ordered one from Lowe's. We couldn't wait to finally have light in our bedroom so as soon as it arrived Steve got down to business.

The fact that we were going to have some problems was pretty obvious as soon as he took down the old fan. It was hanging from a hook twisted into the ceiling above. Seriously?! Seriously?! This made sense to the previous owners? Well needless to say, we had a little bit of a melt down. If the original fan wasn't supported by the structure, how do we hang the new one? The multiple, slightly panicked phone calls to friends and relatives ensued. Luckily for us, buddy Green came over with his tools and rescued us from ourselves.

After surveying the scene in the attic, Green and Steve were ready for action. To figure out where to hang the fan, the guys located the wiring, the joist it could hang from and cleverly double checked its location by drilling a small hole and poking a piece of wire through so we could all okay its new home. Next, they drilled two holes into the support beam so the fan would have a stable place to go, then screwed in the mounting bracket. Green took some drywall mud and patched the area not covered by the new fan motor. By this time is was pretty late and we were low on light, so Green went home only after making sure Steve could take it on his own from there the next day. In the morning we finished up and installed as directed.

*Note: Take the time to line everything up correctly {some mounting brackets have a notch in them that the fan must line up to; male and female parts, wink wink!} otherwise you will get intense wigglage, and no one likes that kind of male/female wiggling in their bedroom.

Its curtains for you, shower door

2009-11-07T07:37:00.001-06:00

Oh, the shower doors. How I hated you. Why would anyone ever install these things? Not only do they force you to clean half of your shower and tub at a time, they build up mold and mildew in the track. The first time I was attempting to clean the bathroom, the left door fell off the track and I barely managed to catch it and stop it from falling into the tub. Naturally I wanted to get rid of these things IMMEDIATELY, but I was wisely informed by the husband we were only doing one room at a time and the kitchen was first. So... I not so patiently waited.

Fortunately me {not so fortunately for Steve} I only had to wait a few more weeks. As I was cleaning the bathroom, the door fell in again. This time I couldn't catch it. It thankfully didn't break but it did bust the upper track completely. We took the track off, and hauled it outside and looked at each other like "now what?" I had plans for the day that didn't involve removing the door so husband kindly took over so I could hang out with the gals {Mia and Maddiecakes}.

Removing the doors is a fairly straightforward job, so Steve had no problems except for buying a new curtain rod. {the first one was not approved, sorry hubby} Disposing the leftover doors was a bit tricker than removing them. We removed the glass from the frames and used a sawzall {aka: reciprocating saw} to break the frame down into small enough pieces that it would fit in the trash. The only major snag we had was that the door pictured below shattered when Steve set it on the ground. After some major sweeping to protect the dog's paws from possible nightmares, we had one sparkling clean patio, one sparkling clean shower, and two satisfied homeowners.

Here is how you do it yourself:

1} remove the screws

2} pull the track off

3} scrape off the caulk with a putty knife

4} scrub the shower walls and tub rim well with a bleach and water solution

5} fill in screw holes with caulk *follow manufacturer's instructions on drying time* remove excess caulk when dry

6} put up the new rod and hang the curtain

7} sit back and bask in the glorious fact that you no longer have shower doors

Closet Compulsion

2009-09-14T19:05:00.001-05:00

I have to admit something; I'm addicted to organizing. This is not a new thing. Its an affliction I have lived with since childhood. Examples: My desk at school, perfectly organized. My room I shared with my messy sister, duct tape dividing the room. In the last house I knew where everything was at all times. Clutter is chaos and unlike Maxwell Smart, I do not handle chaos well. Some of you already know this and may call it OCD. But, I can't help the way I am, so I've decided to embrace it.

Project one: The Closet.

Its been my dream for sometime now to have a beautiful, immaculately organized, well lit closet, that always smells like lavender. Although I would love to have a custom built shoe heaven I have a beer budget so we went to Menard's and got the next best thing.

On Saturday morning we picked up a put-it-together-youself "natural oak" laminate shelving system and by the end of the day we had what I would call a pretty impressive site. {If you work with me chances are you are still stuck on "natural oak" because you know I generally dislike it. But it matches our floors perfectly, was better than cherry and better than white, and 20% off. So suck it oak haters.} For under 400 smakaroos we were able {for the first time in 3 years!} to put all of our clothes in the same closet. Well worth the investment in my opinion. Not only was it less than the price of a new dresser {although we still need one, current guy doesn't go with anything} but it will help sell this haus when we're ready to move on.

Ok, tips on having your Menard's closet look like Oprah's . . .

Tip 1) I'm going to go ahead and pull a Mommy Dearest here and say, "No wire hangers, ever!" Wood is the only way to go. Now wood hangers are definitely more expensive than plastic, but no one said you had to switch them out all at once. Slowly replace your gear, before you know it your wardrobe will be looking fabulous. {notice we still have a few} On a side note, do not get rid of all your plastic hangers if you hang laundry to dry. I learned this one the hard way. The wood stain can come off on clothing so take your plastic down to the laundry room.

Tip 2) Organize by type and then color. Sweaters with sweaters, polos with polos, short sleeves to long sleeves, you get the idea. Then pretend you are a kindergartner and make it a rainbow. Red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue etc... Not only does it look really nice, but it makes it easy to find what you are looking for in your groggy morning haze.

Tip 3) Make your closet do double duty. Hang a high and low rod and be amazed at how you can fit twice as many clothes in. Ideally you should also have one spot with just a high rod to hang suits and longer dresses. We have about 8" left to do this, but rods are not available that short so this will be the only custom part of our closet.

Tip 4) Next add some ambiance. If I were going to be fancy, which is my natural tendency, I would say line your drawers with lavender scented paper and hang sachets every so often between your clothing. But honestly my trick is soap stored on shelves. Ok, yes it is Yves Delorme soap made by 181 year old family run business in Provence, but its still soap and it works wonders. Try it, you will be amazed.

PS: Husband did all the work and I have to give him an A+ on the handiness scale.

PPS: Sorry I haven't posted in so long, but like I told my mother, "I've been too busy fixing up my house to blog about fixing up my house." : )

Ahhhh..... look at all the pretty pictures. The first are of Bungalhaus!

before...

after...

someday...

Silence on the radio

2009-08-21T15:24:00.002-05:00

Like I said before I'm a geek. I love listening to the radio and I love science. So naturally I adore the NPR show, Radiolab. What makes Radiolab so great is that it takes one topic per week, such as: is time travel possible, can you make your own universe, what happens when someone dies, etc... investigates them and breaks them down into something I can understand. The greatest thing about the show however, is that they never give you a right or wrong answer; they let you decide. Because the truth about it, is that it's really more about philosophy than science. While listening to one of their podcasts yesterday {yes I even download NPR podcasts} I was moved so greatly that I felt I had to share.

"In Silence" is about the human experience and what it truly means to be one of our race. Call it the design of humans if you will. In this episode, rather than explore people through data, they broke down two ancient stories. Stories you probably know. Stories that are well over 5000 years old. They retold the stories of Abraham and Isaac and Noah and the flood. After listening to this episode I felt like I had never really heard these stories before. They way they are described, broken down, and understood makes them much more powerful than they ever were before. I couldn't help think of my previous post where I talked about giving things a second look and how here I was with my headphones on, almost in tears because I was giving something a second listen.

Now if you are sitting there reading this thinking, "Ok, Amy that's cool but I thought your blog was about design and the renovation of your house. What does this have to do with anything?" This is my explanation . . . extraordinary design makes you feel apart of something greater than yourself. Great design should make you examine your world more closely, to question it more thoroughly, wonder more, and tinker with the thought of "is this really the best way?". Inspiration comes from all places in life and seeking understanding is what makes a good designer.

Personally I am someone who thinks that a belief in science and a belief in a Creator are not mutually exclusive. Whatever your thoughts about science, God, or the nature of humans, I highly suggest listening to Radiolab. It will open your ears and your mind. It will make you think and feel the great joy of being in awe. And it will put you into that wonderful position that only humans experience of knowing the more you know, the more questions you have. Enjoy!

I've got it plaid and that ain't good

2009-08-19T12:45:00.001-05:00

If only I could manage to get up when my alarm actually goes off, I would be on time to meet my carpoolers. Today was much the same but rather than savor the sweetness of a few more minutes of sleep, I was listening to the radio. I am a geek, so naturally I listen to NPR. My car radio is set to NPR, my podcasts are from NPR, and my alarm is set to NPR. This morning I awoke to the fatherly-like voice of Frank Deford and was lulled into staying in bed a little bit longer once again {sorry carpoolers}.

Mr. Deford is a sports commentator on NPR and today he was sharing the news that the NFL may extend their schedule into August. Now I don't care about the NFL's schedule but I can commiserate with Mr. Deford about how the month of August has changed so drastically. August used to be the time for lazy days on the lake and the last family vacation before school started. August is for the last glass of lemonade and the last sunburn of the year. Its hot {at least it usually is in Nebraska} so its good for not wanting to do anything. Now its all changed and school has pushed its way into August along with football.

Now, if you know my mind then you understand that it works in leaps and bounds and circles. After this entire commentary about sports do you think I was thinking about football? No. I was thinking about plaid. I was thinking about plaid because I was thinking about school and in my mind school equals plaid. Our associations can be so overpowering, especially when it comes to fabrics and especially when it comes to plaid. We think of school girl uniforms, Burberry, and Ralph Lauren. Autumn, preppy, and hunting lodges. Associations are not necessarily a bad thing but I think when it comes to design, we need to give certain things another chance. {mauve and wallpaper boarders however deserve no second chances} Learning to be a designer is all about learning to see again. To see things in a new light, to make old things new again and think in a different way. I've posted a few pictures of plaid used in modern ways to get you thinking about the things in life that deserve second chances. Maybe its plaid, maybe its paisley, or maybe its that old sofa you've had so long, its back in style.

We're packing, and I don't mean heat

2009-08-13T10:33:00.002-05:00

Well we finally did it. After years of scrimping and saving and taking our lunches to work, we've bought a house. And I have to tell you, all those sandwiches were worth it. The big schlep is little more than a week a way and I have to say we're not so much ready. Ready to be in our own house, yes. Ready to move, no. We are not exactly what you would call packed. How you ask, will we get all the contents of our lives stuffed into boxes in two weekends? No idea. But hey, at least I have our moving announcement designed! Is it printed and mailed? I'm working on that.

Sure the post office has lovely little mundane postcards you could send to all the people in your life but why not add little bit more fancy to the world and send out REAL announcements? First homes and new homes are pretty big deals in my opinion and a cause to celebrate. Martha has a good post on making your own for all you crafty craftersons. For those who would like to limit their efforts to pulling out their credit card, Minted is one of my favorite sites for modern stationary (see one of their designs above). As for mine, I'm hoping I can coax husband into letting me get them letterpress printed at Porridge Paper but I'm guessing that would be an "Amy money" expense.