The Battle is Over...

The Before:



The After:



Finally these supports are done! Geez doods. Never in a million years did I know the pain of paint scraping in 100 + heat. I gotta hand it to those roofers... they are nutzo.



The real lame part is that there are still chunks o old paint that I just couldn't scrape. I tried, mind you, but could NOT get it all... and after several attempts, stubborn 70 year old paint and heat induced delirium win the battle.



Think I'm going to paint the screen door this navy-ish color too. Then get on those concrete planters to put in that empty zone on either side of that sidewalk. I'll be sure to get on all that soon as it's January. For now, it's icy beverages in the AC, and dreaming about that cool Michigan lake that we'll be diving in come this time 3 weeks from now.

Artwork & the Hottest Coolest Time in TX

Well, one small task was actually completed, which is a rarity these days. Julie got me this conglomerate of Jenn Ski Letter Art to spell Claire's name in ye olde nursery... not only that, but said artwork actually made it up on the walls. Such completion can not be said of the file cabinet planter, unfinished porch supports, or detailed Mini Cooper that needs to be sold stat... which just reminded me that I had a dream this morning that an old coworker came over and washed my car. Maybe I'll leave a bucket in the driveway, and send that guy some serious power of suggestion.

Screw unfinished projects and baby raising. We're going to Schlitterbahn y'all. Claire can maybe go next year, but this year it's just the "adults" gittin tubular.

Cuttin, Coolin, and Sweatin

This is a wicked mish mash of a post... Soundtrack as I type is the constant growling of a 7 month old who would rather sound possessed than take a snooze. Anyhoo, here's a pic of cutting board in action, so it worked at least once.



This weekend is the Cool House Tour here in A-Town. We'll be attending. We're hoping two things. Thing One: Get some wicked rad ideas on how to best add on to our house. Ideas that are energy efficient, look cool, and add room to the joint in case there's another growler in the future. Thing Two: Several thousand free dollars end up in our savings account to complete said pie in the sky. I've been reading the "My Remodel" section over at Inspired Austin, and it's well... inspiring.



Also going to a rock show this weekend. Thank God. Long stints without rock shows make a bald man lame and blahhhhed out. Sweatbox Studio is turning 16, and is having a couple good shows. The vast majority of Licorice Tree Records stuff was recorded there, and Mike Vasquez is a wickedly nice guy. Anyone who is ready to rock, lettuce go to Emo's! I'm going to the Sat nite show, so if you don't want to see me, go on Friday nite.

Belated Board

So I have a variety of projects goin on, and finally one is finished. Finished WAY late, but finished. I made Ma a Mother's Day present cutting board... however Mother's Day was last month.



This is maybe the most manly item I've made... or at least the old-manliest, as I feel like this may be the kind of item those 90 year old woodworker types might be into.



However, I actually got the idea from ReadyMade Magazine (where'd that gift subscription go anyway?) and only youngsters read that right? Here's the thing... you gotta have mad straight cutting skills to make this dood. I'm good at cutting stuff that doesn't have to be wicked straight, so this was a challenge, and why mom got her present on Father's Day instead.



I also made her a cutting board in Junior High (read- Middle School to the little ones keeping up) which was two pieces of wood glued together. She only had half a cutting board in due time, and I believe said halfboard is still in use. So this is the updated version eons later.



I did me lots of table sawing this round, which is my most feared machine. I know it can (and strongly desires to) cut my flesh way easier than it can cut this maple... Also spent days scraping and scraping with my cabinet scraper, as seen in pic one... small piece of metal that works way faster than some measley piece of sandpaper. Put some feet on, poured a ton of mineral oil over the top and bottom of this bad boy, and cutting board COMPLETE! Ma also gave me a present in return... both parents went to Memphis and swung by Goner Records (which ma deemed a "dumpy little hole in the wall") just for me, and brought me back a shirt. That's love. She deserves a cutting board.

Paint Paint Go Away

For the past few weekends, and a few days in between, I've been out scraping these metal supports on our front porch.



I would say short of having a kidney stone lodged in my ureter, this is one of the worst times I've gone through. Putting on a mask, hat, goggles and gloves, whilst glopping crazy bad chemicals on top of cancer inducing lead paint in 100 degree weather does not a happy man make. The worst part is the amount of paint I get off per scrape. I want all the effort to yield massive amounts of paint/paint stripper sludge, but taking off the white paint, then the brown paint, then the white paint underneath is taking waaaay too long.



Our next door neighbors busted me in the late afternoon when I'd hit some sort of sun induced delirium, and had a burst of dance funk singing-out-loud energy listening to King Khan & The Shrines do their hit Welfare Bread. I'm hoping some Lead Paint fairy comes in the middle of the night to finish this job, as it seems like it won't end any time soon.

Outie on Scoutie

Big ups to Jan and the Scoutie Girl site for tossing my table into their mix of rad Mid Century type finds on Etsy. I'm hoping to drop that price here shortly, and let the table flood begin.

My, what lovely legs you have

Since the new found love/hate for my table has resurfaced, I thought I really need to work on bringing down the cost for this mutha. Honestly, the vast majority of the cost that goes into the table is the wrought iron hairpin legs. They are hard to come by, and pricey when you find some (check the ebay selection). Either they are original 50s gems, in a variety of states, or brand new legs made by a select few joints. Both options come with a hefty tag.



So during a boparound ebay session looking for something that can reign in my unkempt hoses that are dumped in a pile in my yard, I find this couple that makes iron hose holders... and weathervanes, and the like. I says to myself I says, "if they can bend iron for a hose holder, could they not make me some hairpin legs?" I then e-says it to the couple, who cranked one out that day, and mailed it off to me. Now I have 12 more coming at a much better rate than I used to get these guys. The internet is a marvelous device. I'd better start with the making! And hopefully others will start with the buying. Ain't they heard the market's turnin' around? Soon all those new home buyers will be clamoring for TABLES! TABLES! TABLES!