link to our kitchen remodel album

[glenn kangiser]

Ahhh -- she calls me Mr. Perfect, and of course -- who am I to argue with a lady who knows the subject of whom she speaketh so well :-?

[Sassy]

 

BTW Homegrown, I'm with you on the propane stove - I hate electric, too!

[MountainDon]

I finally made it thru the pictures and the rest of this thread Homegrown. Kitchen is very nice. I've had thoughts about tin ceiling material for the cabin. Like it but undecided as yet.   :-/

I agree with the gas stove decision.      Frank, I'd go ahead with a propane tank. You'll never be sorry, the immediate response to flame/heat adjustment is great. If the cooks been brought up on electric ranges there mostly has to be a mental adjustment made. New ranges with self igniting burners, no pilots are the way to go. You can usually find a propane dealer who will lease the tank for a low monthly fee. 200-250 gallon tank here for $52 a year.

Plus you can have a backup direct vent heater is you want. Some need no electricity to operate.

[MountainDon]

And Homegrown, how did you come up with the idea for the broken china tile?

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

first to Glenn and Sassy, I read both.  I read the undergroud cabin thread a while back, but I didn't really read thoroughly because it is so long.  The photos on the blog must've been some that I'd missed before when I read the thread about your house.  What a neat place.  Bet your grandkids love going to Grandma and Grandpa's house!  It looks like something out of a fairy tale... when I was a kid, I used to daydream about building a house that looked like the outdoors...
and Glenn, as to which side of the line you're on, I think you probably already know the answer to that one!

Don, when I was a kid, my mom had a bunch of craft books, and on rainy days, I used to sit and devour them.  There was a little project using the broken china to cover the top of a coffee table or something like that... I thought it looked nifty.  I don't know why it came up when we moved here, but this tiny kitchen was really crying out for a personality, and besides, I really didn't want to shell out the money for something else.   The old stove went out three weeks before Thanksgiving last year, and when we finally got it out the back door, I made sure to kick it off the stairs so that DH wouldn't be tempted to try to fix the blasted thing and try to bring it back in!  We pulled the facings off the cabinets, and there was one that was still in decent enough shape to reuse.  The wood had been painted, and I hate scraping paint, so we decided to repaint rather than strip and refinish. (We really wanted to have the kitchen functional before Christmas because we were having company.)  Wisconsin weather makes me crave warm colors, and I decided to put red in the kitchen (growing up our kitchen was ALWAYS yellow because my mother thought that's what kitchens should be.)  The walls in the kitchen were plywood, anyway, so I'd thought about doing tile, but after looking at it, I couldn't find any I liked enough to put all over the place, but I've always kind of liked old china... I have to admit that I felt a twinge of guilt breaking up the first Currier and Ives plate that looked exactly like the ones that mom so revered when I was a kid... I remember accidentally breaking the handle off one of her cups one time and she cried over it!  But I really like the way it turned out.  I think if I had to do it over, I would've put something else halfway up the wall... wainscotting or something... rather than tile all the way to the floor, since no one sees behind the stove, fridge, or cabinet.  I guess the next owner will just be impressed the first time they pull the fridge out to clean behind it.  

One suggestion I have to anyone wanting to do the plate mosaic... wear good close-toed shoes.  When I finally got back to work on the tile a week or so ago, I was wearing some slouchy slippers with an open toe (and socks because it was cold) but I did have goggles on!    Anyway, at some point in the cutting process, a shard of glass must have hit my left foot, but sliced so cleanly I didn't even feel it.  It must have been a while before I noticed it.  I went to let the dog out, and when I let him back in, I happened to glance down and see that my whole sock was soaked with blood.  I'd felt the wetness of it earlier, but assumed it was where my three year old had collided with me earlier with a glass of milk.  It was just a tiny little cut, but bled profusely, and I'd tracked blood all over the downstairs of our house before I even noticed it.

[Sassy]

Ouch!  I did the same thing this summer wearing sandals but with the pruners.  I was carrying the pruners with the point safely downwards so I wouldn't fall on it (remember as a kid you were always told to keep sharp objects pointed away from you when you carried them?)  Anyway, I had a load of vegetation I had pulled out of the garden & the pruners slipped out of my hand & stabbed my big toe & split it wide open.  I really did need stitches, but cleaned it out real good & taped it up.  Still have some numbness where the scar is.   :-/

I've seen lots of projects made with the broken china pieces - have always loved mosaic - we had a thread quite awhile back where people had posted a lot of mosaic pix - anybody seen the Gaudi cathedral in Spain?  I friend of mine visited there awhile back & took lots of pix - beautiful mosaic & ethereal construction - I could imagine Glenn designing some of that...

[glenn kangiser]

and Glenn, as to which side of the line you're on, I think you probably already know the answer to that one!

Cool way to avoid saying you really do think I'm crazy, Homegrown.  Ah - the fine art of being non-committal.  

Anyway -- thanks -- I take it as a compliment.

"Everybody loves a nut.  The whole world loves a wierdo.  Brains are in a rut but everybody loves a nut."

An old song.  

[C.White]

I have a sculpture garden out behind my gallery, and have two mosaic sculptures that you might enjoy seeing:

http://www.funkychickenartproject.com/gardens.htm

I didn't do the ones that are shown, but I have done a few, and fully appreciate the effort that goes into that kind of work.
Christina

[glenn kangiser]

That's a neat sculpture garden, Christina.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Nice garden and sculptures, Christina... with my garden could be as functional as it is and still be that pretty.

And Glenn, I didn't think I was so much non-committal as I was politely vague about how committed I was to my opinions.  And Sassy obviously knows that she falls on the saner side of the line because she accepted it as simply a compliment to her genius.

[glenn kangiser]

Now you have us figured out. :-/  She anchors me to reality.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

That's how it's supposed to work.  I think my husband has better technical smarts than me by far, but I'm the one with practical knowledge.  He's an engineer, so the other day I was explaining to him why in women's shoes, a shoe with a small heel was sometimes more comfortable than one with a narrow wedge because of the weight distribution and the pressure points.  It was hilarious when he said, "How did you know that?  You're not an engineer."  I told him I wear shoes.  However, he's way more level-headed and cooler-tempered than me, which is definitely to his credit.  He's analytical, I'm intuitive... it works.

[Sassy]

Glenn gets his fanciful, wild ideas or he wants to just do something to get it done - so I have to gently tell him the pro's & con's.  

1st, there's certain things I don't want done, just to get done - I want it a certain way - so I add my input - like on the "bridge" - I wanted circular stairs - they look better & take less room.  He's always wanting to build out-buildings - I have to keep him from blocking the beautiful views from our windows.  I tell him, "we might as well live in the valley if we're going to block all the views!"

But I also want things to get done, so if something is too wild & will be a nightmare to do & probably will never be finished, I suggest something that I think would work...

I try to do most of the grunt work, clean up, sanding, plastering, go-fer, interior decorating... I have in my mind how I'd like something to look.  

Glenn has the know-how & creativity to make things work & can do just about anything he sets his mind to - lots of times he'll do a project when I am away at my job in the valley & tell me he has a "surprise" for me.  I ask him what it is & he says "can't tell you" - he knows that drives me nuts & I can't wait to get back to the cabin to see.  I am always pleasantly surprised.  I really can't say he ever does anything I don't like.  A lot of times its much nicer than what I would have imagined.    

He doesn't always like me bringing him back to earth   but after he thinks about it he knows I'm right!  

[Sassy]

Was just looking at the tin ceilings - gee, they are expensive!  :'(  Especially with any of the special finishes!  May have to go with the original tin color like you did, Homegrown.  Or use the panels for the perimeter & center of the ceiling.  Will have to think about that - the ceiling is 12'x10' I think...  

[MountainDon]

Was just looking at the tin ceilings - gee, they are expensive!...  

Yep. Last winter we were in a local eating and drinking establishment. Their ceiling was done in a nice bronze colored tin. We thought it looked cool... would be nice in the cabin-to-be. I suffered severe   monetary   shock   after researching on the web!

I seriously doubt we'll go that route.  :'(

[Sassy]

The American Tin Co that Homegrown cited is a lot less expensive than the one Glenn linked to.  Probably 1/2 the price - their panels on in 2'x2' sizes & the colors are priced much more reasonably.

I'd still like to do it - would go perfect in the master bath - might even add some for the backsplash area behind the kitchen sink - wouldn't need much at all for that.  I watched some of the videos & looks like it wouldn't be tht hard to put up - also, has powder coating - they compare it to th finish on your washer & dryer - so would hold up good to splashes etc if used as backsplash.  

We'll see...

[peter nap]

I'm really enjoying reading this thread and looking at all the pictures but one statement by Glenn really got my attention:

[highlight]Sassy sometimes fails to realize that I am not perfect-[/highlight]

I get the distinct impression that Sassy should be nominated for sainthood

Sorry Glenn, couldn't resist, and yes I am aware of the bible passage "He who is without sin, cast the first stone"

[Sassy]

Now you're my kinda guy, Peter!    

[peter nap]

People have been saying that about MY wife for 35 years

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Is that kind of like "it takes one to know one?" :-?

[peter nap]

Fraid so!

[glenn kangiser]

I'm not sure I know what to think about all of these comments.   :-?

I've been up on the surface working on my truck and have been unable to defend myself. :-/

[desdawg]

It all sounds pretty flattering Glenn. I don't think you need to defend yourself just bask in the light.

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for the interpretation, desdawg.  I feel better now.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Everything sounds better through an interpreter...