Hardware Headaches

When we moved into our house over 5 years ago, we fell in love with all the little architectural details stashed away inside.  Sure, there was a TON of work to do.  And yes, we were probably way in over are heads...but we were two crazy-in-love kids, who thought they could take on the world!!

We soon figured out that there was more to home ownership than just adding a coat of paint to the walls, and sitting back to enjoy your work.  There were expenses.  MAJOR expenses!  Things needed fixed and updated.  Problems had to be dealt with (all at once), and sacrifices had to be made.  We soon learned what our priorities were, and that some "dream projects" were just not in the cards.

It was at this point that the "shiny new home" bubble popped.  We realized that in order to maintain our  1920's home, we were going to have to pour more than just money into it.  We need to sacrifice some blood, sweat, and tears too!

This mainly meant, that if we wanted a project done in the house, it was going to be up to us (and not a contractor) to do it.  For me, I've always loved projects...for my husband...well lets say he likes funding MY projects and leave it at that!!  And since we are extremely frugal cheap home owners, we save every penny we have for BIG projects.

Which leads me to the point of this post (about time, I know). 

I came across this article on line about fixing up your doors hardware.  It was mainly a whole how-to on stripping paint off old knobs and hinges.  Let me tell you, the "Hallelujah" chorus was going off in my head as soon as I read it.  And this is why:

{Sorry about the bad picture quality, but you get the idea.}

Pretty much every single door knob, lock, and hinge in our house is coated in multiple layers of sloppy paint.  And before I go off on a tangent about bad-home-owners who are to lazy to remove hardware before painting; lets just say that I was not looking forward to replacing everything.  Especially since it was all original (including the glass knobs), and I wasn't sure how much I'd have to pay...let alone if I'd be able to find any.

So the article sparked a fire in me, and I said whattheheck, and gave it a try.  So here's what I did (Side note: this was probably the easiest, and most environmentally friendly project you could ever ask for!!):

• I started off by removing all the hardware, and lining them in the bottom of an old crock pot.  Note:  you do NOT want to use your nice crock pot, because it will not be fit for food afterward.  If you don't have one, I recommend looking at garage sales!

 

• Next pour a layer of water in the crock pot, making sure that it more than covers the hinges.  Try leaving at least an inch of  water above the hardware, because in this case it's better to have more then less.

• Next pour in at least 3-4 Tbs. laundry detergent in with the water.  Sounds odd, I know, but trust me it works!!  And it leaves your house smelling really good in the process (which = no strong chemical smell!!).

•  The only thing left to do is put on the lid, set it to low, and leave it be.  This will take at least a day, but sometimes it takes 2, which is why you want extra water, cause eventually some will evaporate.
   
•  You'll know it's done when the paint brushes off easily with your fingers (preferably protected in rubber gloves!).  Note: Some paint might be a little more stubborn, which might require a hard-bristled, plastic brush...not metal, it will scrape off the plating.  But hopefully when all is said and done it will look like this:

•  I finished everything off with a mild metal cleaner, which brought everything back to their original shine.  And the Hubs fitted it all back onto our newly stripped and painted door!!

 Some extra notes for anyone doing this at home:

1. Be sure to dispose of all leftover water and paint scrapings through a chemical disposal company.  Do NOT throw this down your drain, especially if it might contain lead paint. 
2. If you have glass knobs, do NOT put them in the crock pot.  I have no idea if it will be able to handle the heat.  If they need cleaned, boil equal parts white vinegar and water in a pan.  Using rudder gloves and an old wash cloth; dip the cloth in water and press against the painted areas for a few minutes.  This should softer the paint up enough to scrub off.

And that's it!!  Pretty easy, huh!?!  I love that I didn't have to use expensive/scary chemical strippers...and that I had everything I needed at home!  Woo Hoo!!

I'll try to do a follow up post on how we stripped all the doors; which was a much longer and more intense project.  Heck, I'm still working on some of the doors :(  But in the end, I guess it's worth it!

Fett Fetish

I don't care how crazy that title sounds, it was too good to pass up!

So anyway, in my last post, I told you about an early Christmas gift I was working on.  Before I show you the goods (at which point you'll understand the title), I'm gonna give you a little peak into my brain...scary!!

First of all, you should know, I hate keeping surprises!  Specifically from the Hubs!!  Call me pathetic, but I love sharing my day with him when he gets home.  So if I work on a project, he's the first to know...and the first to shower me with "praises" ('cause you know I can't get enough of that!!).  Usually, this makes for a fun catch up on each others day.

But since I was working on one of his Christmas gifts, I had to keep quiet.  Well, obviously that didn't work!  In my defense, I thought this project would take a lot longer than a few hours...and that I'd be working on it for weeks and weeks before it was show-ready.  So when I finished up, I couldn't keep my excitement to myself.

Ironically, this makes me the exact opposite of my sister.  It's not uncommon for her family to open up Christmas gifts weeks before, 'cause she can't stand the suspense of waiting on her presents...Well, I apparently can't help showing a gift off.  And it's true, I generally get more excited about gift giving than receiving.

So when Casey got home, I kept my mouth shut for a total of 20 min. before I had to spill the beans.  I should note, that I'm good at keeping secrets...just not surprises when it involves the Hubs!  Also, Casey actually did try to keep the surprise for me, by saying he could wait till Christmas.  But before you think him all "noble", it was mainly to drive me crazy!!

Anyway, enough suspense!  Here's what I did:

{In case you're like my mom and older sister...this is Boba Fett from the Star Wars Saga...hence the title}

And before you think my talents crazy-good, let me tell you it's not.  I by no means could do this on my own.  After finding a few images online, I set about re-creating them.  If your wondering, mine's the less pretty one on the right.

I don't usually care for copying, but since I don't plan on selling this, and I by no means could have done it on my own...I'm gonna let it slide. 

So why Boba Fett?  To put it simply, the Hubs is a huge Fett fan!  And when I was collecting art for our office (stuff to represent both of us...all of which I'll reveal in a later post), he expressed the desire to have a Fett painting, but only if I did it...talk about pressure!

So after some research and a few hours of water-color-magic...I was left with a fairly nice representation!  I was a little nervous, having not spent a lot of time with water colors, and not knowing how it would look once water was added.  I was on pens and needles for a bit there!  But it all came out really well, and I'm pleased with the result!!

 It still needs to be cut down, signed, and framed...so I'll be sure to fill you in on all the latest updates.  And in case you're wondering, Case loved it!!  Mission accomplished!!

Un-blogging Life

Otherwise known as "a pathetic attempt at a catch-up"...boo!

SO....lets just say its been a while since my last post, and leave it at that.  Actually, the Hubs thought I should put that we've been "otherwise entertained" and couldn't make it to the computer....but I'm classier than that (or at least I was before revealing his idea of a joke!).  The truth is, life got BUSY.  That, and our computer and I had a war of wills. Long story short, it won quite a few battles, but I'm gonna win this war!!!

Anyhoo, I've been "blog planning" for a while now, in an attempt to structure-ize this little page into something good, and I think I've come up with a plan.

I started this blog as a journal of sorts.  A way to express all my emotions as Casey went off to Basic.  It worked out really well, and I began to venture even further in my blogging topics.  It then morphed into a catch-up on both me and Casey's life, since I was constantly bombarded with "Casey questions" whenever I left the house.  Just FYI:  I hated the "How are you doing?" and  "He'll be home in no time!" comments.

Eventually, I started adding in all my DIY projects and Home Repair updates.  Mostly to show Casey what I was up to while he was gone, but more to just take pride in a job well done!!  It became a major "love affair" in my life, and I haven't been able to quit it since Casey's been home (how taboo!)! 

Along the way, family events, random happenstances, and stupid-no-point posts found their way onto this page. Heck, I was bored with a few of those posts!

So looking back, I've realized it's a bit crazy and chaotic.  Nothing really ties in smoothly together.  And for a MAJOR neat freak, this bothers me.  Yep, I'm the gal who likes everything nice and uniform....including this little page!   So I'm making some major changes, and organizing out this bad boy!!

First of all, my  page is mainly going to revolve around a few points:

• Art- mainly my own attempts
• Home Repairs- this house has a long way to go before it's perfect :)
• DIY projects- 'cause I like a new hobby/challenge!

But I plan on also adding in filler posts about:

• Family life-you can't have a Home Repair Blog with out showing how it's used as a home!
• Outreach projects and faith based posts- 'cause I'm building up those "treasures" in my heavenly home!!  It's a stretch, but it's going in!
• Meals and Recipe- cause when I'm not demo-ing, I'm cooking!! 

 I'm working on a Room-Breakdown post for each room in our house, to really show you where we're going, and where we've been.  Along with some catch-up posts of my latest projects.  I'm also gonna try to add in some meals and recipes too.  In case you're wondering, I've never added these, cause I always thought the pictures turned out bad (another thing to work on I guess!).  So hopefully that's worth staying tuned in for.

As for my next post, I've got an early Christmas gift to show you, and it has to do with the art we're putting up in our office!  Speaking of my next post, my goal is to post at least 2 a week, but if I've got enough topics, I'll try to do more...pacing myself is key!

So that's the format...lets see how this works!