Glass Beads

We received the vintage hinges we needed for the two French doors we are installing. Installation is on the back burner until it either rains or we finish raking up all the leaves that cover the flower beds.

Today I started raking the bed that has lavender and Knock Out roses. For some reason the leaves really pile up in that bed and trying to rake out the leaves is very difficult.

Also the hydrangeas and the roses both needed trimming. I was wearing gloves to keep from getting poked but the gloves kept getting caught on the thorns. So needless to say the going was slow plus it was cold outside. It looked far warmer than the 40 degrees it reached today.

This past Monday R learned how to make glass beads. He was so proud of his little plastic bag of glass beads. I hope to make them into a necklace or bracelet. I'm amazed he doesn't burn his hand while making them because I have two burn marks just from using a heat gun.

The photo of the beads don't do them justice.
These two are really cool with the feathering.
The two yellow beads have little dots all over them. I think he rolled the hot glass bead in ground up glass dust.
He only made one bead (right bottom of photo) with little bumps.
R said he is going to make more beads. He was just getting the hang of it when the class ended.

FYI....I had a reader ask about the wood cold air return that we installed. I forgot to mention where I bought it. I purchased it off of eBay. There is a seller on eBay who customs makes these in various sizes and woods.

Just as I Thought

Guess what is in this canvas bag?Yup, those are the elusive hinges that I have been eluding me for the last week or so.And you know what? They were right where I put them. I remembered that I needed to use the shipping box for something else but I could not remember what I put the hinges in to keep them safe. Duh....National Trust for Historic Preservation canvas bag, of course they are vintage style hinges.

I chose the hinges because I needed surface mount hinges and did not have a lot of space. I also needed a hinge that was available in black. I originally thought about the L hinge but wasn't really wowed by the idea. One night while watching one of my favorite movies, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), I noticed these hinges on casement windows and I liked how they looked.

My favorite part of this movie is when Mrs. Blandings is trying to explain what colors she wants the contractor to have his painter paint her rooms.

Mrs. Blandings: I want it to be a soft green, not as blue-green as a robin's egg, but not as yellow-green as daffodil buds. Now, the only sample I could get is a little too yellow, but don't let whoever does it go to the other extreme and get it too blue. It should just be a sort of grayish-yellow-green. Now, the dining room. I'd like yellow. Not just yellow; a very gay yellow. Something bright and sunshine-y. I tell you, Mr. PeDelford, if you'll send one of your men to the grocer for a pound of their best butter, and match that exactly, you can't go wrong! Now, this is the paper we're going to use in the hall. It's flowered, but I don't want the ceiling to match any of the colors of the flowers. There's some little dots in the background, and it's these dots I want you to match. Not the little greenish dot near the hollyhock leaf, but the little bluish dot between the rosebud and the delphinium blossom. Is that clear? Now the kitchen is to be white. Not a cold, antiseptic hospital white. A little warmer, but still, not to suggest any other color but white. Now for the powder room - in here - I want you to match this thread, and don't lose it. It's the only spool I have and I had an awful time finding it! As you can see, it's practically an apple red. Somewhere between a healthy winesap and an unripened Jonathan. Oh, excuse me... Mr. PeDelford: You got that Charlie? Charlie, Painter: Red, green, blue, yellow, white. Mr. PeDelford: Check.

My other favorite line is when the Blandings' friend, Bill Cole says, You've been taken to the cleaners, and you don't even know your pants are off.

Every time I have to deal with a contractor, I think about those lines.

I just read that they built replicas of this house all over the United States. Two years ago there was a story in the newspaper about one built in the Toledo area. You can read the article here.

If you are building or restoring a home buy this DVD. It is so timeless when it comes to contractors and the highs and lows of home improvement. Plus, Cary Grant is just so debonair. A polished up George Clooney. You ladies know what I mean.

One Last Board & We're Done

The weather report today was for rain after 3PM. It was rain free at three but you could feel the cold front moving in from the south.

We have only one board left to install and we will do that tomorrow. That leaves the installation of the windows which cannot be done until I find the hinges.So rather than hear R say, "if you would quit writing and reading blogs all night and look for the hinges instead, we could wrap this project up!" I'll post a quick photo and then it's off to look for the hinges.

Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House

A couple of weeks ago I ordered Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House DVD and a first edition copy of the book. This book and the subsequent movie were based on an article in the April 1946 Fortune magazine written by Eric Hodgins originally titled Mr. Blandings Builds his Castle. The Tom Hanks movie called The Money Pit is a remake of the original movie Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House.

I loved this movie for several reasons. I've always enjoyed Cary Grant's movies and I thought he was adorable in this. I really liked oogling all the 1930's and 40's decorating. If you're a fan of New York City, the first part of the movie has some great footage of Manhattan.

It's nice to know that contractors have changed very little in over half a century. I swear I've heard some of these same explanations from past contractors I have used.

But the real bonus of watching this DVD was that I now know what type of hinges to buy for the windows I am restoring in my sun room. Right there in their architect's office were my windows with black L hinges.

Also I was so coveting the art deco lights on either side of their apartment's bathroom mirror. I think I'll watch it a couple more times because I am sure I missed something. I wish it was in color but alas it's a black and white movie.

I'll give the movie a thumbs up for it's great footage of 30's and 40's interior design and personally relevant plot line.

But now I want to eat some ham. You'll need to see the movie to understand. Also the book is slightly different than the movie.