Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Not All There

Or not all here...................

It takes a mind that's been half destroyed to even consider what I just did - I'm even to afraid to tell John to be honest with you - because there's only so much craziness a person should have to deal with - and we all know he deals with far more than his share.

You all know I'm working on this piece, right?


and that the top part sat in the van for days because I simply couldn't lift it out?

well we finally got it out last night ( WE being John and Gordie - my son )
and I started working on it right away - almost the minute it was placed down -
( after removing the back piece - because OHIHADSUCHPLANSFORTHIS )


Now there was - once again - a lot of bleed through - I'm going through a string of bad luck with that crap lately - anyway - shellac - paint - shallac - paint - shallac - you get the picture - and then I started working on the back piece

I had just enough of the wallpaper that I used on my kitchen hutch to do this with - JUST. ENOUGH.
Don't mind the dark areas - the wallpaper wasn't dry when I took this photo................


But you can see how pretty this is starting to look, right?

WRONG - when I went downstairs to finish the job - the TANNIN STAINS HAD COME RIGHT THROUGH THE WALLPAPER -  sorry - I really don't want to run down and take a photo of it - it's too depressing so you'll just have to trust me on this one -  it ain't pretty.

Suzan says - What a mess, I have to pick up some more wallpaper tomorrow
John says - I wish you'd stop taking on these monstrous jobs - they're too big anyway
Suzan says - Big shmig - bleed through can happen on smaller pieces too
John says - BUT IT DOESN'T COST AS MUCH TO FIX IT ON A SMALLER PIECE !!!!!!!!
John says - Anyway I'm not picking them up anymore - it's too much

Oh oh - how do I tell him about this?


Which I told the seller we'd pick up tonight?

After I pick up more wallpaper...................

Have a great day all - I have some serious smooching to do today

               **************************UPDATE******************************

I think the back wallpaper issue can be rectified - I just went down again - and the stains are mostly on the
edges where the shelves meet and which will never show - I may need to buy some thin molding but that's an easy fix - phew.  This hutch may have been just a teeny leetle bit more work than I anticipated.

Have a great day all !
Hugs,








Tuesday, May 6, 2014

I WANNA live there Wednesday # 78

Good morning everyone -

Last week I featured this amazing house - for 39,000 ( I'm still dreaming of the amazing hauntingly gorgeous master bedroom )


AND if you thought last week's price was over the top ridiculous - they're actually GIVING this one away!
You have to have it moved though -

Suzan says - I'd like to move that house here
John says - They'll kill you with duty and taxes at the border

Which struck me as so hilarious - can you imagine showing up at the border with a HOUSE lmho?

Anything to declare M'am ?
No, why?
You appear to have something attached to your car
This old thing?  It's my camper - we can't afford hotels
_________________________________________________________________________________
PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY ON BOTH FEATURED HOUSES SOURCED HERE

Price: $0 (must be moved)
Location: Grimesland, North Carolina
Contact: Claudia Deviney, 252-482-7455 

The History: After a fire destroyed the longtime home of tobacco baron Joseph John Laughinghouse in 1903, he and his wife, Eliza, decided to sell their 1,000-acre plantation. The land, which had been in Joseph's family for more than 100 years, contained some of the finest tobacco-growing soil around. Brothers Clarence and William Faucette, tobacconists by trade, bought the parcel for $20,000 and had so much success farming it that William was able to buy out Clarence's share and pay off the bank in only seven years. Around 1910, William built this grand farmhouse on the site of the original house, and he lived there with his wife and daughter, both named Louise. The house stayed in the family until 2011, when the owner of an adjacent property bought the estate for the land. He is now offering the house to anyone willing to move it. 

Shown: The 4,363-square-foot house has six bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. It retains original exterior details, such as Doric columns and the center gable's fish-scale shingles.


Why Save It? The wood clapboard house retains late-Victorian details, including multiple window bays, two patterned brick chimneys, and a 1,086-square-foot porch. Eight mantels and fluted casings around each of the 27 windows are among the elaborate features inside. 

Shown: A balcony is tucked under the center gable.



  •  What it needs: Aside from lacking a permanent plot, the house is in reasonable shape. The kitchen and baths are in working order but should be updated, along with the systems, after the house is moved. Grimesland, 12 miles from Greenville, is a town of fewer than 500 people. Nearby lots start around $20,000—or, for $1.5 million, you can buy an 88-acre parcel down the road and farm an estate all your own. 

    Shown: The staircase has an elaborate balustrade and sunburst-patterned stair scrolls.

French doors fitted with transoms draw light into the dining room.


One of eight decorative mantels found throughout the house.


The home is in remarkably good condition and retains the original baseboards and casings.



And this next one is just across the border from where I live - so....................I'd go down to the river that it sits beside - on the pretense of spending a day fishing - and build a raft - this could simply float across the border - just call me the Canadian version of Huckleberry Finn !  Can't you just see it with a wrap around porch?
I'd take this one for the barn alone !  I'd have to camouflage it somehow first - the red would be too conspicuous floating away....

Price: $24,900
Location: Newport, N.Y.
Contact: Kay Delano, 315-826-7070

The history: After purchasing this circa 1850 farmhouse in 2005, John Slifka made an interesting discovery in the attic: a box of journals belonging to a former occupant named Emily Higgins. A terse entry from the winter of 1887 went like this: "Pleasant, plenty of snow for good sleighing. I have been making a variety (of) cakes today." Not the most riveting stuff—just an account of the simple things that brought joy to a girl in small-town central New York long before PlayStations and iPads. Around 1900, the house was sold to Frank Fitch, who ran Newport's limestone gristmill. And in 1948, it became home to the Sherman family, who remained there for 57 years.



Why save it? The three-bedroom house sits on a hill overlooking the trout-filled West Canada Creek, which is more of a river than its name suggests. The house has a sturdy limestone foundation and retains wainscoting in the upstairs bedrooms, rustic yellow-pine plank flooring, and huge two-over-two windows, which flood the interior with light.

Shown: Also included with the house is this charming red clapboard barn.



What it needs: Exterior restoration, starting with a new front sill to replace the rotted one. The house also requires all new systems as well as updates to its kitchen and only bathroom. The asphalt-shingle roof is in good shape, and the house's water comes from a nearby spring. Once your work is done, you can start chronicling the charms of your own small-town winters, and even bake 
a cake or two.

Shown: The barn windows are crowned with classically styled entablatures.




The stylish barn details abound above the windows, too.



New systems and a kitchen update are necessary for this farmhouse.



Nearly floor-to-ceiling windows make the front parlor bright and cheery.



An original staircase leads to a second-floor landing and three bedrooms.



An original staircase leads to a second-floor landing and three bedrooms.



You all have a wonderful day - 

I'm asking John to build a raft or 2 and I'm going to be scouring Craigs list for a super duper trailer hitch.
I've got some houses to get across the border !!!!!!!!!

Have a good one all
Hugs





I'll be at these fabulous parties !
From my Front Porch to Yours                   French Country Cottage                   My Turn for Us
Between Naps on the Porch                       Stone Gable                                     A Stroll through life
Kathe with an E                                         Savvy Southern Style