I started to make the kitchen sink counter but got sick so progress stopped for a time. However, here is what it looks like.

(Finish work to follow)

We couldn't find what we wanted so we will be making the counters. We decided that we wanted a wood countertop...which means gluing eight boards together to make the top. I will have to plane and sand the boards after all are glued together.

Library ceiling and walls

Chris finished the ceiling and we like the look. So here is the faux leather ceiling.

And as for the walls...those that will not have wood we painted old gold with a gold glaze.

Kudos to Chris for her artistic ability.

Trim work in the Kitchen

Who would have thought that trim work would take so long? Well at least for someone like me who is not a professional it took a long time. I have done the floor and wall trim work (you can see the trim on the wall behind the red pie safe). The floor is now covered with builder's paper to keep it clean.

There are some final things that I need to do, but it is mostly complete and now I can concentrate on the counters that we are going to make. I have started on the counter for the sink. Sorry, I don't have more pictures but the batteries in my camera are dead and I have no replacements right now. (This should help increase the suspense. I love suspense.)

Leather?

We continue our work in various rooms, but mainly the kitchen and the library. Chris and I have discussed several options and designs for the library. With the help of sketch-up 7 from Google, we have developed a design that we like and will work. So...then came the task of deciding what to do with the ceiling? paint, wallpaper, or leather. You might ask yourself why leather? We attended a wedding reception at an old house in Utah and I noticed that some of the walls had tooled leather on them, placed there in the 1800s by the original builder of the house. I was impressed with the leather, but leather is quite an expense. (We were inspired by the library at the Biltmore Hotel in Asheville, NC)

Of course, our house is not the Biltmore Estates (Vanderbilt Residence (1895) - Asheville, NC) nor am I a member of the Vanderbilt family so we needed to come up with a different solution. Chris did some research on the internet to find a site that provided instruction on how to do faux leather or paper plique, and found the following site: http://www.trompe-l-oeil-art.com/faux-leather.html and tips: http://www.trompe-l-oeil-art.com/printableinstructions.html. We could not find a "how-to video" so we created our own.


Once the paper is up the stain will go on and tah dah!


(Chris the artist disclaimer: The video is not enough, so if you really want to try this then go to the site for detailed instructions and then practice on a board before proceeding. When you are satisfied with your practice results, then you may proceed).

More to follow as the ceiling and library progress.

THE SCONCE DILEMA by Mrs."Am I Nuts"

Richard said I could post this one so this is from me...wife of "am I nuts?"

We found some sconces 75% off and thought we could use them in the library however they are made to have fabric draped through them so what to do with the holes through the middle of them???

That's right, make lion heads to cover the holes.

But wait there's more!!! How about a video of a lion head being unmolded?!! Be still my heart.

Do you remember the time in...

Well, it's not "September", but remember the linoleum in the kitchen that we took up and the black adhesive mess?  We worked hard at getting it up. As I mentioned before, I had to use a drum sander to finally remove the linoleum backing and adhesive. Then came the payoff so to speak. We stained the floor a "Special Walnut" color.  Although not completely finished, the stain and two coats of polyurethane were applied. I will sand the floor with extra fine-grit sandpaper and then add the third coat as the final coat.

And so it continues.