Tile Trivet

White hydrangeas on one of Bill's lovely tile tops we use as a large trivet. 

Black framed & beautiful.

One of Bill's "Garden Stones" on Leif's porch. Nice place to see & sit on real art, feel it and deal with your shoes.

Caryatid Sculptures

Bill has two new "Caryatid" Sculptures fired in a very hot glaze fire which gave them a tinge of warmer; deeper colors. These sculptures add to a series of seven. 

Faucet Find

Leif has used an extra faucet I had and his studio cabinet is finished. It was installed with the sink before the counter, and a P-trap constructed when all was secured in place.

Marine paint around the faucet base helps elongate the bar sink and protect the counter; installed with Liquid Nails, small wood blocks & screws, and silcone. Total cost: $420.

Wall mounted tall cabinet for art supplies, being built next to it with modern legs: $240.

Track lighting: $165. Done (the wall opposite is half glass).

LED Lights

Leif has been switching all of his house lights and most recently old flourescent tube lights to LED lighting. He choose "toggled" 4' & 3' 3000K LED T8 strip lights ordered from Home Depot for $60 total, to cover 24' over 6 sliding glass doors. They are the warmest type and will have walnut board baffles remounted in front. Next will be a dimmer switch added and WAC track lights matching the kitchen, attached to large ceiling beams here.

Whitewashing A Butcher Block Countertop

This butcher block was white washed with one coat of thinned paint & sealed with poly.

To whitewash our butcher block I used half Benjamin Moore White Ceiling paint (has more white pigment) and half water applied in sections. It was lightly wiped off with a cotton cloth minutes after application. A piece of 1" X 4" clear pine board was also cut and whitewashed for the backsplash. Three coats of "Varathane Triple Thick Waterbased Polyurethane" in a clear matte finish was used to seal the counter on all sides, using a 320 grit hand block between coats. Finally Bill added 1/2" furring strips to the counter back to gain depth. A good studio counter. 

The faucet area of the counter was taped off and painted "White Dove" marine paint.

First, this birch butcher block was cut to 23" deep with a skill saw (new blade) and thin; long piece of finish-edged sheetrock clamped down as a "fence". The sink hole had 4; 1/2" holes drilled at the corners with skill saw cuts between, and a hand saw finished the cut-out. A plane and sandpaper were used on the edges to soften them and the counter sanded with 220 grit.

Leanne Ford "whitewashes" (like this) and anything with anything. Photo Amy Neunsinger.

Photos: pinterest.

The Hallway

We have lightened the vaulted hallway upstairs with a new light, all white doors, closet interiors with baseboard trim, and rug. We are deciding as we go, what needs to be white. The doors here needed repairs, the light was broken, the space was dark and the closets dim. 

George Kovaks Light. Safafieh Handmade Ivory Paris 2 1/2" Shag Runner.

Leif has decided that the studio sink & drain will be white (composite granite) made in Germany.

The screened-in porch new 24" white light...

 Anthropologie Freya Pendant. 

A February Firing

Bill has spent many freezing nights creating clay works in his basement studio, which were recently fired. Tiles, beautiful bowls, two tall sculptures, and some stools.

A stunning table/seat has gone to Alex & Nina in Dumbo, while red and gray clay was used...