Don — Page 207

An Early, Early Birthday Present

September 17, 2012 at 8:41 am by Claudia

First of all, Don’s been playing with Picnik. Yesterday, I checked my email to find this:

Could he be any more adorable? Gosh darn it, what a cutie he is.

In that same vein (Don = cutie) we needed to get out of the house yesterday, so we traveled up the road to a favorite antique shop. I found some fabulous vintage fabric, a little dollhouse chair – I’ll share them with you another day – and something else. I hit the brakes when I spied this something in a booth on the floor. Shall I give you some clues?

I’ve written about my love of this ‘invention’ many times on this blog.
I’ve been honest about my jealousy of others who own one of these.
I’m even more jealous when these bloggers own more than one.
I used one for a period of 6 months a few years back. (A friend let me borrow hers while I was working in San Diego.)
That experience made me an even bigger fan than I already was.

If you’re a long-time reader, you might have guessed. I’m going to delay the reveal just a moment longer.

Interestingly, I had actually planned to write a post for today with 3 potential presents I would like to receive for my big birthday (in November.) The 3 things were: a cordless drill, this item or a new DSLR, all of which I want and, yes, need. I was going to say that I would be happy with any one of these items and that, given our finances, I would probably get the cordless drill. Totally fine with me.

But when I saw this, and went on and on about it, Don and I decided it would be the perfect birthday present. I’m just getting it early. Okay, no more delays, here it is:

Eek! A Singer Featherweight! Be still my heart. Isn’t she gorgeous? She’s in great shape.

I mean, look at her….

All of the gold decals are intact. The paint looks pretty pristine. There are the usual faint scratches from pins, etc.

She was made in New Jersey in May of 1953. We’re awfully close in age. Now you have an even bigger hint as to what particular birthday is coming up.

She has that Art Deco looking face plate. And she came with a lot of the original attachments.

That motor lubricant has no cap and looks a bit nasty. I’ll keep it, anyway; it should be on display.

And she came with a case.

Of course, she smells musty, as does her case. Every Featherweight I’ve ever encountered smells musty. I guess when all those new-fangled sewing machines came out, the trusty Featherweights were stored in attics. Any tips for getting rid of that smell?

Gee whiz, I love her.

She needs a name. And I need your suggestions. Would you leave a comment with a suggestion or two?

Happy Monday.

Tweaking the Dollhouse Kitchen

August 11, 2012 at 9:22 am by Claudia

I’ve been working on the dollhouse kitchen – perfect for a rainy day. Make that a humid, rainy day.

Remember the material I used in the bedroom to cover up the previous owner’s building mistake? For some reason that section was covered in the same siding that is used on the outside of the house. So I used this material to simulate a painted brick wall. I had some left over and it seemed to be the perfect solution for a rustic backsplash in the kitchen.

I blended that color by hand to match the blue in the wallpaper. (No faucet yet.)

Then I made that little kitchen skirt. It picks up the pink in the wallpaper.

And then I made a roman blind for the window. Apologies in advance for the photo. I’ve mentioned before how tunnel-like the rear of the kitchen is. And it’s especially cloudy here today.

I promise I’ll try to get a better photo, but for now, this will have to do. You can’t see it but there’s also a matching table runner.

I’m trying to use what I have and I found that fabric in my stash.

Someone mentioned putting a back on the shelf unit above the Aga.

There is a back on it. I added the wallpaper because I like the look and once I accessorize it with hanging pots and pans and whatever else I can find, it will look pretty striking.

If you can see it.

I have to figure out just how to photograph this. Some of you gave me suggestions and I promise to try them. I used an Ott Light on the photos of the shade. A bit better, but still very problematic.

Happy Saturday.

Random Thoughts on a Monday Morning

August 6, 2012 at 7:49 am by Claudia

:: Does this photo look like I used a special effect in PicMonkey? Nope. Just a foggy lens courtesy of this awful humidity.

But I sort of like it. It looks a bit magical and mysterious.

:: Don’s home for about 36 hours. Originally it looked as if he would be working tonight as the play is moving onstage for a week of tech/dress rehearsals, but the cast got the night off. One of his fellow cast members lives south of us in New Jersey and gave Don a ride to our local park-and-ride, just off the Thruway, where I picked him up. The dogs were very happy to see him. So was I. They made him shave his goatee and cut his hair for the part he’s playing. (I miss his goatee.)

:: Yes, I know. This is a rather boring photo of a hose and hose hanger. But, in the why-didn’t-I-do-this-years-ago category, after 7 years here, I finally bit the bullet and bought the hanger. Previously, the hose just stayed in a sort of coiled mess on the ground. For some reason, the spigot for the hose is all the way around on the far side of the house. So I had to buy a 150′ long hose a few years back in order for the hose to reach the big garden bed. This hanger makes things so much easier. And neater.

:: The weeds that I see from our kitchen window are very popular. Yesterday, I posted some photos I took of a goldfinch that was flitting among the flowers. Today…

Same weeds, beautiful Eastern Swallowtail butterfly.

Such ephemeral beauty.

:: Is it wrong of me to say I’m getting a little tired of the Olympics? I am. I usually love watching them. Indeed, I have spent every evening this past week in front of the television cheering on those athletes. But I’m getting a bit weary of the whole thing. Part of the problem is the fact that I can’t look at any news sites online or on television without seeing some result posted before I have the chance to watch the event in primetime. Some sites handle it well and say “Spoiler Alert” giving readers the chance to make their own decision about that sort of thing. Many of them, however, including CNN and other major news outlets, just blast the headline, not caring one bit whether they might have ruined the element of surprise for their viewers. I find the whole thing tedious. Since I’m online a lot, I feel like I’m trying to walk through a field of spoiler-landmines.

I know that covering the Olympics is an enormous undertaking but I do wish the commentators didn’t feel that they have to fill every moment with words. Too much talking! Sometimes I end up shouting “Shut Up!” at the television. When I was growing up in Michigan, we were able to watch Canada’s coverage of the Olympics, which I found much more sane and much less hyped.

Swimming and diving and gymnastics are my favorites and they’re pretty much done at this point. I used to love track and field, but now, not so much. Last night, it was a relief just to watch The Newsroom. Is there such a thing as Olympics burn-out?

I hope your Monday is a happy one.

An Early, Early Birthday Present

Tweaking the Dollhouse Kitchen

Random Thoughts on a Monday Morning

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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