Folding Luggage Stand Makeover for My Guest Room

As I was cleaning out my garage on Saturday I rediscovered an old folding luggage stand that I had picked up for a few dollars several years back. It was in nice shape but the color of the wood and the ribbon wouldn't fit in with the style of my guest room so I decided to give it a little makeover.

I started by using a needle nose pliers to remove all of the staples that held the ribbon onto the stand. With the ribbons removed I gave the wood stand a good cleaning followed by a light sanding. I then primed it with a grey spray paint primer followed by some light coats of red spray paint. Whenever I am using deeper colors I get better results if I use grey primer instead of white.

After the stand was dry it was time to add the new ribbons. Using the old ribbon as a pattern I cut new ribbons to length and then ironed under 1/4" on each end. Because my old ribbon was 2" wide and my new ribbon was only 1-1/2" I decided to increase the number of ribbons to four.

I started attaching the ribbons by working on the ends. I flipped the stand upside down on top of the ribbons and used a glue gun to glue them to the underside of the stand. For the middle two ribbons I wanted to make sure everything was taut so I stood the stand right side up to attach them. I measured out where they should be placed and marked the spots with blue painters tape and then glued them in place.

I had picked up the stand a few years back and already had the spray paint and primer so my total cost for the project was $3.50 for the spool of ribbon. Not counting paint drying time it took me about forty-five minutes of hands on time to complete the makeover.

The new version of the stand is very bright and cheery and a nice improvement over the way it used to look. I think it will make a fun and useful addition to my guest room.

Picture of the Day: Lanterns at Kasuga Taisha in Nara

Nara, Japan
08.15.2010 

Garage Cleaning

My garage has been an embarrassing mess. Things have just piled up in there and since it has a ton of space it has really gotten out of control. Even with it being about 30' x 30' I had almost no floor space left to easily move around. It was in bad, bad shape.

Yesterday Frank came over and helped me to tame it. We filled up my recycling bin and trash bin and then filled up his SUV with three loads of things to get rid off (one load to the Re-Use Center and two to the dumpster). It felt good to get rid of so much stuff that I didn't need and wasn't using.

The remaining things were sorted into general areas and put up on the shelving that wraps around my garage. It is not super organized but I now have easy access to everything and know where to find it. Apart from Frank's tailgate trailer and a stack of drywall with a tub on top of it, the rest of the garage floor is finally clear.

I definitely have more work to do in the garage but I think it was a very productive day and I am happy with it. I finally have enough space to work on some of my projects in the garage instead of my house. Yeah!

Are you better than me about keeping your garage tidy? Did you do any organizing or cleaning this weekend?

Picture of the Day: Girls Selling Flowers at the Chichi Market

Chichicastenango, Guatemala
07.04.2010 

Plans for Some Added Curb Appeal

I live in one of Ann Arbor's historic districts so I am not allowed to change anything about the front of my house (painting is an exception) without filing an application to the Historic District Commission and getting approval. On the one hand this is great because it preserves the character of my neighborhood. On the other hand it can be frustrating sometimes when I've had to deal with the process myself. Back when I was remodeling my upstairs it took two application tries and several months to get a window replacement approved so that my master bedroom could be brought up to code for fire egress.

It has been a few years since I have applied for any changes but I am about to try again. Although painting my house was a huge improvement it still looks a bit plain to me. I want to do two things to give my home a little added curb appeal.

First, I want to add some shutters on four of the front windows. I think I have a pretty good case to get approval since I found old shutters in the crawl space above the side wing and there is some remaining shutter hardware on some windows. If it gets approved I am thinking of painting them dark teal to match the trim on the house.

Second, the side wing has weird side by side double hung windows that were put in during the seventies. They clearly don't fit in with the period of the house so I think that I have a good chance to get approval for replacing them with double hung wood windows. Along with being ugly the current windows also don't meet code for fire egress which is another reason I want to get them replaced.

I drew up a little sketch on my computer of what my house looks like now and my proposed changes.

What do you think? To me switching the side wing windows makes them seem bigger and the shutters add some character and make things a little less plain. It will likely be a while before I can get approval and actually implement either of these ideas, but it is time for me to get the ball rolling and submit my application. Wish me luck!

Picture of the Day: Ceiling of the Parthenon

Rome, Italy
3.25.2012

Picture of the Day: Trafalgar Square in London

London, United Kingdom
11.28.2003

Panama Getaway Planning

My sister and I are trying to plan a little getaway together in June. It is always a little tricky for us to figure out where we can meet up. Since she lives in the USVI in the Caribbean and I am up in Ann Arbor it can be difficult for us to both find flights to the same place at around the same arrival and departure times for a reasonable price.

Her island has very limited flight options but after a some investigative work it is looking like we are going to be able to meet up in Panama. I am really excited. Not only does offer the chance to see the Panama Canal but there are so many other wonderful places to explore.

I want to visit the old city, Panama Viejo, as well as Casco Viejo to see some of the beautiful architecture. I also want to travel to El Valle, a small town situated in a dormant volcano crater, to enjoy the mountains and surrounding forests.

We are still in the early stages of planning (getting flights and working out some accommodations) but hopefully it all comes together. Do you have any summer getaways coming up? Where are you going (or wish you were going)? Are you in the midst of planning right now?

Picture of the Day: Woman at a Market in Singapore

Singapore
12.25.2008 

Seedling Update

A month ago I built a grow light so I could start some seeds indoors. I am going to use the seeds that I started in the garden bed along the back of my property.

My general plan with my seedlings is to have a row of mammoth sunflowers along the back (12' height) with a row of chianti sunflowers (4-5' height) in front of them. I think the yellow and red will look pretty together. I then have some frilly looking zinnias (24-30" height) in shades of yellow, orange, red and pink to edge the front of the bed. 

Since I took down the tree in my back yard this winter this will be the first year that the bed will have full sun so I am looking forward to experimenting. I've also never grown sunflowers before so that will be another fun first for me.

My seedlings have thrived under the grow lights and I am getting ready to plant them in the back bed. Before I do that I need to harden them off so I have been placing them outside for a few hours a day so that they can become acclimatized. I am hoping to finally get them in the ground this weekend. 

Did you start any plants from seeds this year? How are they doing? What do you have growing in your garden?