Let There Be Light

Aside from an xacto blade, the light table is one critical component to the whole botanical making venture. No light table and things grind to a halt pretty damn quick. So, enter the weird plant stand yearning to be free...

I know! Cute, isn't it? And cheap, too ~ thank you Old Glory Antique Mall in Frederick "the tiny town" Maryland. Buried in the back of one booth I spied this crazy table. It was just screaming out for me to take it home and put it to good use. Well, hell yeah, I need a tiny light table so let's go!

There are a number of interesting steps between this and that to be sure but this is the end result. A fully functioning, sturdy light table that will launch my newest batch of botanicals starting tomorrow, Wednesday, America, Hello Kitty Let's Go Make Money. To see the in between steps, consult tiny apt link and prepare to be amazed.

Beautiful Day

I'm quickly wrapping up the tiny renovation and soon i'll post a complete collection of before and after pictures. But first, christmas lights! What's with me and christmas lights? The kitchen cabinetry, soon to be the "art supply storage area" will be the last paint project. Note the lovely faux tin ceiling detail.

It was a gorgeous day in Frederick so I took the camera for a stroll again. This time, I headed down the alley and followed that street all the way to the creek. In the tiny town link to the left there are pictures of my stroll as well as decorative elements that caught my eye. Enjoy!

An End to the Whining

Okay, so I'll quit complaining about the tiny renovation. It's not like anyone forced me to do this. Plus, it's darned therapeutic so I'll quit whining. Maybe it's time to sit down and appreciate the lovely rays of sun pouring through the windows.


Then again, maybe it's the fumes and it's time to step outside.


This is a view of the tiny apt from the tiny backyard. The oddly shaped structure with the two windows happens to be my kitchen. The front door to my tiny apt is directly under the balcony thingy. Up above resides the lovely Miss S. whom I have not met. Behind that tiny oval window lives Mr. B, the outdoorsy electrician who owns a grill. Mr. D lives in the lower front apt. He keeps the pigeon and squirrel population well fed.
To my right, live an genuine hippy couple. As I mentioned, their happy dog wears a t-shirt and I don't yet know the story behind that but I plan on finding out. They tend a lovely little garden that I get to gaze upon while enjoying my morning coffee. Here is a view of it from the alley looking toward the tiny apt.

The Thrill is Gone

Some people do this for a living and, quite frankly, they're not paid enough, if you ask me. I'm sure Jamie would love to hear me say that. Load his paint sprayer in the back of the van and head in this direction, would you? I swear I'd be done already if it were not for the little "side jobs" involved.

Case in point: the mini blinds. First of all, I've never held mini blinds in high esteem. Ever. They are a bad idea all around and whomever it was that invented them needs to be hung by his...huh?...what, I'm sure it was a man. Why? Whoever invented the mini blinds has NEVER dusted.

Much like our former tenant whom we'll refer to as "Kev." Ol' Kev, god bless him, must never had any lady friends, if you know what I mean. I'm not saying he was gay. By no means ~ I need only refer you to the original color scheme. No, our friend Kev was too busy putting in hours as a chimney sweep ~ or coal miner. Clearly he had no time whatsoever to spruce the pad. Had he given that a shot, this is what he would've encountered:


Surely it would've been cheaper for me to just drive to Lowe's, purchase a $6 mini blind, and slap it up in it's place. That would just mean the destruction of one more vinyl tree.

So, I let those babies soak for a while and went out to see what's what in the tiny town. Low and behold, while I was all hunched over the black cauldron of sooty soup, there was real commerce afoot.

Getting There

Land Lady still has no idea what's going on inside the tiny apt. Never having received a go-ahead on my color selection, I decided just to plow ahead. I don't suppose she'll have a problem given her relaxed approach to the former soot situation.
Painting always takes me longer than I think it will especially if the walls are bumpy. Faux stucco hides a multitude of flaws but it's harder than hell to paint. The trim sports over 100 years of paint too, so that's slowed me down as well. No big deal. The journey is the destination, right? Here's what I would do with a tiny room with a really high ceiling:



Paint part of the wall like it's the ceiling and it won't feel as much like you're playing house in a refrigerator box.


So this room will be done tomorrow and then I'll haul ass on the kitchen. Don't forget to click here to see the rest of the pictures from today.