Sanding......and Branding

This past Sunday was beautiful here in Chicago.  The rain we've had has greened up the grass, and the daffodils and hyacinths are out in full force.  After a period of cold, gray weather it's hard to focus on the work at hand when the sun is finally shining.  Fortunately, I had a project I wanted to start that I could do outside. I have a table that converts from a console table to a dining table that I picked up for a song at a Goodwill store. The previous owner had painted it a dark brown and not being fond of chemical stripping, I decided it was perfect weather for sanding off the old finish.  

Since I was set up any way, I also cut down some shelves for a book case.  I had bought the bookcase a year or so ago--nothing special, just one of those fake wood, assemble it yourself deals.  The case has a fair amount of height, but not enough shelves to take advantage of it.  I was fortunate to find three shelves with a similar finish at thrift store for a $2.20 each; they were the right depth, just a bit longer.  The only thing better than inexpensive shelves is free shelves, and as it turned out, I found two more discarded shelves in one of the local alleyways.  I will post pictures once I get the final configuration set.  

If you've visited this blog before, you may have noticed some changes, including a new logo.  I am in the midst of trying to get a more cohesive look for this blog and my art websites.  I produce this blog using Blogger.com, but I also have a website for marketing my artwork and another that allows customers to order my photography through a 3rd party vendor (frees up time for me to work on more art!).  There are links to my other sites at the top and bottom of this page, so feel free to take a look at each one, poke around a bit, and send me your feedback.  I am hoping that the three sites will eventually blend more seamlessly.  In the interim,  because each vendor offers unique advantages, my blog posts appear not only at LivingWholeARTedly.com, but also on the blog link at EricEPaige.com.

Hopefully you are all enjoying Spring.  This Internet branding is taking up time, but I should be back to a more regular posting schedule (with photos) some time next week.

Reclaiming Space......Bringing A Sun Porch From the 70s Into The 21st Century

Like many older Chicago apartments, mine has a back porch that was enclosed as a living space. At some point, probably in the 1970s, the walls and even the door were covered with paneling. Though the space faces north, it is at the back of the building so it has no obstructions and is actually one of the brightest rooms in the apartment.  I knew with a bit of a face lift it could be a great bonus room.

The only thing worse than paneling? Mismatched paneling!
(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

South wall, formerly the exterior of the building.
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North wall. Note the patched paneling.
(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

East Wall. Unfortunately someone paneled over the  door,
but the closet is a nice bonus!
(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

My budget didn't allow for sheetrock, but the landlord did give me permission to fill the grooves in the paneling and to paint.  I used Durabond to fill the gaps.  You could use regular joint compound, but the Durabond is a 'setting-type joint compound', so it hardens faster.  You have to mix it in small batches because, unlike regular joint compound or spackle, once the product starts to set up you can't extend the working time by adding water.  I used one of the easy sand varieties.  It comes in various setting times; I think I used the either the 45 or 60 minute.  More detailed info on the product can be found at your local hardware store or home center or from the manufacturer, USG.

First coat of  Durabond.
(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

I had hoped to remove to the paneling from the door, but unfortunately, it was holding in the lock set. I was a bit disappointed that my original door was going to look like a modern hollow-core door. I decided that trimming out the door would help.  As I was going through some boxes, I found an Asian-Inspired wall hanging and a picture frame that I could use to add some depth to the door.

Wall hanging from a discount store.
(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Turns out this old picture frame
 was just the right proportions.
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It took a couple of coats of the Durabond, and then, of course, was the sanding! Once everything was sanded, I primed with a stain blocking primer and then painted.  The darker wood paneling had an exceptionally high amount of tannin bleeding through the water based stain block, so I ended up switching to an oil-based version (glad it was warm weather and that the room had windows!

Prematurely gray from the dust!
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Multiple coats of primer,
and it's starting too look more like plaster!
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(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Under the window was more damaged,
so a different approach was required.
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The area under the window required special attention. Not only was the paneling patched (to cover the vent hole from an old heater or dryer), but it was warped and water damaged (from water getting in the vent hole).   I had in my stash several cupboard doors that were just the right height to panel under the window.  The doors were slightly narrower than I wanted, but I filled in the gaps with stock modeling (parting stop) and 1" x 4" lumber.  

These doors were all the same style,
but not the same color.  Ahh the magic of primer!
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Doors in place, the gap will get filled with molding.
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All of the pieces in place.  The wall was warped,
so I had to install the shoe-mold right away to hold everything in place.
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All trimmed out, caulked, and painted.
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The original baseboard was not only ugly, but it it didn't fit right.  The floor also has quite a slant since this was originally a porch.  I used a combination of 1" x 4" and 1" x 6" to make a new baseboard.

The piece on the left was cut at angle to match the slope of the floor.
The piece on the right is a 1"x 6", while the piece on the opposite wall (not shown) is a 1" x 4"
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Shoe mold hides the gap between the baseboard and the floor
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I had to get a little creative in this corner....
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The last thing to paint and trim out was the back door.  I didn't feel like buying another can of paint, so I took some leftover paint and custom tinted it.  It took 3 tries, but I finally got the color I wanted.

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Two of the Three pieces of door molding installed.
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The final piece of door trim, baseboard, and shoe mold.
(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Once the trim work was complete, I painted the floor, hung the curtains and moved in some furniture.

(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

(c) Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Media cabinet, turned art-supply storage!
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The room has undergone a few changes since I finished it. The media cabinet pictured above was given to me several months after I finished the space.  I've since moved in a larger table and I mostly use the space for art projects that don't require paint or glue.  If your wondering how I got such a big piece of furniture in there, well that's a story for another post....

Spring Is Here......Time To Explore Chicago

This morning I contemplated building an ark and gathering animals two by two, but by late morning the rains had subsided and the temperatures began to climb. Despite a few downpours, the last few days have been quite pleasant and signs of spring abound. The crocuses are starting to wane, but the snow drops and daffodils are starting to bloom. 

Daffodils  (c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Snowdrops (c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

I even was treated to these early blooming miniature irises on one of my walks this weekend!

Miniature Iris (c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

There are also signs of Spring in the built environment. I walked into Andersonville this afternoon and saw my first paleta vendor of the season. Paletas are Mexican style popsicles. They come in almost any flavor you can imagine, and probably some that never would've occurred to you!  In the warmer months pushcarts and bicycle carts filled with these delicious, frozen confections can be spotted along Chicago's beaches and in any neighborhood with an appreciable Latin American population.  

Another sign of spring: the fountain on the northern edge of Andersonville was happily bubbling, and the gardens, urns, and the Gethsemane Garden Center were all bursting with color from pansies and other hardy annuals.

Andersonville Fountain (c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

I love this time of year for exploring the city. The quality of the light is wonderful for picture taking, and it's nice to be free of the heavy, winter jacket.  I've been wanting to get to know my city better, so I recently purchased a deck of cards printed with walking tours of Chicago neighborhoods.  

City Walks Chicago
Text by Christina Henry de Tessan
Maps by Bart Wright
Published by Chronicle Books
ISBN-13 978-0-8118-5558-7

Each card has a map and directions to tour part of a Chicago neighborhood. The tours highlight points of interest (not just historic sites, but also shopping and eating opportunities). Sunday was beautiful so I decided to break the deck in by doing the Old Town Triangle walk. This is a beautiful area of the city with a variety of architecture styles. Among other things, I saw one of the last surviving fire-relief cottages built after the Great Chicago Fire.  I am still sorting through the images, but will post the photos later this week.

Today, I a found another great resource for exploing Chicago, only from a culinary perspective. As you may have noticed, photography and food are among my addictions.  I found this book at a Goodwill store today (a true bargain at only 89 cents, though I'd recommend it, even at its full price), 

"A Cook's Guide to Chicago by Marilyn Pocius
Published by Lake Claremont Press
ISBN 1-893121-16-X

The book is a great guide to the various ethnic foods available in Chicago, and includes a directory of stores, a top 10 list of ingredients for each culture, and though it is not primarily a cookbook, there are some great recipes.  Look for future blog posts about my culinary exploits as I tour the globe, without having to leave Chicago!