Author: c-ville-abode

GROWING ROOM

Separate peace
Challenge: Provide independence for growing sisters
Sisters Alex (7) and Ivy (9) Lynch walk together from their home off of Rio Road to school, every day. However, as a bright and articulate fourth grader, Ivy has started to feel the need to assert her independence and has questioned the traditional, not-quite-three-minute, sisterly walk. “I like walking to school by myself now and not walking with my sister,” says Ivy. “It’s sorta new.” In fact, almost six months ago the girls moved into separate rooms for the first time in their young memories.

“I like my room because it’s fancy,” says Alex who has relocated down the hall to what was formerly a guest room. “The curtains are silk,” she points out, smoothing the material. “They’re silky,” Wendy, Alex’s mom, gently clarifies with a smile. Flitting about her new, pink room Alex selects a few books off her shelf, mixes a “smoothie” in her toy blender and serves “coffee” to a visiting reporter. She spends a moment surveying her room, beaming and clearly in her element.

The white loft bed in Ivy’s room offers a spacious workspace below. A broad desk allows for plenty of room to do homework, often with a friend. She pulls open a desk drawer to show an example of how she likes to keep things organized.

“When I’m organizing, I like to organize one thing at a time,” she wisely advises. “It’s like reading a book: You shouldn’t start reading a new book until you’ve finished the [first] one.”
When asked about what prompted the split, Wendy Lynch says, “I wanted to do it because of how messy their room always was. And it was impossible to tell who was making the mess. Ivy did end up cleaning it up pretty much all the time and it was getting unfair. Alex promised that if she had her own room she’d keep it clean and she has.”

So far it seems that the separate living arrangements are working well. The sisters are grateful for their individual walk-in closets. With ample space for the girls’ well-organized clothes and even some toys, cleanup has become streamlined and mostly pain-free.
Ivy spent time with no fewer than two grandmothers to get her closet in proper order. She has the majority of her clothes hanging, which makes it easy for her to pick out a school-worthy outfit the night before. And in Alex’s closet there are hanging fabric pockets for her gymnastics clothes, socks, and accessories, keeping things tidy and accessible.

Alex (top) and Ivy Lynch show off their newly separate space.

Even though the change has been a welcome one for all involved, the girls do admit to missing their nights together. “I don’t like [not sharing a room anymore] because my sister used to say, ‘Yeah, I’ll tell you a story’ every night,” reminisces Alex. “And she’d play stuff: pretend flutes, and pretend pets going on all night.” They both fess up to keeping each other awake way past bedtime on bunk beds in what is now Ivy’s room. But, as their mother attests, they have been enjoying their independence and the responsibility of keeping their spaces tidy, organized and wholly their own.—Christy Baker

MINI STORAGE
Keeping things organized
One of Ivy Lynch’s favorite features of her reconfigured room is the under-the-bed bulletin board. Displayed there are drawings, a few roller derby trading cards and various keepsakes. “It’s a place for memories,” she states.

Even if siblings share a room, having a space all their own allows for individual expression and a place to keep things organized—their way. The photo mobile and funky flowerpot photo holder offer a new take on the standard bulletin board (both at Cha Cha’s, $11.50 and $26).—C.B.
 

You finally find the house you want to buy. Your Realtor draws up a purchase agreement and you’re told you have to get title insurance. This sounds kind of scary, so you ask yourself, “Do I need to hire a real estate attorney?”

For "boilerplate transactions," you can probably just stick with a title company, says attorney Bill Tucker.

First, a little bit about title insurance. “Buying or selling a home is the biggest transaction you’ll ever make,” explains Bill Tucker, senior partner at Tucker Griffin Barnes. “So you want to make sure the title comes without encumberances.” An encumberance is a general term for any cloud on a piece of property, such as easement issues, delinquent taxes, various liens, mineral rights being held by prior owners, a long lost aunt who is actually a co-owner of the property that the seller didn’t disclose or forgot about—all of these things get passed on to the buyer as part of the title if they’re not settled first. The title company assists both buyer and seller in removing defects from the title prior to closing.

A title company performs many of the often complicated and confusing administrative aspects of buying and selling a home. So does a real estate attorney. But an attorney can dispense legal advice and answer legal questions.

“If it’s a boilerplate transaction, then a title company is probably fine,” explains Tucker. Meaning, it might not be necessary to utilize the services of a real estate attorney on top of the title company. “But if language needs to be added to a contract, or if there’s a dispute, an attorney is called to interpret, advise and prepare the related paperwork.”

A good example is the case of a seller who discovered a $40,000 alimony lien on his property. The seller had paid the lien years prior, but the debt release had never been recorded at the courthouse, making it seem like the debt was still outstanding. To make matters worse, the seller’s ex-wife had passed away. The title company was not in a position to help other than to recommend consulting with an attorney, which the seller did.

Disputes over earnest money are another example. Earnest money is a deposit (anywhere from $500 to the sky’s the limit), paid by the buyer and held in a trust account to show they are “earnest” about buying the property. The money usually includes an agreement to perform necessary duties and inspections within a specific time frame. If the buyer doesn’t perform and/or decides she wants her earnest money refunded, an attorney, not the title company, is called to settle the dispute.

A title company usually gets around legal concerns by hiring an attorney or keeping one on retainer. But it’s important to remember that the attorney works for the title company, not you.

Dave Shockley, managing broker with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, says that most of his clients end up using a real estate attorney, though his agents are careful not to recommend attorneys over and above title companies. “I advise clients to involve one of them as early in the process as possible.”

Cost is oftentimes the deciding factor —a title company in the Charlottesville area typically charges $275-350 for a routine closing transaction, while an attorney such as Tucker represents a purchaser for $525 and a seller for roughly $625.

If it’s a routine sale, a real estate attorney may not be necessary. Then again, legal glitches tend not to reveal themselves from the outset. Paying a bit more for legal representation from the start may save money and headaches down the road.—Jessie Knadler
 

Kitchen renovations never finish on time. For Matt McClellan, a graduate of UVA’s School of Architecture working toward his license, the process of designing a major addition onto the side of his 1949 house took five months longer than expected. He and his wife, Meredith, bought the house in 2007 and tore the existing kitchen off before they even moved in. When it became evident that things weren’t going to finish on time, the father of three knew to go with the flow in order to get exactly the space he had envisioned: a traditional, simple, stunning kitchen where his family could easily congregate and live life.

“We really wanted a place where we could sit down and eat. We find that we never really use our proper dining room; it’s not really convenient for sitting the kids down for breakfast,” he said. McClellan decided to give the kitchen a turned roof line, perpendicular to the original house. The result is a spacious, light-filled kitchen complete with a massive island, eating area, a mudroom/laundry facility, and plenty of storage and cooking space in between.

The space shows restraint on McClellan’s part. “I wanted to keep it traditional and simple. I didn’t want to try to do too much. At the same time, we wanted a really functional kitchen with materials that spoke for themselves,” McClellan said. Those include a stained cherry island, black granite countertops, custom birch cabinetry painted Dove White, and a white subway tile back-splash that has a slight crackle finish.

While the overall aesthetic is in keeping with the traditional bones of the house, it is in no way an old-fashioned kitchen. “We wanted something that wouldn’t be dated in five or 10 years. We wanted something that has some staying power,” said McClellan. Considering the fact that McClellan claims the family spends 75 percent of their life occupying some part of the kitchen “zone,” his simple, functional, durable design was worth the investment.—Cate West Zahl

 

“Our old kitchen was really tiny. We realized what a lot of people end up realizing, and that’s that we spend a lot more time in the kitchen, certainly more than the people who built these older houses originally occupied the kitchen. Now it’s definitely more of a family space.

“I’ve always liked stainless. I mean, if I can’t live in some cool loft outfitted with mid-century modern furniture, at least I can have stainless steel appliances! You take what you can get. It’s got a nice clean quality to it.

“The concept of the kitchen was that the black granite countertops would be a durable and attractive workspace. The black-and-white color combination is classic, without feeling too old fashioned. It’s a timeless color scheme that I knew we wouldn’t tire of.

“My only regret is that the three windows are a little too tall, because my wife has a hard time seeing outside the windows. It’s fine for me, and it is nice when you sit at the island.
“I love the light fixtures. I was looking for something round to counterbalance all the edges in the room, which is actually pretty angular and geometric. I got a consultation from designers in town, called Fifth Wall. They helped me pick out the lighting which really keeps the space up to date.

“Meredith was involved in a lot of the decision making. We agreed on almost everything, except for the faucet, which we almost got divorced over. I just had to have it, and she was like, ‘We are not spending that much money on a single fixture!’

“I scoured the Internet for deals. So I ended up buying most of the appliances at discount prices. The stove had been returned and was a floor model. The budget wasn’t going to support doing everything Viking or Wolf. We wanted nice appliances. The refrigerator was a floor model. The process was dragging out for so long, so I left my ame at Ferguson and said, ‘If anything comes in that is dented, I want it, give me a call.’”

 

SECRET INGREDIENT
Give thanks for the apple
There is no fruit (or vegetable either!) that serves as such a stalwart servant month after month, year after year, as that all American fruit, the apple. European settlers stitched seeds into their clothing, then sowed them here in the colonies to propagate the taste of home. But didn’t they know that apples don’t bear true to seed? Of course. They also know that even ugly apples and sour apples can feed livestock and can be made into passable (read: alcoholic) cider.

Fall bounty at Albemarle Ciderworks.

So they planted their secreted seeds and nourished the tiny seedlings, protecting them from the elements and the livestock while scratching out a rugged living nearby. In the eight to 10 years until the first apple harvest, the resourceful (and hungry) homesteader would certainly have noticed native crabapple and wild cherry trees flourishing in the hills and hollows of Virginia; for those colonists that had actually cultivated Old World apples, these native fruit trees would have seemed like a decent rootstock on which to graft European apple varieties.

Letters went home requesting scion wood from established European apple varieties, and eventually some cuttings must have materialized. Meanwhile, the homesteader would graze his livestock in and around his fledgling trees (smuggled and imported both) to take advantage of their manure delivery service and weed control. The combination of Old World grafting and ‘pippin’ cultivation resulted in an astonishingly diverse assortment of genetic combinations in a relatively short period of time, and American apple lore was born.
Why did these early settlers put such faith in the apple? They knew that fresh apples would feed the family in the fall, and could be smoked and dried for cooking into the stew all winter. Some apples would store tolerably well in the springhouse or root cellar for as long as six months.

The windfall fruit from the orchard would feed the livestock and would be well suited to crushing and fermenting into hard cider, which (with some restraint on the part of the craftsman) would keep for up to a year. Even if it began to come undone as a spirit, the likely culprit would be acetobacter, the bacteria that eats alcohol and produces vinegar. In turn, apple cider vinegar could be put to myriad use, from health tonic to seasoning agent and even as a tool for preserving other fruits and vegetables.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
An apple at every course
If you haven’t tried Virginia Gold, (Old Virginia) Winesap, and the Albemarle Pippin, make it a point to put them on the table this Thanksgiving. With these three apples, you have a red-skinned, fragrant charmer (Winesap), a glowing golden beauty (Virginia Gold), and a flavor powerhouse in yellow-green (the Albemarle Pippin).

If you’re wondering how and when to incorporate a fresh salad on Turkey Day, consider serving it after the heaping dishes of turkey, stuffing, gravy and potatoes. Toss crisp leaves of arugula and watercress in a creamy lemon dressing along with toasted walnuts, fresh grapes and sliced apple. Not only will this salad serve as a digestive and a palate cleanser—it just might save a loved one from overindulging at the buffet! Great apples for salads are the Virginia Gold (it doesn’t brown after being cut) and the Albemarle Pippin, which will taste a bit green and tart until the middle of the winter.

If you have a formal Thanksgiving dinner planned, nothing is more dramatic (and less filling) than a poached apple dotted with fresh whipped cream. It can be dressed up with nuts, or caramel, or crumble topping, or chocolate…but a little shaving of nutmeg and cinnamon might do just as well. Try poaching all three varieties, although they are likely to need different cooking times. Larger takes longer. The Winesap and the Virginia Gold will soften, but the Pippin can take the heat.

For the liquid portion of the meal, fresh apple cider is the perfect beverage for children and adults regardless of outside temperatures because it can be served cold or warm. Nothing will make the kitchen smell more festive than a pot of cider mulled with cinnamon stick and clove—banish the Yankee Candle and fill their noses with the smell of real food and drink!
Keep the fresh cider handy while you are preparing your side dishes, because its moisturizing and sweetening powers will only enhance your stuffing, your sweet potato casserole, and even the whipped cream atop your pumpkin pie. Braise your Brussels sprouts in it! Poach your pears in it! It will even work in cranberry sauce!

To punctuate a day in the kitchen, don’t forget to try some hard apple cider, a product that is enjoying a resurgence across the country and here in Central Virginia. Hard apple cider tends to finish fairly dry, and sports small bubbles like champagne, so it doesn’t cloy and clog the palate like sweet white wines or busty reds (doesn’t turn your teeth purple, either!). Serve it alongside an appetizer platter featuring ham, unctuous cheeses and aged cheeses—or just alongside your cutting board.—Lisa Reeder

Our kitchen columnist, Lisa Reeder, is an educator and advocate for local and regional food production in Central Virginia. She received chef’s training in New York and currently works in Farm Services and Distribution at the Local Food Hub.

I remember the days when all I needed to hang “art” on the walls were some plastic push pins and a roll of masking tape. Times have changed—but unfortunately, custom framing can come with a hefty price tag, leaving you hanging before you’ve even put a nail hole in the wall. With do-it-yourself framing and artwork, you can take your walls from shamed to framed without busting your drywall, or the bank.

1. Frame it out
Any person with a credit card and a bus pass can run to the super store and pick up a frame, but I think we can do better. Consider going thrifty on your next framing project. Browse the selection at one of our local thrift or consignment shops. Chances are you won’t find many empty frames, but think outside the Dogs Playing Poker. In most secondhand shops, you can pick up framed art for next to nothing, including large prints. Love the frame but hate the print? Take it out and reuse the frame.

Found an old frame that meets your needs but has seen better days? That’s nothing a little sandpaper and a can of spray paint can’t fix. What about an old mirror? Risk the bad luck and grab a hammer. Secondhand is a great way to get high-quality frames at a low cost.

Custom-framing stores like Freeman Victorious even put out boxes on the sidewalk of discount frames and framing supplies.

2. Mat it down
Matting is a sure-fire way to add a custom high-end look to a print or photograph. By doing it yourself, not only can you save money, but you can customize your mat for unique sizes, and shapes. You can get a large mat board for around $8, then use it for multiple projects. To make your own photo mat, start with the following tools: Mat board, ruler, pencil, Exacto/utility knife.

Using your ruler and a pencil, measure the size of the glass/inside of your frame. This will provide the dimensions of your mat, allowing it to rest comfortably inside the frame. On a durable surface, use your utility knife to cut the mat board to size on the back of the mat. (Tip: Using an outside edge of the board can help you to get away with only having to cut two sides). Using your ruler and pencil again, measure and trace the cutout for your photograph or artwork. You want to cut the opening to be a few centimeters smaller than your art piece, allowing you to tape the photograph to the back of the mat, leaving no gaps between the photograph and the mat board. Starting in a corner, cut your opening with the utility knife in even strokes along the edge of your ruler.

Using masking tape (easy to remove), place a strip of tape along each edge of the photograph’s back, leaving half an inch of the tape (sticky side) exposed. Lay the photograph down with the image facing up. Lay your mat on top of the photograph, centering the cutout over the photograph, press, and hold. (This will be easier than trying to mat the photograph from behind without seeing the front of the image.)

3. Shake it up
If traditional framing and matting leave you feeling boxed in, have fun and be creative. Cover the backing of a frame in decorative wrapping paper from Rock Paper Scissors or O’Su-zannah. Simply tape your photos or art to the wrapped back using double-sided tape for a fun, colorful touch.

Or, pick up an old window sash from The Habitat Store. Clean the glass, and mount photos from behind on each glass pane, using double sided tape.—Ed Warwick

Before joining the ABODE team, Ed Warwick was the author of “Simply Cville,” a blog about D.I.Y. design, entertaining, and home improvement projects. A UVA grad, Ed currently works as the Coordinator of LGBT Student Services under the University’s Dean of Students.

TOOLBOX
Snip snap
Scissors, shears, cutters, nibblers and nippers—It’s a happy family of cutting tools for everything from thin metal to cardboard and tile.

Let’s start with scissors. You probably already have a pair of basic paper cutting scissors hanging around your home or shop, but consider acquiring another pair or two to use for specific materials. Having a pair used exclusively for fabric, one for paper and one for other stuff, such as plastic tags and packaging, will keep the blades sharp and extend the life of your cutting tools. Scissors can be professionally sharpened in order to keep your cutting experience satisfying and safe (Martin Hardware provides sharpening services).

Utility shears are your go-to tool for heavier material such as leather, linoleum and carpeting. Large shears use what is called “compound cutting action,” which provides enough power to cut easily through things like sheet metal. Aviation snips are similar to utility shears but with the added feature of a spring to ease the strain on the hand. These shears also come with the option of a curved blade, which allows for a tighter cutting radius.
If you’ve forgotten the combination to your padlock, then you have most likely experienced the awesome power of the bolt cutter. With short blades and long handles, these babies have enough leverage to cut through chains, bolts and metal rods.

Occasionally, one needs to cut a small odd-shaped hole in sheet metal or plastic. Time to get out the nibbler (awww). Drill a small hole near the middle of the area you need to nibble and insert your nibbler and start munching away with the spring-loaded cutter.

Finally, when you need to cut a notch in tile to fit it around piping or another obstruction, use a nipper. Similar to the nibbler, it bites tiny bits of material away a little at a time.

Unlike heavy-duty, power cutting tools, these varied hand-held cutters, nippers and shears provide controlled, precise and physically satisfying results.—Christy Baker

Christy Baker is a local Jane-of-all-trades. Whether it’s fixing furniture, building a chicken coop or maintaining her roller skates, this creative mom of two always keeps a toolbox (or at least some duct tape) handy.

GREEN EYE

A jump on local gifts
The smart money’s on buying local this holiday season, and any shopper worth her salt knows that waiting until after Thanksgiving to start on that list will cause consternation. Get in the game this month with the Artisan Studio Tour, November 12 and 13. It’s a weekend when those cool folks who actually know how to make stuff with their hands open their studios and show off their new stuff.

Now in its 17th year, the Tour includes 19 studios from Faber to Madison, with a number of stops right in Charlottesville, and many studios hosting multiple artisans. You can visit everybody from Mud Dauber pottery in Earlysville to Wayfarer Forge in Afton, checking out all kinds of work including fabric arts, jewelry, glass, wood and metal.

There’s no admission fee (more money for buying work!) and lots of the studios will offer demonstrations, plus edible goodies. The tour runs 10am-5pm both days; see artisanstudiotour.com for a map and other details.—Erika Howsare

A warmer winter
The last part of the year means fun and celebration, but there’s time for learning too. The monthly GreenMatters workshops continue at LEAP—this month, get all your questions answered about keeping your house as cosy as possible when the chilly weather really starts to creep in. The November 17 workshop will cover steps you can take to prepare your home for a winter that’s not only comfortable, but efficient.

Get a demo on building a better attic hatch cover, and learn how to minimize heat loss through your windows and fireplace, avoid condensation problems, and improve indoor air quality. (Winter can be rough on the lungs!)

LEAP will continue to sponsor green workshops throughout 2012 at its office in the ecoREMOD building, 608 Ridge St., which is in itself a great source of sustainability info. Call 227-4666 or e-mail annie@leap-va.org for more info or to reserve your spot in the November workshop.—E.H.

TIPS FROM BETTER WORLD BETTY

‘Tis better to recycle
This month, Betty highlights two local artists/creative recyclers, sure to bring out the green giver in you!

Bill Hess, a glass sculptor/artist, and Andy Faith, a mixed media artist, are both archaeologists of sorts with a love of found objects. Both have been known to “dumpster dive” as well as scour junkyards in search of treasures. With all the wonderful materials, textures, colors, and “stuff” available for free, who needs to go out and buy new?
Hess, who is also an engineer, loves reclaiming bits of glass (I once took him a broken vase) and embracing the design challenge of transforming it into something useable like counter tops, tiles, houses, and lamps. Hess’s latest project actually combines recycled glass and activism via a glass greenhouse in Mongolia.

Faith is a woman after my own heart –a collector of ALL things. The City thought she took it a bit too far a few years ago, telling her to clean up her backyard of “future art” (scrap metal) or serve jail time! She says that “Street trash just isn’t what it used to be,” so she’s thankful that people keep giving her “junk”— broken jewelry, Brillo pads, you name it. Her specialty and a popular holiday gift item are her infamous “overaccessorized” objects. People bring her shoes, chairs, anything really, and she adds recycled/found flair. Remember the Barbie Christmas tree at the Consignment House? That was Faith’s. She likes to tell stories with her art–the tragedy and comedy of life and sometimes social commentary–while enjoying the play and the process.

Hess’s work can be found at Vivian’s Art to Wear, Muses, and Etsy, and Faith’s can be found at McGuffey Art Center. Other great places to access local, hand-made art are Cville art, Bozart, and other local art galleries, as well as Etsy shops, where you can search by “recycled materials.”

Check out Better World Betty’s green living resource list at betterworldbetty.org and blog at cvillebetty.blogspot.com.

GARDEN GREEN

For the birds
When the bear tossed the place like a drunken frat boy several years ago–turned over garbage cans, threw benches about and mangled the finch tubes (you know what I’m talking about)–we regretfully gave up feeding birds several years ago. My brother in Howardsville actually goes to the trouble of taking his feeders in each night, although his resident ursine loafer still hangs around to graze on the leavings. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of ours since we removed his temptation, but I worried we would lose the birds when they didn’t get their regular sunflower seed fix, especially during winter. It’s turned out, however, that you can sustain a vibrant avian population year round without anybody becoming dependent on store-bought feed.

We’re lucky enough to be surrounded out here in the country by a diverse woodland with a variety of trees, shrubs and perennials that attracts all sorts of life. Even in smaller landscapes, however, you can give shelter and sustenance to birds and other creatures with what you plant. Coneflower, zinnia and sunflower left to go to seed along with ornamental grasses and a few sweet spire shrubs (Itea varieties) can anchor a serviceable small-scale birdscape.

A sterile sweep of lawn is inhospitable, ironically, to most forms of life except us (we do love it so). Keep it to a minimum (think of turf as a museum piece, or a rug for the kids and pets). Instead, plant the edges of your property with small trees and large shrubs like dogwood, redbud, Amelanchier, witchhazel and Viburnum that provide shelter as well as food. We usually think of berries when we think of birds feeding in the wild, but that’s during fall when they’re filling up for winter. They also need insects to eat when they breed in spring. Oak, willow, birch, cherry, crabapple and blueberry are tops for attracting enough Lepidoptera larvae to feed the birds, with some left over to float around the Monarda and Buddleia in the summer butterfly garden.

November in the garden *Plant birdscapes. *Escape the turf box. *Minor in minor bulbs.

November soil is cool and moist, perfect for growing roots on newly planted woodies and bulbs so they have a chance to settle in before winter. You should get all bulbs in by Thanksgiving, but if you have to go into December or, shamefully, even the very new year, do it, as long as you have firm bulbs in hand. Take a chance and venture outside familiar trumpet daffodils and predictable tulips, charming as they are, and look into the so-called minor bulbs. You might still find a few handfuls left in the garden center boxes. Siberian squills, star flowers, winter aconite, glory of the snow and green-tipped snowdrops are all long-lived, small, early-flowering bulbs that can edge walkways or nestle in the odd well-drained crevice.

Use them as the finishing touch to carpet a bird-friendly shrubbery or grove that provides branches for shelter, berries in fall and something to host those yummy spring caterpillars. But re-think the birdseed. It can attract a rough crowd.—Cathy Clary

Cathy Clary is a gardening teacher and consultant; she tends ornamental beds and a kitchen and cutting garden at home in a hollow south of Charlottesville. Read more about her at hollowgarden.com, and e-mail her with questions at garden@c-ville.com.

Props to you

Seems to us that a bit more couch time might be in order now that summer’s winding down. We’ll take a cold drink, please. And, um, some reading material. And where are we supposed to put this clicker/rest our feet/show off our art books? On one of these locally sourced coffee tables, you say? Ah yes, that’s better.

$546 Classic Furniture 460 Premier Circle 973-5146   $695 The Artful Lodger 218 W. Market St. 970-1900   $125 Artifacts 111 4th St. NE 295-9500

$1,995 Quince 126 Garrett St. 296-0062   $950 Kenny Ball Antiques 2125 Ivy Rd.

 

I’m always fascinated by the people on those house hunting shows on television. I watch couple after couple immediately give up on some beautiful, affordable homes due to a few cosmetic imperfections. They wish the family room wasn’t carpeted, the kitchen had lighter cabinetry, and the dining room wasn’t adorned with sheep and maidens frolicking in an English Toile wallpapered paradise. Have these people never heard of laminate flooring, paint, and wallpaper stripping? 

Before: Outdated grandmother’s lamps.

The same goes for home furnishings: If it doesn’t come brand new, out of the box, and off the truck, people won’t give it a second look. Looking beyond the surface —of houses and furnishings—allows you to find affordable hidden potential and breathe new life into some forgotten favorites. 

Looking for a low-cost design challenge, I decided to go shopping inside my own home for neglected pieces in need of some serious love. I settled on a pair of table lamps that belonged to my boyfriend’s grandmother and had since been banished to the attic. Upon first glance, they’re large, outdated, and have damaged shades. Upon second glance, they have a really modern shape and size, similar to the lamps for sale in high-end boutiques. Using a few affordable materials and some quick, easy steps, I was able to breathe new life into these lamps without breaking the bank or blowing a fuse. 

Getting started

Materials: Spray primer, spray paint, painter’s tape.

Step 1: Prep the lamp by wiping it clean with a damp cloth to remove any dust, dirt, and debris (if you saw my attic, you’d know why). Tape off the metal base, socket, harp bottom, and vase cap (everything that you don’t want to paint). 

Step 2: In a well-ventilated area, spray the lamp with primer, using light, even strokes. Applying primer will help your paint better adhere to the lamp. 

Step 3: Once your primer is dry, spray the lamp with high-gloss paint in the color of your choice. (When spray-painting, always use light, even strokes in a side-to-side motion to avoid drip marks on your lamp. If the base/metal elements of your lamp need a spruce-up, you can use metallic spray paint, wrapping the rest of the lamp in plastic and securing it with painter’s tape. 

After: A coat of spray paint later, they’re fresh and modern.

Step 4: Top the lamp with a modern drum shade for a fresh, clean look. Attaching elements like grosgrain ribbon to the shade can add more detail.

Furniture, picture frames and mirrors can just as easily be painted for a quick and easy update. Get creative and add whimsy to your abode: Spray an old globe with a can of chalkboard paint to create a cute message center for adults, or a fun, interactive toy for the smaller set. 

Even reupholstery isn’t out of reach. With a staple gun in hand, you can easily reupholster the seats of your dining room chairs. Always start in the middle and work your way outward, making it easier to pull the fabric taut as you staple. For larger pieces, glue cording along the edges to hide staples and rough edges. 

Whether you’re shopping in a local consignment store or in your own attic, a little imagination, a few bucks and a few quick steps can make the old new again.—Ed Warwick

Before joining the ABODE team, Ed Warwick was the author of “Simply Cville,” a blog about D.I.Y. design, entertaining, and home improvement projects. A UVA grad, Ed currently works as the Coordinator of LGBT Student Services under the University’s Dean of Students.

Nitty gritty 

Sadly, sandpaper is not a romantic tool. This abrasive wonder lacks macho appeal and good looks. Yet sandpaper remains an essential part of your toolbox. Used to remove, polish or prepare material for finishing or gluing, sandpaper comes in many shapes, sizes, colors, and, of course, textures. 

Grit sizes adhere to specific standards, prominently marked on the reverse of the sandpaper to indicate that size particle’s best use. The lower the number, the larger the grit, and faster and rougher the removal of material. The average hobbyist, home-owner and/or woodworker will be well-equipped with a range of sandpapers from 60 to 400. For repairs and small projects around the home, I use predominantly 150 and 220 grits. 

Technology has advanced since sandpaper’s first recorded appearance in 13th century China, but a certain amount of elbow grease and repetitive motion is still required for any proper sanding job. 

Let’s say you wanted to refinish your grandmother’s antique hand-me-down cherry coffee table. And let’s say that your dear Uncle Frank decided to “protect the beauty of the wood” with a few coats of high gloss urethane back in the ’80s. Instead of breaking out the toxic chem-ical strippers, may I suggest that you hunker down with your col-
lection of sandpaper and perhaps a hand-held, electric sander? 

Start with no finer than 60 grit, make short work of that thick topcoat. If you’re not using an electric sander (I prefer the random orbital, myself) equip yourself with a solid sanding block. Once you’ve gotten the majority of the resin off, step up to 80 grit and get down to the wood. Smooth out the scratches with 100 or 120 followed by 150, 180 or 220. 

Depending on how you are planning to finish the piece (I recommend a natural Tung oil), you may be done sanding or you may want to give it an extra fine rub-down with 320 and 400.—Christy Baker 

Christy Baker is a local Jane-of-all-trades. Whether it’s fixing furniture, building a chicken coop or maintaining her roller skates, this creative mom of two always keeps a tool-box (or at least some duct tape) handy.

 Shake it up

Don’t forget to toast the autumn equinox on September 23. The season changes and finally the planet tilts to our advantage after a relatively brutal summer, though compared to our fellows in Texas who are enduring historic drought, we really can’t complain. Cooling temperatures, and perhaps rain from Atlantic storms, give us a chance to make some changes.

Here in the hollow the big fall project is renovating the perennial border in front of the deer fence. Over the years it has degenerated into a mass of Tartarian asters (planted) and mugwort (not), as attention was diverted to the kitchen garden within and more prominent flower borders on either side of the front porch. The goal is to fill the space with a few larger plants instead of a variety of different perennials that need individual tending and weeding. And since it’s outside the deer fence, you know what that means.

September in the garden *Harvest vegetables regularly until frost. *Time for renovating beds. *Meet the beautyberry and Blue Star.

For many years, Rudbeckia and Sedum have thrived here, but lately the resident herd has added them to its palate, and once they get a taste, it’s all over. One beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotama) and an Amsonia, often called “Blue Star,” have persevered through everything, however, and allow me to invoke a key principle of design: If plants you like are doing well on a particular site, plant more of them.

Beautyberry, a deciduous shrub, has demure pinky-white powder-puff flowers in spring but goes total diva in fall with amethyst (or white) berries dramatically thrust out upon graceful arching sprays; it takes up a good three to four feet all around. Blue Star, a long-lived perennial (three to four feet again, though there are dwarf varieties to one foot), makes more of a narrow tower, blooming periwinkle blue in spring with spectacular peachy gold autumn foliage. Interesting seed heads see it through most of the fall if I don’t cut them all for arrangements. Then by late February, the miniature narcissus and crocus (which have been there forever) begin to bloom. Voila.

The old border lost its prominence to newer beds on either side of the front walk. With a perennial backbone of peonies, iris and hellebore, this summer they vibrated with annual color that took the heat and proved unpalatable to deer: a globe amaranth mix of purple, pink and white pom-poms (a classic “everlasting” for cutting and drying), zinnias, and—a surprise hit—a rosy red angel wing begonia, all of which have endured full sun and dry soil with just an occasional desperate drink.

The bare bones kitchen garden, put in so late, has borne fruit. Straw mulch and a couple of deep waterings paid off for the tomatoes. Jalapenos and basil love the heat and are producing well with general neglect but regular harvesting. Whole jalapenos freeze like lollipops in zip lock bags. Pop them into stews and soups through the winter.

To paraphrase good old TJ, patron saint of all local gardeners, the failure of one thing is indeed redeemed by the success of another.—Cathy Clary

 

Cathy Clary is a gardening teacher and consultant; she tends ornamental beds and a kitchen and cutting garden at home in a hollow south of Charlottesville. Read more about her at hollowgarden.com, and e-mail her with questions at garden@c-ville.com.

Foodie fun

Need to know how to save seeds? Itching to taste a bunch of different pickles? Curious about natural fabric dyes? For the fifth year, Monticello will host the Heritage Harvest Festival, your one-stop, mouthwatering resource for education on these (and many other) topics. This year’s festival is Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17. 

See the very thorough website, http://heritageharvestfestival.com, for all the details on workshops, the seed swap, tastings, music, a chef’s demonstration tent and more. Included in the cost of admission ($8 advance, $10 day-of) are numerous lectures and workshops, from a panel on GMO crops to a talk about brewing kombucha by local expert Ethan Zuckerman. But also check out the extra-cost “premium workshops,” including one on brewing local beer (by Starr Hill’s Mark Thompson) and another on growing medicinal herbs.

You get the idea: It’s everything a rural or urban homesteader needs to know, plus great food and tunes. See you there!—Erika Howsare

Honors at Bundoran

Back in April 2010, ABODE brought you news of a house, then under construction in the North Garden development Bundoran Farm, designed by Jeff Sties of Sunbiosis and built by Artisan Construction. The home, called Woodhill, was designed for the Foraste family and features a small footprint, passive-solar principles and site-sourced lumber.

Now it’s also an award-winner, having snagged the Virginia Sustainable Building Network’s 2011 honor for Best Green Residential Project (New Construction). 

The house is set into its sloping site, with a great room that perches on piers to take advantage of a farmland view below. “Bundoran Farm was just done so well, with an eye towards preservation,” says John Foraste, explaining why he and his wife Diane chose to build here. Seems their house turned out quite nicely, too.—E.H.

Canned meet

If you’re anything like us, you spent June frantically making pickles, July sweating over jars of tomatoes, and August dealing with an onslaught of peppers. It’s possible that you won’t eat your way through 47 pints of kosher dills before next summer, and you never did get around to putting up peaches. The answer to the canner’s dilemma: Take your extras to the Canner’s Swap & Celebration, and make a trade!

The swap is sponsored by Market Central and will happen September 25 at the Haven. Keep an eye on marketcentralonline.org for details. You’ll want to register in advance, and choose your best canned stuff to enter into a county fair-style contest. And polish up those jars of Fire-Breathing Salsa—they might just buy you some sweet strawberry jam.—E.H.

Beyond bottles and cans

Recycling the weird stuff

Even the Bettiest among us runs into some recycling conundrums now and again. Sonny Beale, University of Virginia Recycling Program Superintendent for over 24 years, offers a little help on those obscure items:

By the Numbers $8,410 That’s the average annual cost to own a car in the U.S., according to AAA. (Per month, we’re talking about $700.) That includes not only car payments, gas and insurance, but all the other expenses, from tolls to parking tickets, associated with driving.  Source: How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, by Chris Balish

1. Bulk Styrofoam (actually expanded polystyrene): the bane of environmentalists everywhere. McIntire Recycling, as well as any packing stores in town, will accept and reuse the peanuts, but not the bulk pieces. Beale reports Styrofoam, in fact, can be recycled over and over again, but requires a heavy-duty expensive condensifier which Cville doesn’t have. (Any interested buyers out there? According to Beale, it’s a hot commodity.)

2. Plastic peanut butter tub: Don’t waste copious amounts of water cleaning the jar. Give it to your favorite pet dog to lick it clean! Then recycle as normal.

3. Whipped cream (or other liquid) aerosol can with the top broken off: As long as it’s empty, non-flammable, and non-hazardous, it can be recycled as steel. If it’s full, no go. Also, if it contained any highly toxic fluid (for example antifreeze or transmission fluid) or pesticides, it’s landfill-bound.

4. Hard plastics without numbers: Sorry! They actually can be recycled, but not in this area.

5. Clothing that is stained, torn or otherwise unwearable: Get creative and use it at home to wrap small gifts, or use as cleaning rags.

6. Prescription bottles: Call your local pharmacist to inquire about take-back programs or wait to hear about the next big take-back event at Martha Jefferson Hospital (last one was in May), where they properly dispose of medicines and recycle the bottles.

7. Half-full steel paint cans: Use eco-friendly cat litter or shred yesterday’s newspaper into bits to soak up all unused paint, then recycle as normal steel. Most are now plastic and can be recycled when empty.

Check out Better World Betty’s local green living resource list at betterworldbetty.org and blog at http://cvillebetty.blogspot.com.

 Working for the University, I often catch myself reflecting on my own days as a college student. These days, I have a little less hair and a little more money, and my china collection has expanded beyond red plastic Solo cups. But I still have a soft spot for my former life.

Most homeowners and renters complain about a lack of space, but I lived for two years in a 10’x12′ cinderblock room with a stranger, shared a bathroom with three boys, and ate out of a mini-fridge. We even managed to hang a hammock in our room sophomore year.

Whether you live in a studio apartment or a house, compromising and getting creative can help you find the space you need. The first step is to explore your space. Open up doors, look behind corners, and discover what you’re really working with. Are there awkward spaces you don’t know how to use—nooks, dormers, even closets? With a little imagination, those spaces can go from dust-collectors to prime real estate.

I was really impressed with my boyfriend’s creativity in working his Woolen Mills space. Faced with a large staircase that leads nowhere (seriously, it just goes to the ceiling) and even trickier, the space beneath it, he was able to create a home office and find much-needed storage. The staircase makes a perfect bookcase lined with books, videos, photos, and keepsakes. Using a large, vintage steamer trunk, paired with a modern chair tucked under the staircase, he created a cozy spot for paying bills, sending emails, and Facebooking.

In the same spirit, you can easily retrofit a dormer for a home office. If you can’t find a desk that will fit in your dormer nook, try two filing cabinets for instant storage (pick them up cheap at The Habitat Store, Allied Street), and top them with a piece of glass from Charlottesville Glass & Mirror or Dodson Glass & Mirror.

Not in need of a home office? Fill an unused corner with a twin or crib mattress covered in fun fabric from one of our many local fabric stores, then layer your new daybed with floor and throw pillows for a perfect reading nook.

Line the awkward space above your kitchen cabinets with store-bought lattice racks for clean, symmetrical wine storage. Short on space? Use bookcases as a headboard, creating a fun, yet functional focal point.

Sometimes we really do run out of space. So, we have to rely on smoke and mirrors—literally. Reflection is one of the best design tricks for creating a feeling of space and depth where there is none. Placing mirrors opposite of windows and even other mirrors can create the feeling of space, reflect light, and open up a room. You can achieve the same feeling by incorporating metallics, glass, and shimmery materials.

Consider furniture pieces that don’t weigh a room down. Opt for a glass top coffee or dining table, not solid wood. Choose end tables with legs instead of a solid space—not only will you create the feeling of space, but the underside provides storage for a stack of books or a basket of blankets and throws.

Looking to invest? Consider a Murphy bed that you can stash during the day. Sleeper sofas have come a long way in regards to comfort and style if a guest room isn’t on your floor plan.
Whether it’s finding new space or creating a feeling of space, these little tips and guidelines should help you live large.—Ed Warwick

Before joining the ABODE team, Ed Warwick was the author of “Simply Cville,” a blog about D.I.Y. design, entertaining, and home improvement projects. A UVA grad, Ed currently works as the Coordinator of LGBT Student Services under the University’s Dean of Students.

Join the rotary club

A surgeon, a small machine repair-person, and a part-time crafter are all likely to have something in common: a rotary tool. Popularly known as a Dremel, these hand held devices employ low levels of torque but enough rotating power to sand, polish, cut and grind just about anything.

The applications of a rotary tool are extensive and sometimes disturbingly familiar. For example, the same device that is wielded by your local dentist to drill out a nasty cavity is also applicable to the handiwork of an artisan jeweler. The guy fixing your vintage blender could talk shop with a knee surgeon—the rotary tool is that versatile.

Why should you, as the average layperson, ever want to get close to, much less handle, one of these gizmos? Well, besides being the Swiss Army knife of electrically-powered tools, its small size and affordability make it a must-have for the home toolbox. (A quality Dremel, including an assortment of bits and accessories, shouldn’t set you back more than $30-$40.)

Using various interchangeable bits, such as cutting burrs or sanding wheels, one can quickly and effectively eliminate jagged edges on metal, ceramic and even glass. With mine, I’ve created a hanging wooden “bird” mobile for my son, fashioned a ring for my husband and smoothed out several slightly damaged glasses and bowls. I may have even used it to polish a chipped front tooth, but I don’t recommend that type of D.I.Y. “home improvement.”
All in all, the rotary tool is a multi-talented device that deserves a little room next to your screwdrivers and hammer.—Christy Baker

Christy Baker is a local Jane-of-all-trades. Whether it’s fixing furniture, building a chicken coop or maintaining her roller skates, this creative mom of two always keeps a toolbox (or at least some duct tape) handy.