Frustration Sets In

I just couldn't bring myself to live with this mustard color. I understand where the previous owner was going with it, but it just wasn't for me. I know that back then, they used wall coverings, which is something else I can't live with. Oh sure, they are pretty, but if I ever change my mind, taking them off is horrible, especially in a room this size.

I decided to go with a paint technique called dragging to get the look I wanted, without the hassle. The hardest part would be picking out the paint colors. I think I've seen every paint sample in the greater kansas city area now. I finally picked out two I thought would work and set off to paint.

Covering the gold was not an easy task. Killz LIES when they say one coat guaranteed and they will be hearing from me later :) So after two coats of killz, it was time for the base color. We've been calling it yellow, but it's actually buff, it just looks yellow. After TWO coats of that up and down the ladder, it was finally time to get to the fun part, only, it wasn't so fun.

The first glaze I got looked orange on the walls. The second one looked green. The third one looked brown. They said it would turn out like I wanted, it didn't. Very frustrated at this point. I thought I'd mix my own. I did, but it was at this point I realized that my glaze would have looked better as the base and this yellow would look better as the glaze. So tired of painting the same room over and over and over. I just couldn't bring myself to coat this entire room again with a base coat.

This is the point I gave up. No, not forever, but for now. I simply do not have the time to keep playing with it at this point. I have too much else to do. So the room will remain this creamy yellow until some point in the future I think I can drag myself up and down the ladder again.

Where is the mailbox?

Why, it's right here in our local post office!

While this is certainly not the smallest post office I've ever seen, it is one of the smallest.

When we went in to get our PO Box, John the postmaster was working on his last day and looking forward to retirement. But in the few minutes we were inside filling out paperwork, he managed to fill us in on some of the town, the workings of the post office, and introduced us to our new neighbors that came in to check their mail.

 There are four parking spaces, and one of those is handicapped, the other is where the postmaster parks. So that leaves two. I think of going to the post office previously and thinking the twenty or more spaces they had weren't enough, lol. But no matter when I go, there is always room.

It has been suggested that we should have a mailbox though, if only for looks. I believe I saw one of our neighbors with one, but didn't really pay attention to it.

To Paint or Not to Paint?

We have so much to take care of in the new home, we really can't afford what we want for countertops anytime soon. We have decided we want dark countertops and leaning toward blackish of some sort. I've done some reading today and found that many people have successfully painted their countertops a variety of different ways.

The first solution I found was wallpaper. That's right, wallpaper. It's called paper illusion if you want to, check it out yourself. They have many examples of people using it on their walls, countertops and even their floors. Amazing stuff huh? They just don't have the color I want *sigh*

I've read about others using regular spray paint and most using some sort of textured spray paint, which was my first thought. Krylon makes a hammered black that I thought would look perfect on the countertops, they even have top coats to put over it.

Then I found a product made by RustOleum especially made for painting countertops with. It comes in SIXTEEN different colors! I actually found someone in the paint department at Sutherlands who actually used it himself 3 months ago and says it's holding up very well.

Hmm, so many decisions.

Like my Granny always said, why couldn't we be born rich instead of so beautiful? Then I could just go out and buy some.

The Great Hutch Debate

These are before and after shots of the one china hutch I currently own. This hutch and china were my Grandmas. I am not a fan of dark wood and finally took the leap to paint it and now only store my china in the top, and dining linens, etc in the bottom.

The big yellow house has exactly ONE closet on the lower level in the one true bedroom. The main bathroom currently has a small sink with a very small one door cabinet under it, and that's it. The kitchen also has very limited cabinet space, and even less now that we had to remove two of them to make room for a decent size refrigerator.

I know I plan on putting this hutch on the one empty wall in the kitchen since we no longer have a formal dining room. I'm hoping to maximize the space under the hutch to store additional small appliances.

I will still need somewhere to store towels and personal items in the bathroom, my wizard of oz collection, other linens and what nots will also need a space. I think hutches are the perfect solution so I don't disturb the history of the house, but how many is too many?

My husband is now afraid we are going to end up with wall to wall hutches......

Doorknobs

Our home has doorknobs on the side door and back door and the toilet closet, and that's about it, lol. I'm not sure what happened to them all, but they are gone. Some of the doors we can use the skeleton keys on, but mostly you just don't want to shut a door unless you walk around to push it open again. I would like to keep the knobs period specific so I'm on the hunt for doorknobs.

We went to the cutest little hardware store yesterday. You know, the ones with wood floors stuffed from floor to ceiling with hardware, gifts and what nots? They have some glass knobs like I currently have now in my 1920 home. Not sure if that was period specific or not, I knew I had more research to do.

It seems glass doorknobs date back to 1826, when the process for pressing molten glass into molds was invented, but they didn't become popular until after the United States entered World War I, in 1917. Cast brass, bronze, and iron doorknobs, which had dominated the hardware market since the beginning of the Victorian era in 1860, were in short supply because metals were needed for airplanes and ammunition.

So was it glass or brass?

I finally found the answer here which states "The influence of the Greek Revival of the early to mid-1800’s is evident in the fun and fancy Meadows pattern. The beaded details blend well with mouldings, wall coverings, and home furnishings."

Now, if I can just remember to count how many I need..........

Well what is it?

It is a 2 story 2034 square feet home with a 26,550 square foot lot. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths with a partial stone basement. It has what they are calling a detached 1 car garage. I call it a shed with a drive thru, he calls it a man cave.


The sign on the front suggests it's an 1853 home, although we bought it as an 1860 home. I haven't gotten the answer yet on which one is correct.


I have done a lot of research on the style of home it is though. Keeping it as period specific as I can is very important to me. This is what I've found.


Greek Revival houses usually have these features:

* Pedimented gable
* Symmetrical shape
* Heavy cornice
* Wide, plain frieze
* Bold, simple moldings

Many Greek Revival houses also have these features:

* Entry porch with columns
* Decorative pilasters
* Narrow windows around front door

The windows lined up represent columns. Greek Revival was coming to an end in the 1850s and moving toward its cornice-heavy younger cousin, the Italianate. I think that's why it's hard for me to figure out what my house is. I do believe it's Greek Revival though. Of course there were a lot more elaborate Greek revivals.

This is an example of a greek revival home. Ours is very similar.

In this picture, you can see the cornice above the window, and you can also see where they removed the wide plain frieze.  The wide plain frieze is still intact on one of the upper windows. Some of the windows were obviously replaced. There are no storm windows or screens anywhere in the house. We plan on building our own wooden screens :)

You can see the pedimented gable over the portico. It's hard to say if it had any pilasters or not, but I could imagine them being there around the doorway, and may just put some in.


It seems the shutters are optional. After we replace the frieze and paint the cornice, frieze and windows a COLOR, then we can decide if we want them or not.

I still don't know whom the house was built for or it's history, I just need more research time. But it sure is fun!

Welcome Home

Population of 295 just grew to 298.

Townie: Where do you live?
Us: The Big Yellow House

The neighbors have been very welcoming to us. They have been very generous in telling us stories about our home, it's previous owners, the town, and other neighbors. Let the journey begin.