Our Old House Project- Going from Green To Blue

Ahhhh  --- we are home for a week and getting a few things done on the house.  For my newest blog readers, we fondly refer to our 104 year old home as "Our Old House".  We decided this summer to spruce up the outside.

Long ago our house looked like this: 

When we bought it in 2012 it looked like this:

(vinyl siding was added in the 70's) 

We removed the heavy overgrown cedars to show 

the delicate custom fretwork lattice under the porch.

Some of the cedars broke in the first winter's snowstorm anyhow.

Then I painted up some of the trim GREEN in 2013 like this:

When the previous owners had the house resided with vinyl, they also did  the soffits and eaves.  The soffit material has a pattern of two smooth sections and then two textured sections.  For some reason, they put a piece of the vinyl soffit material along the front of the house as trim???  In 2013, I had painted the textured sections of this material with green just to cover up the dirty looking parts that trapped dirt. 

Next project in mind: Steve is going to tear it off and see what is going on underneath it.  We are thinking of adding some curly cue stuff or trim strips of color or whatever.  Still messing with photoshop on ideas.


Yesterday, I got out my gallon of Cabots Solid Colored Acrylic Stain.... it works so much better than paint on things like concrete or treated wood (or even aluminum like this trim)  It doesn't flake off like paint does. You really can't use it over paint, but you can use it over stain, which is what I used the first time when I did the green back in 2013.  (I did a gazebo with it back in 1987 and it still looks great, as well as the shutters on our log house in 1997)  It lasts a lot longer than paint.

Mind you, Steve HATES painting... whereas I love it.  So this is "my thing" and I only ask him to assist with the difficult or up high stuff.

I went to work on the front steps, which are concrete and then some of the trim along the edge of the porch flooring and three columns from when the house was originally an open porch. 

I didn't get up high on the ladder yet for the top three blocks, but I will do that when Steve gets home and can help me.  He will need to put up the ladder to remove that soffit material with the green squares anyhow. Going from Green To Blue!


Whoooo hoooooo am I blue??? I did wear a bit of the color here and there on my hands and arms.  Hahahah I had fun... I even did the little house numbers as well.  It was a nice cool day in the low 70's and I got double coats on everything.  I think it looks great, and we will be adding to the trim around the windows, perhaps with shutters or some bric a brac or maybe even some corbels around the diningroom bumpout.

I even painted the birdbath (WITH water in it!) 

and I joked to neighbors passing by:

"Since I bought this cute little Dutch Boy and Girl, 

now I have to paint the house to match!"

Next up on my list of ideas was to stain up a bunch of new strips of wood, some quarter round and some half round pieces.  I convinced Steve to get out the air compressor and nail gun to put some up on the front of the house along the bottom edge of the fretwork lattice.  Ahhhh  I think that looks good!   (It's a "test piece" for some of the trim I might want nailed up around the windows and in the gables....)

That was it for Tuesday... 

not too bad for one day's work, don't ya think?   

~~~~~~~~~~

Now it was Wednesday!  The weatherman said that it would be nice in the 70's today, but the rest of the week will be muggy and higher 80's.  So if I want to get ANY more done, I better do it today!!!!


I had the paint department mix up a quart of matching paint to the same color of the solid colored stain.  Because this adorable little round picnic table and benches had been painted before, I was more confident using paint on this for a new color.  The table was red, and I bought it for a donation to the Wisconsin Sheltie Rescue Group a few years ago. I like it better than a rectangular picnic table with attached benches.  This one fits better in the corner by the back porch and the benches are positionable for comfortable seating while eating.

I had Steve spread out a tarp in the shade, but the sun was moving fast so I had better hop to it!   I set out an MP3 player with my soft celtic music and spent the whole morning changing my table from red to blue!  I did all of the legs first one coat, and then a second coat in that order.  Once the legs were all done, then I could do the edges and tops of each piece.

Ahhhhh I got them done before 11 a.m. and just in time because I was losing my shade! It looks a little lighter blue in the pic because of the sunshine, but it's the same colonial type blue color as on the front.

Once that was done, I still have paint on my brush.... I asked Steve to remove the triangles from the cross buck design from the two storm doors on the back of the house.  They are not my "favorite" feature, more of a ranch house design.  I would love to find two old fashioned wooden screen doors with some character and bric a brac to replace them with.  But then we would still need winter storm doors....   Steve said we could in the future keep that in mind.

I finished up the triangles and set them to dry... 

After that I painted the stairs to the back kitchen door as well. 

This is using the stain again, because that is what I used before 

on the bare treated wood that was here when we bought the house. 

Steve put the triangles on the doors while I took a shower 

(and a nap!) 

He also moved the picnic table back into place and set the benches around it. On top in the center goes my funky big coffee cup planter that I garbage picked last summer.  My jade plant wintered well indoors, and we have been bringing it out daily to acclimate it to outdoor temps again.  I even painted the filigree holder for the garden hose next to the back door to the basement.  Hey.. when I get a paint brush in my hand, there is no stopping me!  LOL

Ahhhh 

now that part of the house is done!  

except maybe some strips of color trim

or shutters around the windows? 

I am anxious to see what we are going to do next ????

Upcoming Weekend around Our Old House

We were looking at a three day weekend that we HAD planned to help our kids with a special task... but now it's been delayed until next week.  I will blog about THAT next week then when it happens.  Let's just say they are frustrated and irritated and anxious and excited--- all rolled into one big ball of emotions! But I can't say till it's done and happened. 

Instead, we are avoiding the busy campgrounds and staying home this holiday weekend.  We will go out to dinner on Saturday, heading up to our friends Sharon and Fred's house. And the plans for the rest of the weekend???? 

OUR OLD HOUSE PROJECTS! 

I already started one yesterday afternoon.  When Steveio got home from work, I had him set up the ladder on the front of the house.  I don't care to go up on a ladder unless he is home, just in case.

I took out my green paint (solid colored stain really so it don't chip and peel like paint does)  and did up every other square on the front fascia....  They are kind of  "gridded" sections with a texture that trapped dirt and looked darker than the smoother sections between.  So I decided to make them dark green as a feature instead of just looking like grubby and dirty white sections!  I have five more sections to do.  I ran outta time and had to get supper going, so I will finish it later this afternoon when Steve comes home to do the ladder again.  See the one grid to the right above the 227 number?  That is what I mean about looking grubbier than the smooth sections....

We already have some dark green trim here and there on the front of the house, that I did last year, including the sides of the front steps.  But I wanted a bit more for contrast.   I think it will look good when it gets finished. Once the flowers and hostas all come up in the front flower bed.  Add the two big white cement planters on the front stoop with green ivy plants and red geraniums---- ahhhh we think it will look great!

Next, we might put a "pediment" up on the top gable end for an added feature. 

I was going through my photos this morning and found something I forgot to put on my blog the other day... with the grandtots...  were these fun little wiener doggies!  My mom bought each of her great grandkids one of these in Florida and I brought them back to Wisconsin for them, and they took the wiener doggies all home.  But the wiener doggies are soooo cute and adorable, that I saw them up here at Walmart and bought two more just to keep at our house. 

 Set a cooked hot dog on the green grid.... 

(note the little doggie dish at the left end for catsup!)

Now set the wiener doggie down on top and push downwards

which cuts the hot dog up into small bite sized pieces to dip in the doggie dish of catsup!

 How cute is that????

plus.. it's a no choking hazard for the toddlers on the hot dogs 

because the hot dogs are now cut up into small bites.

The other thing I forgot to mention the other day on my blog was my helper Chelsea in my Loom Room.  I love it when the grandtots want to come in the Loom Room and play with my machines.  She was helping with the weaving of this big heavy looper rug! She pulls the chains of looped fabric through the open shed of the loom---- while pressing down hard on the appropriate treadle with her foot.  (this loom there are only 2 treadles, so it's easy for them to understand)  and then she can weave a new row of the rug. 

Once I help with setting the chain into the exact right place, making a good corner,

she pulls back on the beater with all her might --- BAM BAM to pound it into place! 

Pounding hard and making a racket is right up any grandtot's alley....

I finished weaving up that rug yesterday and added the header to the end ... the headers get folded over three times, clipped into place, and then hemmed on the sewing machine.  I also started a new rug in rich jewel tones in a twill pattern on the other loom.  Might work on that one today a bit.  I do a little at a time and come back again and again throughout the day. Easier on my body that way.

But I think first on the "to do" list this morning is to give two doggers a bath!  They are always up to their doggie shenanigans and full of fun and mischief in the backyard. The white portions of their fur can get pretty grubby.  So I will toss each one in the laundry sink for a soak and scrub.  

Here they are hanging out with Steveio, they are hoping for some treats....  Notice Finney's new begging routine? 

He figures by draping himself over our feet, we can't get away from him.  It's his "stake my claim" position and he has to be just a tiny bit closer to us than Duke's position.  It means we are HIS.  LOL

SEE???

I did do some sewing yesterday too... I am working on a new quilt.  These are the blocks I have started that grandtot Chelsea helped with over last weekend.   I am going to set them apart with rows of black sashing so they really POP out.  This is the fabric I bought while on vacation in Florida, and will always think of my Mom and Auntie Lois helping me find it when we were down there.

 Kinda hard to photograph, but they are purples and lilacs and pinks.. not blues....

The morning sun is streaming in on the front porch as I type this.  The temps are in the high 40's this morning, but soon to get to 70 or more. Steve was here sipping coffee for a while, but now has left for work.  I snapped this one before he left....

Now that we finally got some spring time weather in Wisconsin, and the danger of frost has passed---- I planted some little pansies with "Happy Faces" as my Mom says....  into colored bamboo pots for the little rack by the back door.  Being all cement between the garage and the house, it's nice to have a splash of color to greet us as we go in the back door.

I also bought 18 tomato plants that need to get planted along the west side of the garage, so I think that will just about fill up our weekend around the house.  If not, I am sure Steveio can add to the "to do" list around Our Old House!