go green blue heeler

so much better

2010-10-14T10:55:00.001-04:00

why didn't i think of this before?

swank

2010-09-24T13:30:00.002-04:00

you should see it with a fire going.

summer 2010 is much greener

2010-06-13T12:52:00.010-04:00

f*ck you bp (let them know how you feel)

2010-05-29T09:09:00.004-04:00

click for ways to show the world how you feel

new painting (30"x30") Wellfleet Drive-In Morning

2010-04-06T11:20:00.002-04:00

what's going to WHAT...

2010-03-05T12:08:00.004-05:00

these pieces will be on display at WHAT... http://www.what.org/

and i painted...a door.

2010-02-24T19:50:00.001-05:00

container ship

2010-02-13T14:29:00.002-05:00

new painting 30"x30"

vintage jotul #3

2010-01-25T09:54:00.005-05:00

super hunkalicious and i went to get my xmas gift on sunday. here it it in its new home, not hooked up, but am hoping to get that done next weekend. we found it on craigslist, of course, from a woman named jennifer, of course, and they were just like us! we talked for an hour over espresso, she is a freelance writer who moved back here after living in brooklyn, her boyfriend is a prius driving energy consultant who rides his bike to work daily, and this stove was in her childhood home, which she sold to affordable housing. worried it would not be loved and someday tossed, she set about selling it. i love it. it's a model i never see, and only have seen in a few pics from european versions of craigslist.

january 2010

2010-01-19T10:37:00.001-05:00

comfort and joy

2009-12-08T08:44:00.001-05:00

9' and harvested off a fallen spruce in my back woods

2009-12-06T13:17:00.001-05:00

should i even decorate it? it looks kind of cool as is.

etsy stuff

2009-11-30T13:37:00.000-05:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
jenrebecc

christmas!!!!

2009-11-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

a proper lady

2009-10-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

impaled pumpkin heads

2009-10-25T12:39:00.002-04:00

coming soon to etsy!

2009-10-23T21:34:00.002-04:00

as prints and greeting cards.... here is the first sample of the bird brains line.... bird head daguerreotype prints.

fall, halloween and impaling pumpkins

2009-10-23T21:24:00.010-04:00

the pumpkins will be carved the day before halloween with tortured faced and then lit up by candlelight!

also featured in Small House Styles

2009-10-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

Green Dot Award Winner

solar today!

2009-10-20T09:16:00.000-04:00

my house!

new 'old' art

2009-10-08T15:04:00.002-04:00

dog, dog products. spokes dog. cool!

2009-10-07T13:52:00.004-04:00

so check this out kids, friday has shown that being a healthy dog pays off. she is one of the spokes dogs for a new maker of dog toys called Hugglehounds. that is one GOOD LOOKING DOG!

hugglehounds.com

new painting for wellfleet gallery

2009-08-22T14:20:00.002-04:00

new paint in living room

2009-08-22T14:19:00.002-04:00

roses

2009-07-17T17:22:00.003-04:00

new things

2009-07-17T14:11:00.023-04:00

wellfleet drive-in 46"x46" oil on panel 2009, soon to be showing at the frying pan gallery

new work and house pics

july night

2009-07-10T13:50:00.003-04:00

chairs

2009-06-19T16:54:00.004-04:00

ready for wine time

june

2009-06-07T15:37:00.011-04:00

open studio thursday and friday 12-6 thru the summer

2009-06-04T20:02:00.002-04:00

the deck is stained

2009-06-02T08:50:00.002-04:00

still wet, but check out the color. it's called pacific.

no more tarps

2009-04-29T18:07:00.003-04:00

romans, eat your hearts out

2009-04-10T16:21:00.005-04:00

the bay road rain barrel aqueduct system

either side here is planted with fern (dead leaves are there for this reason)

so now...

2009-03-12T12:18:00.002-04:00

not only do i have to deal with friday barking at these guys all night by the light of the full moon, they are balls-y enough to come dine on my spring grass poking up in the middle of the day.

friday barked enough to get them to run, but only to the edge of the meadow.

now let's party!

2009-03-09T17:34:00.003-04:00

railing for the C of O

2009-02-26T16:30:00.003-05:00

i made it myself...

been a bit...

2009-02-18T11:52:00.014-05:00

since i've posted.this is a lamp i made from driftwood i scavenged at lecounts hollow in wellfleet.

i realized there weren't any good pics of the bedroom or the final bath tile job.

i also got some drop extensions for a few of my track spot lights that couldn't cast light beyond the ductwork.

and to all you block fans... check it out, production has resumed.

stu stu studio

2009-02-03T15:27:00.011-05:00

finally, the studio can be worked in... and what a view...

don't forget the spare bed...

computer work area...

oh, i repainted the front door...

and the trim around the stain glass window in my bedroom door...

and

2009-01-17T04:51:00.002-05:00

thank you annie for the bubbly, and thank you comcast for the internet, and thank you UB for the xmas $ that allowed me to get a worm composter and a rain barrel. and thank you everyone for making my birthday so special. and especially thank you to fred who made this all happen. fry and i are the luckiest girls alive.

brrr out there, toasty in here

2009-01-17T04:45:00.005-05:00

some pics of the studio. i tried to get some studio lav shots, but none came out well this go 'round. the last shot here gets me, my cool ceiling, fry, and one of my charcoals.

and about the bubbly

2009-01-06T16:57:00.002-05:00

i came home the other night to a bottle of veuve clicquot sitting on my front stoop. and no note. what a lovely thing to come home to, but i am wanting to thank the person who delivered it! although it's a fun mystery thinking that it may be from an admirer. thank you secret bubbly admirer!!!

must be noted

2009-01-06T16:50:00.002-05:00

although i have experienced some issues, trials and tribulations with my kit, the damn thing does what is supposed to do! if the sun is out, and it's 20 degrees outside, i am inside wearing a tank top and shorts. that thing heats up like an oven and retains it. i have gone days in a row without even turning the thermostat on. it will indeed end up saving me a BUNDLE on heat. i never thought i would look forward to those crisp cold clear days of winter. my mom sometimes will call and say something about how it is supposed to warm up outside, and here on the cape that almost always involves rain and overcast skies, and that is when the house is the coldest. ironic. but it can be 25 out there and staggeringly warm inside if the sun is out. i find myself remarking constantly (and i am sure my friends are sick of it) about how hot it is in the house and the heat is completely off. let's hope for plenty of sunny days this winter!

i frosted the door with a friday lookout and a jen lookout

2008-12-29T19:38:00.007-05:00

real snow

2008-12-21T15:14:00.014-05:00

more pics

2008-12-19T11:03:00.011-05:00

numbers etc.

2008-12-15T14:17:00.007-05:00

first snow in new house

2008-12-10T14:51:00.009-05:00

by the way. i feel as though i have lived there forever. everything is where i planned for it to be.

well, it's coming along despite being really really sick

2008-12-06T15:08:00.014-05:00

day bedroom door window
night bedroom door window

bathroom door

the name that comes to mind when descending the stairs to the studio is harry tuttle

studio bathroom

thanksgiving decoration

2008-11-26T11:23:00.003-05:00

all sorts of stuff

2008-11-21T15:45:00.005-05:00

i don't want to get into what's wrong or stressful, only what's right and looks good. here is the ocean cobblestone i laid today for the driveway extension (2.4 tons of it!), the stone steps (400 lbs of that) i made leading to the studio outside a few days ago, and ryan's very cool studio railing.

it friggin' snowed today

2008-11-19T17:16:00.006-05:00

the super relaxing bedroom sanctuary

and the look in the bathroom i am going for is old skool laboratory chic

night moves

2008-11-11T17:23:00.007-05:00

l to the i to the g h and t

2008-11-10T16:40:00.004-05:00

sheetrock and rail

2008-11-05T21:11:00.004-05:00

the studio sheetrock and my very cool railing upstairs.

uh oh, it's november 1st

2008-11-01T09:32:00.007-04:00

we are so close, just hung up on getting the electrical inspector to give an ok before the downstairs walls are sheetrocked. he is coming monday.

in other news, the appliance delivery men broke the crisper drawer while delivering the fridge (no biggy, they are ordering a new one), the sink leaks (no surprise, just needs to be caulked), the pipe for my railing didn't show up friday as planned.

but i am trying to get everything done i can, so, here is what i have done in the images below.

also, i had an idea to attach s-hooks under the counter to hang pots and pans from. it took some jerry-rigging, but i think it will work fine.

more tile

2008-10-25T15:49:00.010-04:00

no grout or tile cut yet, but... how cool.

more awesomeness

2008-10-24T17:08:00.014-04:00

i began tiling the shower today. these are natural slate tiles, that have all sorts of colors in them. and guess what... tiling is fun!!! the bathroom color is called chancellors cloak. the cool fixtures really pop against it.

my fav lamp that is going over the kitchen island area... the george nelson saucer lamp. the kitchen wall is called whispering spring

these two pics are the color i chose for the bedroom closet wall, which will be behind a curtain. the color is called forest moss.

and finally the artemide pendant. i call it my mini-metal-guggenheim.

flying lobster traps

2008-10-20T19:39:00.002-04:00

on our way to the house this morning to work, we were behind a fisherman's pickup. one of his lobster traps went careening off the back and we stopped behind it with flashers on until he could put it in reverse and get out to pick it up.

how many people are lucky enough to dodge flying lobster traps in the morning. i love my life.

and now for the world rocking

2008-10-20T18:06:00.020-04:00

the pumpkin found a new home away from the activity at the front door

YAY, metal!

how cool (and before anyone says how the trim color isn't supposed to be the same color as the wall, i don't care, because this is the look i was going for, kind of nyc gallery like)

how cool is the light that comes in (the sink base is going to be clad in corrugated galvie)

THE coolest sink EVER

north-east corner

love love love

my sink rawwwwwks (in fact i had to be alone with it earlier)

oooh, i love exposed metal conduit

helper/ankle-biter

the kitchen work surfaces (this wall is pale blue, you can't really tell in the pic)

west-end gable

east-end gable

and here are the fosters (sanchez and junior) electric

the next post will...

2008-10-17T14:50:00.002-04:00

will rock everyone's world.

ok, maybe just mine, but shazam, stuff is getting DONE.

thanks to d.b. for helping me move many heavy things last sunday.

and i feel much better after our talk. thanks.

coooool

2008-10-11T18:43:00.002-04:00

we have had to make quite a few adaptations. this is ryan's cool solution to the gable end of the house.

on the way

2008-10-07T21:41:00.008-04:00

we had the the nesea green building tour on saturday. a lot of people came out to tour. someone even drove 3 1/5 hours to see my house. wow. that is very impressive.

sheetrock looks amazing.

this isn't awkward, is it?

2008-10-05T15:43:00.004-04:00

no, this is a pumpkin.

thank you kyle

2008-09-28T15:01:00.005-04:00

hurricane kyle has dropped about 5 inches in the last 48 hours here and the seeds i put down friday, have already germinated. there are roots sprouting out of all of them! i also got to check out the basement pre-sheetrock and so far so good, no water.

here is e.t. looking jaunty during kyle while surveying her foam home.

"el-eee-uuuuut"

people are inquiring as to how fry is doing

2008-09-28T10:06:00.002-04:00

there are no definitive answers from the vet, but after searching online, this seems to be the most likely cause... and the photos posted online are most similar to it...

Canine Cutaneous Histiocytoma

A histiocytoma in the dog is a benign tumor. It is an abnormal growth in the skin of histiocytes (histiocytosis), a cell that is part of the immune system.

Most commonly histiocytomas are found in young dogs and appear as a small, solitary, hairless lump.

Most histiocytomas will regress within two or three months.

starting websites for my crew

2008-09-28T08:36:00.002-04:00

the first one is ainsley's. he was really on the ball about getting me the info he wanted and the images... check out his fine work...

ainsley's concrete

it looks like the misty mountains of maine

2008-09-27T18:27:00.005-04:00

so, i have front steps, and some windows. the glass company measured incorrectly. monday we will close in the remaining window openings with plastic and proceed with interior doings.

i have been breaking my back on the grounds all weeks. raking seeding shoveling, you name it. but i got all the spelt and winter rye down before the rains came in on friday.

i am having the fridge delivered monday. eesh. and getting a quote on the driveway. and... you can see in the photo below, i have a dead pine that needs to leave the premises as soon as possible.

i have had some really nice visitors this week. many neighbors saying how much they like the place. it's nice to hear that. and my friendly neighborhood officer mark stopped by to check on progress. it's also nice to know he is keeping an eye on things in this neck of the forest.

yesterday...

2008-09-24T07:12:00.004-04:00

i felt was a day to mark in the process. it was the last day of digging on the property.

i still need to take a tree down that looks like it met it's maker and is too close to the house and driveway for my taste, and put the driveway in, and throw some more dirt down... but no one will be showing up with giant equipment to rip trenches into the ground. gas, water and electric are all officially installed underground.

yesterday was also a death defying day on the roof, but i won't get into that.
today is ikea!!! i (heart) ikea.
and from tomorrow until monday i am going to bust a move on the stucco and seed before carol(yn) gets here.

thinking positive

2008-09-20T18:39:00.007-04:00

positively exactly what i wanted.
am in the middle of stucco-ing the entire foundation myself. a side effect of my unfortunate foundation job. long story. on my way to go pick up some concrete tint to darken the next coat.
also planning on adding a drip trim to the bottom of the metal as it comes around. and hopefully a corner edge all the way down

this is the view now that the septic has been backfilled. this week i am spreading seed there. spelt if you can believe it. it's an ancient grain.

like a bad dream

2008-09-19T16:17:00.005-04:00

today i took fry to the vet so they could reassure me that the thing that just appeared on her chin is only an abrasion. they didn't do that. they thought it might be cancerous.

the next hour was spent with me trying to hold her down while they took a needle biopsy of her chin. she was screaming and jerking so violently that i was covered in her blood. she was then given an iv sedative during which i held her as she fell asleep in my arms, they tried the needle thing again, she still screamed, and now i am crying my eyes out. the end result is inconclusive. they aren't alarmed with the look of the cells, so she is now on antibiotics for two weeks, after which we go back to make sure it isn't worse, and if it is, there will be a large biopsy taken.

after today's ordeal, i carried her to the truck because she was so knocked out she couldn't stand and i just wished to god that the vet had some of that sedative to give me as well. we got back to our temporary nest and i layed her on the bed and curled up with her and slept, trying to pretend this morning was just a bad dream.

friday, you are not allowed to get sick, do you hear me?

nesea

2008-09-13T21:40:00.002-04:00

october 4th we will be on the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's 2008 Green Buildings Open House tour. it will take place 10am - 4pm
http://nesea.org/buildings/openhouse/

a lot has gone on this week

2008-09-12T15:35:00.010-04:00

the electric went in, the water went in, the septic went in, most of the rough plumbing went in. i also set fry's house dedication into the floor. basically it says none of this would be happening if she hadn't come into my life.

the septic
the house on the hill
the studio
the bedroom
friday with her dedication

this is a disgrace!

2008-09-04T14:42:00.007-04:00

no it isn't! this floor is BEAUTIFUL!

a tee shirt logo i did for ryan...

concrete

2008-09-02T16:59:00.002-04:00

ainsley is pouring the concrete today.
he does gorgeous work.
ainsley kmiec (based in wellfleet) concrete floors 508.527.4559

here is all the info for you gawkers out there

2008-08-31T12:22:00.003-04:00

the kit and design are from noble home...
http://www.noble-home.net/
you can go to their site and learn all about the materials used to build this.

if you want the best builder on the cape, hire ryan weber.
r.m. weber contracting (based in eastham) 508.237.9703

if you want to know who NOT to use, just ask me about my ICF foundation.

the other links to the right are my painting, which is my work, and various links related to this structure.

skunk fur

2008-08-31T12:19:00.001-04:00

the color of the trim paint is called Raccoon Fur by ben moore, it's a low luster exterior paint. the boys call it skunk fur. now i call it skunk fur. i love skunk fur.

mildly relevant

2008-08-23T09:35:00.002-04:00

THE coolest stuff EVER...
don't click this link unless you are prepared to buy me something from this shop

oh yeah.

2008-08-21T19:56:00.013-04:00

we started out the week with ryan having the black death, along with half of cape cod. mid-week we cursed the hell out of the crystal door company. we end the week with the sliders in, as well as the remaining windows. booya!

the sliders

2008-08-19T12:21:00.001-04:00

are a bitch.

i got sanchez on board with the industrial look exposed conduit though. phew.

lots of posts today

2008-08-14T16:03:00.005-04:00

here are the windows from both inside and outside!!!

the wall going to the studio...
and the windows in my bedroom...

update!

2008-08-14T11:54:00.001-04:00

my boys are brilliant. they figured out a way to get the windows all set and then just replace them before inspection.

more blackberry tarts for my crew!

well, more than a little

2008-08-14T08:33:00.005-04:00

so noah said...
Unfortunately, the windows will take a few weeks - they are made to order and apparently they can't rush them any faster - sorry. The order will go in first thing tomorrow for two tempered units of the 2929's (the larger units). Please keep the ones you have wrapped and I'll get them some day.
I'd be happy to talk with Ryan about how to keep things moving along, even if I have to talk with the inspector - I ain't scared.

ok. in the meantime, i want to share a little thing i have discovered is very satisfying. i have a bookmark folder called 'house' in my web browser. it contains all the items i have seen over the past year spent window shopping online and want to get for the house, such as appliances. well, every time i buy one of those things, like a kitchen faucet or a fridge, i delete the bookmark. now instead of having a GIANT list, there are only a few minor decorative links left. that is satisfying.

..except for a washer/dryer, a stackable front loading washer and dryer. i keep hoping some random family member will decide a washer /dryer will be the perfect house warming gift since it is the only essential i need, and haven't bought yet. hint

windows setting us back a little

2008-08-13T13:16:00.006-04:00

waiting on pella windows that are tempered for near the floor level. this is a bummer. the boys are trying to work around it as best they can.

stuff

2008-08-12T13:59:00.012-04:00

so, i have a front door!

but two of the windows aren't right and need to be ordered, hope that doesn't take long.
i have a few pics of copper piping and some other stuff i plan on making different stuff out of.
and down the hill...

i'm covered in raccoon fur

2008-08-08T15:48:00.003-04:00

that's the name of this paint color that will be the roof trim and frieze board. love that name.

and a pic of da rooof.

before the rain today...

2008-08-06T18:48:00.002-04:00

roof panels

it's the ceiling, not the roof

2008-08-05T13:23:00.004-04:00

technically

4

2008-08-04T08:26:00.004-04:00

i was standing in front of the house the other day, just after jimmy finished backfilling, with my friend rebecca. as rebecca and i chatted, i glanced down and poof, saw this and took it as a sign.

(jimmy, thank you for being there for me and thank you for not running it over with the machines... and by 'it' i mean the clover, not the house... but don't run that over either)

the day after yesterday

2008-07-30T17:38:00.007-04:00

the view from the fortunato:

today

2008-07-29T16:43:00.003-04:00

and one art shot:

more walls... excited, nervous, et al!

2008-07-26T15:49:00.009-04:00

i love these windows

walls!

2008-07-25T18:26:00.002-04:00

view from the end of my street

2008-07-24T11:18:00.002-04:00

flash update...

2008-07-24T11:14:00.006-04:00

arrrrrrgh matey!

2008-07-24T11:12:00.003-04:00

don't make me walk the plank, i swear i will never poop the poop deck again!

fubleeeep about time!!!!

2008-07-21T17:34:00.004-04:00

and here we are ladies and germs. what we have all been waiting for... the magic LVL's

and ryan...working!

ps
the foundation has been sitting exposed for so long we need to have it cleaned out and waterproofed again, have fun weber!

a funny thing happened to me on the way to pick up the sink

2008-07-21T17:07:00.004-04:00

which is that i didn't bring anyone to help me. i did think i had planned ahead enough, by bringing all sorts of heavy item moving stuff... dollies, handcarts, the big ramp things to put on the back so i could roll the sink up and into the truck. well... that sink is motherfuckin heavy. its cast iron with porcelain overlay, and it is 51" long.

and the guy's driveway was on a slope. but not toward the street, back in and toward his freshly painted garage doors. so once i got the thing on the dolly and say it had gotten away from me as i pushed it up toward the truck, it would have gone rolling and smashed through his garage. oh boy.

so i attached a rope to the sink, in case it did get away from me, it wouldn't go all the way down. i tried getting it in with the ramps, but no go, too much of a slope working against me. i tried propping it against the tailgate and either pushing it up and in or pulling it over the edge and in from the inside of the bed. nope. i tried each of these approaches at least twice, and oh yeah, it was also about 95 degrees. and there wasn't a soul around. except maybe the elderly neighbor across the street (but i didn't want to be responsible for any negative consequences with his help).

i tried to get that thing in there for an hour. sweat cascading into my eyes, ears, nether regions. i was just about to give up when i hear the beautiful chorus of bells broadcast over a crappy PA and low and behold.... it's the ice cream man. i ran into the street after him yelling "ice cream man, ice cream man, HELP!"

well, it was more along the lines of a scrawny goth ice cream teen. pale skin, jeans, dyed black hair, elvis costello glasses, a big black leather belt, and skinny as a rail. oh boy. so i say "um, ice cream dude... can you help me push my sink into the back of my pickup?". he looks at me and i swear to god he says "well, i'm kind of weak". i'm all "dude, right now you look like hercules, lets go". so i get in the truck and pull and he pushed from the back. and it went in. i thanked him profusely, and although i couldn't tip him or even buy myself a creamsicle or rocket pop because i had zero cash on me, i yelled to him and told him he had gotten his good karma points for the day. i drove home singing about how i was saved by the ice cream man, kid, goth, teen, dude.

and then i really hurt myself unloading the thing alone over at the bay. but, here it is.

studio sink

2008-06-29T22:03:00.004-04:00

i just bought this 1930's farm sink for the studio on eBay... for $10!!! now i just have to find someone(s) to go to fall river to pick it up with me. it's supposed to weigh about 300lbs, yikes.

genu-INE I-talian sink

2008-06-26T20:41:00.006-04:00

just picked myself up this sink i bought on eBay today, i drove very far to get it (because i am on a budget) the sink was very reasonable (read: cheap), but looks awesome and came straight from italy. and it must be italian, it says frah-gee-lay on the box. i also eBayed myself this nice little faucet for it that looks totally money (but wasn't). the whole shebang will look perfect-o with the fortunato (which isn't actually made in italy, but instead in china, oh well, who cares, it looks rockin').

hark...

2008-06-19T09:23:00.003-04:00

what is that which i spy through the woods?....

why it's ryan and justin, and they are building things!!!!!