MAKING A MARK: The Making A Mark Awards (Part 4 - The Home Front)

MAKING A MARK: The Making A Mark Awards (Part 4 - The Home Front)

The blog wins an award!

Katherine Tyrrell's wonderful Making a Mark blog does annual awards every year, and the blog wins for The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year!

You can read about it HERE, and thank you very much, Katherine! We did start this blog in the hopes of encouraging other artists to realize their dream...

As you know, I do work there virtually daily, and find it very conducive to concentration.  No TV, no telephone, no computer, just books, art, and music.  Plus a place to make tea, of course!

So thank you again, Katherine, we're delighted! 

Shedworking's Annual Awards--and more great links!

You all may remember this post from mid-December--Shedworking's Alex Johnson has done his first annual awards for shed workers, and it's FUN.  (One of my favorite early contacts, Uncle Wilco, won the lifetime achievement award, and it's well-deserved!)

Find them HERE...I'll be spending time browsing happily today, and hope you will as well!

Above is Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution, the book Alex wrote  about the trend, and which I still intend to review here...it was a great read! 

Early Inspirations--Handmade Houses

Years ago in a galaxy far away...well, really, it was just the 1970s...I bought a  copy of this book and fell in love.  We didn't build our farmhouse, in the 70s, but I definitely was influenced in how I rehabbed and decorated it!  Wonderfully quirky stuff, some soooo '70s and some I'd love right now. Beautiful carving, imaginative solutions, warm wood... Handmade Houses is still available for a reasonable amount (unless you want one of the hardbound "new" ones some optimist has listed for $900+!!)

If you love the idea of creating your own space, you'll love this old-but-still-good book!

Christmas Day + One

Christmas Day +, originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

What a glorious way to start Christmas Day, sitting in the shed and watching the feast of birds and animals...

Merry Christmas and all good things for the holidays, from the Shed!

The best of  wishes, from Joseph and Kate and the Furry Family!

Progress!

Mike measures..., originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

Mike came the same day we called, gave us a bid, told us he'd try to get there yesterday afternoon but if he couldn't it would be this morning.

He called to say it would be too late yesterday, and yep, he came this morning!

So we have two new plug ins in the shed, 20 amp, so they'll be heavy duty and last as long as the shed, I imagine.

It was really good to see him again--he used to do all our electrical work, but then he retired to Texas...didn't take, and he's back. He's such a nice guy...we chatted a lot, catching eachother up with what's gone on in the past 10 years.

Meanwhile the insulation guy that was going to call back after lunch yesterday still has not. It's been over 3 weeks that we've been trying to get someone just to SHOW UP.

Warmer moves...

So still no insulation under the floor, and no word from the owner of the lovely rug I liked so much--the one with no price tag in THIS POST.  Meanwhile, we hit Costco the other day and they had these little inexpensive throw rugs.  I thought what the heck, at least under the desk where I work would be good!

I had no idea HOW good...it really, really helped, just that one layer of stuff, so once again I tried to rattle loose some response about the bigger rug...nada.

This is the rug Joseph brought with him from Virginia a couple of years ago...when we considered it this summer it really smelled musty, and I didn't think I could deal with that...so doused it with baking soda and let it sit for a few months.  It's a bit dark for the shed, and we're a LONG way from Zen simplicity now, with that crazy flowered chair, plaid throw, and ethnic pillow underfoot, but you know what?  IT'S WARMER.

It's 5 by 8', so it doesn't cover the whole floor, but it's a great help where I spend most of my time...

Meanwhile, our beloved old electrician (I thought he'd retired, which he did, but he's BACK!) came this morning with a bid on the new plug-ins so my lamp cord doesn't have to drag halfway across the room and across the bookcase, and perhaps we can simplify the spaghetti cords of the heaters.  I also asked him about more efficient heating, and he pretty much said what Joseph has all along...we've got it.  1500 watts is 1500 watts.  Oh.  Well, yeah.  OK. <:-D

And actually it's plenty warm once I turn it up, so I'll just hush now...

icy morning sunrise

Glowing in the cold...





This warmed me up nicely...home made 7-grain/carrot/raisin muffin and marmalade...

The Shed gets around...yet again!

I didn't realize we'd been featured on the excellent Shedworking blog back in September till I looked at the stats for this blog and saw the link--you can find it here: 

http://www.shedworking.co.uk/2010/09/shed-of-reality.html

The blog is already  in our list of links in the sidebar...a great place to visit!

If you're interested in a shed of your own, you may have noticed I've linked to the book of the same name (and from the same folks), Shedworking, by Alex Johnson. (As he says, no relation!) 

I loved it...full of great advice and inspiration, and dozens of links.  (In my copious spare time, I plan a book review...soooooon...)  Meanwhile, check it out!

Sunrise snow at the shed

I could hardly wait to get out there with the camera!

And yes, it was quite habitable, once I had both heaters going for 15 minutes or so. I'd left the tower heater on low, 38 degrees, so my paint water hadn't even frozen, but the bowl of water on the floor had, and stayed that way. Glad we're getting the new insulation under there!

Chilly Shed Update

So...found a company to do the insulation under the floor, probably next week unless the weather goes completely wonky.  Almost $400, but it will save on electricity (and cranky, frozen Kate) in the long run.  The one that was going to call me on Monday 2 weeks ago never called, even after another contact, so I imagine how dependable they'd be to actually do the work.

(At this point, all but one of the rigid Styrofoam panels have let go and are lying on the ground under the shed.  Grrrr.)

Still planning to put a wool rug in there...this is the one I want, LOVE the Renaissance feel it has and soft sage green, but having trouble finding the owner of the booth to find out the PRICE.  Must be out of town...

Kinda like the goofy rooster, too...J. thinks I'm nuts, and it IS a lot darker than I'd planned to use in there.  I like checkerboard, though...and I KNOW how much this one costs (very affordable.)

I bought a cheap, small throw rug to put under the desk where I work, and the difference it makes is amazing.  Like between comfort and not.

Meanwhile the ground feeders and squirrels are much appreciating our bounty.  It was 45 degrees this morning, below freezing and snowing now...

And fooey, although it seemed as if the waterlogged board had FINALLY dried out and I put spar varnish on it, mentioned in THIS POST, this is now it looks now.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER USE RECYCLED MATERIALS THAT ARE NOT SOUND.

Brrrrr...

Winter DOES come to the shed...and it isn't even officially winter yet, but the other day it was 39 degrees when I got there.  With BOTH heaters going it doesn't take long to warm up, though, and today I go rug-shopping again.  Bare floor in the winter is nuts, especially when it's just 3/4" plywood!  I found one secondhand for $30, or we may trade out the one at the cabin...

Meanwhile my fleece robe, down comforter and heating pad keep me happy till the heaters do their work...

The birds have found the little platform feeder...nice to watch them crowding around...

Lovely working out there, though...ideas really seem to flow. 

The inside of the shed--video

I recently put up a couple of new videos on YouTube to show the progress with the shed...here's the one of the inside!  It seems to take a while to buffer...sorry!

A very cool tiny-house concept

From Kent Griswold's Tiny House Blog...a community of small houses sharing green spaces and amenities.  http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house/ross-chapin/ 

Here's another similar community:  http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/wyers-end/  Charming houses, with a lot of thought put into them--also Ross Chapin's designs, like the first link.

Building like this, several small houses on a multi-family lot, can help meet minimum square foot requirements of some town building codes.  I've heard of several places where this has been done...not sure I could have built my shed if it was intended to be inhabited (and of course it would have required plumbing, etc., if that had been the case.)

Simple Pleasures

Morning at the shed, reading, meditating, sketching...

I normally take a travel mug of coffee with me, but I'll admit it is soon gone.  A few mornings, I've taken an egg in my pocket--there's still enough water in the big copper pot to let me fill my little pan and put my farm-fresh egg on to boil.  I love the versatile hot plate...

If I've cleaned the egg well enough, I'll use the water to make a cup of tea to have with it...I keep a bit of sea salt in a terra cotta jar, and while I wait for the egg to cool enough to peel, sketch it in my journal then have a good hot breakfast on a cold morning.

The small plate with the spirals was made by a potter friend, 

and Joseph brought the pretty mug with him from Virginia.

Simple pleasures...

Learning as I go...

...the more I use the little shed, the more I learn about it--what works, what doesn't, what I love, what I need to tweak.

The windows are wonderful!  I love the views, and the feeder right outside the desk window.  I've been less than 2 feet from the wild birds there.  I love watching the seasons change...we WILL need to do something about storm windows, sort of, but I installed the last of the weather stripping this week, and it helped.

I knew the single layer of plywood wouldn't do for the floor, and it doesn't.  Still need to fix/replace the insulation, but it's going to need more than that.  The rug will help, for the winter...then, I'm not sure.  Since the shed is up on legs for its foundation (with the wind whistling underneath!), it really should have a LOT more insulation than one slim layer of Styrofoam. 

Live and learn...

We replaced the folding chair at the desk with one that's actually the right height to work for any length of time.  Since I shove it under the desk when not in use, it really doesn't take any more floor space, and the folding chair is still there for company!

I love the hot plate...very, very versatile.  I make tea and coffee, boil eggs, toast muffins....takes very little room but does a LOT.

I learned that I needed more light to do art, and we put in the studio light over the desk, which is terrific...

...and which reminded me that I really, really should have had more plug-ins installed.  Retrofitting isn't as easy as doing it in the first place, but it's gotta happen.  The cords are awkward, unhandy and unsightly...we need two plug-ins on that south wall (there's one, now, but I need one near the desk) and one on the west wall.  

And the jury is still out on the heating situation.  It's been down in the 20s, but it gets a LOT colder here.  Eventually, with two heaters, a down laprobe and a heating pad under my feet, I've been comfortable enough...

Just got the word on the little stove...

Before taking a chance on installing it in the shed--and it WOULD just be auxiliary, emergency, fun, luxury heat, since I'm not out there all the time to stoke it, and neither of us can cut enough wood for full time use--I called our insurance company.

No go.  Any woodstove in anything they insure has to have the UL approved label for safety.  I'd read that you could use these in outbuildings, barns, and such, and hoped my shed would qualify, but nope.  So I guess we're looking at a new one...eventually.  So far the electric heaters are working fine, without too much (any?) additional on our electric bill, so we'll see.

I DO like having the heat on a timer, so it warms up before I go out...the other day it was only 47 degrees, but that was a lot better than the 28 it was outside!  54 degrees this morning in the shed, but warmed quickly once I turned it up...

Guess this one will go back on Craigslist for someone who doesn't have to deal with insurance or plans to put it in a barn or workshop!

Watercolor Pencil Potbelly

WC Pencil Potbelly, originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

This is the little stove we were originally going to put in the shed...CUTE, but I'd forgotten insurance won't cover these old ones unless it's in a barn or some such. Fooey.

So I had an article to do for Watercolor Magic and figured I might as well sketch the cute little thing! In this case I made a "palette" by scribbing colors on my journal page, then lifting and blending them with water and a brush.

Wet autumn shed

The colors were intense this morning; everything was wet and glowing. I love how the shed echoes the color of weeds and fall leaves. and stands out against the acid green of wild honeysuckle. I know it's invasive, but...

Dry at last!

Finally, finally, the waterlogged door trim got dry enough yesterday that I could put the spar varnish on it and protect it from the winter weather!  I hope we can get the deck and step done too, but they ARE YellaWood and treated, so they'd be ok...

You may remember this view...we tried fans, heaters, time...and finally the latter was enough.  It stayed wet from June to about a week ago, and this is November.  (I think this photo was from July...it still looked like that in October!) It would look dry in the afternoon, sometimes, but by morning it would have attracted moisture again...eeep!  Mark said it had gotten waterlogged in his chickenhouse...and we used it WHY??  Featured in our OOops Page, above.  Recycling is great, but ya gotta use good stuff.  I figure those boards cost about $3-$4 each, new...we probably used that much electricity trying to dry it.

Ah well.  Done now...

And here's our usual visitor, Pepi, inside looking out, watching me work...spoiled any, you think?

Woodstove Envy

WANT.  Unfortunately it's in Ireland and I'm not...
http://wood-pellet-ireland.blogspot.com/2008/09/wood-stove-in-wood.html

Want #2: http://www.outdoorblogging.com/a-review-of-the-morso-1410-squirrel-wood-burning-stove/

Either of these are small, efficient, and relatively safe...LOVE the big burning window on the Squirrel.  (OK, I like the name, too...I'm really fond of those silly creatures!

God I love wood heat...

woodstove chimney specs...Hmmmm

...from the National AG Safety Database...

"HOW DO YOU RUN A STOVEPIPE THROUGH A COMBUSTIBLE WALL OR CEILING?

You don't. But if absolutely necessary, the following are approved methods:

• Build a 3.5-inch thick brick masonry wall framed into the combustible wall, with a 12-inch minimum clearance from the clay liner to combustibles.
• Use a solid, insulated, listed factory-built chimney, with a 9-inch air space to combustibles.
• Use a 24-gauge sheet-steel chimney connector with ventilated thimble, plus 6 inches of glass fiber insulation.
• Use a solid, insulated, listed factory-built chimney over a 24-gauge chimney connector, with 1 inch of air space, plus 2 inches from outer wall of chimney section and combustibles.

Connectors must also maintain a pitch of at least 1/4 inch per foot from the appliance to the chimney. Avoid sharp turns, which create excessive resistance to the flow of flue gases, and support and fasten securely with sheet-metal screws, rivets, or other approved means."

comfy chair

comfy chair, originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

It followed me home, can I keep it??

OK, I'm not a pink flowered type. But I've been visiting this thing for months now...when we got the chair for the cabin I thought MAN, if that one just weren't FLOWERED. It's small (for an upholstered chair), it's comfortable, it's....flowered.

But the camp chairs in the shed were getting increasingly uncomfortable, and I thought I'd go visit again. J. said "visit, nothing, let's go BUY it." So we did.

Asked Pat at Olde Towne Mall how much...she gave it to me for TEN DOLLARS. Said she needed the room!

AND we found the flowers are just a slipcover. Of course underneath is a kind of white slubby silky stuff, also not me, but hey...

One thing I really like is that it swivels--I can see the birds out the back, the squirrels out the front, then check who's at the door...wheeee!

The shed gets shared...again!

I just got a CD of photos off to RelaxShax's Deek Diedricksen, who is working on a new book on tiny homes and buildings and asked if I'd be willing to share some of the photos of our shed/sanctuary/studio (and a few of my old original cabin too...)

Deek's a great guy, full of talent, energy and plans--if you haven't seen his Tiny Yellow House videos on YouTube, you're in for a treat.  They're fun and funny and inspiring!

Deek's like a throwback to my back-to-the-land days, willing to try things, exploring outrageous solutions that actually WORK.  I've just been reading his Humble Homes book with its energetic drawings--as he describes it, “Gary Larson meets Bob Vila” housing/fort/small house/shack book.  

I'll admit it's got me thinking, too...

And by the way the photo is from yesterday's artwork at the little desk...

Cold morning, warm glow

It was about 30 out yesterday morning, but the light was just gorgeous...like warm tupelo honey.  The neighbor's pin oak was lit up and glowing as well.

Still trying to figure out the heater issue...

The tiny electric, ceramic space heater is OK, for now (especially with the timer that turns it on an hour or so before I go out there), but I don't believe it has enough surface area.  You need to pretty much be in front of it.  Directly.

So still researching.  It can't cost too much, right now, and I don't want propane, so that narrows the field...I need clean, more or less allergy-free heat.  

Almost bought a little heater that looked like a wood stove--I know, it's nuts, but it was CUTE!!  I was willing to give it space in the shed--till I read the review that said the fake logs were styrofoam and when they heated it made her sick.  Uh oh...ceramic heaters don't do that...

>Not impressed with the oil-filled ones...J. knows of two that lost one of their two heating elements in a short time, and the one I had to do with simply didn't offer enough heat.

The wall-mounted panels seem OK, but not overly impressive, and seem to need to be on longer to heat the area.  No blower on those (something they share with the oil-filled ones)...which is good news and bad news.  Hot blowing air CAN dry your sinuses, but no blowing air sometimes doesn't feel like enough heat."color: black;">

And of course the woodstove would need a hole in the shed (wall is J's choice, roof is mine), double-walled chimney, fireproofing for the wall and floor, and take up considerably more of our 10' x 10' space...and chopping and splitting firewood.  Hm.  That's not going to happen right away, if ever...

So back to electric heat, for now...

I found this guideline on Amazon.com--and it looks worth reading!

Five Tips for Buying a Heater

Choosing a space heater is a matter of sifting through a bewildering array of types, power ratings, and fuel sources. Let's break it down a little to make the process easier.
What are the different types of space heaters?
>

• Radiant heaters emit infrared radiation that directly warms the objects in front of the heaters (rather than the surrounding air). If you only need heat by a desk or in a small section of a room, a radiant heater is quiet and will use very little power.
• Forced-air heaters use a fan to blow air that has been warmed by metal or ceramic heating elements. A forced-air heater is appropriate for quickly heating up a small- to medium-sized room, but can be noisy.
• Convection heaters draw cold air from the floor; the air is warmed by heating coils and emitted from the top of the heater. A convection heater is appropriate for quickly heating up a small- to medium-sized room, but also can be noisy.
• Radiators work by heating oil enclosed in a reservoir, gradually heating the surrounding air. If heating speed isn't an issue, you might want to opt for a radiator. These are extremely quiet and effective--perfect for bedrooms.

Should I buy an electric or a combustion model?
If you want a heater that will be available in emergencies, or that can heat areas larger than a single room, choose a "combustion" model--one that is powered by a gas or fuel like propane, kerosene, natural gas, or diesel. Which fuel type you choose depends largely on convenience and local availability. For example, diesel would be appropriate for a heater you take with you on long car trips.

How powerful a heater do I need?
Heaters are rated by BTU, which stands for British Thermal Unit (the amount of heat needed to heat one pound of water by 1 degree F). To find out how many BTU you need:

• Calculate the volume of the space to be heated by multiplying square footage by height.
• Multiply that number by 4 if your insulation is poor, 3 if it's average, or 2 if it's good.

The resulting number is a ballpark figure for how many BTU you'll need.

Do space heaters cost a lot to operate?
As a general rule, electric space heaters are more expensive to use than combustion models. To ensure energy efficiency, a thermostat is a must-have feature for any heater. For radiant heaters, models with a 360 degree heating surface can heat larger spaces. If you need a forced-air heater, models with ceramic elements tend to be more efficient.

Are space heaters a fire hazard?
Space heaters are implicated in about 25,000 residential fires every year. To ensure proper safety, always follow the manufacturer's usage instructions and fill out the warranty card to receive informational updates from the manufacturer. Also, look for extra safety features such as an automatic shutoff switch that can shut down the unit if, for example, it gets upended. In addition, choose a model where the heating element is adequately enclosed within the unit.

------------

Thanks, Amazon, still considering...babble babble...

Planning and dreaming...

Planning and dreaming, originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

As I've lived with the shed almost daily since June, I've envisioned some changes to the immediate vicinity...a platform feeder visible from my chair, a fire pit near the deck, a crabapple tree to attract birds, a big cedar to block the view of my neighbor's metal shed...

Actually, the house is abandoned since a fire a couple of years ago. The owner started to rehab it and someone broke in and stole all the copper...he said to hell with it.

This is the view...not bad, and I don't see it from my desk or the chair, but if I'm on the deck...not so great.  A tree would be better, and provide a bit more shade in the summer as well as cover for the birds!

Hooray, first bird I've seen...

Hooray, first bird I've seen..., originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

This is how that page turned out...and I thought about adding all the others I'd seen, at right but liked the nice clean white spaces...

The shed and nature

This is the feeder I mentioned in THIS POST--and it's working!  We had our first visitors a day or two after I put that up...and now there have been cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice in addition to this little sparrow.

 

I like it that it's working to do artwork out there, too...NICE.

Susan and her just-past-toddler daughter Birgitte (who is my fairy godchild) came for a visit yesterday...Susan's a good friend who does wonderful, quirky decorating.  She and her mom Jytte used to own Scandinavian Country in our town, and I'd thought of her often while working on the shed.  No big surprise, she loved it!

Birgitte loves to collect rocks and feathers and weeds, so I let her pick a rock from my path for a keepsake...

Dealing with VERY small spaces--this is also one of our permanent tabs!

When You Only Have 10' x 10' of Floorspace or Less–Start Climbing the Walls! 

(tips on dealing with small spaces)

Several people have commented to me that this space would be too small for them, that it felt cramped, that their bathroom was larger than that...and to each his own!  I've always loved small spaces and spent much of my childhood in little tourist cabins, tents, or hiding out in my own forts under the front porch or the dining room table! 10 x 10 is what we could afford, what (theoretically!) fit within the City's guidelines as not needing a building permit (wrong), and what I wanted. Sort of an individual, freestanding cubicle--Dilbert would be SO jealous!

So how do you plan for such a small space, and make it work for you? Fortunately I wasn't planning to live there, so didn't have to have plumbing or a furnace...our "real" house is right next door.  Here are some of our strategies:


The obvious place for storage is the walls, as most tiny-house fans will agree–even though we have big French doors, a regular door on the North, and two windows, we still have a fair amount of wall space. I purposely designed the shed with no openings on the south, both for privacy (neighbors and a small state highway 3 doors down) and for storage space. Of course, floor to ceiling shelves on that wall (not as deep as many bookshelves, at 8") hold a lot of books, art supplies, coffee and teapot and more, with rectangular baskets for things that are better out of sight. (We left the bottom shelf about 12 inches from the floor and my bedroll/yoga mat fits under there along with a small footstool and the wastebasket. No extra floor space needed!)

The desk, studio lighting, and kitchen area fit on that wall too.

 
I planned exposed rafters, which give us a great place to hang things so they’re handy as well as up off the floor. Where the rafters meet the walls there are a series of small cubbies–my husband built a narrow shelf to extend that space so lots of books, art supplies and miscellaneous things can be stored there.

 

 Hangups:

Joseph also put Shaker pegs below this shelf, to hold drafting tools, templates, scissors, T-square, and my tambourine and jacket, at the moment. A vintage clothes hanger with two types of hooks holds cups and small pots near my hot plate–all I need for coffee, tea, or soup in this small space.

Three small cubbies are wall-mounted hold other small items–more art supplies, microscope, matches, whatever. Two are above the desk, and one is by the North door.

An old magazine rack holds catalogs and watercolor blocks; the cubby is a gift from a friend.  You can see templates and a ruler hanging from a nail, and more goodies between the rafters and on the windowsill...and OFF the floor.

The broom, which takes less space than about any kind of cleaning tool, hangs from a vintage style hanger made from a board and two wooden spools.

Double-duty furniture and accoutrements work too. I found a great little step stool that lets me reach the higher rafter-storage shelves over the French doors; it’s sturdy and the top is hinged for storage. It holds mosquito coils, dustrag, window cleaner, extra matches, incense or whatever–all the unsightly-but-necessary stuff that you don’t want out on the shelves!

Sure, it was empty THEN...full, now!

Folding furniture is a great solution to limited floor space, allowing for a great deal of versatility–we have two camp chairs and a vintage folding chair that fits at my desk. The desk has a moveable drafting surface, so it serves double duty. A small oak TV table is just the right height for a laptop, when I need it (the desk is a bit too high.) A tabletop can hinge to the wall and fold away when it’s not needed. Even my easel is a small folding one–when it’s not in use it fits snugly between the desk and the wall.

The top will go up to accommodate larger paintings...

Folded up it takes almost no space...

The camp chair still folds, but it's a lot more comfortable now...

Of course I also planned for outdoor storage–the shed has its own mini-shed attached at one side for construction equipment, BBQ, charcoal, tools–you name it. (Right now it still has a lot of the construction stuff.)

You can store things under the building, too. That’s where extra wood is...

When you're planning on a small space, you have to think about what you REALLY need–some things, I’ll admit, as an artist, are there just because they please me aesthetically. But hey, that’s a need, too.

New Page and a new solution to the comfortable chair issue

First things first!  The folding camp chairs were really inexpensive (under $10 new), but not exactly comfortable after a while.  We both have bad backs, and it had gotten so J. didn't like to spend long out there because it HURT.

We shopped endlessly to try to find comfortable padded folding chairs that were also short enough, since I am, looking at hundreds of chairs online (used to have some, but they got away...)  We looked at non-folding overstuffed chairs in a variety of thrift stores, but we really need the versatility and the option of chairs we can fold away, in the small space.

Soooo...here's my solution!  I tied chair seat cushions to the back to pad that area, and put a nice big soft bed pillow in the seat...that helps a lot with the place where the diagonal legs wanted to dig into my fanny! 

Ugly as can be, of course, but a nice down throw we've had for years covers one of them, and a polar-fleece throw the other one.  Now they look almost like Real Chairs, and they are a LOT more comfortable!

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The other project today was the new page on the tabs at top, dealing with and planning for small spaces!  Click the link to see what we've done so far--I'll be adding to it as I think of things, I'm sure...

Heating the shed...

So far, it's still relatively nice fall weather--some mornings have been almost down to freezing, but not yet.  (Might have been frost one morning...)

But winter's coming and Missouri can get very cold when "there's jes' two bob-wahr fences between here and the North Pole and one a-THEM's down," as I heard an old farmer say once!  I know, -12 degrees F. isn't as cold as it's been in some places, but it's not really conducive to sketching...

We didn't install a "real" heating system in the shed...certainly no furnace, no natural gas, and no electric baseboard heat or similar--in other words, nothing that comes on with a thermostat when the temperature drops below a certain level, so water WILL freeze at night or when I'm not there.  I won't be storing paints, waterbrushes, or drinking water...

This is the current solution to those cold mornings: 

It's a small ceramic heater with 1500 BTUs** (Note!  J reminds me that's 1500 watts, not BTUs...), about standard for most electric heaters.  (Yes, the floor's still going to be cold till we solve the insulation problem...)

 

This is a BIG help for now, however.  J. found a timer that comes on an hour or so before I'm likely to be out there, and makes it nice enough to work...about 60+-ish, on chilly mornings. (I used to need 72 degrees, but I've weaned myself pretty well, with wool or polar fleece and localized heat.)  For now, we have it set to turn back off at 9 am, with an override button on the side so I can manually keep the heat up if I'm out there...

,

And here's the other solution...polar fleece knee sock/slippers I got a few years ago at a thrift store--they were brand NEW, and have been great.  J's old heating pad now has a slipcover of a quilted pillowcase, also a thrift store find, and my toes are toasty!

We had originally thought we'd install a small woodstove, and may yet, one day (I really do love wood heat)--but with the necessary clearance from combustibles, it would need nearly 1/4 of the floor space.  Hm.  That's a LOT.

Plus the fact that I've got arthritis and J. has a bad back, since a fall 4 years ago.  Very much wood cutting, carrying, and splitting is NOT an option.

So.  Here's something else I'm considering, a home made solar heater.

(Wouldn't you know, plans for one from the 70s fell victim to my Discardia mania a few weeks ago!  Yes, I want less stuff, yes I want a simpler life, and yes, they WERE sort of beat up, but I wish I'd thought a bit first...)

Anyway, a home made one could vent right into the AC hole during the winter, and come down and be stored away in summer...I purposely left that big south-facing wall blank so I'd have privacy and plenty of wall space for the books and desk.  Plenty of room for a solar panel, too!

Another possibility is a wall mounted convection heater...saw this link on the Tiny House Blog...here's the direct link.  http://www.eheat.com/categories/Wall-Mounted-Electric-Panel-Heaters/ 

Hmmmmmm---wall mounted...more floor space...no vents or additional holes needed...energy efficient...

But for now the tiny heater and the timer are getting the job done...with a nice low-tech heating pad.