Shed of Reality; a place called sanity

Cardinals in FLOCKS!

2012-01-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

Busy times at the shed!

There were nine males when I did the sketch, but ELEVEN by the time everyone had showed up for dinner...plus 5 or 6 females.

I don't remember EVER seeing this many cardinals all in one place before...the males are quite territorial, but it's winter and we offer them lots of feeding options and different stations around the yard. I'm entranced by the bright colors and the interaction between them, and find myself sketching them again and again.

These are all graphite-free, no preliminary sketching, just hurrying to get it down.

How many cardinals can you see here? And there were MORE.

There's been almost no snow this year...imagine how these would look against white!

Lloyd Kahn's latest book--Tiny Homes: Simple Shelters--we're IN it!

2011-12-30T18:34:00.000-08:00

Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter

I remember Lloyd's earlier books from the Whole Earth Catalog days and beyond...I still OWN a couple of first editions! When he asked if I'd be interested in sharing the shed in his latest project, "no" wasn't even an option.

Click the link above to see much, much more, or pre-order it...I got my contributor's copies yesterday, and it's WONDERFUL. 1300+ photos of delightful dwellings, sheds, boats, wagons and more...

Here's the shed's spread...

the south wall as it looked when I sent in the photos...

And a year later...it's filled up a tad, with books, art supplies, storage and such...

A lovely new link!

2011-12-29T06:21:00.000-08:00

traditional exterior design by san francisco architect awarchitect.com

traditional exterior design by burlington architect Birdseye Design

Check out the post, here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/916210/list/Small-Wonders

New table...

2011-12-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

I'd been doing my videos in front of the big French windows at the shed, which worked great...except I was doing them on a folding TV table. My sweet Joseph just built me a terrific folding table that's still small enough to fit in well in the 10 x 10' space, will fold completely out of the way if we need to, but is big enough to spread out my art supplies!

Planning and constructing...

The hinge for the legs...

Putting it all together...

Painting the legs...

And here it is at work!

MORE Life at the Shed...

2011-11-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous, mosaic-like bug under the edge of an old green planter...

Busy nuthatches with their metallic "beep" sounds...


Wild honeysuckle may be a wicked invasive, but the birds adore it...which, of course, is WHY it's so successful...

I love sunny days when I can sit on the deck and journal and sketch...

The black one is a Stilman& Birn journal that's a delight to write in, the other's one of my hand-bound artists' journals

Soaking up the D-vitamins!

And then to work, doing videos by the big window. On sunny days, the light is sufficient, on cloudier ones I used the photo-floods...and Joseph is building me a bigger table to do demos on! Hooray...

Life at the Shed...

2011-11-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

Outdoors, my little majmar provides warmth on chilly mornings--and hot water for tea. Still haven't tried cooking anything serious on it!

Shooting videos by bouncing photo lights off that white ceiling...hard at work on a new class for Strathmore Papers, and learning to use my video-editing software.

Herbs growing where they're safe from the indoor cats...the morning light comes in the French doors...

The kitchen corner still provides hot tea and a working surface...

Gorgeous crystal lights up the west windowsill

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

2011-11-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

And by the way, the big blank south wall of the shed is seriously boring. It's the inside wall with the bookshelves, desk, and kitchen corner, so I didn't want a window there but from the outside....zzzzzzz.

See what I mean? Nada. A LOT of nada.

I've thought about a trellis, a solar collector, a sculpture, a sign, a big bush, or...maybe...just not think about it. I don't see that side very often anyway! But if you have any suggestions....

Backyard House project

2011-10-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

My friend the wonderful botanical artist Sigrid Frensen sent me this link...great ideas here, too! Repurposed materials, wonderful lighting...

Check out the slideshow and all the marvelous, quirky ideas HERE:
http://www.riseoverrun.biz/the-backyard-house.html

Sunset Magazine's terrific sheds collection...

2011-10-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

One of my favorites from Sunset's site...but who can pick??

http://www.sunset.com/home/outdoor-living/great-backyard-sheds-and-cottages-00400000058405/page22.html

Trust Sunset to have a bunch of great ideas...

Serious Progress Preparing for Winter

2011-10-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

AT LAST! All of the rigid foam insulation had let go and fallen to the ground under the shed...as noted before, the adhesive needs to be pressed into place and then the foam pulled free so it will off-gas, then pushed back into place. Who knew? So I watched as each piece let go and gave me a refrigerated floor! I was GOING to get it fixed before another winter, whatever it took.

So hooray, Mark and Zach were free, and arrived yesterday to get us fixed up!

This is the old stuff, all out from under the shed now...you can see the glue spots that let go. There wasn't a bit of it still on the floor where it belonged. Somehow it didn't warm the floor much once it was all lying on the ground...

We decided to replace some of it with the 2" stuff, and double up the old...

They didn't have long enough nails with the plastic washers, so here's Mark replacing the nails with screws...Zach couldn't have swung a hammer under there anyway!

Finishing up along the west edge...Zach crawled under for most of it...

You can see some of the little fasteners here--more dependable than the glue, I hope! And you can tell how little clearance there was...

Mark's squeezing the last bit into place...Zach's underneath guiding it in.

If I had REMEMBERED I'd owned this book since the late 80's, I could have saved us ALL a bit of trouble. Or a lot. It's still out there on Amazon, as you can see at the link!

A Place of Your Own Making: How to Build a One-Room Cabin, Studio, Shack, or Shed

Soooo...let this be a lesson to you if you're wanting to build your own place...nails in the floor joists BEFORE you put down the floor, at the depth of the styrofoam, as you may be able to see above. Rest it ON the nails. THEN cover.

Voila', an insulated floor that stays put! (A vapor barrier between the insulation and the sub-floor--or floor, as it turned out to be for us!--is good, too. Duh...)

So looking forward to a warmer winter and a lower electric bill!

A different view of the shed...

2011-10-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Looking over the fence...I'm still trying to figure out if I want to add an overhang over that door, so I don't have to fumble with locking and unlocking when it rains or snows! I don't want it to look cheesey, or like an afterthought (even if it is!)...more integral. So...thinking...

It HAS been a while...

2011-10-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the shed as much as ever, and tweaking here and there as we go along...we have MORE birdfeeders, and the little creatures seem to especially love raw peanuts and black oil sunflowers. These titmice are sharing a dinner...

Lots of little downy woodpeckers, too...

Yep, another one...

Sparrows feed on the ground, on the feeders, at the suet...omnivorous!

The wildflowers are almost gone...these have puffy seed heads now instead of flowers.


Some of the trees have changed, but the soft maples are still mostly green...with lovely red stems! This was taken with my new Canon camera, with the zoom function, way overhead. Cool...

The damp wood by the door appears to FINALLY be dry, and I gave it two more coats of spar varnish...hopefully that will protect it over the winter...and we're looking to get the insulation under the floor fixed THIS WEEK.

I've shot a number of videos and painted a lot, in and around the shed...it's quiet, no phones, and a good place to work, still...

This one's down the alley, just beginning to look like fall...

Hang it all!

2011-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when you want a very workable, hardworking space in a VERY small area?

The Shed of Reality does double and triple duty for me...and then some. It's a studio, a retreat, a place to entertain, make music, make art, make videos. It's an escape. It's a mini-vacation. It's a place of healing, and a tiny yoga ashram, a room for meditation. A place for a private chat. I even put up a friend there overnight once. As the subtitle of this blog puts it, it's a place called sanity...with a nice cuppa tea and a good book!

With such limited floor space...a bit less than 100 square feet--a whole LOT of stuff climbs the walls. Book cases, of course, and shelves. Windowsills hold a lot. The space between the rafters are used...and here are some of the many ways to hang things up we've pressed into service, some as simple as a nail, some wonderful finds from the thrift store...

Love the antique coat or hat hanger...it works great for cups and small pots in the kitchen corner.

A sturdy hand-forged hook holds a tea towel, a small skillet and the yellow teapot my sis gave me 40 years ago...

Joseph created the broom hanger...and a smaller broom hangs from a nail to the right--along with my Audubon Society bird call!

This cool double hanger was in an old armoire, hidden from sight. I've got two more to put up somewhere...

A handy double hook matches those in the closet of my 100 year old house...it was a gift from a friend.

Nails work just fine...this is the dustpan that hangs on the wall, below a window.

Shaker pegs hold music CDs in a basket and my old tambourine... the shelf above holds odds and ends.

This end of the Shaker peg shelf is over my desk, and holds necessary art supplies


Push pins still work, and so do cork boards!

A hand forged nail is strong enough to hold a willow magazine rack full of sketchbooks and watercolor blocks.

A cup hook holds the lightweight Japanese lantern...

Yep, another nail holds the dishpan...


Even the doorknobs are pressed into service, keeping the floor relatively clear for foot traffic!

It all works, and is very flexible...I can always hang something different wherever I decide to, or put up another nail--the fact that we used thin wooden underflooring left over from another project instead of drywall makes putting more nails up a piece of cake!

Oh yeah, and here's the storage between the rafters over the big French door. I put stuff up there I don't need often, because I have to climb up on a stool to reach it.

I'm still planning more shelves and such, but this is a good start after a year's hard use...

Fairytale cottages...

2011-08-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Well THIS is way too much fun not to share...fairytale cottages in Carmel, CA...

And if you want a kit to make building your own small house easier, check out these from the Tiny House Blog: http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/cabana-village-kits/

A year ago today...

2011-06-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Construction was well along...but I can't believe how much we've squeezed into this past year. I feel as though the shed has always been there. It's a second home...I am SO grateful. Thanks to my sweet husband and all the people who have contributed to and shared this special place...

Sketching at the Shed...

2011-06-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month, but I've taken time every day for "sheditation."

And sketching in my journal, of course!


OK, the guy with the ink and the flood on the Missouri River aren't at the shed...but we're having a great time watching the birds!

I love my little Moroccan majmar, a pottery stove/grill that is fun for morning tea or for cooking. Or just to have a fire when the morning is cool enough! My robe smells all smoky...

Love sketching the leaves and flowers...this was done for the watercolor pencil mini-class I'm working on!

Yes, this IS a footstool, it only looks like a crate...

My best look...in shadow!

More photos to come...I've discovered lots of useful wild plants in my wanderings...

Landscaping for wildlife at the shed

2011-05-24T12:17:00.000-07:00


I put this one up on FLickr so I could add notes as to what's what--although of course the gooseberries, mulberry, honeysuckly, and red twig dogwood are all out in front of the shed! Anyway, here's the link to the version with notes.

I USED to have raised bed vegetable gardens there, but the trees have really grown up...

One of our many squirrels. Where's Waldo??

Viburnum on the way to being berries!

This is the smaller viburnum...

Red twig dogwood flowers

...and the smaller of the red twigs. This one is round and busy, the other is tall and lanky...

Wild/volunteer mulberries--the birds and I share...

We planted two hollies...for fun and for red berries!

The wild gooseberry by the back alley...

Feeders! Four of them, now, out the French doors. A peanut feeder on the left, finch feeder, hummingbird feeder, and the oriole feeder that gets soundly ignored!

New crabapple...these are supposed to turn orange in the fall!

The old comfrey...

The butterfly bush will have red flowers...

NOT a blue muffin viburnum. It's Autumn Jazz, would have been nice to notice that before we planted it, but oh well...

Birdwatching at the shed

2011-05-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

I posted another version of this on our Sketching in Nature blog, an international group of nature artists you may enjoy, but wanted to include it here as well, with tweaks!

Joseph spotted these White-crowned Sparrows at the shed, out in the alley, and I was delighted that they came back later and let me sketch them! I keep a variety of bird books for ID, and our binoculars are always handy, so I was able to see them quite well...

Here are no end of images of the white crowned sparrow from Google...

I'm used to chipping sparrows and house sparrows so it's been fun seeing these different ones, like the White Throated Sparrow on Easter I sketched here.

You can see a photo comparison of these two on Marie Winn's blog, here.

I keep getting tiny, unfinished sketches of our hummingbirds, though! They move FAST. The female is a much more frequent visitor, and since it's shady I don't see the male's gorgeous red throat patch, but I keep trying...

I am REALLY enjoying the big French doors at the shed! And so is Joseph, it's been a great place for him to recuperate from surgery...

More Tiny Houses...

2011-05-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

...you might know the Mother Earth News would find some wonderful examples! Check this link: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-home-living/8-great-micro-houses.aspx#ixzz1NB4hTG3p for more inspiration...

Outside work...

2011-05-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

The shed's getting its casual landscaping! Wasn't it nice of Keith to wear that gorgeous red t-shirt that looks so good on my page? Last week we planted viburnum, butterfly bush, and a couple of hollies. Today we found the red twig dogwood we wanted, and a crabapple tree. Other than a few perennials, that's about it...the birds will be DELIGHTED with all the berries and fruits this winter, and the hummingbirds and butterflies will love it right now...

Meanwhile, the bold little rock Pablo of Round Rock Journal sent me is trying to outshine everyone else in the rock garden...look at that glow!

New firepit

2011-04-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

I tried to find a link to our new firepit, bought last fall (J. says on sale, maybe at Lowe's), and haven't been able to do so. It's lightweight, has a grill the fire rests on (not sure about that part, may replace with sand or clay litter), has a screen lid and came with an odd little poker/lifter. Quite the deal!

It was WELL under $50, and the ones I'm finding are mostly a lot more than that. A LOT. But Home Depot has the most inexpensive ones, now...$29!!

First Fire

2011-04-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

Like everyone else, we have lots of twigs and limbs dead or down over the winter...finally, it wasn't raining, so we decided to get out the new (as of last fall!) fire pit for its inaugural run and burn some of it while we sat on the deck and read. VERY pleasant...and Pepi seems to agree! (The birds weren't wild about it, though...they were shy, except the cowbirds.)

Joseph got out the pruner to bring down the dead limb that's been hanging over the path for a year...it'll make great firewood!

Quiet Easter at the shed

2011-04-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy, crazy time for us...J had surgery early this month, and I've had a rotten cold, so we've spent a LOT of time at the shed, recuperating, resting, reading...and of course, sketching.

There's been SO much rain here that on Easter Sunday, we were very grateful for a quiet day with a bit of sun...even the robin was napping on his perch!

The yellow patches on the white-throated sparrow were like drops of pure sunshine.

J. just got the new birdhouse up on the fence outside the shed door...hoping it attracts something! It has a larger opening one one side and a smaller one here, for different kinds of birds--I wasn't sure which to pick, so we'll see.

We're adding more bird feeders and making this little spot into a real nature sanctuary...looking forward to being able to start the planting, when it stops raining and we can get together with our friend Keith, who owned a greenhouse and is advising us on what will grow best in this shady area, and be food for birds.

I can foresee sketching subject for a long time to come...

A new link you'll like...

2011-04-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

...if you're dreaming about your own shed or cabin or tiny house. Check out Pennypincher Barn Company at http://pennypincherbarns.com/ --if I hadn't already designed my own I would have fallen in love with several of these!

Theyve got off the shelf models, plus plans for sheds, cabins, small houses, barns, garages, accessories--all kinds of goodies. (I'm in love with the Baby Bear Cabin, below--that turret is TOO MUCH!)

This is one of the links in the Tiny House Blog...if you haven't bookmarked that one, DO it! Great stuff...

The shed gets a prezzie!

2011-04-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Two of them, actually...

I love rocks. Always have, even as a kid, filling my pockets till I could barely walk, dragging them home from mountains and Ozarks to make mini-environments in my own back yard.. Round rocks particularly fascinate me, wondering where they've been, how they were formed, what's inside them. Some are geodes, some are formed by wind, like the tiny round sandstone pebble I brought home from Nevada a few years ago, literally scoured out of its cliff-face mother by eons of desert wind.

Recently I was asked for my mailing address by Pablo (the author Paul Lamble) of Roundrock Journal...one of my favorite blogs that covers the natural discoveries over his 83 acres of Ozark land--including a long line of round rocks appearing here and there, hence the blog name.

It's always been a pleasure to read, full of astute observation and wisdom, and though I understand what he meant when he told me his rambles of explorations had morphed into searches for blog material instead of simply discovery, I miss it anyway. (It's on hiatus till further notice, but worth going back and reading old entries, and I do!

He told me he had a present for the shed, and I'll admit I had my hopes!

Well, to make a long story short, we returned from the West to find a HEAVY box waiting at the post office, and in it were the two beautiful round rocks you see here, nestled with Missouri limestone and a chunk of pink quartzite carried here by the glacier. They've found a new home, near pebbles from the Rockies, the seashore, and more...

Thank you, Pablo, I couldn't be more delighted!

Gypsy Wagons...

2011-03-21T16:47:00.001-07:00

Maybe we could put wheels under the shed...

Shared by our friend Nona Parry.

Spring is coming!

2011-03-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

And we're thinking about our mini-nature sanctuary! Our friend Keith used to have a garden center and nursery, so we asked him for advice about our very-shady lot where the shed is. I want to maintain an illusion of wildness, since it HAS largely grown up in the years I've owned it--the shed feels a lot like it's in the country, right here in town.

I specified things that would look natural, offer privacy, and that the birds and butterflies would like...

Mostly I want a crabapple and a couple of red-twig dogwoods right now...we'll start slow, what we can afford and what won't take much maintenance--both of us have bad backs and I've got arthritis, so hoping to have really hardy, mostly maintenance-free plantings, shrubs and perennials mostly.

Here are some of Keith's suggestions, many of which I wasn't familiar with, so I'm browsing the 'net and checking out what these are. (You can click on the image to see it larger.) Blue Muffin Viburnum is COOL, and the birds agree.

Sooooo...we'll see how much we can afford, and go from there!

Late winter wildlife

2011-03-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

The shed collects more and more bird feeders, and they seem to attract a wide variety of critters. The new woodpecker feeder takes a combination of peanut butter and pieces, and the raccoons have cleaned it out twice in two days.

I love raccoons, but I think we'd better find someplace else to hang this thing! They climb right up the little redbud and feast!

I have a new peanut feeder and a finch sock, as well, and we're going to be planting some shrubs and things that the birds will like...fun planning!

(And yes, that IS still the ugly blue insulation on the ground under the shed. SOOOOOON.)

Video setup du jour

2011-03-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

I still wasn't getting quite enough light in the video setup I wrote about last month, in THIS post. It was nice, and works, but I think I need photo-flood lights.

It looked like it should be light enough, but still...not quite.

Putting the camera in front of the big French doors helped...you can see the video I just shot on the Artist's Journal Workshop blog, HERE. I'm still no Spielburg, but we're getting better...

Now all I have to do is remember #1, to turn on the camera, and #2, not to knock the tripod over.

So far, though, the shed works great for videos, because there's no telephone and not much chance of a noisy interruption. I don't have a red light on the door!

Perceptions can be deceiving in a small space...

2011-03-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

When I first got my comfy chair for the shed I thought "wow...um...it's BIG." But so infinitely more comfortable, I figured it was worth it.

Then, I wanted my husband to be comfortable, too...and once he'd sat in my chair a few times, he finally agreed. One of the main uses for our little space is a place to dream, read, rest, make music, meditate, and sitting in a folding camp chair just wasn't conducive.

Soooo...we got him a comfy chair, too. Bought it the same way we did mine--hit the secondhand stores and antiques malls, and let him sit in everything they had. When that beatific smile spread across his face--a twin to the one that lit mine up when I sat in the crazy rose chair--we knew it had to be his.

Of course if ONE overstuffed chair seems to fill a 10-foot by 10-foot space, imagine what TWO of them do.

But you know what? Both of these chairs SWIVEL. You get a panoramic view, instantly. You can look out the French doors, then swing to the back window and check out the feeder birds, then look up the hill, each time with a different view indoors, too. I can reach my desk, the kitchen corner, and the bookshelves, instantly.

I was astounded. It's like the space expands, exponentially. You're not trapped in a big old chair pointed in one direction, the space just opens up. When I walk around in the shed, there's room between them. If I need more, I swivel one out of the way.

Sure, if we wanted to have a barn dance, it might be a bit snug. (We don't!) If I had planned a bed and shower in there, it would be overcrowded But there's room for a bedroll against the wall, if we want (currently one is rolled up under the bottom shelf behind my chair), and a shower's right out anyway, since we didn't put in any kind of plumbing other than the big copper cistern at the bottom of THIS post. (Since we now keep the shed in the 40s at night, water doesn't freeze except the cat's water on the floor, so there's always water.) The house is right next door, so that's not an issue...

It's working beautifully...AND comfortably!

Yep, still winter...drat that groundhog anyway...

2011-02-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

This was the view yesterday...some of the snow has fallen off the branches now, and rain has fallen on top of that, so it's a big crusty...

Over the fence and the top of my canoe...the snow isn't really THAT deep!

She looks like she's saying "come ON, let's get IN there." But this is Belle the Biter, who cost me a doctor visit, tetanus shot, and some anxiety this fall, so...nope.

So far the electric heaters and wool rug are up to the challenge, once I get warmed up a bit...having that sound side floating like that may have to be dealt with. Too much air under there!

And the shed got a prezzie, from my good friend the artist Molly Morgan-Roberts! I've had the stained glass cardinal for years, but Molly made the wonderfully wacky vintage fork wrapped in spirals and beads...I threatened to make omelets with it.

Really unique ones...

J. discouraged me, since he's the usual dishwasher...

Winter wasn't finished with us...

2011-02-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was sitting on the deck, barefoot, reading. Today? Not so much.

Warmer days...

2011-02-23T05:45:00.000-08:00

The snow melted and the warmer air made everything very foggy...it was silent and BEAUTIFUL.

A day or two later, it was so warm I needed to prop a window open for a while! I'd had a huge snow pile on the deck where the snow had melted off the roof. By morning it was GONE, and over 70 in the shed even with the heater turned to 48.

Needless to say it got cold again, but those winter thaws are SO welcome...I'm already thinking of landscaping and what to plant where. Red twig dogwood for color and food for the birds, I think...and something on the south side...

Guess what?? It's WINTER.

2011-02-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

I put up "guess what" photos on my Flickr from time to time--it's become a game with us! So far no one has actually nailed this one, though they're very, very close.

I've mentioned the problem with the insulation falling off under the floor of the shed...that means there's 3/4" of plywood between my feet and the North Pole!

So what IS this?

It's the paint water in my little enameled tin pot; I left it on the floor overnight. We keep the heat in the shed at about 48 degrees when we're not there, but it can't overcome that icy floor!

I'm thawing my paintwater in front of the little heater! Since we have to carry water over from the house, I'm sparing with it. It'll work just fine once it melts...

And happily, I've since discovered that if I leave the little pot on the wool RUG instead of the floor, it doesn't freeze. Nether does Pepi's water. We WILL solve this before next winter!!!

Video setup

2011-02-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

So far, this is the best setup for shooting how-to videos I've come up with at the shed (or anyplace else!) Two lamps, one of them with both incandescent and fluorescent, one shop light, and the little lamp pointed at a sheet of styrofoam for bounced, indirect light. It's STILL darker than I'd like, but so far so good.

My ancient tripod helps, but of course getting it located so the camera is sort of over my shoulder so it can catch my hands drawing or whatever is a tad awkward. Better than the desktop tripod I WAS using, of course!

So far the FlipVideo works best. As you can see, space is tight--big shock in a 10 x 10 space full of other stuff, eh??

And this morning's lovely cold post-blizzard sunrise...we were out there shortly after that, drinking coffee and working! Yes, the floor is still cold. Oh well. By NEXT winter, we'll have that solved, one way or another!

WINTER!

2011-02-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

It's been cold, snowy, and icy for days now, but J. makes sure I can get to the shed. This morning, since they're calling for Snowmageddon and ice, he's gone out with the Ice Melt!

He's been joining me more often since we got a comfortable chair for him, too, and it's lovely!

I've been working on a series of new mini-classes out there, and it's the perfect place for it. Not so many distractions, no Internet, no Facebook, no Flickr, no email (though J. did bring the netbook out to work on taxes one day, and said he got the 'net on it, SSHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'm pretending I did NOT hear that!)

I've got a pretty good setup for shooting mini-videos for the classes, but the photo I shot of it didn't work--will try again!

Nature continues to amuse and amaze me, there...who knew how much I was missing, in the house!

I never realized till now that gray squirrels are such gourmands! They only eat the germ and discard the rest of the kernel like picky kids at the dinner table. No worries, though, the blue jays, raccoons, and fox squirrels don't mind cleaning up their plates! I keep an assortment of magnifying devices at the shed to help me see these details better.

All in all, I've been working hard and playing hard, and it's great!

Where we are on Earth

2011-01-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

No wonder we get so much wildlife at the shed...and just to the south of this a couple of blocks is a large wooded city park with a river and walking trail. It's right on the very edge of town, which is why I bought this place 30 years ago. It's STILL on the edge of town, how cool is that? It would be hard to build on that steep wooded hill!

Looking at our place on earth...

2011-01-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

...no wonder we see all manner of birds (including wild turkeys), the occasional fox, opossums, raccoons, and more, along with deer only a couple of blocks away...

Mapquest is SO handy...I knew the shed backed up to a finger of woods that proceeded up the hill and trailed on behind the houses on the little state highway. Seeing it from the air REALLY makes me realize how much woods touches our place...

DONE now...I think...

2011-01-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

...and yes, a VERY long way from Zen-like simplicity!

But...I do tend to value comfort at my great age, and I need my art supplies, books, cooking area, mugs, pottery, basket, cubbies, skulls, bits of wood, weeds, rocks, oddities, candles, bird seed, heaters...and my goofy chair, which rocks and swivels and lets me see out the windows at a moment's notice, whether out the front or the back...

So one day last week when I was working at the computer over at the house, J. had a bit of shed time himself. He'd been saying he didn't NEED a comfy chair.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...

We found this one at Olde Towne Mall here in town, the same place we got my chair. We choose them for comfort, not looks, obviously!

Is this a happy face, or WHAT?? He even took a nap!

But yeah. I think that's about it, if we're planning to be able to move...

Here's the Shed's Award!

2011-01-16T05:27:00.000-08:00

As we announced in THIS POST, we were honored to receive the MGM Studio award from Katherine Tyrrell's marvelous Making a Mark blog. In case you haven't found it before, Katherine offers a prodigious amount of wonderful information for artists, on everything from sketching on the spot to major shows and awards around the world, from book reviews to tutorials.

This morning she sent the plaque to go with the award, which I'm pleased to add to our sidebar! Thank you, Katherine, the shed IS working wonderfully for me...

Another cold morning...

2011-01-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

This was the view from the front yard, just before sunrise the other morning...really looks like it's in the woods, doesn't it? I bought this lot because it backs up to a wooded hill that's kept encroaching in our direction! At one time, the lot across the alley was a garden...it grew up in small trees. When the house next door burned down, I bought this lot, and this was where MY garden was. But the trees grew up here too, so now the shed feels wonderfully isolated.

As long as you don't look south, which is all houses and the small state highway!

And for those who have asked about keeping warm...so far, this is working. And polar fleece leggings, and a robe...

Mostly. With a tower heater left on low all night... :-)

Snow days

2011-01-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

The sky was a beautiful warm peach this morning, and the sun hadn't yet cleared the East hill beyond the shed...the snow still looked blue and cold. And well it might, it was 10 degrees when I went out to take photos, and had been colder still.

Enough warmth escapes through the roof to soften the snow and make it slide down the smooth metal. The icicles curved oddly, and I had to get a photo!

We got about 8" of snow; I wanted to get out to the alley and get a shot of the shed before it got too tracked up. Those are mostly my footprints and the neighborhood cats, along with a few hungry squirrels digging beneath the snow for their buried provisions.

And sure enough, the bowl of water on the floor inside had a rime of ice on it...

The Shed's a great observation blind

2011-01-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

He came cautiously down the tree, then peered around the vine, then stood at attention near the platform feeder until he was SURE the coast was clear.

Normally when I reach for my pencil the squirrels scatter, but not this time. I got to do a LOT of quick sketches in various mediums...soft graphite, ink, a mechanical pencil...even got a few photos through the big French doors...

I've been told that gray squirrels and fox squirrels won't inhabit the same territory, but no one's told the squirrels!

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

2010-12-31T06:59:00.000-08:00

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

The blog wins an award!

2010-12-31T06:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-26T11:01:00.001-08:00

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!

2010-12-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

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

Progress!

2010-12-21T15:28:00.001-08:00

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...

2010-12-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-14T16:05:00.001-08:00

Glowing in the cold...

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

The Shed gets around...yet again!

2010-12-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-12T09:58:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-12-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-29T12:01:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-11-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

...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...

2010-11-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-15T19:54:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-12T16:08:00.001-08:00

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!

2010-11-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

...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

2010-11-06T14:52:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-11-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-11-06T02:13:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-11-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-11-02T18:13:00.001-07:00

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...

2010-11-02T12:50:00.001-07:00

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

2010-11-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

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!

----------

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...

2010-10-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

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.

A contest for 10-square buildings!

2010-10-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

And they mean meters, not feet...that would be about 107 square feet (I think!)

http://shelter.inthekoots.com/10-square-entries/

I won't enter the shed since it's meant to be about actual living spaces, but it is FUN to look at the entries! Check it out...

The Shed gets around!

2010-10-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Take a peek! http://relaxshax.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/cathy-johnsons-art-shedshedworking-studio/

Relaxshax' Derek "Deek" Diedricksen featured our little shed studio today--Deek's working on a new book on sheds and little houses, and we may be included. Bookmark his site, if you like, and check back often, I know I will...

Shed Prezzies!

2010-10-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

Godchild Ann Brown gave me this wonderful velvet pumpkin for my birthday--she said it was for the shed, and she was right, it looks great! Just the perfect combination of elegance and nature (that's a real stem...) Thank you, Miss Ann, I love it.

And Joseph put up my new birdfeeder, right outside the work window--PERFECT. This isn't where I'd imagined it, it's infinitely better. I'll be able to watch the birds and maybe even get some decent sketches and photos as they get used to me...

It looks cool, too! It should be safer from raccoons and squirrels (yes, resourceful little acrobats as they are!), it's easy to get at to fill...perfect. Thanks, babe!

...and there was light!

2010-10-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

The new lamp came already! You can see what a huge difference it's going to make. It's not really that bright--I won't get a sunburn--but it will be wonderful for making art, especially at night. (You can see the shelves are filling up too...looks homey, and it is VERY functional.)

We had thought maybe we could bring my ancient one home from the cabin, but it only works halfway, and half the time...so REALLY glad this one came today.

You can use just fluorescent (but who would want to!?!) Kind of cold and blue...

Or just incandescent for warm light if you want to read...

Or both, if you want balanced light for judging color and value in artwork. It's wonderful! This one is an ALVIN Combination Swing-arm Task Light, and it was the least expensive model we found.

And the answer is YES...

2010-10-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

My old studio lamp gave up the ghost when we were in the middle of shed-building, and J. asked if I needed one for out there. Hey, I've got windows, a sunny day, white ceiling, a hanging Japanese lantern, and the cool little antique desk lamp...I said "I don't know...let's wait and see."

I waited. I see. The answer is YES. Please.

I'm working on an illustration for Watercolor Artist, and the existing light just isn't sufficient for artwork. Working in the journal, yes, sure. Reading, no problem. REAL work, um, no.

So he ordered me this one, which looked as close as we could get to what I've always liked, and it's more affordable than the more futuristic "studio lighting."

You can see more about it here..it's the ALVIN Combination Task Light Looks like it will do exactly what I'm used to, with warm and cool light combined. And y'know, I just like that drafting-lamp look!

Winterizing progress...inexpensive and easy.

2010-10-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

The hardware store offers several types...we figured low-density would compact more readily.

Piece of cake to cut to size...

Done!

Since we used recycled windows and doors, there's not much weatherstripping...both the small door and the French ones have weatherstripping at the bottom, but I could see light around the edges. Where there's light there's air, and in the winter that means BREEZY.

Self-stick foam weatherstripping is easy to install and quite inexpensive ($2.99 a roll, might have found it cheaper if we'd shopped around though.) You need to do it when it's 40 degrees or above to insure a good sticking, so waiting till the day warms up to finish (I quit yesterday when the evening mosquitoes got too interested in the process!)

The French doors are fairly tightly fitted when it comes to closing, but not where air leaks are concerned...I'll just make sure they're shut and locked! I did the bottom of the window nearest the desk, but we will be doing a removable storm window for that one, too.

Looking toward winter...insulation and other issues

2010-10-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, insulation DOES help, even the relatively thin sheet foam stuff. Unfortunately, not when it comes off and lands on the ground. We've lost even more since I posted about it before (you can see more info in my OOOPS-es tab) We need a skinny handyman!

Definitely something needs to be done before winter. If I put my hand on the section of floor that still has insulation, it warms to skin temperature in seconds. On the section where the insulation has fallen off? Maybe eventually it would warm. I don't have that much patience! It stayed chilly. So did my feet, yesterday, and I was out there for HOURS.

Eventually, I'd like to have something that FILLED the space between the floor joists, but for now just having the insulation we put up in the first place would help...

When we lived on our farm, back in the 70s, we piled bales of straw or hay around our foundation. Looks weird, but it DOES help.

One layer of plywood between me and the North Pole isn't enough. The floor's going to be very cold this winter. (Even here in the house, at the computer, I usually put a heating pad under my feet...just a crawl space here, and this is the NW corner of the house. Cold...) So...looking for a good heating pad, or even a heated doggie bed, for under my feet at the desk.

I'll be dragging my antique soapstone footwarmer out there!

And I WILL want the lovely rug that Joseph brought from Virginia in the winter, if we can get rid of the mildew smell...it's thick and padded and should help. Lysol has some new sprays that aren't as ghastly institutional-smelling for mildew and we plan to try baking soda, too...

I moved my retro thermometer into the shed--this morning it was 40 degrees outside and 40 degrees inside, though it felt colder--buildings seem to hold the night's chill. (Finally let the furnace come on in the house last night!)

This little guy's not going to be up to the task, even though the walls and ceiling are insulated. It managed to raise the temp 10 degrees in an hour and a half, at full blast. (I used it all day yesterday and my feet were still cold...)

My buddy the blacksmith, Dennis Miles at Double Edge Forge, says they have two Lasko ceramic heaters...and they do a great job in his old farmhouse. Definitely looking at that option, since they can be had with a timer as well as a thermostat. We plan to use some sort of timer to turn on the heat about an hour before I'll be going out there, but a more efficient heater sounds like a good plan, too.

We have recycled single-pane windows, and the French door will be a heat loser, too...we plan to make removable storm windows for the two windows, and I'll use some sort of curtain over the one by the desk. Years ago I made quilted roman shades in my LR that helped a lot...probably try something like that. (It gets below zero here, from time to time.)

Weatherstripping around the doors will help, too...seems like a lot to do, but I like that sort of work.

Eventually, I hope to build a passive solar collector for the south side of the shed--I'd like it to be movable, so I can use it in winter, but not in summer's heat. The shed has no windows on that side because the view was nothing but cars and houses and I wanted some privacy--as WELL as a place for the big bookcases, the desk and all, of course. Perfect place for a simple heat collector...it could even vent into the AC's vent hole.

Wouldn't you know I just ditched an old Mother Earth News article about building just that. Recycling is good and I desperately need to simplify my life (been big into Discardia lately!) but...well, I used to write for them a few decades ago, I'm sure I can find something...

Here's another blogger's small-house thoughts on insulation...good stuff--to which he added, HERE.

Meanwhile, we've been making a LOT of progress...watch upcoming posts!

Teardrop Trailers are the ultimate tiny house!

2010-10-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Click here for one from the Tiny House blog...

Joseph built one himself a few years ago, and we've camped in it in the Adirondacks and Poconos...my only problem is whacking my elbows on the wall in bed! It's 4' x 8'...the photo is from his move to Missouri almost three years ago.

You can see why we're fine with the size of the shed...perhaps not for full-time living, but as a getaway? You bet! At 100 square feet, it's a LOT bigger than the teardrop's 32, and I can stand up in it!

He IS a handy one...here's his Photobucket set on building this tiny traveling home. It's a work of art!

Does this look cool or what? This is the Adirondacks...love the awning!

We would LOVE to find chairs like this for the shed--they fold, they're padded, they're comfortable...and they got away from us when he moved here...

Thieves

2010-10-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

...make serenity a bit hard to come by. I am so angry.

This was there yesterday. It isn't, now. Last night someone apparently thought it was fine, if they wanted it, to just take it. Apparently their lives are so devoid of beauty they thought it was all right to steal some.

At least nothing else was taken.

After having the basement next door broken into a few months back, and then a year or two to lose light fixtures and all the new copper pipes in the rehab project, and my garden shed broken into, padlock cut with a bolt cutter and both chain saws stolen--among other things (and not to mention the vandalism at the cabin)--I'm ready to chew nails, today. And not fingernails.

I KNOW it's "just stuff." But we work hard for our money; we earn it; we share it when we feel so led. Stealing is not earning, and I prefer to make my own decisions about what to give away.

Needless to say nice peaceful meditation did NOT happen this morning.

Friendship and the shed...

2010-09-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Artist Toni Kelly does gorgeous calligraphy and beautifully observed nature pieces. I'm delighted to say that my favorite (and most needed) prayer now hangs in the shed, done by Toni's own hand in oil and ink. The colors are serene and perfect, and of course dragonflies are very special to me. Thank you, Toni, I couldn't be happier!

It's right at home above the stained glass window, where I can see it easily--and remember.

Toni's blog is HERE--stay awhile and look at all her wonderful work; you'll enjoy the journey as much as I do. Or visit her Etsy store to find something YOU can't do without (I have the spring robin print too.)

I had another happy surprise at last weekend's sketchcrawl...longtime friend and journal keeper Vicky Williamson brought me these two little cubbies for over the desk (they're stacked, here.) Haven't decided for sure where to hang them and they're already filling up! They're perfect, and just fit. Thank you, Vicky! Now, when are you coming for tea?

And this is weird, two of my photos went away, since yesterday! I've put them back and hope they stay!

More little details...

2010-09-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Before we took our trip West, Joseph got the pegs up...they're going to be very helpful!

I have things hanging on some of them now...they'll hold coats, sweaters, art supplies, whatever...

I like the rustic effect of the funky two by fours...painted white, it's a great look. Reminds me of our whitewashed chickenhouse back in our hippie farmer days...

The floor's a bit crude, too, but it'll do for now. COLD these early mornings, though...and it's still September...

But BOY does it have great acoustics...

More Tiny Houses

2010-09-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

I've updated my Flickr set of Wee Small Houses again, for those who enjoy these things! We just got back from Nevada, where we visited Mt. Charleston and Old Town again. Love all the tiny houses, the variety, the styles, the colors...

So you can see the newest additions here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cathy-johnson/sets/72157614254725880/ . A lot of these were for sale, so if your dream is to own a tiny getaway, you may want to check these out. Mt. Charleston is lovely...

And a new tiny house builder for those of you in the California area: http://customcabins.wordpress.com/

The inside of the shed--video

2010-09-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

Or find it here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g2vN0BU7y0

Still needing to build the shelves and get the rest of the overhead storage done, plus lighting for artwork, but doing great!

Video--on the way to the shed

2010-09-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to doing a few more videos and thought I'd share one here:

Or watch it here on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRJSyzSPZ64

Night Light...

2010-09-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

The lighting is working well, though perhaps not quite enough for doing art at night (WONDERFUL for kicking back and reading though--that was a terrific evening). May still have to go for a studio light for work...

We found an inexpensive little cubby the other day, exactly the right size to cover the electric box. J. painted it white, and now it holds a variety of small things--hand microscopes, magnifying glasses, matches, salt, and one of my wee gargoyles, among other things...

Still need one by the desk, but this was too perfect...

Shedworking...

2010-09-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

And of course Uncle Wilco's link led me to a new book I'm going to need...I skimmed through the look inside feature and there are a LOT of ideas in here...click on the title for some views!

And a new link from Uncle Wilco!

2010-09-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

http://readersheds.co.uk/

Uncle Wilco has the Just Sheds group of Flickr, which I've loved for ages (link in our list at left)...lots of inspiration there, too. On our last post he commented that we should check the above link, which we did.

THANKS, Uncle Wilco, adding to our list of links right now. I love the cute little cabin/summerhouse at the Naval Museum on that first page...

They do truly appreciate sheds in the UK...

Two new links in our "Links We Like" at left

2010-09-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Both of these are fun! Tiny House Living is a weekly newsletter full of information and ideas--you can find it here: http://www.tinyhouseliving.com/

And Shedworking is in the UK--they really understand that sheds can encompass a LOT of living and practical working space, as well. In tiny, efficient form, of course...http://www.shedworking.co.uk/

Have fun browsing...

Let there be...light!

2010-09-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

This has to be about the least expensive lighting option EVER. I had these when I was a kid, and always loved them...Japanese paper lanterns. This one is a 12", and cost--are you ready? 75 cents. Yep. And Amazon offered a deal, this one, a 16" one, and the fixture to go with--the wire and the bulb holder and switch--all three for $5.34.

The light is very soft but fills the whole room, close to that white ceiling. Nice for reading or making art...

J. got the rack up for me, and I finally found my old enamel wash basin, so that corner's pretty well set.

Watercolor Artist Blog features the shed

2010-08-31T04:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all--forgot to tell you that the Watercolor Artist blog mentioned the project, last week, in THIS POST. (Of course it mostly just leads you here.:-) )

I was a contributing editor at Watercolor Artist for years, back when it was Watercolor Magic, with a regular column, and still do the occasional article. (The current issue, October 2010, has a big one in it.) (By the way, the term "contributing editor" really just means you contribute, not that you edit anything but your own stuff!)

It's working!

2010-08-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Yep, the little hot plate works fine--one of the few things we've bought new for the shed, and I love it. Nice cuppa, yesterday morning. (The old copper kettle is from my camping days, the lovely pottery teapot from the early days of my first marriage...I was 21, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth...)

And no, it's not this colorful, but I had a black page and colored pencils--of course I went nuts!

Our good friend Kevin stopped stopped by the show us a pottery shard he'd found near the Fishing River, and we ended up with coffee and cookies and music in the shed. Glad we invested in that AC unit, because it was a lifesaver!

A lovely way to spend a Sunday...

Water supply

2010-08-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

Still trying to find a different spigot for the water jug--this one is NOT good for arthritic hands.

I did really like the way it looked. and the "reservoir" was an old glass jar that cider came in--easy to carry a gallon of water, if not a whole crock!

The spigot was slow and awkward to use, though--had to push down on the top while pulling up on the hook thingie--and did I mention it was sloooow?

I could have replaced the spigot, of course...I found this one on Amazon, and since its the same kind we had at the cabin, I knew it would work.

But. Trying NOT to spend unneccessarily, and remembered that years ago a friend built a copper cistern for me that has a nice spigot.

I wasn't sure about long term water storage. So of course, I Googled it! Here's what I found--not only is it a good idea, but it's a REALLY good idea. Copper kills or inhibits E. coli!

So! We went out the cabin, brought it home, and J. brought it over full of water this morning. The spigot works better than our faucets at home!

Handsome thing, isn't it!

And of COURSE I had fun sketching it at the shed this morning. I'd taken my Pelikan Gouache paints over the other day, and since the page was on black paper, just had to try it out. (They're not as rich or opaque as my professional gouache paints, but they're fun and portable!)

Utility corner

2010-08-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Joseph made me a neat little old-fashioned broom holder from a leftover board and a couple of wooden spools...works great. There was a similar one on the steps to the basement, here, and we borrowed the idea....

It holds the broom's bristles upright, so it will last a lot longer...

I'd been needing both a stepstool to reach the storage area under the eaves on this side of the shed above the French doors, and more hidden storage...and voila!

Found this in an antiques booth that was going out of business...it was half price, beautiful condition and sturdy!

Now it holds the dust rag, the matches, mosquito coils, Windex, etc. all nicely out of sight but handy!

A possible solution for our screen door sitch...

2010-08-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Our small door opens out to save floor space, and the big French doors open in, because of the roof overhang. (Usually only have the one you see open, but sometimes both.) Makes using screen doors problematical! So far it's not a huge problem with mosquitoes and other bugs indoors, though Joseph got MOBBED on our front porch yesterday.

Considering this solution, though: hanging screen doors like these from ecobottoms.com.

Or these, from bugsoffscreen: bugsoffscreen.com

Or from Amazon:

(We can make screens for the windows, they just fit indoors, since we have awning-type openings, instead of out, if need be!)