Online Vintage Yard Sale!

I don't have time for a long post, but I figured I'd give everyone a heads up that I'm gonna be sellin' a bunch of stuff before I move this summer! I've already posted and sold a bunch of stuff on craigslist, but still have a lot up (and a lot more to come up). To get it all, type in "laurel bun bun roo" into the DC craigslist search bar.

Or copy and paste this:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=10&subAreaID=&query=laurel+bun+bun+roo&catAbb=sss

And don't worry, if you think something is too high priced, it will come down. I don't like things sitting, so if I'm not getting any bites I will relist and reprice until its gone! Also, feel free to make an offer on anything!

Sink of my Dreams

I can barely speak! This is easily one of my favorite finds... I just brought her home, and I'm now the proud owner of a gorgeous original mint green farmhouse sink! I didn't want to post anything until everything went through, but it did!




When I saw the photo of the sink and the description on craigslist, I knew instantly it was what I was looking for. I've been looking for an old farmhouse sink like this, and while I always dreamed of a colored one, there's so hard to find (and so expensive!), I figured I had no chance... Needless to say, I acted quickly.

I didn't have much hope at first...I had emailed the seller, and when she didn't get back to me the second time I assumed it was sold... For the heck of it, I emailed once more (pesky craigslister that I am) and she actually got back to me, saying she missed my previous emails! Long story short, I drove 2 1/2 hours up near Philly to pick the sink up and now here I am! I ended up getting her for $300, which is a lot for me, but pretty cheap when you look at what similar sinks go for!

And this is one of those great craigslist stories where its even better in person... The color was off in the pics on the ad, but when I got there my dreams were confirmed -it was that sick sweet soft mint green in pristine condition! Plus, it came with a faucet that wasn't mentioned in the ad! The faucet's a repro, but still good.

So, anyways, here she is in all her glory! She actually fits perfectly in the corner I need a sink in(speaking of which- my kitchen plans have changed since my last kitchen post- I'll have to update with a new post sometime)

Original craigslist photo:

Sneak Peak of other kitchen stuff: Mint green fridge to left, upper cabinets above! (part of a bigger set!).

Part 3 of Studio Project

Just thought I'd share where my studio project was going.... for the 3rd part of the project, we were given someone else's "artifact" (I did the radio thing in the last post), and we had to design an environment, or field, for the object to exist in... a reliquary of sorts..

To make a long story short, I decided to make a box that would very simply organized by a grid, with tiny little doors and delicate hinges that would open on every panel, even when it wouldn't make sense for all the doors to open on the same space, like at a corner. It took forever, especially with the miniature hinges (which were intended for doll house doors ha!). The point was that you would open up each door and get a different framed view of the object. (the object was about fragments). Each view would also be filtered or blocked in one of 3 ways. Sometimes you would get a literal brick wall, other times just parts of the brick wall that you could see through, and then in just the netting behind the bricks. (In the middle panel it was a clear tunnel to the center of the artifact, which was the most important part). Anyways, here's how it turned out!

Part 2 of Studio Project

For the second part of our project on transformations, we were told we had to make some sort of artifact that related to our video. It had to be small enough to fit in the palm of our hand, but other than that it was open for interpretation. The idea was to be abstract with the ideas from your video, so for mine, after talking with my critic, I wanted my object to reflect the idea of revealing mechanism behind a facade, rather than reflect the literal man/woman change in the video. Further, I wanted to explore the idea of revealing mechanism, to the point where I wanted an object that would reveal the mistaken or percieved mechanism behind the surface. Sort of like when you're a little kid, and you don't know how something really complicated like a car or radio work, so you invent some sort of way in your mind.

For me, the object was a small vintage transistor radio that had seen better days. It seemed obvious to me, that had I not known the guts behind what makes a radio work, that they would be operated by a family of miniature instrument-playing marshmellows.

Me in Drag! for...architecture?

Well, one of the more fun projects this semester in studio was a film project where we had to document some form of transformation...It could be anything really, totally up to our interpretation... the idea is that the built environment is constantly in a state of transformation, and as architects how we deal with that current or potential transformation is important... This was only part one of the project, so we'll see where it goes...

Anyways, I decided to go man to woman! Or rather....Woman to man... I liked the idea of revealing the true mechanism behind the facade, and paralleling my transformation to that of my vintage kitty clock (the facade of the clock versus the reality of what makes it tick). I wasn't going for super cheerful, the sound of the clock is intended to be a little off-putting since it becomes the sound track.. I'll try to attach the video below, but for now here are a few photos of how I turned out!

P.S. the dress is real 60's vintage- I LOVE it...the shawl I had to improvise- its a piece of fur from Walmart haha...worked good enough from a distance though...

Back in Studio

And now for the home stretch... the last semester of Architorture! Alas, I'll be released from Architraz!

(ok, enough with the architecture puns...)

But seriously, I can't believe it! This is beyond huge for me...And yes, I know I still have to somehow get through this semester...but once I do....woooo here comes lifeee! I know its not gonna be all lollipops and rainbows and fluffy things, but I'm so ready for this...SO ready... School is officially 100% over May 20th (graduation), and after that I'm going to begin the quick transition into moving to Upstate NY. I'll be graduating with a bachelor of science in Architecture and hopefully I'll fenangle something out of all the preservation classes I've taken). A LOT has to be done, and its not gonna be quick or simple, but I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time... I have a home waiting for me up there that needs all the love I can put into it...

Speaking of which, the parsonage is coming along! I have to find my photos, but over break I scraped the peeling beadboard ceilings, took up layers and layers of linoleum in the kitchen, and have begun scraping wallpaper. I discovered gorgeous 1920's wood flooring in the kitchen, with also-gorgeous painted 1860's wide plank flooring beneath... (for some reason, they only added the 1920's wood in the kitchen, which makes me a little worried as to why they did that (fire? damage?). Scraping the wallpaper was also really addictive, and I want to get a sample of every wallpaper layer I go through to keep in a book on the parsonage :)... I had planned to get more done, but a couple things came up over break that ended up changing the dynamic of the trip...

On a final note, with the beginning of studio (its hard to believe we're almost a month in), I was so thrilled this was the last semester I went on a decorating binge... (partly because I got an awesome corner window seat this semester!). Compared to everyone else, I may have gone a little crazy, but it fits me just fine...had to bring a little "home" to my daily workspace :)...(p.s. sorry for the crappy cell phone pics!)

Can you guess which desk is me? (And I still haven't started on most of my desk yet!)

Kitchen Plans

I'm done with fall semester!!!!!!!!!!







....Well, I should be! But instead, I still have 20 pages of papers to write by tuesday. I haven't quite escaped from Architraz yet... Funnn.... All I can say is this song is probably appropriate for how I plan to get all this done on time...



In the mean time, I have decided I would like to procrastinate. Specifically, while dreaming about vintage kitchens! I'm actually getting ready to leave for Upstate NY (after I get these papers done), where I'll be working on the bunny house over winter break. Specifically, I'll be working on the kitchen! I don't know how much progress I can make in the time I have (I also have other stuff to do), but I can at least get started! I got to dig out some of the kitchen stuff that's gonna be comin' with me...stuff I've had for a while now that I've been dying to see set up! Bein' the design fanatic I am, I've spent a lot of time working out different possible kitchen plans with the general floor plan of the house... Its been an interesting design challenge since all the pieces of this kitchen puzzle are currently mismatched salvage... I think it can all come together though....

Anyways, here are the main pieces I'm workin' with.... There'll surely be others, but these will probably be the main players.


Kitchen cabinet set: This is from when I purchased them; its actually only the cabinets that have the sliding glass panels- not the two lower right bottoms. I lovve the glass, and I think they'll be incredible once finished... They need a LOT of work though...


Here's the reality of those upper cabinets: they're great, but very dented and misaligned...and pretty rough. my goal will be to take them all apart, sandblast them, straighten all the hinges and dents, and paint em up.

This is the sink cabinet I'll probably be using; it's from a Youngstown kitchen. The sink that will go in it is pink!

And here's a sneak peak of my pink stove! I also have a fabulous mint green fridge that I don't currently have any good photos of...

And I don't know if she'll fit in anywhere, but I picked rhis chair up last summer and love her to death! I've never seen a chair with curves like that ha! Any good ideas for a use of a single fabulous dinette chair? I'm not sure if it should be a kitchen thing, or...?

I don't have any floor plans on hand, but here's some rough sketch-up perspectives of what I'm thinking....Its a fairly small kitchen, but I wanna try to make the most of the space. I like the idea of setting the rounded counter out at an angle, cause I like angles, but also because it just works well (IMO). It allows a small eat-in area with some stools, and also gives the kitchen more counter space. If it were a true "L" it would cut into the kitchen space to much, and if there was no jut-out you'd have very little counter space, with no stool area. The counter I already have; its an original light turquoise formica countertop with a great boomerang pattern, in excellent condition. I have the fridge against the far wall, a sink space next to it a bit lower than the bar counter, and the stove on the opposite wall to complete the work triangle.

Just another perspective (I've spent most of my time designing this side of the kitchen). On the left would be a small window seat. (note that the dining room is to the left).

And for fun, here's been some inspiration kitchens:

This one I just LOVE.. love the angled counter, how the floor picks up the angle, the angled cabinets, the glass, love it all...

Again love the angles in this kitchen. (Can you tel I like angles?) While I appreciate wood kitchens like this, the metal sets are more my style...

And this one's so colorful and happy!

So, that's where I stand... Wish me luck!

And ok, I should probably get started on those papers now!