Bent out of shape

Michelle is a very patient woman. Id like to think that I am worth effort required to have the  restraint  to live with me and not be charged with assault and battery. But every now and again as I look back at a series of decisions/actions I have done....I marvel at how lucky I am not to have dishes hurled at my head or wake up with a sock stuffed in my mouth and a pillow over my face. She is a good soul.

It was displayed yet again when she came home the other day to find my steam bending some 1/4" plywood that I had put relief cuts into, she simply looked at me with a look which I mistook for awe and wonder as she backed out of the room maintaining eye contact the entire time.

I pride myself on my keen ability to read peoples moods, so you can imagine at my dismay when, after she returned into the room to find me gluing and clamping the for mentioned wood on the kitchen counter I realized I had read things wrong. As I was excitingly explaining to her what I was doing and how I had done it, perhaps boasting a little of my ingenuity, the flush rising in her neck and into her cheeks like mercury in a thermometer  was a dead give away that the "Awe" of awe and wonder was mistook.....it was really "incredulous wonder"

So before she started vibrating and pushing steam out her ears, I quickly and efficiently relocated to the shop area for the final touches.

Once the wood had cooled and the glue had set, I layered on the flooring to the kick plate......making the wise decision to do it in the safety of the shop.

Feathering the back edge of one of the pieces to allow for the smooth union of adjoining pieces was a install touch that needed to happen.

In the end we came out with a clean continuous look that will be durable and smart looking......and no one died....

 

Kick Start to the weekend

Saturday mornings are the best. Although I often have Fridays off, fridays feel like they are the day you need to run around and do all the errands you have been saving for the week's end.....but Saturday morning is the start of the weekend!

What better way to start the day than listening to classical music with a cup of coffee while the sun shines....and of course all from the comfort of the lounge area in Fillmore. Having the time to just sit in the 'non driver' area, I get to see all the little things that still need to be done. As I sit here listening to Bach and watching the leaves rustle in the wind like small birds shaking off the morning dew, my eyes are drawn to an unattended task. The kick plate.

Using 1/4" ply I created the base for the kickplate that runs the extent of the living area.

After creating some vertical pillars for support, the kick plate base layer was installed, now I have to decide how to finish it. Thankfully I have a number of qualified individuals in my family who were happy to give honest opinions about colors. The choices were....

Same material as the flooring...

Or a painted surface.

I gave everyone two shade options. 5/5 family members polled agreed the look, the color and the durability of using the flooring material wins!

I am a man who likes the curves.....of the bus. Just like some of the cabinetry I am wanting to preserve the rounded corners and flow of lines. The kick plate should be no different. So before I laminate the flooring onto the kick plate I need to create the curved backing. Same sort of process I've used in the cabinet construction.

While I work on that, I am exploring materials for curtains. Our good friend Kath (one hell of a seamstress and quilter) offered to make curtains. After numerous trips to a variety of fabric stores, I finally found something I was happy with. It's base color is grey with white flecks...but it has a wee hint  of caramel which brings out the custom cabinet top made of Muninga wood from the Keelers