1greatkid's Profile

That looks like stained concrete. I have a neighbor who just did one in bright blue with these little stones all in it and when asked he said it was stained concrete. He used a guy here named Ben Nettles (www.bennettles.com). He may not be in your city but I am sure he could recommend how to look for a source to get the color you want. Good luck.

To hell with the hosts who can't organize a get-together to save their asses. I think the hosts must think about "Will my Christian conservative father (who carries his bible EVERYWHERE), get along well with my Gay as all get-out neighbors with their adopted children from Haiti and China." Trust me I attended one such soire in a trendy brooklyn nabe and everyone else sat around waiting and cringing for when dear Papa was going to going nuts when he could not avoid the rambuctious children and their moms anymore.

As for an icebreaker? I basically floor it and go 80 miles an hour thru the door straight to the host/hostess. If I see folks I know, I hit em up quick "Hey girl.. where you been?" or "You still owe me cuttings from your hydrangea bush Mister and I am coming to collect!" Then I make sure to hug the host/hostess once I find them and always have something with me. Wine, a dish, something for their kid or home. Then I can work my way back to the drive bys and slide right in to conversation. If I do not know anyone at the party other than the hosts then I smile as I enter, look directly at the other guests as I pass and discreetly ask (make that beg) the hosts to introduce me to 2 or 3 interesting people in the room and don't leave me until you make the first solid intro. Be sure to have a drink in my hand so I don't look twitchy. My other trick if it will be a boring as hell party. I play with the kids (not in a sick perverted type of way) but if they are well-adjusted then I can always have fun with the kids and then the adults warm up quickly after that. Keep up your digital intelligence to ask a 10 year old if they have played the latest Infinity Blade or did they get Ninjini? Or offer to help carry a dish around the room. That always is good for a wedge in to an interesting group. Don't try to be a foodie just butcher whatever the hell the name of your dish is your toting around and then you can always follow-up with a certain group or person and ask "so did you like it?" If I am feeling particularly un-sociable I pop in and then take my miserable butt home. Life is too short to be a buzz kill. I NEVER ASK "So what do you do." Because it's none of my damn business. I also don't get in to conversations about local schooling options and I am not rubbing anyone's pregnant belly. Parties should be fun!

I had one man ask me what I paid for my house... He never darkened another party at my house again.

I need to translate before I even start. No thanks.

Does your town have a historic commission? If so see if they have and will give you a grant or low cost loan to redo the facade. Many times historic commissions or landmark agencies will dole out small loans to preserve historic characters in many communities. I have a brownstone and got $15K as a grant and a $60K low cost loan.

Can you be a cozy minimalist? I like a warm welcoming home but can't stand knick-knackery. I want cozy but I still want to be fully aware of every individual piece in my homes. It annoys the heck outta me when my husband thinks that dropping his bag of crap in the living room (and leaving it there for days and weeks) adds to the ambience. Unfortunately my son is following suit. So I want color, significance but deep breath rooms. Piles of stuff can go elsewhere.

Mine are weird. I love doing bathrooms and laundry. Getting all that marble and chrome to shine and smell good is very fulfilling I also just love taking out a load of clean smelling laundry when it is still warm from the dryer and folding things before they wrinkle. I also enjoy organizing my garage and craft room. I hate doing dishes and floors and shopping for groceries is becoming a hated task.

I don't get it. She had them for a long time and now is hyper-allergenic. Has she seen and allergist and had a full gamut of tests done. Maybe she has brought something in to her life that is making her react. I had one dog I had to give away only because he was mad as a hatter and would try to always trip me on stairs and herd my newborn. He was funny and wonderful but unmanageable. Unfortunately I gave him to a horrible woman who promised to keep in touch and then disconnected every point of contact. I always wanted to go by her property and call him over to the fence and take him back. I regret falling for her sob story. Tell you sis to keep looking. Someone will take them on.

If you are going all DIY then you need to really sit down and stage out how you are going to tackle it. On the plus side the light fixture is amazeballs. On the downside you have several issues that need to be addressed to make the space seem uniform.

A swing for the fences approach.

Take down the wall where the banister is and open it up by leaving it open or adding a glass wall. Move the baulestrade to the other wall and paint it black.

Open up that window and make it longer. Don't add any moulding to it just leave it as finished plaster or sheetrock.

Rip down the old beadboard because it's crooked and pretty jacked. refinish the wall and ceiling behind it so that it matches what is painted white below it.

Like your rug but not LOVING the rug you have chosen as your runner because those vertical lines will only make a narrow space seem narrower. I would go with a more dynamic black and white pattern. Something that moves the eye around and takes away from the narrow feeling of the stairs.

Nix the painting. I would go for something larger with bolder pops of color. Preferably something longer. If you can find a zGallerie store they have a pretty wide mix of artwork and many pieces are affordable. I would not wallpaper the area where the window is because it leads to your bedroom and it would be too much inconsistency.

A full on budget approach.

Paint the entire space white.
Paint the handrail black and remount it with brushed nickle hardware
Upgrade your artwork. Maybe so a small artwall.
Get a funky runner. Black and white Ikat maybe or go with some other complimentary colors.

Ikea sells these privacy panels that operate on a track that you can hang from the ceiling. So you can close them for simple privacy but open then up in the day time for a more spacious feel. I echo the Expedit suggestions above. From a storage standpoint they are wonderful. Easy to put together and come in some nice colors that will add pop to the space.

Soooo drool worthy. What company did you use for the sandblasting. I need to get a hook up with folks like that.