BlackFrancine's Profile

I like the edger tools. But I'm not terribly nit-picky. And I've had really bad taping experiences. Those edgers just save a heap of time.

But I'm pretty sure I have crappy brushes, and I'm pretty lazy. So, there ya go.

I went through this tour last night, but I didn't read the info--I had NO idea it was new build. I came back today and read that it was and had to go through the photos again. I can't believe it--it looks so charming. I'm sort of gobsmacked. You did a wonderful job adding personality and life to something brand spankin' new.

And I also like that, even though this house is a lot larger than I would normally go for, the space seems to be well planned out and a very practical (yet soothing and beautiful) approach has been taken on finishes and decorating. Very, very nice.

Grace, I'm really sorry to see you go. You’ve been my favorite writer here for a while. Your posts always are fun, witty, and well written. And you seem to have such a great way of approaching the topic of design that doesn’t take itself too seriously. For me, that has been a pleasure to read. I’m totally going to miss the playlists of (what was it?) “aging hipster music.” Anyway, it was fun to read your stuff, and I hope you’ll guest post from time to time!

(PS—While I’m not generally in favor of critiquing writing in the comments, I will say that the editorial “we” is lame. Its use degrades the overall quality of writing on this site. And one reason that I loved Grace’s writing so much may be that she gracefully (ha!) avoided its use so frequently. I’d revisit that policy if I were the one in charge. But I’m not, so now I’ll shut my yap.)

ameliepoulain--I agree with the advice given above about trying to live close to your work. But, I too love south Austin (though I now live north because that's where I work). There's a complex at Riverside and Congress--which is immediately south of downtown--called Congress Square Apartments. I lived there several years ago, and I have a friend who still lives there. It's got a great dive bar called Ego's basically in the parking lot. There are saltillo tile floors, small balconies, and the 3rd floor units have cute free-standing fireplaces. It is absolutely the best-managed complex I ever lived in. And it's pretty cheap for the area. I think it's about 750 for a 1 bed.

Herglasslegs--I would check out:
The area around 51st and Lamar or North Loop (which is 53 1/2 st.) and Lamar. It's right off the UT shuttle/a bus route that goes by campus. There's a small clatch of houses that are bungalows built in the 40s-50s. And it's a little less well known than the major student areas (north and west campus, Hyde Park).

Also Airport and 51st--particularly between Airport and I35 there may be some cheap places. Sometimes this area is called North Hyde Park.

East of I35 near 32nd st or so (north of Manor Rd, east of the Fiesta grocery store). There used to be some awesome places back there for super cheap--but that was before the east side became popular, so I don't know what the rent runs now.

Crestview (a neighborhood a little farther north near Anderson and Burnet--the #5 bus goes by campus and runs along Burnet) is another option. You can still rent there for under $1000. But it might be a place that is a little run down or a little small. But the neighborhood kicks ass.

And my last suggestion would be southeast--but seriously, don't rent a place southeast without checking out the neighborhood first. Some neighborhoods are fine, some are a little dicey. And everyone has a different tolerance for dicey-ness (I lived in that area for a while and it never bothered me--but some people don't like it). But, near Oltorf and Burleson (I think?) there used to be some nicer houses--ranches from the 60s. And a lot of students live off Oltorf, so I think a lot of those houses get rented out to students.

It'll probably be hard to find what you want while living out of town. If you have a window where you can come in to look for places, I'd drive around the neighborhoods looking for for-rent signs. A lot of landlords in popular areas don't even bother listing properties--they just stick a sign out front. And of course the lazy ones who don't list the properties are usually the cheapest. But from long distance, craigslist is totally your best bet. Hope that helps.

Really cute place! And I love Traverse City. I just visited last summer, and it was so beautiful. I still have wine I need to drink from that trip!

I've been trying to convince my boyfriend for years to go with me to Marfa so that I can visit the Chianti foundation. Eventually we'll actually get out there.

Wow. Nice job. I'm wondering how long this took you and if you hired out the labor or did it yourself.

chicagosue, I don't know how many hunters you know, but in my experience people don't create taxidermy to fill a market demand. They create it as a personal trophy--but don't give the term "trophy" too much weight. People hunt for food and for recreation. The trophy is just an afterthought.

And I'm gonna guess that all of this stuff is vintage. They are some random person's personal trophies sold off at estate sales or whatever that have been digested by the next generation as irony and kitsch. There is no world where people are out hunting big horn sheep (not antelope) because wealthy people want to hang heads on their walls. It just doesn't happen that way.

All of that said, I'm not a hunter or a lover of taxidermy. But the idea that this guy has the blood of hundreds of big horn sheep on his hands just irked me.

I kind of love the hexagonal tiles now that you've expoxied them white. Nice job.

And thank you for posting all the costs. My boyfriend and I are supposed to be taking on our master bath sometime soon (We already bought the vanity and the counter), but I think we're dilly dallying because we're afraid of all the other costs, and we're afraid of tiling--which we plan to do on our own. Jeesh, it makes me nervous just thinking about it.

I love that graffiti-esque mural. And I love seeing someone represent old school Austin. That's how we used to rock it in this town before all the yuppies got here (not that I don't love many of the designer boutiques--but, no, that's not Austin style).