HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I usually don't find myself giving in to whimsical seasonal decoration; but when I saw these little mice, in Provincetown this summer, something about them appealed to me.

Happy Halloween!

MIDNIGHT HOUR

I went over to the house tonight to see how the staircase handrail turned out.    It was covered back up with plastic, so I won't be able to see it as a whole until after the walls are painted.      What  little I could  see, looked good.  Oleg is still going to add some branches for me, and we still have to put on the crystal; but it doesn't affect the inspection.        The stair treads are almost all in place, and not the least bit slippery.   Good thing, since I would really hate to fall down them, or up them for that matter.   It would be pretty painful, if I managed to survive it.

 

The remainder of the glass should go up next week.   We decided to also mirror the wall above the cupboards, up to the crease, where it meets the ceiling.     The plumber installed the Kohler Crevasse sink in the island.    I have to say it's fantastic.   It's the  perfect prep sink, complete with a food disposal.   It has three settings, and has plenty of water pressure, that moves the water from side to side.

The floors in the dining, and living rooms had their final coat of protection applied, and next week these rooms will be ready to be painted.

The electrician has been installing temporary lightbulb type fixtures in places where we don't want to put  any until after we move in, and finish painting.   They look terrible, but we can't get our CO without them.  We're into the eleventh hour of this build, and there's no time to complete everything.  

I lose all track of time, when I'm at the house alone at night.   I like to envision how we'll use each room and try to figure out the furniture placement.      It was kind of a shock when the lights started to dim;  then I remembered  the electrician put them on a timer to turn off at midnight.   Fortunately he set it with a five minute warning.     I scrambled to gather my shoes, set the alarm, and make it out the door, before the clock struck twelve.    

MIRROR, MIRROR

The mirror is being installed in the closet cabinetry, and I'm pleased with it, so far.   Our painter is very superstitious, and he's unnerved by so much mirror.    I told him, he must be happy he's not married to me; because in my world, theres no such thing as too much mirror.  

Obviously this isn't everyones cup of tea, but it is mine;  and I couldn't be happier.  Well I suppose I could, if it were double the size?

My scarf display won't be finished until the counter surface is installed.    I decided to do the counter in....surprise;  mirror!     I can't wait to see how an Hermes scarf will look reflected around this space.

Cleaning the smudges from all of this mirror will be a breeze;  although time consuming.   Windex has no place in my house,  I use distilled water, mixed with cornstarch.   It makes cleaning glass, and mirror easy.   It doesn't streak, and works better  than  cleaners, such as Sprayway, the brand most glass places use.   Cornstarch is cheap, and 'green'; but better than that, it works!       The fellow who installed my mirror is going to go home and try it for himself.

CRYSTAL BALL

Good thing I didn't have a crystal ball to tell me that it would take this long to build a house.     Huge skyscrapers have been built in less time.

I'm putting Swarovski crystal balls in the newell, and support posts on the staircase.   They screw into the posts, so I can always change them if they break, or I grow tired of them.      It's a rainy day, so it's hard to say how they will look when the sun hits them.    We're still waiting on the polished nickel handrail.

THANKS, BUT NO THANKSGIVING

Our move in date has been moved so many times, it's become a bad joke.  The current target is the end of October.     I have a hard time believing this, as there is still so much to do, before I can actually move furniture, or even set up my kitchen.         I'm very unhappy that yet another Thanksgiving is upon us, and we won't be enjoying it here.   I know I have much to be thankful for; but our choice of builders, sure isn't one of them.     We are thankful that at least we have a few people on the team, that actually care, and try their best to make things right.

The kitchen counters, are not complete, and the island has presented many challenges.   The glass has broken three times, it's just too large to install in one piece.   The only solution is to seam it in the middle; which is not the best look; but it's way too expensive to keep doing over, and over again.

                                  
The family room is being painted, Farrow & Ball, Dix Blue.   Mirror will be inset above the door, where I had it trimmed out to balance the profile of the kitchen window, and bounce some extra light around.   I really like this colour; especially when the sun is setting.   The October sky has a very moody look, here in Ontario, and the sunsets look spectacular against the vivid hues of the fall foliage.

                                  
The front door, was sanded as smooth as a baby's bottom, then painted Sherwin Williams, Basque Green.
I checked the colour before it was adjusted, and decided to stop, when it reached the shade I wanted.

We had the staircase and railings, painted using the electrostatic method, and I'm pleased with the results.
Now we can have the polished nickel handrail installed.

            
The glass block shower is finished, and the cabinetry is due to be installed.

My closet cabinets have been installed, but we're still waiting for the 'antiqued' mirror to arrive.    All of the doors, drawers, and trim will have mirror set into it.    I plan to mirror the back of the shelves also. My cabinet hardware has a little bling, and the square crystal, references the glass block.