~Barbara Ann~
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Design Star Game
I love HGTV. In fact that station is on my TV as soon as I get in the door each day & thanks to Ti-Vo, it’s recording my favorites while I’m away. I'm not sure if any of you have been watching Design Star, but I found this game and thought it was cute -you'll have to give it a whirl. (Turn sound on)Good Luck!
~Barbara Ann~
~Barbara Ann~
Summer Project
I just had the best 6 weeks of summer fun. During that period my stepson and I built a new deck on the back of my home. We got super creative as we went which made it a lot of fun, and resulted in a finished product that was quite a bit larger and different than the original plan.
The final deck was 1100 square feet, not including a 25’ x 8’ wide 12 foot high pergola walkway that added privacy and plant support to the west side. We also added an open beamed roof element over an area that will someday (soon I hope) hold a hot tub.
Other things we added were 3 large planter boxes, cabinets to complete the barbeque area, and a special cooler for iced beverages. The final touches were adding triangular shaped sail cloths for shade and more than 2 dozen low voltage lights so we can enjoy the deck long after sunset. We also added a gas-powered heater to warm it during the cool evenings.
My wife and I will enjoy this new addition for many years to come. But the best part was being able to spend such a long period with my step son who’s skills in carpentry made this something special.
The final deck was 1100 square feet, not including a 25’ x 8’ wide 12 foot high pergola walkway that added privacy and plant support to the west side. We also added an open beamed roof element over an area that will someday (soon I hope) hold a hot tub.
Other things we added were 3 large planter boxes, cabinets to complete the barbeque area, and a special cooler for iced beverages. The final touches were adding triangular shaped sail cloths for shade and more than 2 dozen low voltage lights so we can enjoy the deck long after sunset. We also added a gas-powered heater to warm it during the cool evenings.
My wife and I will enjoy this new addition for many years to come. But the best part was being able to spend such a long period with my step son who’s skills in carpentry made this something special.
Below are some pictures of the deck - what do you think?
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Hazards of the Job
Every job has its upsides and downsides. A cabbie criticizing his wife’s driving, a doctor getting asked medical questions at a party. I am sure you know yours.
Mine is that I can’t look at picture framing the same way as I did before I learned about it. It’s not just the way it looks in terms of the color of matting and/or frame, but I think ‘does it have a uv protecting glass on it’, or if the mats are discolored (a tell tale sign of acid in the mats) I think ‘owww, the harm it’s doing to the art’. And if I see art that has bugs under the glass, I just want top rip it off the wall, run it back to the gallery and clean it out!
On the flip side, I appreciate good framing when I see it. Whether it is a great color scheme, a designer’s vision well executed, or a beautifully hand crafted frame. Then I realize, it’s not a hazard, it’s the beauty of knowledge.
Mine is that I can’t look at picture framing the same way as I did before I learned about it. It’s not just the way it looks in terms of the color of matting and/or frame, but I think ‘does it have a uv protecting glass on it’, or if the mats are discolored (a tell tale sign of acid in the mats) I think ‘owww, the harm it’s doing to the art’. And if I see art that has bugs under the glass, I just want top rip it off the wall, run it back to the gallery and clean it out!
On the flip side, I appreciate good framing when I see it. Whether it is a great color scheme, a designer’s vision well executed, or a beautifully hand crafted frame. Then I realize, it’s not a hazard, it’s the beauty of knowledge.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Fun to Remember
Recently, I’ve really found it fun to collect memorabilia from athletes I enjoyed watching in years past.
I never had interest in doing this before, but I think as I’m getting older, I am realizing how unique and special my favorite players and teams are, and putting these collections on my office walls reconnects me with those times.
I don’t have many, but the ones I do are very special because of the memories they bring. My collection includes an autographed jersey and ball by Ernie Banks, a Celtic jersey worn and autographed by Larry Bird; a Dick Butkus autographed jersey, and a few other small collections of sports trips taken to Final Four and Ryder Cup events.
I never had interest in doing this before, but I think as I’m getting older, I am realizing how unique and special my favorite players and teams are, and putting these collections on my office walls reconnects me with those times.
I don’t have many, but the ones I do are very special because of the memories they bring. My collection includes an autographed jersey and ball by Ernie Banks, a Celtic jersey worn and autographed by Larry Bird; a Dick Butkus autographed jersey, and a few other small collections of sports trips taken to Final Four and Ryder Cup events.
The Banks and Butkus jerseys remind me of times spent watching sports with my father.
The Bird jersey represents my college years when he played against the school I attended.
The others, more recently, remind me of great times with friends.
My favorite piece was one we designed and made, but I didn’t get to keep. It was a piece we gave to Chesterton basketball player Matt Nover when he graduated from Indiana University.
Since I knew Matt’s parents very well, I asked them to provide me with many of the pictures, awards, pins, ticket stubs, nets and other memorabilia they had collected over the past four years. We built a very unique shadowbox designed like the playing floor at IU, complete with the curved walls that separate the stands from the playing floor.
I presented the piece to Matt at a ceremony held in Chesterton, which included Coach Knight as a guest speaker. It was a great evening - one I’ll never forget, and hopefully the shadowbox of memories will allow Matt to reconnect that time for the rest of his life.
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