A long couple of days...

 

What a long couple of days we just had... I spent three hours shoveling snow on Wednesday and another six hour on Thursday. According to the forecast we were only supposed to get a foot of snow but they were wrong. We actually ended up getting three feet of snow.

Around 5:15pm last night my mom received a call from my grandmother about my grandfather... in the moment it appeared he was having a heart attack. So my mom called for a ambulance, and they came and took him to the hospital. 

Five hours later my aunt gets a phone call from the hospital saying they are discharging him and someone needs to pick him up. The doctors didn’t think it was a heart attack but instead diagnosed him with hyperthyroidism.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Yours truly,

Nicklas 

A Winter Wonderland

 It is obvious that the winter storm will not be missing us here in Pennsylvania today. So in between going out and shoveling the sidewalks take time to look out and see the beauty of nature...

Try to stay warm today maybe try cozy up with a blanket or a nice hot cup of tea!

Yours truly,

Nicklas 

There will always be something to do...

 Today, I filled my day with some DIY projects! One of which has been on my to do list since 2014, but better late then never I suppose! Which one you might ask... well it was the four drawers which needs to be refined for a antique cabinet in my mothers kitchen

The second project of the day is a salvaged antique door I got out of a old company home for a local paper mill. Now the door looks bigger in photos then it is in real life. It is only about two feet wide and five and a half feet tall. Believe me when I tell you that there is a reason for the unique size. It will end up being a cabinet door in my dressing room with a large drawer below. Now if you’ve read my last post and remember the those brass hinge I stripped paint off of; they go on this door. 

One reason why I’m extra excited to get to use this door is that it still has its original hand painted wood graining on one side of the door! So what I am going to do so I can still retain this artistic detail is make it the inside side of the cupboard door. That’s way you’ll still get to see it and when the door is open. I plan to then paint the exterior side to match the rest of the cabinetry in the room. Hope everyone is had a good start to the week!

Your truly,

Nicklas

It’s all in the details...

 Over the past few years, I have learned a few different tricks to make home restoration easier. One of  my favorite ones is actually quite simple. In the lifetime of a home or antique piece things are obviously bound to get painted, and of course they have to paint everything including the hardware.

So don't mess around with harsh chemicals when the simplest way is to just throw the metal hardware into boiling water and let it boil off. After a little soak all you have to do is take a wire brush to them and your done! Sometimes I will say they have to go in for a second dip in the water depending on what paint was used. ONLY USE A POT YOU DON'T COOK FOOD IN... THE PAINT COULD BE LEAD BASED, AND FROM EXPERIANCE THE PAINT CAN FUSE ITSELF TO THE POT!

But I am personally a huge fan of seeing hardware whether it is on a traditional style or on a modern aesthetic. It is always so rewarding to put on that last piece of jewelry on a design, and it should come as no surprise for me to say I alway love use vintage hardware when I can. I find that they are just so unique and one of a kind not to mention the testimony to the quality of these handcrafted pieces that they are still working strong after so many years. The brass hinges are off of a door I went and salvaged for my dressing room from one of those old company house that belonged to a local paper mill from the turn of the 20th century. But the latch is about 170 years old...

BEFORE

AFTER

The amount of detail that had been hidden away is astonishing. This latch is original to a circa 1850 French armoire that I am going to be using as my TV stand in my living room.

Please ignore the horribly painted purple accent wall, it is thankfully gone now and is just a distant memory of my living room when I purchased the house. However, this is what this cabinet looked like when I fell in love with it. Even with all the broken hand blown glass and its missing foot it is still gorgeous, and just wait to see it once it is all reassembled and fully restored!

Yours truly,

Nicklas

Comfort Food

 

Today looks like it is going to be another cold day here in Pennsylvania, and the yard and all the holiday decorations have a light dusting of snow on them. But luckily I made homemade potato soup on Monday night and there is still plenty of leftovers which is perfect comfort food for today’s weather!

Yours truly,

Nicklas

Soft Lighting

 I like to keep my home lighting soft and relaxing... I think it just cozy up a room!

Yours truly,

Nicklas 

Time To Get Warm

It is no secret that I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I love the way it looks for inside a warm cozy home. It looks so peaceful and calm, and is such a magical gift from Mother Nature. Yet Mother Nature insists on covering everything in a blanket of snow, and I despise going out and shoveling it. 

Earlier this morning I bundled up and ventured out. I especially wanted to beat the foot traffic downtown so that I wouldn’t have to encounter any pedestrians on the theatre sidewalk. Later today I’ll go out and do my home as well as my mothers house. 

Stay Warm!

Yours truly,

Nicklas