I do not remember every paying much attention to what books looked like because I was raised to "never judge a book by its cover." Some times the best meals come from those hole-in-the-wall restaurants that look like flophouses. I know authors worry about their book covers. My favorite being Lynn Veihl's post on Paperback Writer blogspot about the "bright metallic glow-in-the-dark pink albino Robin Hood on the cover." She clearly and humorously communicated the frustration of authors with their book covers in Dilemma.
Her concern is legitimate, because last week I decided to go to the bookstore and try to find some books that had strong female protagonist as part of my reading/writing assignment. I even downloaded a list of "Formidable Female Protagonist" from Cybermage. Then I left the list in my car. Rather than walk the twenty steps back outside to my car, I decided to browse.
I cannot remember the last time I browsed. How in the world did I pick a book to choose from before I found those authors I liked, who then lead me to others? I realize that my reading experiences have been dictated by a chain of suggestions for the past fifteen or more years.
So how to decide? I started picking books at random and opening to the first lines, but that became futile quickly. There had to be a better way, and for the first time in who knows how many years - I started judging the book by its cover.
I pulled up the covers of my favorite books on my phone and compared them for clues. 9 of the 10 books had strong female protagonist (I already knew I was drawn to that!). Of the 9 books with strong female protagonist, women were featured on 7 of them, with only one of the 7 sharing the cover with a male. 2 of the covers featured objects instead of people.
The logical conclusion was to start looking for book covers that featured a female, preferably alone, on the cover. With this criteria set I went in search of book covers and found A Secret History: The Book of Ash. There were several aspects of this image that stuttered by attention. I first thought this was a man because of the armor and the hands. Then I looked closer and realized the hair was long and the face more feminine that I original judged. The armor is unexpected because it reflects a bucolic landscape rather than the gore of a battle field. I am drawn again to the hands, which are roughened and red, to the awkward pose and position of the hand holding the sword. The whole composition was unusual and I wanted to find out what the reasoning might be.
Appetizer: "It was her scars that made her beautiful."
I bought the book.
And that is how I chose a book to read, the secret ingredient is the cover and the author has no control over it.
Hounded by Kevin Hearne Review: Wishing the story was better edited because it is an interesting and engaging plot but the crafting of the story is frustrating and characters need to be fleshed out more.
Appetizer: "There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and foremost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius."
The first line identifies an intrigue about the main character, the fact that he has lived for over two thousand years. This drew me quickly into the story which jumped straight into action. However, this excitement was soon overshadowed by problems in the meat of the story.
Meat Course: The story overall had some surprising spices to an otherwise jerky story. Much of the novel was contrived or cliche and was short on the unexpected surprises that make stories like these great. For starters the immortal Druid owns and operates an occult shop. There is nothing unexpected or unusual about that but there could have been ways to make it so. I will say the action sets in quickly with the plot's point of tension beginning with the Druid's necklace. Hearne establishes the necklace's importance defending its wearer within the first chapter. "My cold iron amulet was bound to my aura, and by now they could no doubt see it: I was some sort of Iron Druid, their worst nightmare made flesh." This if followed by a detailed explanation of its creation (read very hard to make and took many years).
Additionally the creator wears the necklace who is also very old and one assumes experienced. So what does the character do?... He takes the necklace off to clean leaving himself completely unprotected and vulnerable. For a two thousand year old man, he's really, really, really stupid. Additionally, the author uses the moment of weakness to emphasize that he has a very stereotypical testosterone driven libido towards a "naked, statuesque woman with milk-white skin and raven hair" when she "draped an arm around [the Druid's] shoulder and trailed her nails down the back of [his] neck, causing [him] to shudder involuntarily." This happens again later in the story. I am not a fan of seduction or sex without an emotional connection, so this did not work well for me.
Getting back to the crafting of the story. So fairly early in the book the author has 'shown' the reader the necklace's importance and then proceeds to 'tell' the reader why the necklace is important. This is redundant and a crafting trait found throughout the whole of the novel. It is annoying and frustrating like having to chew the same piece of jerky over and over again.
This story does a lot, sometimes too much especially when the reader gets a double dose of show and tell. On of the aspects about fantasy is there needs to be clear cut rule for the universe of the story to exists. A lot of stories run into problems because they do not establish these rules for the reader or it takes too longer for the reader to understand what the rules are. Hearne's story actually goes in the other direction, the reader is bombarded with rules of the world and the Druid's seemingly infinite powers: seeing through fae glamour, self healing, sensing metal, communicating with other paranormal, immortal, handsome, converses with goddesses (has sex with them too), has a lawyer who has ghouls on call, a dog he can talk too, can "cloak" himself to change forms, etc... That is a lot to get a handle on in the first story and a little too good to be true.
Dessert: That is not to say that there aren't some good points. The overall concept of the story is very different and unique making it interesting and the key reason why I finished the main course. The really good part is Oberon, an Irish wolfhound in the series that is the Druid's 'familiar.' The dog is funny and communicates in English but with an identifiable doggy voice which provides excellent comedic quality to the story. "After my bathtime story, [Oberon] wanted to be the Genghis Khan of dogs. He wanted a harem full of French poodles, all of whom were named either Fifi or Bambi."
With better editing this could have been a great novel worthy of every course being devoured.
On November 18, 2015, I passed my Doctoral Qualifying Exams.*
Once I began to breathe again, my brain began to itch and twitch. Immediately upon finishing my exams, I put all my academic history and culture books away on the highest shelves of my cabin walls and escaped into the urban fantasy lives of Mercy Thompson, Meg Corbyn, and Eve Dallas. And I wanted more, more than just to read about these character’s lives, I wanted to create my own character.
This was the push I needed to get my own journal out and started writing again. I am writing every day and my engine feels waterlogged and frozen. My mind is a giant tractor left out in the rain of a fertile but barren field with the pistons rusted in place. Reading earlier blog post, I know it is going to take me time to get back to writing the way I was before. I need tremendous willpower to unstick my mind from the muck, but I have a plan and this blog is going to help me.
During my extended absenteeism, I actually did manage to write more short stories, attend regular writing workshops and submit the stories to publications. I have also improved my academic writing. Both forms of writing will be making appearances throughout the blog as I continue this literary/cultural/historical writing adventure.
I am assigning myself two writing projects because everyone says I need to write what I read… And I tend to read two very different things, one for learning and one for escapism. The first is to write my Doctoral proposal (by May 2016) which will ultimately go into my dissertation (due May 2018). The second is to write an urban fantasy novel (by May 2020).
As a result, this blog is going to twist in another strand of writing.
*(Much has happened between October 2013 and November 2015. I did not keep up with the blog because I was in a state of shock having attended 9 funerals of close family within a 2 year period. The resulting stress in addition to work at the museum tripling and the push to finish my coursework sent me to therapy. It took longer than 18 months to pass the qualifying exams and find some stability in my life again, but I didn't quit and I passed.)
Now that winter is setting in, which means cooler weather and longer, darker days - I can feel the beginnings of cabin fever starting to brew. So it's time to turn my attention to the outside of the cabin because once spring gets here, I'm going to want to enjoy the sun on my face.
I spent quite a bit of time this fall cleaning the exterior of the cabin. I kinda wish I'd taken a before picture to show all the vines growing across the cabin which were starting to work their way under the clap board siding and the seams of windows, which is why they had to be removed. There's a few places along the roof line that I need to work on but over all the cabin exterior cleaned up very nicely.
There's still things to be done though. The cabin is in desperate need of new coats of paint, which of course means lots and sanding and scraping in my future. I'd like to give it some charm and character by painting it a light blue with a light green trim. Then I could use purple as accents for trellis and the screen door (I'm still looking for an old wooden one to install).
Also, the ground has been very wet every since the torrential rains began in May and carried through to Thanksgiving. This means lots of mud especially right in front of the cabin which sees the most traffic so there's no grass growing, just a dirty slushy mush. There are a few flagstones right around the stoop under the porch cover and I'd like to extend that out entirely in front of the cabin.
Right now the stoop is a stacked pile of cinder blocks. My plan is to build a wooden stoop that would act as storage for my ladder, rake and other garden supplies. I also want to put a kitchen cabinet outside to the left of the door. The lower cabinet would hide the propane tank that currently sits on the ground. Then I could use the upper cabinets for my "Little Free Library & Trading Post."
I also want to build the garden beds back up. The Herb and Edible garden would go in the front since it gets the most sunlight. The butterfly and bird garden would go on the right with a bird bath since there's a window on the side that I like to look through when I'm writing. The left side and back would be shade gardens since the trees provide so much cover.
So... that's my spring plans, but since I'm renting I need to get approval from the manager first. I'm hoping the graphics I provide will help me convince her.
Note from Rosie: The writer is writing, just not for the blog. She has her doctoral qualifying exams starting this Monday (10/26/15-11/18/15). She must conserve all her brain cells for these exams. The writer is sorry she will not be able to provide updates on Fridays until exams are well over and coherency returns to normal .
I'll get back to Kismet Cabin updates in the next few weeks, but something else has happened recently that has caused me to start taking a harder look at my future.
As you may or may not have figured out, I like plans. They don't always work out and more often than not they tend to change on me. But I like the process of planning and making a list. I also tend to actually get things done when I plan. With 2015 coming to a close, quite of few of my long term goals will be met - namely finishing my Doctoral Exams and starting my Dissertation as well as the move into Kismet Cabin (all 135 square feet).
So what are my plans for the next 3 years at Kismet Cabin?
I'll spend a year to 18 months writing my dissertation. (Jan. 2016 - May 2017)
I'll work at my job for another 3 years (because my retirement will be vested).
Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? That's because the real question is - What do I want to do after those 3 years are up and I leave my job? The answer: I want to travel! I want to explore the United States and I think a great way to do that would to work seasonal and temporary jobs for the National Park Service. In order to do this I need to have a vehicle that will take me places and that I can live in. Also, I want to be in good physical condition to enjoy my travels and nature adventures.
So, here's my plan:
Renovate a school bus into an RV. (This one won't start until May 2017 after my dissertation is over.)
Get fit! (Starting Dec. 2015)
The real challenge over the next three years is getting fit. I'm setting goals for each year to keep it interesting and to keep me on track. This is going to be the hardest challenge of my life thus far, much harder than getting a Doctorate degree. School comes pretty easy for me, but fitness... not so much. I am extremely overweight.
So I'm making a plan within a plan - The 3 Year Fitness Plan
Year 1 - 2016 - Lose 150 lbs. - I'm not going to do this by myself this time. I'm hiring a personal trainer.
Year 2 - 2017 - Increase Strength & Stamina - Plan to meet some basic PT standards
Year 3 - 2018 - Certified Survival & Defense Training - Focusing on wilderness training.
I'll keep updating here once December rolls around.
The maternal parental unit is in town with the Aunt, so not much work is getting done, that includes the blog... Okay, nothing is getting done on the list of things that need to get done. Only frolicing fun things are getting done and those were definitely not on the list. I keep telling the girl that this is why we have list! Seriousness will ensue next week for sure... or else.
I love to cook. I come by it honestly because I grew up in a family owned and run restaurant. As I've begun to explore an unprocessed food life, my appreciation of food has grown. It started with the great bread trials a few years ago and now I regularly make foods from scratch, including cheeses and mayonnaise.
Before my venture into a deeper love of cooking, small kitchens in apartments were an annoyance. The two kitchens I actually enjoyed executing my culinary skills in were both kitchens that ran the length of one wall and opened into a studio apartment or great room. I liked these because I need space, space to move and prepare. (This is just one of the reasons that a bus may not be the best option for long-term living.)
Needless to say, I was very concerned about the "kitchen" in the cabin. I decided to look around at some other suggestions and recipes for cooking in a tiny kitchen. The most basic advice websites and blogs gave was to determine what you actually use in the kitchen. Apparently, it's like the clothes thing. You only use a small portion of your kitchen on a regular basis. So the question here is: What do I use?... The answer: everything. I'm serious, I use everything.
Kitchen in Kismet Cabin
Kitchen in Kismet Cabin
While I still lived in my apartment, I conducted a kitchen experiment. First, I put everything away in my kitchen drawers and cabinets. I am talking about everything that could possibly be used in the kitchen from spices to slicers. When something was used, I moved it to a rolling wire shelving unit I placed in my kitchen. I did this for a year. Things used regularly were moved to the middle racks while things used less frequently were moved to the top or bottom racks. The result was mostly empty cupboards by the 1st month. And they stayed empty for a whole year.
I have some pictures of my new kitchen in Kismet Cabin, but it is not finished yet. There's still some painting and wall shelves that need to go up. But this gives an idea of what I started with. In the above photo on the right, I have an over sized convection oven for baking, roasting, and warming food up. It sits on my small dorm refrigerator that I'm probably going to replace because I miss having a freezer. The refrigerator sits on top of my small "pantry" which stores canned goods. Beside these is my 6'x3'x1' rolling wire shelving unit that acts as my large "pantry" where I have my dry goods and all my kitchen equipment.
Kismet Cabin kitchen top.
The above photo on the left is the other half of my kitchen with my cook top and sink. I put a mirror behind the sink to help reflect light. There's also a draining board in the sink that I got from Ikea. My fantastic Kitchen Aid mixer is one from the 80s and still works beautifully. I love the look of it but only use it about once a month. So I use the bowl to store my cooking utensils. I have mason jars for storing my everyday eating utensils, which are actually my Great-Grandma Rose's silver.
Kismet Cabin lower cabinets.
Below the sink and burners are additional storage. There used to be cabinet doors over them, but I took them off because swinging doors are not your friend in small spaces. Instead I took a suspension rod and one of those 'cafe' curtains to cover the storage under the sink. I works well and I think it looks good. Under the burners, there was just a small amount of storage because the back portion under there is taken up by a small water heater. So, I decided to turn the shelves under the burner into a kind of display. I have my mason jars filled with natural herbs and pigments as well as oils and essential oils stored/displayed down there.
Re-purposed cabinet doors.
In case you are wondering what I did with the doors that used to be on the lower cabinets, I re-purposed them into shelves over the back kitchen window. I keep that one covered most of the time because it looks back into two houses and a driveway. I keep my study books and craft supplies on these shelves.
The last space I'm working on is the open cabinetry over the sink and burners. Thus far I've got my cooking oils and spices on the right side. On the left, I'm storing my eating plates and bowls. I plan to finish moving in the remainder of my kitchen stuff this weekend after I finish painting above the cabinetry (it's such a hard place to reach!).
Every other time I've moved in my life it's always been the same. I neatly and meticulously pack my everyday things that I use and need into boxes. Then I jam the rest of the I'm-not-sure-why-I have-it-but-I'm-sure-I'll-need-it stuff in whatever leftover boxes and bags I have. I'll wonder when I got that thing and why. I'll also find that thing I've been looking for since who knows when. I'll load it all up in a U-haul, again neatly organized like a Tetris puzzle with the whatever boxes and bags haphazardly tossed on top. Once I arrive at my new abode, either a room or a corner is designated for the boxes while furniture is brought in piece by piece until the U-haul is fully unloaded. It will take a few weeks or months to unpack all the boxes.
Moving into Kismet Cabin was completely different. There is no unused corner to stack boxes while I play around with the layout. The reality is with a small space, if something doesn't fit ... it doesn't go there. The result, of the 25 pieces of furniture in my apartment - I only moved 6 of them into the cabin. The remaining furniture is going to my parents for their house or being put in their garage sale. So, I'll still be loading up a U-haul.
I did end up buying 2 pieces of furniture for the cabin. One was a sofa bed and the other was a C-table. The Manstad sofa bed was from Ikea, and if you've ever gotten anything from Ikea it's a puzzler's wet dream. And since I'm a puzzler, I was a happy camper... until I got it to the cabin and realized I couldn't unpack it inside. I literally had to unpack it out in the grass and bring in each piece one at a time.
There was barely any room to maneuver once all the pieces were stacked in the corner. With some careful organization and well-thought-out moves (I kinda felt like I was playing chess), I was able to put the sofa bed together inside the cabin.
Aside from the challenges of figuring out what furniture was going to go into the cabin, I was trying to figure out what things were going as well. I didn't realize how much of my packing previously was based on "I'll figure it out when I get there" or "I'll find a spot for it" mind set.
The minimal space in the Kismet Cabin does not allow for that type of thinking. Everything I pack into boxes to take to the cabin has to have a predesignated space it is going to. If I can't designate a space for the object, it doesn't get packed. Sometimes this means I need to get creative as well as really specific about what gets moved.
An additional problem with moving into a small space goes back to my earlier comment about no spare corners to stack boxes. I have figured out that I can move in approximately 3 boxes at a time and set them on my couch. However, because the couch is where I eat, study and sleep - all the boxes have to be unpacked and put away immediately. Then, I repeat.
Needless to say, my space is staying very tidy thus far.
Back in "Furniture for Kismet Cabin" I had planned to address the no closet issue by getting a wardrobe. Except, I've run into a problem... there's no space for the wardrobe.
So I pulled out all my clothes over the weekend and took a good hard look at them and how I store them (when they don't just sit in the laundry basket). The reality is that most of my clothes are folded, not hung. I thought, "If there was just some way of compressing them like those vacuum bags." I knew I wasn't going to be vacuum sealing my garment bags every time I needed to access my clothes. Then I remembered another solution... the Eagle Creek Pack-It system from Container Store!
Since I feel like I practically live out of the suitcase (or the laundry basket), why not just go ahead and take advantage of it. I had two old fruit boxes that I'd salvaged from somewhere and fit perfectly in the rolling wire rack I was planning to keep by the front door. However, all my clothes you see piled up on the rack would not fit into those two makeshift drawers. So I sorted them into piles. Yellow is work shirts. Blue is exercise/camping clothes. Green is work pants. Purple/pink is casual and sleep wear. Four piles, so I got four Eagle Creek packers, size medium... and all my clothes fit into those two drawers now! Also, having them pre-divided makes it easy to just pull one pack out rather than having to dig around.
Sorry for the poor quality of the picture!
I still have four coats that I figure I'll hang on the wall (a red wool winter coat, a velvet black blazer for work or events, a denim for casual cool days, and a rain/wind coat for exercise and camping). I was thinking about getting some fun wall hooks like these:
Then there are my shoes. I don't think of myself as a person who has a lot of shoes, but when trying to find space for them - the pairs start to add up. I have 2 pairs of tennis shoes, 2 pairs of work wedges, 1 pair dress shoes, 2 pairs of ballet flats, 2 pairs of sandals, 2 pairs outdoor boots, 1 pair of Renaissance Fair boots. After some Google and Pinterest searching, I found this - a CD rack that was turned into a shoe rack. It's the perfect idea.
But like the wardrobe, where would I put it? Remember my bathroom without the door. Well, it just so happens that there is a perfectly sized CD tower from Ikea* that would fit on either side of the toilet along the back wall. (*Correction, the CD towers are NOT "perfectly" sized". So I'm in the process of looking for similar style that's about an inch narrower.) I plan to use the one to the right of the toilet for shoes and the one to the left for my homemade soaps!
The day I spent patching the holes in the walls of Kismet Cabin demonstrated just what a hindrance the bathroom door was. I quickly realized that swinging doors in small spaces are not my friend. Getting in and out was a bit like performing the Texas Two Step... side step, spin, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... side step, spin, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... Not to mention that closing the door for privacy meant cutting off all ventilation. Additionally, I couldn't use the wall behind the door for vertical storage because then I wouldn't be able to open the door. The conclusion - that door had to go!
I was surprised at how much more open it made the bathroom not having a door hanging there. Even taking it off the floor plan just seemed to make the bathroom roomier. However, taking the door off the bathroom does produce the problem of no privacy. The solutions is simple... use a curtain as a door (suggested by Loft & Cottage). This way I'll have the ventilation I need, won't have to do the Texas Two Step when I'm racing in from my 45 minute drive from work, and it'll provide privacy!
I was so excited to pick up the keys to Kismet Cabin and get a good look inside without all the stuff blocking my vision. I asked one of my friends to go with me to take the all important measurements of the place. This is the basic floorplan with the built-ins I have to work with.
After taking the measurements, I got my legal pad out and started making a list of things that need to be done. And since Idea Man was with me, I was jotting down his suggestions too.
The first thing I plan to do is paint the walls. When I got up close and personal with them last week, I realized they were riddled with screws, nails and holes. So before I can paint, I've gotta remove screws/nails and patch the walls. The property manger told me the place used to rented as a game room... I think I found the wall where the dart board used to hang.
Patching dart holes!
Next, I'll be priming and painting the walls before the furniture arrives in 2 weeks. Woot!
When I move to a new place, I always face the quandary of what to take with me and what to get rid of. Five years ago, I moved from a two bedroom, 2 car garage house to a 750 sq ft apartment. Then three years ago, I downsized to a 500 sq ft studio apartment with a separate kitchen and bathroom. And I am now downsizing again to a ~100 sq ft tiny house.
The challenge this time is more daunting though. There are no closets. There's next to nothing in kitchen storage. No pantry. No refrigerator. No washer or dryer. No space for a bed and a couch. Facing facts, the furniture I have is not going to fit in the this tiny house and still be functional.
I think one of the inviting things about building a tiny house or converting a bus is I can design it to fit my needs and my stuff. Coming into an established space like this tiny house, means letting go of preconceived design ideals and dealing with the challenges of this established floor plan. This is not to say that the space and decor won't be fabulous... because it will. I'm just going to have to go about the design and decorating ideas differently.
To break the design down to it's most basic elements, I have to establish, "What do I need?" Rather than think about what I need in terms of furniture or things, I've chosen to think of what I need by function.
1. I need to sleep.
2. I need to study.
3. I need to cook.
4. I need to be presentable for work.
5. I need to be creative.
6. I need to watch TV and movies.
7. I need to entertain.
Now the trick is finding furniture that combines several of these functions together.
1. My number one priority is I need to sleep. Because I looooove sleeping and I want to be nice and comfy. While I was touring the IKEA showroom I came across the Friheten sofa bed with chaise. I though this was a perfect example of multi-functional furniture because I've always liked the L-seating arrangement for entertainment, the chaise storage would be great for storing things like sheets, comforters and pillows, and the sofa bed expands to a full size bed - making sleep way more comfortable.
This means the queen size bed I currently have can go to my parents house for their guest bed room. The IKEA chair and chaise I got three years ago can be broken down and put into storage.
2. Now for my second need, studying. I'm using a library table that belonged to my mom when she was a teenager as my desk, craft table and dinner table. It's already a piece of multitasking furniture. However, it measures 3'x5' which is too big for the tiny house. So, it has to go into storage too with the rolling desk chair and folding guest chairs.
The reality is any stand-alone table/desk is going to be too big. I thought about using TV trays but they can be rickety and not very attractive. Also, I have to sit at the edge of my seat to use them.
Then I found these simple, modern tray-tables.They can slide flush to the sofa, thus taking up less room. The table trays also act as stylish TV trays when entertaining. If I got two, then they could act as end table to the sofa for drinks or be moved towards the center to hold meals when entertaining. One is large enough for a computer or a sewing machine and the second could hold books and notes acting as a desk. They would also fit as bedside tables too.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the printer, yet.
3. I also need to cook. There's not much I can do to make a refrigerator multi-functional but I can reconsider the size of refrigerator I need. I don't need a large refrigerator but I do need one with a freezer. I also have a set of wire rack shelves that are slightly larger than the dimensions of the Insignia 4.3 cu ft compact refrigerator. I could raise up the refrigerator on the shelves to maximize vertical space, also makes it easier to see into the fridge, and use the shelving storage underneath as a place to keep kitchen equipment. There should also be room for a narrow wire rack shelving unit on wheels to slide along the side of the fridge and act as a pantry.
4. I need to be presentable for work. Where, oh where, to store my clothes and shoes? And how do I clean them?The chaise storage would work if it wasn't already being used to store bedding. That leaves the bathroom as the only place to put some additional storage which kinda makes sense. IKEA had a diverse selection of wardrobes that I thought could work. But the one I found most versatile wasn't that pretty to look at. I only have a few things that I need to hang up and the 18" was adequate. Everything else I fold up, so the vertical shelves are a good fit. There's a long shelf at the bottom that would fit my shoes and boots. I could store bath towels in the wardrobe as well. All my toiletries already fit in one carrier.
As for keeping clothes clean, I've been thinking about getting the Scrubba Wash Bag for camping, so I think now's a good time for that. As seen in the video, it certainly doesn't take up much space for storage.
5. I need to be creative. The space for creative work has already been solved. I can sit on the couch and use the table-trays as my work space. But where to store my supplies and tools? I guess now's the time to mention the two storage lofts. I figure on using one storage loft for my weaving, sewing, bookbinding, and soap making crafts. Luckily, I can reach the storage loft using my step ladder/kitchen stool. I'm thinking, I might do something like this.
6. I need to watch TV and movies. The simplest solution is to mount the TV to the wall opposite the L-shaped sofa and chaise. A floating shelf would also be mounted to house the Roku and Blu Ray player with remotes.
7. I need to entertain. To extend my entertainment area, I think an outdoor kitchen/patio is the way to go. I need to work on this idea a little more.
Before I start moving into my new Tiny House, the walls need a fresh coat of paint. My first instincts are to paint the walls blue and the wainscoting white. Then I thought, why not do some research about painting a small space. There may be some surprises I'm not aware of or some useful advice.
"For a Light and Airy Feel, Go Cool... Blues and greens, and grays, browns, and lavenders with blue or green undertones can make walls recede and a small space seem larger."
"Bring the Outdoors Indoors..." with colors of green on the wall.
"To Add Volume, Make it Seamless... Paint walls and ceilings the same color... anytime the wall is higher than it is wider, it makes the room seem better proportioned... create continuous flow by painting the baseboards and trim the same color as the wall."
I also wanted some ideas for the wainscoting, other than the stereotypical white. I found this picture that I really liked. The "Recycled Glass" walls is serene like water but also the muted color of the outdoors. The brown adds a stark, richness to the space that is also reminiscent of the outdoors.
"Breakfast Nook: Provide an Anchor... Using a chocolate brown on the bench has a grounding effect on the minty-green walls, making them seem taller. The dark color also emphasizes the coziness of the corner built-in."
Other websites list ideas such as "be bold" with the colors or choose wallpaper that creates "movement." Many of the darker jeweled colors I like, I just feel would make the space too tight. And some of the wallpapers I like I think are too busy for a small space.
With these ideas in mind, I'm going to pick up some paint samples.
A lot of things happened in 2014 and early 2015 that really threw me off my stride. I went into a deep depression. I wasn't cooking, or hanging out, or doing any of the arts and crafty things that I love to do. And I put on so much weight I thought my scale was going to break. It's taken me some time to climb my way out thanks to the help and understanding of my friends, my doctor and my therapist.
Now, I'm moving forward. The last few post were discussions of downsizing with the eventual idea of moving into a converted school bus. The school bus conversion remains my ultimate goal, but I'm going to take a different track getting there.
During the course of dealing with my depression, I realized some important things about myself. The most important realization was that I LOVE nature and living in the city is not helping me (however cute the downtown district is). Specifically, I miss living near water. This was confirmed when I took my two week sojourn through National Parks on the way to and from San Diego. When I returned home in late June, I started searching for apartments and small houses in and around the lake areas. On Craig's List, I found a listing for a tiny house, ~ 100 sq ft, right next to the lake in a small community of like minded individuals. It was kismet!
I interviewed to be a tenant in late July. Yes, I do mean interviewed... complete with a biographical essay. The previous tenant was basically using the house as storage but I could see enough to know it was exactly what I wanted. On Monday, July 27, 2015, I found out that I beat out 16 other possible tenants and I was ecstatic. I told my new landlord that I didn't mind waiting until the 15th of August to move in, thus giving the previous tenant some extra time to clean it out (poor guy broke his leg).
So on Sunday, August 16, I'll get my keys and start making the place my own. I won't be moving in right away because I need to first figure out what I'm going to do with the space. That means taking exact measurements of everything and determining exactly what I need. Since I don't do idle that well, I've started collecting ideas by visiting the IKEA showrooms one weekend and the Container Store last weekend. But the reality is, I can't plan anything until I get into the house and take the measurements I need.
Since I can't plan about furniture and placement of things, I've started thinking about freshening up the walls instead. They are currently a russet/burgundy walls with chartreuse/olive wainscoting. Not my idea a serene space. So that has to go!
Update 8/14/15 - After a conversation with a friend, the cabin is now called Kismet Cabin.
The logical conclusion was to start looking for book covers that featured a female, preferably alone, on the cover. With this criteria set I went in search of book covers and found A Secret History: The Book of Ash. There were several aspects of this image that stuttered by attention. I first thought this was a man because of the armor and the hands. Then I looked closer and realized the hair was long and the face more feminine that I original judged. The armor is unexpected because it reflects a bucolic landscape rather than the gore of a battle field. I am drawn again to the hands, which are roughened and red, to the awkward pose and position of the hand holding the sword. The whole composition was unusual and I wanted to find out what the reasoning might be.
