Photo Friday

(my backyard after the snow)

Photo Friday

(Amaryllis)

Removing Paint From Brick - UGH

So... we're getting settled, but unpacking is such a slow process.  Sometimes it can be frustrating, trying to plan out storage, closets, and kitchen cabinets.

As you can imagine, moving into a new house, usually, you want to put your mark on it somewhere.  Well, we did the usual, painted a few rooms to fit our aesthetic and removed the ugly carpet that was obscuring some really beautiful wood floors.  But, by far, our biggest endeavor so far was to remove paint from a brick wall in our family room.

I absolutely understand why people paint over brick, but why would you paint it peach?  Of all the colors you could go with, you choose fleshy, yellow-ee peach....I hated it.  The color doesn't fit the dark gray, 13" tiles with wide grout lines or the weird, tropical ceiling fan.

IT HAD TO GO, and here's how we did it.

1. Researched the internet as if it were my second job.....
2. Found this stuff......(Here is the link to the manufacturer site); Soy-Gel
1. Relatively non-toxic
2. Almost no smell to speak of (until it started to melt the paint, then a paint smell)
3. Doesn't burn your skin 
3. Applied to the walls using a paint brush, but you have to put it on very thick
4. Covered the entire wall in plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 8-10 hours
5. Peeled back the plastic wrap in sections, starting at the bottom and began "scraping"
1. Using a plastic sponge - like this
2. Then using a wire brush - like this
3. You need a lot of water, make sure to change it out often and use it generously
4. This step took us a few days and you can just keep the plastic wrap covering the wall
6. Allowed the wall to dry (8-10 hours)

Now take a scrub brush and brush down the walls.  This helped to remove the dried up Soy-Gel.  Now you must sweep/vacuum before the last step.

Lastly, take some more of those plastic sponges and clean the remaining paint and soy gel off the walls.  I also used a smaller wire brush to get in between the bricks.  

Make sure to use a lot of water...makes a huge mess, but in the end it's worth it because you're left with this:

Photo Friday

(Amaryllis)

WiP Wednesday - Serriform Shawlette

Still working on this, slowly but surely.  Between my business trip and moving into our new home, I've been spending about zero time crafting.  This shawlette beckons, especially as I know I will be having another project from the club, coming up.

Pattern:  Serriform Shawlete
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (Burnished)
Ravelry Project Page
Part of the Mad About Tosh Club from Twisted.

Sorry - No craft zone

Sorry for the radio silence.  I'm in the middle of moving into our new home.  This is such a monumental task for me right now.  Everything is so much harder with a child in tow.  Hopefully, in the next week or so, I will have most of the house organized and I can get back to knitting.
I haven't knit a single stitch in more than a week !  I do have some progress pictures of my Serriform Shawlette to share, but I haven't even had time to take them off my camera....so pathetic, really.

See you again soon....

Photo Friday

(Building in Chicago, IL)

Monthly Menagerie - February 2013

FEBRUARY 2013

Photo Friday

No words, just a photo.

(Northwestern Pennsylvania)