#//I’m very slowly working on the remodel for this blog

[countercharmd]

How do y’all feel about dragons as gods / god like creatures

#save game; ooc. #//I’m very slowly working on the remodel for this blog #//and I am thinking thoughts. #//turning the storm lord? into a dragon? who is to say #//i feel like im making Ren more and more of a Mary Sue and ykw good for me #//im having fun idk what to tell u

[megs-on-legs]

ramblings

I’m just sitting here with my swollen belly, reflecting after a nice meditation, just thinking about the life I have created. Suddenly I felt the urge to write. I don’t know of anyone who actually reads this, & I’ve barely even glanced at this blog in what feels like forever. I am remembering that it was once a mindless after work activity where I scrolled to decompress. That was before I started a family... & that’s the basis of this little rant.

I am just feeling so fortunate to be at this stage of my life... I really do think I will look back & smile at these precious memories & consider them the very best of my (hopefully long) life. Our tiny house with all of its imperfections, no budget to do what we want to do to it, all the while feeling the true definition of happiness.

Brodie & I talked about this the other day. Sometimes it feels like we can’t get ahead... not enough childcare to cover us both to work as much as we want, which sets back our money goals & then the rest of the projects & trips & fun lay dormant. The transition to parenthood is hard! It is also the happiest either of us have ever been. Isn’t that wild? I can’t put into words the fulfillment that becoming a mother has given me. I am so glad he shares this feeling as a father.

Several of my close friends have lost a parent within the last two years, & when I hear them explain how difficult their loss has been, it is a reminder to try to stay present. We don’t get to do this thing again. Iris is only this little for a brief time! Our son will be our last baby to meet after the magic of birth, to lose sleep over & gaze at in awe in those early days to come.

This whole circle of life thing has never been more clear to me. I know now that my parents love me unconditionally! Although I’ve “known” that, the overwhelming realization hit me like a ton of bricks when I met my kid. I imagine it is similar to grief. Holy shit, it is transformative. You hear about how much people love their kids, & quite frankly I was like “yeah yeah yeah”, but it is unlike anything else I can imagine. I feel like I am a part of a secret club where you just glance at another parent & they’re like “I know”! People couldn’t fully articulate their experience when I asked them about becoming a parent during my last pregnancy. Now I realize why. It is just something you simply can’t explain.

The biggest shift & the one I am most thankful for is the amount of growth required to be a good parent. I worried quite a bit about what I would miss if I had children. You know... sleep, freedom to choose your day to day, drop into a yoga class at leisure, actually say yes when someone asks if you want to get lunch that day, & so on. Then one day, you finally sleep a full 8 hours, slowly you start to get pieces of your old life back, you go on a girls trip & you get a babysitter for a night out. None of it has the same impact (except maybe sleep!) - I just think I’ve found some new priorities, I have outgrown parts of the old me, & the things that I did miss a lot are so much more gratifying when I find a slice of time to do them. Actually there is a whole new list of things I miss now - like my body being my own for one, but in time that will come back, too. I’ll have time for myself, to work & save money, maybe get that dream home we can remodel (all at once)! 

The best part about all of the above is, I’ll have a family to share it with. & if I’ve learned anything from therapy, knowing this in the present & appreciating what you have is precisely what growth is. I thank Brodie, Iris & this baby in my belly for that ♥ I’m so glad we did this. Let the chaos continue! 

#family

[vee-is-a-writter-now]

The things we never tell.

[[Zuko x Reader]]

Summary: After the war Y/N strays away from her friends, and her relationship with Zuko seemed everytime more distant, slowly she starts to fall into a darker place.

A/N: I took a very extensive but very needed break, I’m incredibly sorry to anyone who sent me a request before I disappeared and was left waiting for me to post it but my mental health was not the best during this past few months and it’s been hard to do anything at all. But I’m back and I hope writing again gives me a sense of purpose or something lol. Talking about mental health, this fic talks about heavy topics like depression and isolation, if you’re not confortable with that or are going through this stuff I recommend skipping this one, I will have lighter fics coming soon. Remember you are never alone, no matter how much you feel like it. There’s always someone to reach out to or ask for help.

Requested: Yes!!!! By a lovely blog that deactivated but went by the name of aristasiaclarke :( (yes that’s how long I’ve been away) But side note, if you sent me a request before my break and would still like me to write it send it to me again I’d be more that happy to do it!

Warnings: Depression, Anxety, Isolation, Angst

~IF YOU HAVE ANY REQUESTS DONT HESITATE TO ASK ~

The war was over, it had been for months now, yet some things hadn’t gone back to normal . You decided to stay in the palace after Zuko was crowned since your relationship with him had only grown stronger by being so close to losing eachother. Your friends on the other hand all went their separate ways. The friend group you’d spent so many days with, planning on how to defeat the firelord, training, camping, going on missions, it all became just memories and it had been so long since you’d all been together last. You couldn’t complain though, you understood after everything that had happened all your friends were left with many responsibilities laying on their shoulders and, in a way, none of you were the same kids you were when this adventure started. You had all grown up.

Zuko and you spent a lot of time together those first few months since you moved in, that period of time when his people understood his need to settle into his position and take charge of his nation, but after that was over the workload was relentless, Zuko had been left with a broken nation and the full responsibility of fixing it. At first he always made sure to eat every meal with you, chat and update you on everything new that had happened, little by little he started to miss lunch and then it was dinner, soon breakfast and any midday break was gone as well. It came to a point where you rarely saw him at all, him working so late you were usually asleep by the time he came to bed, if he did at all, and you waking up to an empty bed every morning.

Slowly but surely a feeling you knew all too well started reappearing in your chest, something you hadn’t felt in years and were too scared of to even acknowledge. You tried to figure out what to do with all the free time you had in your hands so the feeling wouldn’t consume your mind, you remodeled at least fiver rooms in the palace, picked up several hobbies, offered your help to servants all around just to be rejected, anything and everything your mind could think of, but nothing was enough. That darkness and emptiness inside of you seemed to be determined to conquer your every waking moment once again.

Last time this happened you had your old friends around you, back at home. You family did everything they could to help you, and little by little you learnt how to heal. But this was different, all you had now were empty hallways that lead to even emptier rooms, and the ones that weren’t empty you weren’t permitted to go into.

Days were longer and shorter at the same time; on one hand, a day seemed to last ages, all you did was wait til night fell so you could go back to bed and rest, on the other you started spending more time inside your room, taking naps here and there turned into sleeping most of your days, taking baths became a task harder than any of the ones you’d had to complete in your adventure days, the curtains stayed closed and the bed unmade, day and night slowly started to blend in together.

Servants noticed first, they knocked on the door several times a day to ask if you needed anything at all, to which you would always answer no. When you stopped going to the dinner hall they started to bring food to you, most of which you didn’t eat. One too many times they even had to drag you to the bath so they could get a chance to clean your room.

It was your personal maid who had decided to finally bring in the palace medic. After running some tests on you he concluded there was nothing wrong with you and all it could be was hormonal changes. But hormonal changes weren’t supposed to last weeks, not to mention months.

The maid tried encouraging you to go out to town, visit some new boutique that had opened or a restaurant with great reviews, but all you ever said was “maybe tomorrow”. She came to understand that tomorrow wouldn’t come.

—————————

One day she decided to not stand by and witness a girl who had once been the light in every room wither away. It took all her courage to approach the fire lord,. Even though she knew of his kindness and how different he was from his predecessor he was still an intimidating ruler.

“Fire lord” she called as the young man walked through the palace surrounded by his officials, discussing some political matter she assumed. He didn’t seem to hear her so she sped up and stood in front of the group of men.

“I’m sorry but any issue at the moment will have to wait, important matters need to be addressed with urgency.” He informed her with his usual formal tone.

“Your majesty, it’s miss Y/N, she-” the maid started but was soon interrupted

“Yes, well if she requires my presence please inform her I’m occupied at the moment, but whatever she needs she can ask the help to do it for her.” Zuko attempt to walk past her but the maid stopped him once again.

“Your majesty, I hope I’m not being too bold but I don’t think you understand, she’s very unwell.” the maid saw as Zuko was about to protest her audacity, but once his eyes fell on her he seemed to realize the seriousness of the matter.

Zuko’s heart sank, all kinds of thoughts went through his head, had you gotten injured? Had one of the rebellious groups he’d been dealing with infiltrated the castle and taken you? had you fallen ill with a terrible condition? He soon turned to his second in command and said “You can take charge from here”

The man rather surprised replied after a few seconds “Your majesty, this matter requires your presence, it can not wait.”

“Well it will have to, I’m going to be unavailable the rest of the day. I’m sure you all can manage without me.”

———————

Nothing could’ve prepared Zuko for the sight he encountered when he entered the royal chambers. He hadn’t sleept there a few nights in a row, not wanting to wake you up at late hours when he was done with his workload of the day, but even when he did sleep there he was too tired to even notice anything wrong. Now, at broad daylight, he saw it all.

You were cuddled up under the covers, your hair matted and messier than ever, very dark under eye bags and an extremely pale complexion, even laying down and under blankets and covers he could tell you’d lost a worryingly amount of weight. He’d never seen you in such state.

“What happened to her? Is she ill?” Zuko asked the maid who stood next to him.

“The medic has been called, your majesty, he wasn’t able to point out anything wrong with her. Said it was just hormonal changes, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on.” she said softly.

“Well then bring another doctor in. Someone has to know what’s wrong.”

“Yes, your majesty, we’ll being someone else in first thing tomorrow.” she bowed and was about to leave the room when the firelord stopped her.

“Thank you... for bringing this to my attention and for looking after her.”

The maid just bowed once again and made her way out of the room. Zuko walked up to you, your eyes were closed and even in your sleep an uneasy expression was plastered on your face.

“Love...” he cooed stoking the side of your face slowly. “Hey, darling... wake up.”

He made sure to rest his hand on your forehead to see if you had a fever, but on the contrary you were rather cold. You barely opened your eyes, but it was enough for Zuko to see how the light that had once been there was now gone.

“Zuko?” you asked, your voice barely audible and raspy as you tried to blink the sleepiness away slowly.

“Hey, do you feel sick Y/N? Does anything hurt?” Zuko’s hand had moved from your forehead to your cheek and his thumb was now sweetly caressing your skin.

You hadn’t felt a loving touch in what felt like so long, you’d almost forgotten that you could feel something good and not painful. It was all it took for tears to slowly start forming in your eyes and eventually rolling down your face.

At the sight of your partner’s concern, you forced yourself to smile a little and respond “Nothing hurts.”

“Y/N... something’s not right. I’ve never seen you like this before, i need you to tell me what’s going on.” Zuko’s voice was almost breaking, you could tell how hard he was trying to be strong and keep collected for you, this broke your heart even more.

You took in a deep breath, your mind running while trying to find an answer for him. You knew what was wrong, you’d ignored it so far, pushed it away even though it now consumed your every waking moment, but you knew you couldn’t do this anymore. “I don’t feel well, Zuko. I haven’t for a while now.”

“Are you ill? We’ve called a doctor already, he should be-” He said before you cut him off.

“Zuko... It’s not that kind of unwell.” you almost whispered. “A doctor can’t help me with this.”

The firelord seemed lost for a while, not quite sure of what you meant. You took a second before sitting up on the bed and pressing your back against the headboard. You decided to recount the events of the last time you’d gone through this to him, every sleepless night and every full of sleep day, the multiple crying sessions, the pain and hopelessness, the ever changing appetite, the heavy chest you couldn’t seem to get rid of. This was all terribly hard for you to do but needed to be done, for your sake and for his. Zuko didn’t seem to understand at first, his eyes looking at you attentively, waiting for the moment where the pieces of your story would fall into place. It took you saying how what was wrong with you wasn’t physical but rather emotional for him to get what you were referring to. His face had fallen into a heartbreaking expression, you didn’t know if it was guilt or pity or something in between.

Once you were done and the tears that pooled in your eyes while tellling your story had fallen, Zuko held your hand tightly. “This is all my fault. You should’ve been my priority.”

“Zuko...no. This isn’t your fault, it’s nobody’s fault.” You assured him as your hand went up to his cheek.

“I’m so sorry. You shouln’t have had to deal with this alone. You were there for me when no one else was and I want to do the same for you, always.” He tilted his head into your palm before turning slightly to kiss it.

“I’d like that... I really would.”

For the rest of that night, you and your partner opened up to each other like you’d never had before. For the first time since the war had ended you didn’t feel so alone, you were together and that made you feel like you had the strength to get better, maybe not today or in the days to come, but someday. He gave you hope.

#zuko au #zuko fic #zuko x reader #atla zuko #zuko angst #zuko fanfic #avatar zuko #prince zuko #zuko x you #fire lord zuko #zuko x y/n #zuko x oc #atla imagine #atla fanfic #aang #katara #sokka #fanfic #fire nation

[bokutoslittlebird]

happy new year author! please don’t worry about being inactive here because sorting out things in your life should come first priority. i hope you feel better soon and always take care, alright?

Aw that’s very sweet, thank you! With the new tagging system problems on iOS platforms I’ve been kind of worried of doing anything (then there was the no recent updates after Dec. 31 thing) but I’m slowly working on some stuff and hoping to get it out sometime soon.

I’ll probably remodel my blog as well so sorry about that

#a happy new year to you too #BB.asks #✉️.lolliepuffy

[artificialqueens]

You'll Never See It Coming, 1/? (Jaida/Nicky/Jackie) - Viktor

Summary: Jaida and Jackie are two private detectives, with the objective of taking down a mysterious thief that has been bugging them for a year now.

A/N: As someone who writes Jaida a lot on his blog, it was about time I dropped one of my Jaida works in here! I really hope you like this, I got really attached to this AU haha! You can find me in my blog @theviktorr if you want to see more! Enjoy <3

The sun rays were starting to sneak inside of Jaida’s room, filling the open spaces of the semi-closed blinds.

Jaida hated sleeping with light. It was almost tempting to get up, close the blinds properly, and tuck herself back in her bed. However, she had work to do. And the annoying beeping of her alarm clock made sure to keep her awake, as the brightness from her phone blinded her for a few seconds when reaching to turn the shit off.

She stepped off her bed, running one of her hands across her messy hair and rubbing her eyes with the other. It was just 7:30, and she had a lot of work to do. She put on her slippers and got herself comfortable with her favorite robe, sighing at the sudden warmth she got from them. She finally opened the blinds, letting the sunlight illuminate her bedroom. It wasn’t a big bedroom, but it was big enough to be comfortable in it. She looked outside the window for a spare second, smiling at the potted flowers on the window sill. They were perfectly cared for, Jaida swore she could almost smell their perfume. Her roommate was really talented, huh?

Jaida finally got out of her bedroom, her senses overwhelming with the smell of dust and old books, which she found not-so-oddly anymore, after all the years spent surrounded by it. After all, being around secondhand bought books, piles of yellow toned documents and tables stained with melted wax made her feel all sorts of happy; she felt more at home than she ever did with her blood family. She quickly noticed that the signature scent of her housemate’s coffee wasn’t there. And knowing that trails of her partner’s coffee were always left, even after drinking it hours ago, she figured her friend was still asleep, and Jaida couldn’t blame her for it.

It wasn’t even necessary to go to her bedroom to confirm it. She only had to look around to find her partner sleeping in the living room, accommodated with her head resting on top of her arms, which were laying on top of their old wooden table, and her favorite golden glasses were thrown across the table. She was calm, her breathing seemed slow and steady. When did she even go to sleep…? She did tell Jaida that she wanted to stay up a little longer, that she thought she was finding some useful information within these books she borrowed from their local library. She probably got caught up on her reading again and fell asleep after some hours. Jaida smiled, tucking a strand of her friend’s brown hair behind her ear. She took off her robe, gently setting it on top of the older woman’s shoulders, and silently left the living room, heading to their small kitchen instead.

Now, Jaida’s coffee wasn’t as sweet and tasteful as her partner’s, she didn’t know the secret behind the flavour she enjoyed so much during their typical breakfast, but she tried her best to make it appealing for her. She took the time to make pancakes and toast some bread, choosing her friend’s favorite marmalades. She cleaned up the table, if we could consider “cleaning up” moving and piling papers to a corner of the table, and served the improvised breakfast while the woman still slept peacefully. And when the last mug was finally left on top of the wooden surface, she sat down by her side, softly squeezing her shoulder to wake her up.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” She smiled at her, only getting a groan from her partner, who raised her head slightly, and then buried it between her arms again “Jackie, you have to wake up… I made you breakfast, come on.”

Jaida rubbed her hand on Jackie’s back, with the woman slowly waking up and stretching a little on her seat. She turned around after finally opening her eyes and getting comfortable, gifting Jaida one of her adorable smiles.

“Morning…” She yawned. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did. Now eat, we have a long day coming.”

Even if Jaida could sound cutthroat sometimes, Jackie knew it came from a place of love. She took a sip from her coffee, getting adjusted to the heat, and after asking Jaida to hand her the glasses she left on the other side of the table, she eyed yesterday’s newspaper, giving another look at the words she highlighted in neon yellow last night. It was crystal clear that Jackie hardly got any sleep, she had dark bags underneath her eyes and she couldn’t stop yawning, even if the coffee was keeping her slightly more awake.

Jackie meant the world to Jaida. Both of them were private detectives, and undoubtedly had chemistry. They worked amazingly together, and have managed to solve so many mysteries with their shared thoughts and intellect. They made a good name out of themselves with their efficiency and hospitality towards both newer guests that were just starting to work with them, or old acquaintances that trusted their methods so much they always came back to them. They moved together only months after they started working as a pair, buying an old small house that smelled like dust and looked like history. They remodeled it, of course, with Jackie adding all sorts of flowers and plants to make it look alive. Jaida even remembered that her favorite flowers were marigolds and sunflowers; and even if Jackie was sad she couldn’t plant any sunflowers, she bought fake ones and made sure everything was decorated. She even handpainted pots in their free time; she wanted the house to have her creative touch to it. And she did it, because Jaida had never been happier.

However, their happy days ended exactly one year ago, when they were approached with the mission of capturing a mysterious person that called themselves ‘la voleuse fantôme’, a thief that was after the richest people she could find. And they still couldn’t find her. They even admired her talent to escape them, two of the most renowned detectives in America. But they couldn’t give up yet. They had to capture her and get her in jail for her crimes, this had already gone too far. Whoever she was, they would need to step up their game if they didn’t want to be discovered, because Jaida and Jackie were sure they had her in the bag this time around.

“Have you checked the mail, Jaida?” Jackie inquired.

Jaida didn’t answer. Well, she did, by standing up and going to their porch to check if there was anything new. And within cards signed by Jackie’s best friend, Sasha, or postcards from Heidi, Jaida’s little sister, she noticed that there was something that stood up between all their usual mail. It wasn’t odd to them, the red envelope was already a normal thing for them to see. It was the thief, she knew it. They looked so extra, sending bright red envelopes to their house and, as far as they’ve seen them, dressing like a caricature, with a big white hat, a checkered cape and the most expensive masks Jaida and Jackie had ever seen.

The younger detective went back to the dining table, sliding the colorful letter across the wood and letting Jackie have the honors of opening it this time. She carefully did it, unfolding the paper inside it and reading the thief’s disgustingly perfect handwriting. Jackie cleared her throat and started to read the content, feeling how shaky her hands were as she got towards the end of it.

“Good morning, detectives.

You two are so much fun! It’s already our one year anniversary of you guys chasing after me and failing miserably. And to celebrate, I prepared my best show just for you!

I’ll show up at Gigi Goode’s masquerade ball next Sunday. What will I steal, you may ask? Well, that’s simple…

I’ll be taking grandma Goode’s crown that has been passed on for the last generations.

I wonder how it’ll look on my head when I wear it.

See you guys next Sunday!

With love,

   La voleuse fantôme.”

Oh, so it was at Gigi’s place this time.

Fuck.

Knowing they were good friends with the Goode family, especially their future heir, a young girl known as Gigi, failing at capturing the thief would mean that they would serve both of their heads in a platter and show it to everyone during their massive reunions. Jaida got chills down her spine at the thought of that. It was scary, yes, but it motivated her to catch the thief. Not only catch her, but also throw her behind bars once and for all. She wanted to get rid of her already and keep living her normal life with Jackie, resolving simpler murders or investigating nannies for old women who wanted the best for their kids. As much as she loved the thrill of this ‘voleuse fantôme’ lady, she really wanted a break and a very well-deserved nap.

She looked back at Jackie after a moment, noticing the nervousness in the Persian’s eyes, and carefully grabbed her by the wrist, squeezing it. She looked back at the brunette, and after a short sigh, managed to give her one of the confident smiles Jaida liked so much from her. She could see the motivation behind those golden eyes, there was a fire in them that Jaida couldn’t even explain. She was ready to do it. And seeing that look from Jackie gave her that little boost of confidence she needed. She was ready, they were ready.

“This time around, I’m sure we’re gonna get them.”

#rpdr fanfiction #jaida essence hall #jackie cox #nicky doll #jackie x jaida #jaida x nicky #lesbian au #detective au #phantom thief au #you’ll never see it coming #viktor #concrit welcome #s12 #rare pair

[theprincessgarden-blog]

Welcome to my first post on my new blog  💖

This is something I have been thinking about doing for ages now, so I hope everyone will enjoy it as much as I think I am going to! I am hoping to make a post every day - or at least a few times a week - and plan to cover quite a wide variety of topics! The name of my blog is inspired by my middle name, Eden, and its connection to the Bible story. I have always loved the story and connected to it a lot. Unfortunately, just “The Garden” was taken, so I decided to make it a princess garden since most of my daily life is dedicated to caring for my two little princesses.

For those that don’t know me, I’d like to give a bit of a background about myself, and to get an idea for what my blog will be about. I’m a 24 year old wife, mom, and step mom with 3 small dogs. I currently live in a house built in the 1950′s in Texas that we are slowly remodeling - the same house I grew up in as a kid, which I love. I have a wide variety of interests, that range from things like reading, writing and drawing, to fashion and sewing, philosophy, psychology, mental health and eating disorders, mixed media art, home decor, design, re-purposing and DIY, movies and TV (including my guilty pleasure, trashy reality TV), food and watching my husband cook, religions of the world and theology, vintage toys and collectibles, thrift shopping and making things work on a budget, and more that will probably come to mind after I make this post. If any of those things sound interesting to you, then I would encourage you to follow along as I will eventually be covering a very wide range of subjects as they come up in my life and I feel a need or want to blog about them I have constantly been told by my friends and family that a lot of the things that I do would be inspiring and/or helpful to others, so I’m hoping this can serve as the one place for me to post my thoughts and ideas.

To start the blog off, I want to talk about the kitchen and dining room remodel that we are currently working on! Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to spend 30k to remodel our dream kitchen, but we are doing what we can and so far we are loving it! My husband Zach and I have been discussing our color scheme for about a year, and now seeing it in person is feeling fantastic! I am planning to post in a bit more detail about what we do, but for now I will give the blog the first peek that anyone - besides my closest friends - has seen!

Here’s the before:

As you can tell, I had pretty much given up on trying to keep it cute and organized. I had been feeling so uninspired with how old the cabinets looked and felt. If you look closely, there are hinges leftover from the doors that use to be on these cabinets, and during my home renovation process, I’ve realized it’s small things like that that REALLY affect a room. They’re the kind of thing that you look over and sometimes don’t realize would only take a few minutes to take down, and would significantly change the object or room. When my husband took them down before we painted, it immediately made them look better! And I wondered why we hadn’t at least done that YEARS ago! (These cabinet doors have been missing my entire life! lol)

Quick phone shot of our progress, ft. my husband touching up a spot:

I am LOVING the color! With the cabinet hardware taken down, holes covered from where the cabinets hung, and this beautiful, fresh coat of paint, our cabinets are looking deliberate and stylish! It’s truly feeling like a dream come true. I’m super excited to buy new plates and decor. 

Our next step is going to be prepping our walls for wallpaper! We got the most gorgeous wallpaper off of amazon and it’s going to go perfect with our vintage farmhouse feel. 

I can’t wait to continue to update with more of the things we learn during this process. I also will try to post some past projects in the future once I get things going! 

Thanks for reading ✨ Be on the lookout for tomorrow’s post!

#first post #intro #kitchen remodel #farmhouse #family blog

[singledadhamilton]

STORYTIME: The Scissors Incident Pt 2

Part 2

John POV

It’s storytime!!! Hello, our lovable and adoring fans who have been waiting for part 2 of the scissors. As usually, we upload our storytime here on the ask blog. Every Saturdays or Tuesday depending on our schedules. So grab your drinks, snack, your homie. Cause the drama is about to start where I spill the tea.

In the last storytime. I told y'all that Angie has smacked me across the face which left a mark on my face. Which I snitch on Angelica little ass where my dad smacks her in the face to teach her a little lesson. As I said before, my dad isn't a violent person and he is not abusive. My dad just doesn't like it when us getting physically violent with one another. Which I can understand he would smack us on the face every once in a while. But anyway though after the after all and when dad discipline Angelica and yadda yadda.

I think about 2 months has pass cause I know it was in the middle of August and it was about two weeks before school started. Things went back to normal as if nothing happens. Like Angelica just didn't slap me across the face anyway. But still, our summer vacation was still fun and got to make more memories with each other and our dad. Before I continue with the story, I just give you the layout of the old apartment which we use to live in. It was one of that two-story apartment where there only three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the kitchen, and the sala of course.

But this apartment had like really old carpet floors which I assume that they put it over an old wood floor. And the floor would make a high squeaking sound. So basically us, younger quadruplets made a game out of it. Like we check to see which part of the floor made the creak and which one didn't. Which we wanted to sneak some candies or pieces of cake into our bedroom. Haha, good old memories. But that's not the point though. And I remember each one from top to bottom fresh within my mind. And I still remember that pattern till this day. Well, the floor creaking didn't matter during the daytime. But at night it's a difference since you don't want to wake your whole family up just because you needed a glass of water or do your business. Also, we didn't want dad bringing the Chancla while our fatasses are munching off the candies and cakes.

Oof! Memories of the Chancla still buried beneath but those stories are for any time. Hehe, anyway on with the story.

I remember this one night where Tia Peggy was spending the night with us since Papa had the night shift at the diner. So she was always us and I guess I wanted to sleep with her cause she’s my favorite Tia. So yeah, this particular night I know Peggy spend the night with us cause her condo floors were being remodeled at the time where this incident took place. I just remember us going to bed very earlier. Since we were about to start school in two weeks.

I decided to sleep with Tia Peggy in Papa bedroom in my little Spiderman pajamas. Waited for everybody else to go asleep for the night. And I think I waited for about two or three hours since I remember getting off the bed at midnight. I climb off the bed very steady and slowly without waking Tia up. Silently made my way to Dad office where he kept many of his fabric scissors. The reason he had those cause he does a little sewing and mending our clothes. These scissors were big, very long and very sharp. Just barely touching the tip of it with your finger would automatically make it bled. I pull those scissors out of his sewing kit that was underneath the desk.

As I said, I remember the pattern of the hallway knowing which part of the floor creaking. In the dark, carrying some big ass scissors in my hand as I March myself down to Angie room that she shared with Philip, James, and AJ. Luckily, their bedroom was left open for a reason I don't know. Which meant I didn't have to attempt opening the door in silently. Making my way through their bedroom in the dark while still carrying the fabric scissors in my hand. I avoid all the books, pencil, origami papers typically preteen stuff. As I pass through both AJ and James as I stood between Philip and Angie bed.

I just stare at Angie who was in a deep sleep at the moment. And her hair was tied up in a long Rapunzel-like hairstyle. If she would turn facing toward me and wake up at that moment. All that girl would've seen is her little brother carrying some very sharp scissors. I grabbed her braided hair which still surprises me that she hadn't woken up by it. I place the scissors where the braid starts at the very beginning against her scalp and snip!

I chop all her hair off with just one cut snip, snip!! So I quietly crept my little ass back to my dad putting the scissors away before returning to bed with my Tia. Next thing, I know I felt peacefully for the rest of the night feeling nothing.

Next morning comes around and Eliza is waking me up. Letting know me just to wash my face and brush my teeth since Tia is making breakfast. I just groan and did the typical morning stuff. Change out of my Spiderman pajamas into a regular white T-shirt and jeans short. We were eating breakfast just eggs, beans, bacon, and potatoes. Philip, AJ, and James came downstairs acting as if nothing happens. Until we heard Angelica screaming bloody murder which made everybody jump including me actually. Tia Peggy was about to rush out of the kitchen but instead. All we saw was Angelica with very short hair while carrying the braided hair that I cut off.

Everyone gasped in horror and in short but I wasn't fazed at all, not even one. Like, I already knew who cut Angie hair cause I'm the one that did it. Philip leads her to sit down on the chair while still having a shock expression on his face. Tia Peggy rushes toward Angie, who was balling her eyes while carrying the chopped braid in her arms.

“Oh my gosh, Angie!! Mija, what happens?! Who done it?!”

“I don't know, Tia. I just woke up and saw my hair on my bed realizing my hair is now all short. Like, what I'm gonna do, school is gonna start in two weeks...I look so ugly with my hair short...Everyone is gonna make fun of me...Tia”

While Angie is balling her eyes out in Tia Peggy arms as the rest are trying to figuring out who had done it. While I'm just eating my eggs as if everything was normal. As I'm chewing my breakfast William just stares at me. With a suspicious look on his face before starting at Angie. Then he looks at me with a shocked look on his face. With a hint of fear in his eyes, he quietly asks me.

“Did you do it?”

“Yeah”

“What the heck?”

While Tia Peggy and everyone is figuring out who cut Angie hair off last night. Williams rushes up to Philip tugging at his jeans quickly.

“Pip!! Pip, John did it. Jackie did it”

“No, he didn't. John isn't capable doing such thing”

“ John just literally told me. He cut Angie hair off”

Everyone just stares at me with a shock expression on their faces. I’m still eating my eggs like this whole situation was basically nothing to me.

“John, did you cut her hair”

“Yea, no big deal”

Philip, AJ, and James gasps after hearing that their nine-year-old little brother cutting Angie hair off. William and Tia were frozen not knowing what to do.  PJ and Eliza looked at me all scared while everyone is in still. Here you got, Angie staring at me like “Boy I know you did not...you did not just cut my hair off”.  Tia Peggy automatically called my dad with a stern expression on her as she hands me the phone.

“You’re gonna tell your father what you did to your sister”

Next thing you know I heard talking on the other line all confuse wondering what happening while he’s at work.

“Hey John, bebe. Que Paso? Your tia Peggy told me that you wanted to me something. So what’s wrong?”

“Nothing wrong, Papi? She just mad at me right now”

“Why is she mat you?”

“Because I just cut Angie off. Basically just her braid off”

I just confess my crime with a nonchalant attitude and that terrified not only my father but also my Tia since you don’t expect a nine-year-old speaking like that. Let alone admitting cutting their older sister hair in the middle of the night with some big ass scissors. My father went all quiet and ask me to give the phone to Tia Peggy. So I did and went back eating my breakfast knowing that I might get the chancla later on once my dad gets out of work. I play by myself throughout the entire day with my Spiderman action figures until dad got home. He picked me up from the apartment and just wanted me and him to go out to Basket Robin. Their ice creams are the bomb so we went to Basket Robin and I’m eating my Mississippi Mud River all happy like any kid would after getting ice cream.

Soon my dad began driving me just around New York just to talk as he usually does whenever he felt something was wrong with us. Or we did things out of characters which this was the situation.

“Jackie, mijo. Why did you cut her sister hair off?”

“Because she smacks me on the face”

“There was a long ago, bebe. I handle that situation, remember. I smack her back for you so she doesn’t hit you again. So why are you still mad?”

“Well you got her back but I didn’t. I just wanted to teach her lesson”

“But Jackie mijo. If your sister turns a second too late. You could’ve her eye out. Ok, those scissors you use to cut Angie hair are not to be mess around with. They’re the longest and sharpest scissors in the house. You could’ve really hurt your sister and might cause her to end up in the hospital. You could’ve stabbed her eye out ok. You don’t do stupid shit like that. Do I make myself clear?”

The lecture my dad given to me during the car ride really got to me real deeply. I didn’t realize that I put Angie in real danger if she had moved closer to the scissors. It made me feel really sick down to the pit of the stomach just imagine if I did manage to stab Angie eye out instead of cutting her hair. I was automatically grounded for three months with no tv, no video games, and no more spiderman action figures. Dad has to spend a large mouth of money for wig just only for Angie since you got girls back then like their hair is everything to them. Their looks are everything to them especially their hair. I immediately took that self-confident away from Angie.

Remember Angie is only starting middle school in New York and you know how stupid and wannabe tough they are. I understand why my dad did to buy a wig for Angie so yeah. After the incident, my siblings started to treat me a bit differently as if they were scared of me for about three or four years. Philip remind of me of this incident and now I think about it...now I understand why they were scared of me but yeah now you know the full story of The Scissors Incident

We hope to see you again, Bye Bye

#Storytime Hamilton #Hamilton kids #Alexander Hamilton #Single dad Au

[breakingdownsu]

Chorus  Chapter Three

Note: I'm finally out of the hospital and hopefully on my way to a new period of productivity. While I was there, it was brought to my attention that I had been breaking the AO3 rules by promoting my original work on the site, and it just goes to show how terrible my reading comprehension is at times that I completely missed that when I signed up. I have since removed any trace of said promotion and will cease bleating about it from here on out, except for when I have a blog set up specifically for said bleating, but also to facilitate discussion with readers and interact a bit more with the fandoms I'm currently involved in. Nothing makes me happier than writing, or talking about writing, and I missed it terribly while I was away.

Anyway, on with Homeworld pearl shenanigans!

Note 2: I would advise reading A String of Pearls before continuing, if you haven't already.

…..

Accelerando

The atmosphere had that weird murky 'underwater' feel that made Steven instantly realize it was a dream, but knowing that and reacting appropriately were two different things. He still found himself running down an endless maze of corridors, gleaming chrome and marble fixtures on all sides, looking for the source of that awful drilling whine. It seemed like it was coming from all around him.

At last, he seemed to reach a gap in the wall and burst through it. He found Pearl, as he was expecting for a dream of this nature. Still, he wasn't prepared for just how awful it would be to find her.

Strapped to a table, eyes closed and unmoving as though she were asleep.

And above her, the source of that screeching whining clamour, an enormous drill. The point of which was bearing down into Pearl's gem.

He just about reached the table when Pearl's gem cracked in half.

…..

Steven woke with a gasp, reaching out for....something that wasn't there. For a moment, he couldn't figure out where he was. When the pearl sitting across from him at a console...

Ginger. She said I could call her Ginger.

...spun in her chair to look at him, not with concern but with curiosity, it all came flooding back. He didn't recall even feeling sleepy, but at some point he had curled up on the old couch in the corner and drifted off. Someone had draped an old cloth over him, maybe in a motherly fashion but probably just to keep him from getting scrap dust all over himself.

“We don't have a rest pod here,” Ginger told him, blinking vacantly. “If you need to rest, we should find somewhere else for you...”

“The couch is fine,” Steven laughed weakly. “I don't mind, I can sleep pretty much anywhere, as long as it's warm and it's pretty warm in here so it's really okay...”

He was babbling but he couldn't stop. Ginger continued staring at him in that half-interested fashion she seemed to have of looking at everything. Usually when he had a bad dream someone was around to talk to, Garnet or Pearl or even his Dad. Garnet would try to talk his worries out with him, Pearl would empathize and attempt to distract him with long rambling stories, Amethyst would offer food or bad TV...

...and all he could expect from this gem was a blank stare.

That's not fair. She probably doesn't even know what a dream is, let alone a bad one.

A flicker of movement in the corner alerted him to the fact that he and Ginger were not the only ones in the workshop. The hulking figure perched awkwardly on a tiny stool...

Jasper?Here?

...folded her arms and sighed, looking down at the floor. Looking at her closely, she wasn't anything like the Jasper Steven knew, beyond a first superficial glance. Her gem was on her shoulder, her hair was darker and her jaw more pointed. Her uniform was different, too, and more importantly she lacked that air of aggression and bravado that the other Jasper had. She seemed...sad.

Steven's stomach growled, a welcome distraction. He reached into his backpack and grabbed a sandwich, wolfing it down and following it with a healthy chug of juice. He knew Ginger and the Jasper were staring, but he didn't care.

“All right,” Orthoclase bellowed from out of nowhere, clattering into the workshop. “We have to get going soon, Hematite's being a pain in the....oh, when did you get here?”

She addressed the Jasper, sinking onto the couch beside Steven.

“You asked me to meet you here,” the Jasper said, fidgeting nervously.

“I did?”

“You did,” Ginger reminded her. “You messaged her at first quadrant.”

“Oh, right,” Orthoclase drawled, tapping her gem carelessly. “Got plans all over the place here...”

“I brought her, like you asked,” the Jasper interrupted, handing over a small object in her hand. “Is anything wrong?”

“No, nothing's wrong,” Orthoclase said, turning the object over in her hand.

A pearl. One that was scratched and chipped to hell and back, but undeniably a pearl.

“Remind me, how many procedures did I say she needed?” Orthoclase asked.

“Seventeen,” the Jasper replied.

“And I also told you I only remodel the same pearl twice, right?”

“You said repairs don't count,” the Jasper countered.

“Yeah, they don't, but they're as expensive as a remodel, more in some cases,” Orthoclase told her. “So, I have a proposition for you. I can do all seventeen, all at once, and completely free of charge.”

The Jasper's mood lifted so dramatically it was like she morphed into a different gem completely.

“You can?” she gasped, breathing hard and smiling a watery, wavery smile. “Why would....how....?”

“You have something I have need of,” Orthoclase said. “How many pearls are at the impound right now?”

“Uh, five,” the Jasper said, frowning as she thought. “No, six. We had another one brought in before I left.”

“Great. I'm going to need them all.”

The Jasper laughed, but it died quickly when she realized Orthoclase was dead serious.

“I can't give you the pearls,” she scoffed. “They haven't even been signed over to the processing plant...”

“But they will be soon,” Orthoclase said with a shrug. “Do you think anyone's coming to collect them?”

“No, probably not,” the Jasper admitted. “We thought one of them was a sure thing, but the owner lost the paperwork.”

“Exactly. No-one's going to miss them. Sign them over to the processors but deliver them to me instead. Pearls get lost in transit all the time, no-one's going to blame you.”

Listening to this conversation in silence, Steven had that awful squirming feeling at the pit of his stomach again. The sandwich he gulped down sat there like a hot rock. Even though he barely understood what these two gems were talking about, the little bits he could figure out painted a very unpleasant picture.

“Look, it's going to take you a long time to afford all the repairs your pearl needs, the impound doesn't pay you nearly enough, so who cares if you mess up the registry a bit? I don't offer this service to anyone else, just you. We need those pearls, and you need something from me.”

The Jasper sighed, stared at the cracked gem Orthoclase was holding in her palm and seemed to wrestle with herself.

“If I do this, you'll fix her properly?”

“I give you my word,” Orthoclase agreed. “As good as I can get her.”

“All right,” she said at last. “I'll drop them off here next cycle.”

“Great! Pleasure doing business with you!”

A few more whispered words at the door and the Jasper was gone. Orthoclase pulled out the operating table and placed the pearl on it, then went digging around in her toolbox.

“Don't we have to be somewhere?” Ginger piped up.

“We sure do,” Orthoclase said breezily, slamming down some sort of gun-needle-type tool. “But I just gave myself seventeen procedures to do, so we should get at least a little of it done before we go.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Steven asked, acutely aware that Orthoclase had given herself this work for Steven's sake.

“Maybe,” Orthoclase agreed. “Stand here, you can hand me stuff.”

She pushed a lever on the gun-needle and a pulsing wave of energy washed over the pearl on the operating table. Slowly, blinking in and out, the pearl's body manifested until she was lying on the table, eyes closed as though she were sleeping.

Steven gulped. As with Ginger, the resemblance to Pearl was uncanny even though this pearl had curly blonde hair and a yellowish tint to her skin...what was left of it, anyway. There were sections of her mass missing, including all of the fingers on one hand and most of her right leg below the knee.

“What happened to her?” Steven asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Barracks pearl,” Orthoclase said, as if that explained anything. “They hardly ever come out of there in one piece...course, this one got taken out when one of the Jaspers went rogue and then someone saw fit to pack her full of explosives.”

Explosives?

The look on Steven's face must have been quite a sight, because Orthoclase laughed softly and rubbed the top of his head.

“Don't worry pebble, we got them out before she could get herself blown up,” she assured him. “She's still in bad shape, but she's better than she was. That Jasper's been paying off her repair bill for orbits.”

Oh!

Steven could have kicked himself. He always forgot his gem abilities right when they were most useful.

“I think I can fix her,” he offered, standing on tiptoe to reach the pearl on the table.

“What, you studied pearl repair manuals for sixteen orbits?” Orthoclase laughed. “She's got fissure cracks all across...”

Orthoclase's voice trailed away after Steven licked his palm and swiped it across the pearl's gem. Suddenly her fingers and missing leg grew back, the scratches and gouges across her body vanished and her gem reformed as shiny and whole as a new one. She remained asleep.

“Holy Core,” Orthoclase breathed slowly, stepping back from the table. “What...how did you do that?”

“I have healing spit,” Steven announced, somewhat proudly.

“Healing...spit?” she frowned. “Healing tears, I've heard of, but no-one's been able to do that in thousands of orbits....what kind of quartz are you?”

“One of a kind?” Steven offered with a shrug.

“Well, whatever you are, you just saved me a huge job,” Orthoclase said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

“Perhaps she learned the art on her hatching planet,” Ginger said.

I need to talk to them about calling me 'she' all the time.

“Maybe,” Orthoclase agreed. “So this just freed up the rest of our cycle, which is great because we really need to get downcity. I'm not in the mood for the standing seats.”

…..

Before they got to where they were going, they were stopped at two checkpoints and Ginger was given that throat-check device at both of them, to Orthoclase's annoyance.

“It's based on a stupid old rumour,” she told Steven when he asked. “Supposedly the renegade pearl was infected with a virus that made her act erratically, so pearls have all these 'safety' checks done when they're out in public.”

“What are they trying to find?” Steven asked, wincing at the sound of the metal crank operating on Ginger's jaw behind him.

“I don't even think they know,” Orthoclase shrugged.

Eventually, they reached a small merchant's shop where they were ushered through to an underground tunnel. Steven was covered with enough nanobytes to make him look like a standard miniature quartz, according to Orthoclase, and no gem even gave him a second glance.

The hall the tunnel lead them out to was crammed with gems, clearly upper-class gems mingling with more rough and ready types, sipping long tubes of some fizzing smoky stuff and trading gossip. Steven had never seen so many gems in one place; it made him feel dizzy.

The gems in the hall seemed to have a healthy respect for Orthoclase, they cleared out of her way as she strode with purpose towards the sunken-in seating that framed the arena at the centre of the building. Ginger was the only pearl in the hall, and Orthoclase kept both her and Steven close as they pushed through to the front to get good seats.

“I should've asked this earlier, pebble, but do you have a strong stomach?” she asked as they took their seats less than a foot from the gated wall of the arena.

“Uh, not really,” he admitted, remembering the teacup fiasco.

“Right,” she sighed. “Well, just look away if it gets too much. It probably won't take long anyway.”

“What is all this?” he asked.

“Shredder bout,” Orthoclase answered. “It's illegal, technically, but nobody cares. Hematite runs it and we need to talk to her, but she won't see us unless we get to her here.”

Hopefully, it would be a simple wrestling match, nothing more, but already Steven had a sinking feeling it was going to be much worse.

“They've electrified the fence,” Ginger said.

“So they have,” Orthoclase hummed. “Makes sense...trying to stop her improvising I guess...”

A roar went up from the crowd as the combatant made her way to the ring. She wasn't a Jasper, she was even bigger. Green-hued, more muscle than any creature Steven had ever seen that wasn't a fusion and a cruel, mocking grin. Pretty blue gems lining the side of the arena cried out for her attention.

“Oof,” Orthoclase winced. “This is going to be rough.”

The gem that stepped into the other side of the ring went unnoticed while the room's attention was on the green hulking gem, but when Steven did catch sight of her his heart sank. Of course it would be a pearl.

Specifically, it was a pearl that had been deliberately trussed up to look as fluffy, dainty and harmless as possible. Steven had seen porcelain dolls in the windows of old antique shops that had that same delicate, highly breakable look by design. Her short aqua hair was festooned with a little white ribbon and her ruffled dress was a shade of pink slightly darker than her skin tone. She looked like she would shatter as soon as the green gem looked in her direction.

“Why are they doing this?” Steven asked, more to himself, with an air of despondence.

“Some gems like to see others shattered,” Orthoclase answered. “It'll be over soon, don't worry.”

The bell rang as the 'fighters' took their positions, and the green gem started by barreling her thick tree trunk of an arm into the pearl as hard as she could. It connected with a sickening crack. Despite himself, and his rising nausea, Steven couldn't look away. The crowd cheered as the pearl hit the floor.

She struggled to get up before the green gem planted a foot on her back and ground her back down into the floor. Then she reached over to grab the pearl's arm and pulled hard. The crowd hooted as the arm came away with a spurt of pale green blood, and the green gem tossed it over her shoulder as she raised her arms to accept the adoration of the watchers.

“Idiot,” Orthoclase muttered. “She just gave her a weapon.”

Steven didn't understand. Who was she referring to?

“The fence didn't work,” Ginger said quietly.

“She's doomed,” Orthoclase added.

It all became clear when, as the green gem was soaking up the adulation of the mob, the pearl crawled over to her own severed arm and placed the connecting end of it in her mouth. Steven watched her, awestruck, as she bit down and tore a chunk of flesh from the end and spit it out casually, leaving her with a long shard of what looked like bone sticking out. She didn't even wipe the blood from her face before she got to her feet, approached the green gem from behind, gracefully cartwheeled on her remaining hand to wrap her legs around the green gem's shoulders and pulled herself up to grab onto her neck.

She brought the bone shard down with astonishing speed across the green gem's throat, and as a geyser of blood spurted from the wound Steven just about managed to look away before she plunged the shard into the gem's eyes. After that, it was just from listening to the crowd scream, groan and shout that he knew the pearl was dismembering the green gem with ease.

“Fourteen parsecs,” he heard Orthoclase whisper to Ginger. “That has to be some sort of record.”

…..

When the crowd cleared, they lingered behind to talk to the muttering gem who was giving instructions to the pearl in the ring, who was awfully chipper for a gem that had lost an arm and stabbed someone to death with it.

“Hematite,” Orthoclase called, laughing when the gem winced. “New strategy didn't pay off, I see.”

“No,” the gem said sourly. “But more fool me for thinking it would.”

“So about my proposal...”

“No. Are you seriously asking me that? After this fight?”

“This is the best time to ask,” Orthoclase shrugged. “Come on, the crowd knows what to expect now. You can't expect them to show up cycle after cycle to watch that pearl murder a whole bunch of stupid gems.”

“And yet they do,” Hematite countered.

“Give it a break for a while,” Orthoclase cajoled. “Anticipation will make them pay more. Shut down the ring for a few cycles, they'll come back more eager than ever. You know I saw your Larimar down at the Silverdene, right?”

Hematite muttered something unintelligible under her breath.

“She's probably dying to see you...take a break, tell her you ditched the murder pearl for a while. Take her out somewhere nice. Couldn't hurt.”

“Why do you want the 'murder pearl' so badly, anyway?” Hematite asked. The pearl, seemingly unruffled by being called the murder pearl, sat at the edge of the ring swinging her feet idly. Her severed arm sat on her lap, and the fingers of her other hand moved gently above it.

“I got things to do, could get rough,” Orthoclase shrugged. “You understand, regular muscle just won't cut it. How's about I throw in a free remodel for Larimar's pearl, to sweeten the deal?”

Hematite hummed and shuffled her feet, and finally sighed.

“All right, get it out of here,” she said, opening the gate and beckoning the pearl out. “But if any of this gets traced back to me....”

“It won't. You have my word.”

Hematite stomped away, muttering darkly to herself. The pearl stood to attention in front of Orthoclase, blinking owlishly up at her.

“Right, first things first,” Orthoclase told her, folding her arms. “We don't want anyone dead on this assignment, okay? Maimed maybe, definitely poofed, but no death. Think you can handle that?”

“Of course,” the murder pearl answered sweetly.

#steven universe #steven universe fanfiction #a string of pearls #a string of pearls canon #breaking down universe #orthoclase and pearl #TW; violence

[redsoapbox]

MY TOP TEN ALBUMS LIST OF 1983

As someone who has always been an obsessive list-maker, I can’t quite comprehend how I’ve resisted the temptation, in the three years of redsoapbox, to blog to the world my thoughts on favourite films, books, records, etc. However, during some much-needed spring cleaning over the weekend, I stumbled upon a list of my favourite albums from 1983 and my defences collapsed on the spot. So I ’m putting it out there, regardless of the risk to my reputation (ha, ha). 

1.Swordfishtrombones - Tom Waits

The album, of course, that marked Waits’ change from jazzy, bohemian barfly to surrealist junkyard poet. I hadn’t had much to do with Waits up until this point but subsequently bought up his back catalogue on the strength of this masterpiece. Waits described the transition in style this way -  “I hatched out of the egg I was living in. I'd nailed one foot to the floor and kept going in circles, making the same record”. “In the Neighbourhood”, the alt.torch song “Frank’s Wild Years” and the little love poem “Johnsburg, Illinois” were the obvious standouts. Swordfishtrombones still remains on heavy rotation in the McGrath household today.

Selected track -  “In the Neighbourhood”

2. Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy - Billy Bragg

Sometime in 83/84, I showed up at the local Polytechnic to watch The Icicle Works and fell head over heels in love with unbilled support act, Billy Bragg. As a fully paid-up member of the Labour Party, I bought into Billy’s ‘socialism of the heart’ in a big way. I stood there open-mouthed as the ‘Bard of Barking’ cranked out “Milkman of Human Kindness”, “New England” and “To Have And Have Not”. The gig ended on an unbelievable high, with Billy joining Ian McNabb and co. on stage for an encore which included a medley of “Jailhouse Rock”, “L.A. Woman” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. I’ve seen Billy ‘one-man Clash’ Bragg play a dozen times since, and this fifteen-minute masterpiece remains high in my all-time top twenty albums list.

Selected track - “To Have And Have Not”

3. Hysterics - The Nightingales

In the sixties, you got to define yourself musically/culturally by choosing between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, for post-punks like me, though, it was a straight choice between The Fall and The Nightingales (of course, you could secretly worship both and I did!). I was always, deep down, a Robert Lloyd man - I once fired off an angry letter to *Mojo taking Morrissey to task for lumping the ‘gales in with The June Brides and The Jasmine Minks - and still regard the frontman as one of the best lyricists in pop music history. It was a real joy to witness The Nightingales come back from a 20-year hiatus (during which Lloyd worked as a Postman) with 2006′s Out Of True, an album which gives Hysterics a real run for its money. One of my top 5 all-time favourite gigs was The Nightingales/Happy Monday’s/Ted Chippington corker in the Poly of Wales in 1984/85.

Selected track  -  “This” 

The Nightingales have not been too well-served by the internet and there is next to nothing in terms of live footage before their reformation. They did, however, record 8 Sessions for John Peel, including the one below from the 5th of December 1983 which kicks off with “This”, the only song from Hysterics that I could track down for the purposes of this piece. 

* The letter was published in issue no 151.

4. Murmur - R.E.M.

Having disastrously passed up the chance to catch ‘some new American band’, who in fact turned out to be none other than R.E.M., at Rumney’s run-down New Ocean Club in November 1984, I had to wait a further five years to see the band play (in Newport and Birmingham) as part of their Green tour. By then, of course, the whole world had fallen in love with the college rockers turned conquering heroes. Albums such as Document and Green may have propelled Athens’ finest into the big leagues, but the Byrdsian mumble-fest that is Murmur remains their masterpiece. A belated thumbs-up to Big Al for turning me onto the band in the first place.

Selected track - “Talk About The Passion”.

5. Power Corruption and Lies - New Order

You can’t begin to discuss the strange and surreal story of New Order’s rise to world domination without first engaging with the personal tragedy of Ian Curtis and the dramatic fall of Joy Division. How the remaining members of Manchester miserabilists Joy Division - Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris - recovered from the suicide of their friend and frontman Curtis in May 1980 to remodel themselves as the unexpected pioneers of Indie dance (Blue Monday is the biggest selling 12 inch record of all time) is surely one of the tallest tales in the annals of popular music. 

Full disclosure here - there was a time in the mid-eighties, stretching to somewhere between 12 and 18 months, where I barely listened to anything other than Joy Division/New Order. Curtis had already died when I bumped into two old school friends, Tosh and Dai, huddled in the doorway of The Criterion pub at closing time one stormy Friday night in Pontypridd in the winter of 1983. In what was undoubtedly a drunken conversation, I heard the name Joy Division for the very first time. The next morning, with praise for JD still ringing in my head (unless that was the hangover), I headed straight for Hurleys Toy Shop (there was a record store in the back, staffed that morning by another friend from school, Huw, a mod who was clad in his usual Parka). I asked him to put on the first Joy Division record that I had caught sight of, which, try and stifle the laughter here folks, happened to be odds & sods compilation Still. The thrumming, glacial intro to “Exercise One” slowly unfurled and then, at 1.43 precisely, Curtis’ doomy, dislocated voice kicked in and my life would never be quite the same again. And I hadn’t even heard a track from Unknown Pleasures or Closer, let alone the classic singles “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, “Transmission” or “Atmosphere”.

New Order tried and failed to recapture that sound with their debut album Movement, but they were saved by the unlikeliest of transitions - the doom merchants became dance doyens, a shift signaled by the singles “Everything’s Gone Green” and “Temptation”.The members of New Order underwent personality transplants overnight and cemented their place in the pop pantheon.

Selected track - “Age of Consent”. The video below is the notorious live BBC concert, where everything in the lead-up to the gig has gone wrong. Bernard, visibly bursting at the seams with anger, isn’t best pleased, to begin with, and things are about to get worse!. I must have watched that twenty-minute broadcast a million times!

6. The Icicle Works - The Icicle Works

It’s been many a long year since I played this album and off the top of my head I can only name a couple of the tracks - “Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)” and the top twenty hit “Love Is A Wonderful Colour”. I was, though, a hardcore fan at the time, buying every album and a fair few of the Ian McNabb solo efforts that followed, including his majestic Head Like A Rock (1994), featuring members of Crazy Horse. Around the time of that album, he played a gig in Newport in front of a very paltry crowd. He took to the stage, looked around him and murmured ‘so this is Newport’. He never uttered another word during the set and looked well fed-up with life. He did, though, play the storming “Fire Inside My Soul”, which more than made up for his couldn’t care less attitude.

Selected track -  “Love Is A Wonderful Colour”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFUGLNz1YfY

7. Punch the Clock - Elvis Costello and the Attractions

Another album that needs a good dusting down! Aside from King of America (1986), I usually confine myself to the Greatest Hits compilations when I’m in the mood for a slice of EC these days. Funnily enough, this month’s issue of Uncut has a feature on the album's producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley in which they recall that ‘the premise of the record was Elvis needs a hit, and a hit in America. Keep that in mind”. Langer recalls Costello freaking out on the last night of recording, claiming the album sounded crap. There are great tracks here - “Shipbuilding”, “Everyday I Write the Book” and “Pills and Soap” but there won’t be too many Costello aficionados claiming it as his best work.

Selected track -  “Let Them All Talk”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjr9zAknhbI

8. Soul Mining - The The

Although we weren’t to know it at the time it was Matt Johnson’s follow-up to this fine record, 1986′s crusading, state of the nation classic Infected, that would truly stand the test of time. Soulmining shouldn’t be neglected, however, with fine tunes like “This is the Day” and “Uncertain Smile” to its credit.

Selected track - “This is the Day”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAue9jqLB74

9. Perverted by Language - The Fall

Probably The Fall record I played the most down the years (along with Live at the Witch Trials), mainly because I was obsessed with “Eat Y’ Self Fitter”. Any track beginning 

I’m in the furniture trade / Got a new job today / But stick the cretin / On the number-three lathe’, deserves our absolute devotion.

As with most Mark E. Smith compositions, I haven’t got a scooby’s as to what the substance of the song is actually about, but it doesn’t really matter, does it? when you can belt out  ‘Where’s the cursor? Where’s the eraser? until you’re fit to drop.

Selected track - “ Eat Y’Self Fitter” of course!

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFCOt6wbm80

10. Inarticulate Speech of the Heart - Van Morrison

The Belfast Cowboy’s streak of legendary albums, from 1968′s Astral Weeks through to 1974′s Veedon Fleece (discounting workmanlike efforts such as His Band and Street Choir in 1970 and 1973′s Hard Nose the Highway), was well and truly over and his mid-eighties slump entirely predictable by the time of this average undertaking. Still, anything that bears Morrison’s stamp upon it is bound to include a magical track here or there. In this case, it was the momentously odd “Rave On, John Donne” and the Morrison masterclass that is “The Street Only Knew Your Name”.

Selected track - “The Street Only Knew Your Name”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa8sdU6bxlA

Clearly, there are some glaring omissions here, but I was a 21-year-old slip of a lad at the time, and all in all, it’s a pretty fair list, I think. The top 4 are all still to be found in my top 30 albums list and I wouldn’t disown any of the others 35 years on. Those were great gig-going years - many thanks to Duncan, Huw and Stephen who accompanied me to some of the concerts mentioned above, and plenty of others besides in my indie heyday. I guess I still owe you petrol money, guys?

[dipulb3]

More than a second lady: How Gisele Fetterman came to serve Pennsylvania's neediest

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/more-than-a-second-lady-how-gisele-fetterman-came-to-serve-pennsylvanias-neediest/

More than a second lady: How Gisele Fetterman came to serve Pennsylvania's neediest

A former undocumented immigrant who became a citizen and used her platform to help all manner of Pennsylvanians, she is far more than a figurehead or a lieutenant governor’s spouse.

That anyone would be called the n-word during a quick trip to the grocery store for golden kiwis is unsettling — all the more so once you learn what Fetterman overcame simply to give back to others.

The mother of three was at a grocery store in Braddock, a PIttsburgh suburb, Sunday evening when a woman recognized her and began haranguing her, saying she didn’t belong, calling her a thief and referring to her as the n-word that Lt. Gov. John Fetterman married, she told Appradab.

Gisele Fetterman’s family fled the violence of Rio de Janeiro in 1990 and grew up poor in New York City. Her mother told her and her brother to, “Be invisible,” and she has regularly shared childhood anecdotes of looking over her shoulder and fearing every knock at the door.

“So even though I’m 38 and I’m second lady and I have a family and career, I was immediately again a scared 9-year-old undocumented little girl at that grocery line,” she said of Sunday’s encounter.

“It was a hard reminder for me that it doesn’t matter what I’ve overcome, what I’ve achieved, that to some I will always be viewed as inferior simply because I was not born in this country,” she said.

Fetterman’s record runs deep. She has spent most of her adult life in the United States helping others, whether they’re impoverished, immigrants, LGBT, minorities, imprisoned or hungry. She’s also spoken out on the importance of wearing masks and participating in the Census.

She’s lighthearted, preferring the titular acronym, SLOP, over Second Lady of Pennsylvania, which she feels is “stuffy” — and is one of the foremost purveyors of positivity on social media, once quoting Rumi: “Even if from the sky, poison befalls all, I’m still sweetness wrapped in sweetness wrapped in sweetness.”

She told a writer this month she would never seek public office because “politics is mean and I am not.”

Here are some snapshots of what she’s achieved and overcome:

Her marriage was born of caring

In 2007, she read about the Rust Belt town of Braddock and learned that steel from Braddock and other communities was used in the Brooklyn Bridge, one of her favorite landmarks.

Fetterman had had her green card for a few years, and though only in her mid-20s, she was already an activist, focusing on nutrition and food equity. She wrote then-Mayor John Fetterman to find out more about the town, whose declining population numbered around 2,000 at the time, and his efforts to improve his community. After he wrote back, she began visiting Braddock.

“Of course he fell in love with me,” she told a women’s luncheon earlier this year, the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre reported.

They were married in 2009, the same year she earned US citizenship. Since then she’s used her platforms as a naturalized American and second lady to help others.

She opened a free store for low-income families

On their fourth wedding anniversary, John Fetterman asked his wife what she wanted as a gift and she told him, “I want a shipping container.” He didn’t ask why, she told the Under the Radar entertainment blog earlier this month.

Gisele Fetterman had local artists paint the container, spruced up an abandoned lot and began doling out household goods, baby items and bicycles to those in need.

The store’s motto is “Because the best things in life are free.” It has spread to several locations and served hundreds of clients.

“We dream of a community built on relationships based on mutual aid and cooperation,” Free Store 15104’s website says. “We use the distribution of free items as a catalyst for change. We encourage recycling and reuse as a means to counteract excessive waste and consumption. We aim to eradicate food and clothing insecurity.”

She helped develop a clever way to fight hunger

412 Food Rescue, which she co-founded, sends volunteers to retailers who have surplus food that risks going bad and delivers it to nonprofits that serve the hungry.

“With the help of 2 trucks, 1 van, and thousands of volunteers, we are able to rescue perfectly good but unsellable food that would otherwise be wasted and redirect it to people who need it,” the nonprofit’s website says.

Based on the premise that it would take only one-third of the nation’s discarded food to feed its hungry population, it also strives to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from food waste, which the organization says is almost double that of aviation and the iron-and-steel industry combined.

The Pittsburgh City Paper cited both the Free Store and 412 Food Rescue in naming Fetterman 2017’s best activist.

The Fettermans opened the ‘The People’s Pool’

When John Fetterman took office, the couple opted not to move to the 2,400-square-foot state residence in Fort Indiantown Gap, instead opting to live in a remodeled car dealership in Braddock. Fetterman told Pittsburgh magazine this year that it was “not appropriate” to live in a taxpayer-funded mansion with staff. Plus, he said, Braddock is home.

As a result, the property’s 30-by-40-foot swimming pool was going unused, so Gisele Fetterman opened it up to nonprofits and summer camps and instituted a program to teach water safety because federal statistics show African American kids have a 3 times greater risk of drowning than do White chlidren.

“We can have a direct role in changing those statistics,” she said. “Swimming comes with a painful legacy of racial segregation. If my children can swim in that pool, so should every child in Pennsylvania.”

She came to Antwon Rose’s defense

After an East Pittsburgh police officer fatally shot Antwon Rose during a 2018 traffic stop, Fettermen revealed that the “very goofy” 17-year-old volunteered at Free Store 15104 and appeared in one of her husband’s campaign commercials. She also spoke at the teen’s funeral.

“He looked you in the eyes and gave anyone speaking to him total attention and respect,” she said in her tribute. “He would look at you with his big sweet smile, and you would feel, deep in your heart, that this was someone who would make the world better.”

“Antwon’s death shakes my heart, it rattles my faith that things will ever get better or that injustices will ever end. Slowly, too slowly, things will get brighter, even though they’re now so dark,” she said.

A jury cleared the officer who shot Antwon of all counts the following year.

She does little things, too

In addition to tackling major issues like hunger and inequality, she knows smaller improvements can make big differences in a community, as demonstrated by her Braddock Bench Building project, which created places to sit at public bus stops — using repurposed materials from homes slated for demolition, of course.

She also sought to brighten Braddock’s primary thoroughfare with uplifting signs, such as “Eat More Vegetables,” “Believe in Yourself,” “More Hugs Needed,” “Follow Your Dreams,” “Be Kind Always” and “Hug a Tree.”

“The signs you see along the streets are always so negative — ‘Don’t park here,’ ‘Don’t loiter there,'” she told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We wanted to counter those with signs spreading cheer and kindness, signs with uplifting messages.”

The Fettermans spent $1,000 of their own money on the signs, the paper reported.

Inclusion is a major thrust of her work

For Good PGH, which Fetterman co-founded, drives numerous initiatives in the Braddock community.

Under the group’s umbrella, the Helping Out Our People coalition, made up of families in the Woodland Hills School District who lost a child to gun violence, mentors young people in hopes of “disrupting the disease of violence.”

The Foster Good program provides foster kids with unique suitcases rehabilitated by artists, Green Initiatives works to counter Braddock’s blight, Girl Code Woodland Hills introduces high school juniors to businesswomen in greater Pittsburgh, the Hollander Project serves as an incubator for “women-powered businesses” and Hello Hijab makes tiny Muslim headscarves for Barbies and other dolls to promote inclusion and fight stigmas.

Last year, Rodef Shalom, a Jewish congregation, made Fetterman the first woman to receive its 2020 Pursuer of Peace award, citing For Good PGH’s work.

She’s an unapologetic advocate for immigrants

The Fettermans submitted a joint op-ed to several newspapers in August, recounting how Gisele “and her family lived in constant fear that they would be discovered and lose their shot at the American Dream.”

“No child should have to live with that kind of stress,” they wrote. “They deserve to feel secure in the knowledge that they can do normal things like go to school and play sports without living in constant fear that they will lose their family.”

In a 2019 editorial for the Tribune-Review, Gisele Fetterman, a Dreamer herself, wrote that she’ll always be grateful for her mother’s courage and how she took jobs cleaning houses and checking coats to support her family.

“She was routinely paid less than she was supposed to be, if she got paid at all, and she was even assaulted while at work,” Fetterman wrote. “She never complained — she just did what she had to do for her children.

The Brazilian immigrant also recalled how, at 8 years old, she broke her nose playing kickball and her family couldn’t afford medical care, but stories from her native Rio convinced her just how lucky she was to escape the violence.

“When I look in the mirror and I see my broken nose,” she wrote, “I am reminded of how much worse it could have been, and how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to grow up in the U.S.”

Today, she tears up when she hears the National Anthem and gets “super excited to vote,” and she geeked out upon being called for jury duty, she said.

“I wasn’t chosen for a jury, probably because I was so visibly excited to be there that the lawyers thought I was crazy, but for me, that was the sign that I truly belonged, and that I could come out of the shadows,” she wrote.

Appradab’s John Berman contributed to this report.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Affordable Schoolhouse Lighting and a DIY Project To Get The Look Of An Enamelware Industrial Sconce

Last week, I told you all about my plans to incorporate Modern Schoolhouse Style into the decor of our 1920s Bungalow. This week, I’m showing you how I made an easy upgrade to a cheap light fixture to make it look like an expensive vintage reproduction. Plus, I’m doing a round-up with 60 of my favorite budget schoolhouse lights for decorating your own home! *this post contains affiliate links* I get a commission when you buy through my links that goes towards the costs of hosting this free tutorial site. Site operating fees are expensive but my commission costs you nothing. thanks for your support! BUT FIRST, WHAT IS MODERN SCHOOLHOUSE? I get this question a lot on Instagram since I revealed that my design plan for our California Bungalow is to incorporate more Schoolhouse Design Style into the decor of this home. The term is used rather loosely across the Interior Design community, as it’s technically not a real home style. Rather, Schoolhouse Style actually comes from the use of Schoolhouse Style lighting: electrical light fixtures that were widely used throughout the United States in public school buildings between the 1920s and 1950s. As explained in this article from This Old House, Schoolhouse light fixtures are known for their milky glass bulb covers. Originally, electric fixtures donned a bare bulb that created a glare. This made for challenges in the classroom, as teachers and students were often blinded by the light. To remedy that problem, lighting designers developed an opaque glass cover that would allow light to penetrate but would soften the light and alleviate the glare issues. You’ll often see these fixtures in bright finishes or with striped patterns on the globes. This was a common way to add visual interest to the fixtures while maintaining the light defusing properties. The most common DIY associated with Schoolhouse lighting is adding a stripe to the milk glass globe, as seen in this tutorial from Jackie at School of Decorating. BEYOND THE MILK GLASS SHADE In its inception, schoolhouse style was mainly used to refer to light fixtures that featured the white glass globe over a light bulb. Over the years, the term Schoolhouse Lighting has evolved to incorporate other styles of light fixtures. In fact, now you’ll find that a quick Google search for Schoolhouse pendants and sconces will reveal a wealth of options that come in glass, metal, and enamelware finishes. These fixtures lean more industrial - and even a little farmhouse - than traditional schoolhouse but in the design world, they all fall under the same decor style. The color options have evolved as well. For most schoolhouse fixtures, you’ll find that raw metal, stainless steel, and iron (or black) is a base. However, now you can even find schoolhouse chandeliers that also incorporate other finishes you might use throughout your home, such as antique brass and polished nickel. HOW TO MIX SCHOOLHOUSE LIGHTING WITH MODERN DECOR Because these light fixtures often feature cute pops of color, they’re a common favorite among people who are decorating kid’s bedrooms and playrooms. For instance, this kid’s room by Erin Wheeler of Sunny Circle Studio rocks a charming traditional schoolhouse pendant alongside schoolhouse room decor. See the national parks advertising poster and buffalo plaid throw blanket? Punched with bold primary color accents and warm, worn wood, this space just screams Traditional Schoolhouse style. Meanwhile, designer Whitney McGregor’s kid’s room, featured in Southern Living, boasts cozy, traditional cottage decor. Even with a Queen Elizabeth-style bed, the schoolhouse factory pendant looks right at home! So it’s clear that schoolhouse lighting can work in harmony with traditional home decor, but what about a more modern home? How would you use schoolhouse style in a contemporary setting? Schoolhouse lighting is fairly neutral - it features clean lines, limited adornment, and an industrial vibe. Sp of course it looks great with modern decor as well! Just take a look at these Schoolhouse factory pendants in the Rockridge Casita, a modern Airbnb in Oakland, CA: The bottom line: Schoolhouse Light Fixtures are fun. They are nostalgic. They aren’t made for stuffy quarters but can serve a beautiful juxtaposition against a hyper-traditional home. Two remaining examples? Just look at this kitchen and child’s bedroom designed by Susana of Chango + Co. Both rooms feature schoolhouse industrial light fixtures yet neither room looks particularly schoolhouse in design. The decorating possibilities with this style of lighting are truly endless! AFFORDABLE SCHOOLHOUSE LIGHTING In a moment, I’m going to show you how I turned a standard $25 metal factory flush mount into an enamelware light on a budget. But if I’m being honest, the DIY upgrade wasn’t necessary. All of the light fixtures I’ve rounded up below look like more expensive fixtures than they are. Many of these pendants and chandeliers are on my list of items to buy when we’re ready to upgrade the remaining lights in our California Bungalow. You can see all the sources I’m planning to use for our remodel via my Pinterest Board: 1924 Source List. While you’re there, make sure to follow me so you can see new inspiration and products as I add them. SCHOOLHOUSE PENDANTS + FLUSHMOUNTS click images to shop directly through retailer - affiliate links included SCHOOLHOUSE PENDANTS + FLUSHMOUNTS click images to shop directly through retailer - affiliate links included As I’ve been slowly decorating our California Bungalow, I’ve made a few little upgrades that have all contributed to a more industrial cottage decorating plan. First, I built this Schoolhouse Style Wooden Broom. Then I upgraded the entryway storage in our home by creating a small mudroom in the corner of our dining room featuring this Schoolhouse Style Wall Hook Rack. But what I failed to show you on the blog is the biggest upgrade we’d made in this home. I replaced the dining room light within a few weeks after we closed on this house. Here’s what the space looked like before we moved in. If you look beyond the moving boxes, you can see that the original light fixture in this room was very small. It actually didn’t even illuminate the room. At night, I could barely see to wipe down the table. To refresh your memory, our dining room is actually the original designated Living Room, based on traditional bungalow floorpans. I explain why I chose to move it around in this post: Our 1924 California Bungalow: Full Home Tour So the very first design decision I made for this home was to purchase and install a new light. That new light has an industrial modern vibe which lends itself to 1920s period decor and schoolhouse style. That photo was taken as a sneak peek of our new home and sent only to my email newsletter subscribers to show off our new pendant light. Want on the list to see exclusive sneak peeks and get extra content every week? You can sign up here. This modern industrial cage light, in olive green, sets the tone for the remainder of our home’s style. Part cottage, part industrial, part modern. Those styles all gather together and morph into what designers now call “Schoolhouse Modern Style”. For this reason, when I decided to update the ceiling fixture in our small hallway (for the same reason - it barely shines any light), I knew I wanted a vintage schoolhouse look. Immediately, I fell in love with this original vintage factory pendant I found on 1stdibs. But the price tag was a steep $300. That’s more than I really wanted to spend on the lighting for that tiny space. Also, I’m planning to incorporate this Hygge & West wallpaper into the ceiling of the hallway, so I was worried the grey would just get lost against it. That’s when inspiration struck and the idea for my $30 Enamelware Factory Pendant DIY was born! DIY FACTORY LIGHT REPLICA tools: paint brush painter’s tape cardboard surface for painting materials: metal farmhouse style light fixture craft paint high gloss lacquer spray STEP ONE - remove the shade from the bulb housing. STEP TWO - tape just above lower rim of shade + around bulb socket to protect surface from paint. STEP THREE - paint rim of shade and bulb housing with craft paint. allow to dry. repeat with additional coats, if necessary. STEP FOUR - remove painter's tape and spray with clear lacquer. Once all the paint and lacquer was dry, I allowed it to sit for 24 hours in order to harden. Then I installed it in our bungalow’s hallway and I love it! Since we’re taking our time with this renovation, we haven’t even updated the paint in here yet. But already, the hallway feels fresh and modern! Here’s what the hallway looked like before - You can see how that teeny tiny light was doing absolutely nothing for us. But now, it’s bright! I still want to add wallpaper above the beadboard and update all the door hardware (in keeping with the home’s historic integrity, don’t worry). Oh! And I also need to decide what color I want to paint the trim and walls throughout the house. But all those decisions and tasks can be left for another day because right now, I’m basking in the glory of my beautiful, new industrial lighting, including these two fixtures I ordered and installed in our dining room! Since the dining room leads directly into our hallway - which is the central hub of the rest of the home - consistency in design choices is key to making this home feel collected and maintain flow. While the 3 light fixtures I’ve added so far aren’t identical, they are all tied together with common finishes and styles. If you’re planning to make your own Industrial Light Fixture, I’ve added an easy printable instruction sheet that you can keep with you as you work to the bottom of this page. SCHOOLHOUSE DECOR INSPIRATION Ready to add some industrial vintage vibes to your home? Check out these posts to get you started. SHOP MY SCHOOLHOUSE STYLE BUNGALOW love this style? I do too! here are the decor items I bought to achieve the look. WEEKLY POST REMINDER + EXCLUSIVE UPDATES! I’ll never share your email address with any other companies or people. You may unsubscribe at any time. Email Address Sign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you! DIY HOME PROJECTS THAT ARE TRENDING RIGHT NOW quick and affordable DIY projects you don’t want to miss YOUR HOME DECORATING DILEMMAS SOLVED Commenting on this post is disabled so I can focus on our upcoming projects + client designs but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear from you. Send me your questions and comments on Instagram by either commenting on my latest post or sending me a direct message. I really love to chat it out! DIY Factory Style Vintage Enamelware Light Fixture CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD + PRINT by Teri Moore | www.tmoorehome.com skill level: EASY MATERIALS: metal farmhouse style light fixture craft paint high gloss lacquer spray TOOLS: paint brush masking tape Instructions: step one: remove the shade from the bulb housing. step two: tape just above lower rim of shade + around bulb socket to protect surface from paint. step three: paint rim of shade and bulb housing with craft paint. step four remove painter's tape and spray with clear lacquer. #HomeDecor #DIYCraftTutorials #DIYRemodeling #MyFavoriteProducts

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/EO87JTtIZcc/affordable-schoolhouse-lighting-and-a-diy-project-to-get-the-look-of-an-enamelware-industrial-sconce

[dnodes18]

Boho Bathroom Remodel https://thd.co/2WqZ624

Alexi Politis of Seeking Alexi completes a full bathroom remodel like a true DIY boss! With beautiful Delta products, additional decor from The Home Depot and a lot of elbow grease, she magically turns her outdated guest bathroom into a Boho Modern bath oasis.

Boho Bathroom Remodel

Hi!! Seeking Alexi here and I’m so stoked to share my recent full bathroom remodel! If you’ve been following along on my Instagram, you may have seen sneak peeks of me ripping up this bathroom and slowly renovating it. It was a disaster of a 70s bathroom before, with really weird shower surround material and old dingy everything else, take a look:

With several Delta products, some decor from The Home Depot and a lot of elbow grease, I have magically turned this drab bathroom into this gorgeous oasis!

I still can’t believe that this gorgeous space is truly ours! And that I was able to successfully do all of it without hiring any of it out (although I had my husband Tanner help a few short times).

It’s technically the bathroom that our guests will use when they visit, but now it’s much nicer than our actual master bathroom! So watch out because until I remodel the master bath, I’m moving in! I mean, how could I not???

Not only does this new bathroom look amazing, but installing this Delta UPstile system for the tub surround was light-years easier than tiling it. Plus, I’m so pleased with how it looks!

This whole bathroom remodel took a fair amount of time, but it was well worth the elbow grease! Here’s how I renovated my entire bathroom.

Demo the Bathroom

First step I took was to remove the shower surround and drywall and take out the existing tub. Doesn’t matter quite how you do it, but just do it. It was a messy job, but it’s a step that just has to get done! I also made sure that all the surrounding studs were plumb.

Install the tub

  I installed this Delta tub that goes with the Delta UPstile system, and the instructions are very easy to follow. I’ll spare you every step here, but one thing I did do was install the drain system to the existing p-trap, and when I went to connect them, I had to cut a hole in the basement ceiling.

Install the Delta UPstile System

Once your tub is installed, you’re ready to install your Delta UPstile system shower surround! We kept the protective plastic on as long as possible to keep it protected. But it comes in 3 sheets and you have to install the back piece first. There are very thorough instructions on The Home Depot website, plus detailed paper instructions included. Because of that, I’ll highlight the steps below but follow the full instructions when you install yours.

1. Dry fit the panels, first to make sure it all fits.

2. Mark where your valve and spout holes go

… And drill holes for your spout and valve.

3. Install 1×3 boards as per the instructions.

Pre-drill holes through the panels along the studs.

4. Install the back panel first, by placing the provided adhesive strips and DAP Kitchen & Bath 3.0 Advanced Sealant on the 1x3s, then screw it in place.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the side panels.

Install & Texture drywall

Next, we installed drywall over the flanges of the panels. We used ⅝ drywall to match the rest of our house and it worked perfectly!

Add real tile in the grooves

To install tile, use same advanced sealant instead of mortar, then stick on your tile and after it dries, grout the tile as you normally would. Be sure to use Frog tape to protect your panels, and you’ll have a perfectly clean line when you peel it off.

Fill all seams with sealant

After you’ve painted your drywall then, fill all seams around and in between the panels with the same advanced sealant.

Lastly, everything else came together to completely transform this bathroom to what it is today!

A few of the last details were that I installed the gorgeous Delta sliding shower door that is quiet and very secure and elevates the luxury of the whole look and feel of the bathroom.

I installed this stunning rain Delta shower head that makes you feel like you’re showering in luxury, plus it’s tall enough to work for my 6’3” hubby, instead of hitting him mid-chest like before.

Along with the new shower head, I installed a gorgeous matte black tub spout, & shower dial.

The new toilet I installed is elongated for more comfort, and definitely works better than my old toilet from the 70s!

And check out the new toilet handle I installed so it would match the other gold details in the bathroom.

And last but not least, I installed this new vanity that I’m obsessed with. It has quiet drawers, plenty of storage, and I love the warm yet cool wood color! I paired it with this this Delta faucet hardware to bring the whole look together.

Thank you so much for reading how I remodeled my entire bathroom and how I installed the Delta UPstile System in my bathroom! I still want to pinch myself whenever I walk by my bathroom, I can’t believe how amazing it looks! And even more, that we did it all by ourselves! If it seems daunting, I break some of the project down and show the behind the scenes over on my YouTube channel. Thank you to Delta and The Home Depot for making all of my guest bathroom dreams come true!

The post Boho Bathroom Remodel appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

Alexi Politis

#The Home Depot Blog

[anneedmonsonus]

Our Tiny Ensuite Bathroom Renovation – Seven Years Later

It’s been a while between posts, online friends. Time feels like it has flown past lately. When we all had to stay at home, the mornings and evenings felt a little slower, but the days still rushed past – and are still rushing past. I wonder if that’s normal for everyone who has kids? With two, it feels like the days go by at triple the speed.

I still can’t get over how fast the school days go by, either. Every day I drop Little Nerd at pre-primary (and Miss Nerd at day care, now that she is back to going two days a week) and I mentally plan out all the things I want to get done – I’ll answer emails, work, run, shower (goodness) do the grocery shop, tidy the house, maybe run a couple of errands – and am generally lucky to achieve three of those things. If anyone has any time-saving tips for maximising time with children, I’d be all ears! In a time when lots of people have lost income, I’ve also been grateful to be doing a little bit more work for the Sunday Times Magazine lately with a new column called Inside Story – a look at how Perth creatives and small business owners have been faring and adapting since COVID-19. I’ve been enjoying writing it but lately in general I’ve felt a bit more scattered, on some days downright foggy, that on some days no amount of exercise and coffee has been able to fix. Something that should only take me half an hour takes two. At first I thought, is this just me being weird? But I don’t think it is – I think it’s how a lot of people feel at the moment, a bit imbalanced and less focused than usual. Anyway, something has had to give lately, and unfortunately for me it has been blogging, and even posting on Instagram.

But, today I’m prioritising House Nerd (Full disclosure: I haven’t showered yet today. FERAL. Doing it for you guys cos I love you. Yes, I promise I’ll shower before I see the other parents at school pickup). And today, I want to share a post on our ensuite makeover – seven years after we renovated it. Because I know a lot of you wouldn’t have seen this when I shared it originally.

When we moved here, this was one of the first rooms we renovated properly – and by this I mean a full gut and retile. It was an old 70s bathroom with original brown tiles with pink roses on them. It was, well, not very nice – the kind of old bathroom where no matter how well you’ve tried to clean it, it just never FEELS clean. (This is my old post here, where you can see all of our ‘befores’). But in this post, I’ll share the photos I took today. And some gross befores, because everyone loves gross befores…… well I do.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE. I know. We didn’t even properly replace the toilet roll for your visit. That’s how much of an energy drain this crappy bathroom was back then.

AFTER

We completely gutted it and replaced everything and I shared it then here. Mr Nerd and I were total newbies to renovating, and we both agree that since then we have learned a LOT about renovating through our experiences and mistakes, and if we were to do another house now, we think we’d probably approach a lot of things differently.

My personal taste now is also pretty different to my taste seven years ago. But when we look back on how we did this bathroom, I still feel good about it.

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As you can see, it is a SMALL ensuite. It is 1.75 metres by 1.75 metres (about 3m square or 30 square feet). The shower space is about 85cm x 85cm. Our house is a three by two, but when we were house-hunting, I remember seeing marketing material for the house that had it as a three by one.

Maybe it was an error. Or maybe it was clever marketing. Because I remember being at the first home open for the House Formerly Known as the Crap Shack, poking around in the main bedroom and going, “Oh wow, there’s another bathroom!” Which maybe I guess is preferential to being told a house has two bathrooms but then you open the door of the second bathroom and you’re disappointed cos it’s the smallest bathroom you’ve ever seen? I don’t know. Isn’t it nicer to NOT be expecting a bathroom and then you open a door and ta-da! Bonus bathroom! Like I said, maybe it was a mistake, but despite its lack of floor space, that Bonus Bathroom still scored some points at my end. Take my money, real estate agency. Yes, all of my money.

One day I’ll stop doing an awkward peace sign in photos.

Speaking of money. I shared on the blog (this is back in 2013) how much this bathroom renovation cost.

After, I got a few emails from people who said it was impossible to renovate a bathroom for under $8,000. Reading a little between the lines of those disgruntled emails, I’m guessing they were people in the industry who didn’t want their work devalued, for want of a better word, or to have potential clients coming to them saying, “Well how come my quote for a bathroom renovation comes to $12,000 but House Nerd girl’s bathroom reno only cost $8,000?” Which is totally understandable. In their defence, if you go to a professional renovation company or an interior designer, you’re paying for their experience, their speed, their trusted trades, things like their discounts from tile companies, the ease, the lack of risk (like no design mistakes… well – hopefully!) When you project manage it on your own, you’re taking a risk. By no means was I out to upset anyone by sharing our bathroom renovation or by breaking down what we paid for it.

However, as I pointed out (and as I had stated in my posts, but I’m not sure if they actually read them) they would have seen that we saved money in more than a few ways – we did some work ourselves to save costs, like we gutted it ourselves, we had a tiler friend who slowly worked on it on his weekends (obviously with a second bathroom, there was no rush).

I remember this dark winter night way back when – I think this was when the grouting was being done. Odd how in restrospect all those days of renovating that dragged into the night seem like fun now!

We bought all our fixtures from the same plumbing store that we really like (some will give you a discount if you do this) and it’s also a VERY small room – even though we used nice finishes like the travertine, of course you’re going to save when you don’t need that much. So can you renovate a bathroom for under $8,000 these days? I don’t know. But there are always ways to save if you really want to. If you want to save money you have to prioritise what you really want, and put time in to hunt around for what you want.

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Anyway. Almost eight years later, we’re still happy with this tiny room, and (to me, anyway) it hasn’t dated – everything as looks as good as it did when it was first done. We love the travertine most of all – the occasional upkeep of natural stone is worth it to us. Although it’s a tiny room, the natural stone makes it a feel a tiny bit special. I like the hob in the shower – hubby built a brick wall and then it was rendered and tiled, and it gives us a space to put bottles in the shower.

Products from Urban Skincare Co. We discovered this brand while staying in our Camperdown accommodation in Sydney  (the same accommodation with the REALLY BIG SHOWER, which I’ll tell you about in just a sec) and we both liked this stuff so much we ordered a box when we got home.

  I still like the white walls (it’s hard to see in the photos, but they are fully tiled in white rectified wall tiles, where the grout lines are so thin you can barely seen them) the custom-made vanity with Polytec doors, the Corian benchtop. Corian is an awesome material, and still feels kind of underrrated. It’s hardwearing and durable and has lots of nice colours. Once I left a can of hairspray on the benchtop, and the bottom of the can got wet and left a rust mark – you just buff it out and you can’t even tell.

Plant and planter from No Vo’s Home Nursery. You can buy Savon de Marseille olive oil soap from Hard to Find. Chloe from David Jones.

In hindsight, we might have done a few things differently, though. I would have insisted on paying more for the electrics so that when you turn the lights on, the exhaust fan doesn’t HAVE to go on.

I also might have put in a medicine cabinet above the toilet for a little bit more storage. If we were remodelling this same house now, we’d be more inclined to be a little bit more confident and think a little bit bigger.

This felt like enough at the time.

Sometimes we think it would have been better to forgo our walk-in robe (which sits alongside the ensuite) knock down the wall in-between the robe and ensuite, and instead create a bigger ensuite, then add a wall of robes into our bedroom instead. It’s such a simple luxury to have a spacious shower – we went on holidays last year and stayed in a self-contained apartment in Camperdown, and all four of us were basically awed by how big the shower was (yes, we are easily thrilled). But it was bigger than our entire ensuite! With double shower heads so we don’t have to fight over who gets to stand directly under the nozzle! Such decadence!

But, at the time, I wasn’t quite convinced it would be the best way to go, because our bedroom, too, is small, and adding a walk-in robe would have greatly eaten into the space (and doing the renovation this way would have cost more, in terms of additional labour, trades, materials and moving plumbing).

There you go! Have you ever renovated a room and thought to yourself down the track you might have done it very differently? Would love to know. Maya x

The post Our Tiny Ensuite Bathroom Renovation – Seven Years Later appeared first on House Nerd.

from Home Improvement https://house-nerd.com/2020/06/05/our-tiny-ensuite-reno/

[personalcoachingcenter]

Home Improvement: Great Ideas For Sure Success

New Post has been published on http://mydecoradvice.com/home_design/home-improvement-great-ideas-for-sure-success/

Home Improvement: Great Ideas For Sure Success

If you find yourself thinking about taking on home improvement projects, then you are probably also wondering if you will be saving yourself money by doing them yourself. It is possible, but you need to do your research before getting started. The following post will provide you with advice to help you make the best decisions when making repairs yourself.

Install ceiling fans to circulate the air in your home. During summer the fan can be adjusted to blow down, and during the winter it can adjusted to draw the air up. This increases the efficiency of the utilities in your home so that you pay less in heating and cooling costs and save energy.

    Use fans as much as possible to keep your home cool and comfortable in the summer. Ceiling fans especially help keep the air in a room circulating and therefore help keep the room cooler. You can place some smaller fans around your home as needed. This will help you lower your electric bill during the summer months since fans use less electricity than an AC unit.

  Gardens add to the overall beauty of your home. Consider upgrading or adding one to your residence should you be preparing to sell. Gardens help the buyer to see greater possibilities with the home and allows them to envision all the things they could do to the property themselves.

Before and after: this owner used her new-found love of colour to transform a bathroom

www.idealhome.co.uk

"Image credit: Alistair Nicholls Bored of neutral decor, she introduced pattern, too The post Before and after: this owner used her new-found love of colour to transform a bathroom appeared first on Ideal Home." https://www.idealhome.co.uk/bathroom/teal-blue-bathroom-makeover-231827

A great way to add some life to your bookcases and end tables, is by adding some nice tablecloths. You can make your own by purchasing some nice higher end fabric and sewing in the ends to prevent fraying. Arrange your items in a visually pleasing manner, which is sure to be the new focal point of your room.

  As you prepare to list your home for sale, it may be tempting to undertake major remodeling projects to increase the house's appeal. These projects can easily run up credit card debt, which can damage your ability to secure favorable credit ratings and loan approval. Instead, look for small updates and inexpensive repairs, to make your home more appealing to potential buyers.

  Put fire extinguishers in several rooms of your home. Fire extinguishers are particularly important in the kitchen, but they would be a wise investment for practically every room. Fires can break out in electrical wiring, where a chimney passes through a ceiling, and practically anywhere. Be prepared!

  Strategically placed mirrors, can add visual interest to any room and make the area feel more spacious. This is especially useful in small bathrooms. Use adhesive-backed mirrors from any home improvement center, to create a distinctive design, that adds impact and an illusion of more space. This project can be easily achieved in under an hour and with, as little as, fifty dollars.

  Cutting Timber and Other Materials to Fit Odd and Uneven Surfaces Perfectly

www.diydoctor.org.uk

"The DIY Doctor's Blog The DIY Doctor's Blog – DIY and Home Improvement Hints, Tips, Help and Advice from The DIY Doctor If you have ever tried to fit a shelf, window sill, kitchen unit or other object to an odd shaped or uneven surface then you will know this is no easy task. Although you could just push it up as tight as you can to the surface in question, it never looks as good as […] Cutting Timber and Other Materials to Fit Odd and Uneven Surfaces Perfectly" https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/blog/2019/01/uneven-surfaces/

Add some new lighting to a room that you feel is kind of dreary. It is inexpensive and easy to make a room look bright and fresh. With a simple trip to the store to find the right light for your space and plugging it into the wall, you will gain a new feel for the space.

  Take care of even minor mold and rust problems as they arise. Particularly in older homes, these can become a common sight that may cause major damage. Catching them as small problems enables you to make quick work of the repair. It can cost lots of money and take lots of work to tackle them if you take too long. Beach is effective at removing mold. Little rust issues may be sanded away.

  If you want to enhance your house's landscape, try planting mature flowers as opposed to planting seedlings. Mature flowers and plants add a quick pop of color and texture to the exterior of your home and boost curb appeal instantly. Young plants might not mke any real enhancement to your yard. Potential buyers can be powerfully influenced by a "finished" yard that will look great with minimal effort on their part.

  If your backyard is on a slope, consider building a deck to extend your living area. A sloped backyard in itself is not an ideal space for any type of activity. However, if you add a deck, you can furnish it with deck furniture and make an outdoor retreat where you can relax or entertain friends.

  DIY ShowOff & Share

diyshowoff.com

"Hello DIY friends!  I’m back and it’s time to resume the DIY ShowOff & Share link party! The last one was right after the 4th of July and since that time, there’s one less good man in the world. RIP…"

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Make visible changes. Invisible changes are great for your home, but if it ever comes time to sell, you do not want to have to explain why you installed fantastic heating systems but did not fix your shutters. Keep in mind that visibility sells. You want to be at the top of the market.

  A great home improvement tip is to find some inspiration as soon as possible. If you wait until you are trying to pay for materials and complete a project, you will be very stressed out. You will reduce a lot of stress from renovating your home if you just take the time to plan now instead of later.

  Doing so causes the bristles to buckle and become ineffective. Hang the broom off of the floor and it will last much longer. You can also extend the life of your mop by inverting it after use. This will give it an opportunity to dry completely and avoid mold growth.

  Sunrooms are a great addition to any home and they add both value and activity. Enjoy relaxation at its best and enhance the aesthetics of your home by choosing to build a sunroom. Let the sun shine through! A sunroom provides energy for your home and it is definitely a great home remodeling project.

  In order to keep your drains unclogged you need to regularly clear them every month. You can take boiling water and add two tablespoons of baking soda. Slowly pour the mixture down the drain to keep your drains clear and free. It is a great and simple way to handle clogged drains.

  Home improvements can be a statement about your taste, style and priorities. There are many projects that anyone can do that will fit into just about any budget. There may also be times that you need professional help to get your work done. This article can help you with any home improvement situation you may face.

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[jonasjjackson]

Boho Bathroom Remodel

Alexi Politis of Seeking Alexi completes a full bathroom remodel like a true DIY boss! With beautiful Delta products, additional decor from The Home Depot and a lot of elbow grease, she magically turns her outdated guest bathroom into a Boho Modern bath oasis.

Boho Bathroom Remodel

Hi!! Seeking Alexi here and I’m so stoked to share my recent full bathroom remodel! If you’ve been following along on my Instagram, you may have seen sneak peeks of me ripping up this bathroom and slowly renovating it. It was a disaster of a 70s bathroom before, with really weird shower surround material and old dingy everything else, take a look:

With several Delta products, some decor from The Home Depot and a lot of elbow grease, I have magically turned this drab bathroom into this gorgeous oasis!

I still can’t believe that this gorgeous space is truly ours! And that I was able to successfully do all of it without hiring any of it out (although I had my husband Tanner help a few short times).

It’s technically the bathroom that our guests will use when they visit, but now it’s much nicer than our actual master bathroom! So watch out because until I remodel the master bath, I’m moving in! I mean, how could I not???

Not only does this new bathroom look amazing, but installing this Delta UPstile system for the tub surround was light-years easier than tiling it. Plus, I’m so pleased with how it looks!

This whole bathroom remodel took a fair amount of time, but it was well worth the elbow grease! Here’s how I renovated my entire bathroom.

Demo the Bathroom

First step I took was to remove the shower surround and drywall and take out the existing tub. Doesn’t matter quite how you do it, but just do it. It was a messy job, but it’s a step that just has to get done! I also made sure that all the surrounding studs were plumb.

Install the tub

  I installed this Delta tub that goes with the Delta UPstile system, and the instructions are very easy to follow. I’ll spare you every step here, but one thing I did do was install the drain system to the existing p-trap, and when I went to connect them, I had to cut a hole in the basement ceiling.

Install the Delta UPstile System

Once your tub is installed, you’re ready to install your Delta UPstile system shower surround! We kept the protective plastic on as long as possible to keep it protected. But it comes in 3 sheets and you have to install the back piece first. There are very thorough instructions on The Home Depot website, plus detailed paper instructions included. Because of that, I’ll highlight the steps below but follow the full instructions when you install yours.

1. Dry fit the panels, first to make sure it all fits.

2. Mark where your valve and spout holes go

… And drill holes for your spout and valve.

3. Install 1×3 boards as per the instructions.

Pre-drill holes through the panels along the studs.

4. Install the back panel first, by placing the provided adhesive strips and DAP Kitchen & Bath 3.0 Advanced Sealant on the 1x3s, then screw it in place.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the side panels.

Install & Texture drywall

Next, we installed drywall over the flanges of the panels. We used ⅝ drywall to match the rest of our house and it worked perfectly!

Add real tile in the grooves

To install tile, use same advanced sealant instead of mortar, then stick on your tile and after it dries, grout the tile as you normally would. Be sure to use Frog tape to protect your panels, and you’ll have a perfectly clean line when you peel it off.

Fill all seams with sealant

After you’ve painted your drywall then, fill all seams around and in between the panels with the same advanced sealant.

Lastly, everything else came together to completely transform this bathroom to what it is today!

A few of the last details were that I installed the gorgeous Delta sliding shower door that is quiet and very secure and elevates the luxury of the whole look and feel of the bathroom.

I installed this stunning rain Delta shower head that makes you feel like you’re showering in luxury, plus it’s tall enough to work for my 6’3” hubby, instead of hitting him mid-chest like before.

Along with the new shower head, I installed a gorgeous matte black tub spout, & shower dial.

The new toilet I installed is elongated for more comfort, and definitely works better than my old toilet from the 70s!

And check out the new toilet handle I installed so it would match the other gold details in the bathroom.

And last but not least, I installed this new vanity that I’m obsessed with. It has quiet drawers, plenty of storage, and I love the warm yet cool wood color! I paired it with this this Delta faucet hardware to bring the whole look together.

Thank you so much for reading how I remodeled my entire bathroom and how I installed the Delta UPstile System in my bathroom! I still want to pinch myself whenever I walk by my bathroom, I can’t believe how amazing it looks! And even more, that we did it all by ourselves! If it seems daunting, I break some of the project down and show the behind the scenes over on my YouTube channel. Thank you to Delta and The Home Depot for making all of my guest bathroom dreams come true!

The post Boho Bathroom Remodel appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

from Home https://blog.homedepot.com/boho-bathroom-remodel/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#construction