Views From My Back Porch – Country Design Home

May 31, 2013

Mill 77 Outdoor Bazaar

This week’s High Five for Friday goes to Mill 77 Trading Company in Amesbury!

As you may recall, yours truly recently entered and won a staging contest at the Mill-yay team Mother Knows Best! Well, this weekend, for one day only (Saturday, June 1), the Mill is hosting their Macy Street Bazaar from 8-noon.

This is a monthly outdoor marketplace event featuring many of the inside vendors, as well as outsiders, like myself. I am teaming up with Lisa from RitaJosVintage

to offer a variety of vintage and “junk-tique” wares. By the way, if you haven’t started reading Lisa’s new blog, check it out! You are in for one hilarious ride : ) We will have refurbished furniture (the finished bench, perhaps?), china, glassware, linens and so much more! Please stop by for a visit-we will be there from 8-noon only! Which means we have to be up at the crack of dawn…I take my coffee iced and black, thanks! Here’s a map:

It’s a straight shot up 95 north, or just a quick ride from 495 (unless you are using your car’s compass, yes, COMPASS, in which case you may find yourself driving through cow pastures and hayfields…just saying) Have a sunny weekend everyone, hope to see you at the Mill! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Outdoor Adventures, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: antiques, flea market, Macy Street Bazaar, Mill 77 Trading Company, refurbished furniture, RitaJosVintage, Saturday Market, weekend market

Apr 12, 2013

Waxing Nostalgic

By countrydesignhome · 81 Comments

In a recent post, I blogged about transferring French Typography onto wooden furniture using wax paper– this week’s High Five For Friday! Yup-regular old wax paper– the old-fashioned kind we used to wrap our sandwiches in for our tin lunch boxes-is suddenly all the rage again.So I thought I would give the wax paper transfer method currently posted on my D.I.M. Pinterest page a try, since I am working on some new pieces. Coach found this cute little old pine telephone table that I thought would work nicely.

(This one’s from the olden days, folks, when we had those gadgets attached to the wall called telephones, with an attached cord so you had to sit down to talk on them and use loads of paper books with names and addresses and phone numbers in them : )…

Here are the steps:

1. Cleaned and steel wooled. It hardly had any finish on it so no sanding needed. But I made sure that the inside was clean as well. Nothing worse than opening up some cute, vintage refinished piece only to inhale the strong odor of musty cigarette smoke.

2. Added 2 coats of Annie Sloan French Linen paint. Love the soft color and the flat finish.

3. Got some wax paper (this pic shows parchment paper which apparently works as well, but I haven’t tried that yet)

4. Find a picture- I got mine from the Graphics Fairy– and print it in your REGULAR INK JET PRINTER!! Not a laser printer, apparently that just melts the wax. Make sure when you go to settings you reverse it for the transfer process prior to printing. Cut the wax paper to the same size as a regular sheet of copy paper. Slowly feed the wax paper into the printer, being careful not to let it wrinkle or crease. Once printed, allow time for it to dry so it won’t smear when you lay it down on your piece.

5. Dampen (NOT WET!) the furniture so it will accept the ink. Center the wax paper, print side down, on to your piece of furniture.

6. Now just start rubbing all over the design, pressing firmly. I tried two methods of transfer- the credit card- which I found had too sharp of an edge to really press.

The back of a spoon-perfect! Rub the image until it is completely transferred.

The harder and longer you rub, the darker and clearer your image will be. You can carefully pick up the paper and check underneath as you go along, but just make sure you put it back exactly in the same spot- otherwise the image will appear blurry. Allow to dry (about 5 minutes)

7. Finish with a coat of Annie Sloan Soft Wax.

8. Since we no longer have giant phones and tons of phone books, I discovered a cute new storage place for my Ipad!

TGIF everyone!! So happy to finally have some nice sunny weather-NOT!!! Susan

Filed Under: The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Annie Sloan Paint, Annie Sloan Soft Wax, French Typography Wax Paper Transfer, Wax paper for crafts, wax paper transfer

Apr 9, 2013

Coming Unhinged

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

Recently I have been working on quite a few pieces of “junk-tiques”, so Coach and I have been frequenting the auction, estate sale and flea market circuit, and have come home with quite a few great country finds.

Of course, most of them need a little, nea, a LOT of TLC, so over the weekend we opened up the HICC (seriously, you don’t know what that is?!?)

fired up the sander and got to work on the transformation process. When I came across an old commode at an indoor flea market, my intention was to sand it all down and then restain/antique it. But I just couldn’t bring myself to strip away all those years of paint and the beautiful layers of colors, ending with the final soft pink it is today. However, the same did not hold true for the drawer pulls and hinges-years of caked-on paint had obliterated the design and the finishes- who does that?!? I get painting the chest, heck, we all do that. And I understand that painted hardware is “in” right now, but people, if the hardware has beautiful inlaid flowers and a gorgeous pewter patina, leave it alone!!! That being said, I needed to find a way to strip all of the old paint off without harming the hardware, my granite countertops and my sinuses. Pinterest to the rescue!! I found several DIY pins with all kinds of methods that did not include harsh chemicals, so I kind of combined a few and came up with my own quick and easy method. Simply: fill an old saucepan with water (enough to cover the hardware completely), add a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Any kind of white vinegar will do, but I especially like this one because it says “Nice!”, and nice matters, as a friend of mine recently reminded me : )

Drop in the hardware.

Bring the whole concoction to a boil. Allow to slow boil for 20-30 minutes (keep making sure you have enough water in the pan- don’t want to singe the hinges!). Keep checking the pieces- after 10 minutes or so you will begin to notice stuff floating in the water, and if you pick up a piece, you can see the paint starting to peel away. After 30 minutes, start taking the pieces out one at a time-you need to keep the others submerged until you are ready to clean them, otherwise the paint will reharden and stick. I used a toothpick and a small toothbrush (preferably not one you are using again!) to get into the crevices. Buff the piece with a terry cloth towel to remove any clinging bits, then rinse in water and wipe dry. Can you believe the beautiful detail I uncovered under those layers of paint!?!? At this point, you can use a little metal polisher-like this awesome stuff I use because: 1. It’s from Cape Cod- which we love and 2. It really works!!

Individual little cloths already soaked with not-too-smelly cleaner-easy and neat. Polish, buff dry and you are done. Once completed, the drawer pulls were re-attached to the pretty little pink commode, which I finished with a crystal door pull and a touch of Annie Sloan French Linen Chalk Paint and Soft Wax.

So now the once simple pink commode with the layers of painted hardware has a new look, not exactly what I had envisioned when I first spotted it at an antiques market, but I think the improvised version is even better…do you agree?

And it also has a new heart– which I uncovered as I was sanding the layers on the bottom of the chest-so sweet!! Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone! Just remember to do what you love, follow your instincts and don’t come unhinged if it all doesn’t quite go according to plan. Susan

PS: I have joined a new weekend blogging link party sponsored by Serenity Now: Creative Solutions for Staying Sane. It’s a fun read and has loads of great ideas for everything from cooking to awesome DIY projects! Check them out!

Filed Under: The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Annie Sloan French Linen, Annie Sloan Soft Wax, Refurbishing Hinges, Removing Paint from Hardware, removing paint from hinges without chemicals

Mar 21, 2013

“Font”astic Furniture Fonts!

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Recently, thanks to Coach’s fantastic rummaging abilities, I find myself in possession of several new wooden pieces that need some TLC magic. One of the design styles I continually admire on Pinterest are painted pieces decorated with French Typography. Like this one featured on The Graphics Fairy:

or this rustic little nautical dresser from Joss & Main

There are so many brilliant DIYer’s out there who take old, junky furniture and accessories and transform them into beautiful decorative accent pieces for their homes or, in many instances, for sale. This sideboard, originally a dark and dingy brown, was painted and stenciled and turned into this beauty by the husband and wife team at Three Mango Seeds.

And check out the finish on this vintage table transformed by Red Hen Home! Love the dark stained wood with the black stencil-very ooh, la, la!

So, how do they do this, you ask? Where do all the letters and graphics come from? And how do I use them on furniture? One website that I subscribe to, The Graphics Fairy, sends a daily email with new and interesting free graphics and fonts- that’s right, free! Great for fresh ideas, inspiration or perfectly easy how-to instructions.

Included on her pages is how to download and print the graphics– obviously the size of the piece will determine the size of the graphic, and if it is a large dresser or console, you need an enlarged graphic, right? Blockposters.com to the rescue!

You download your picture onto their website, add the dimensions you would like and it creates adjacent blocks of graphic to the size specs you enter. Then you can print them right on your home computer and transfer them onto your piece. Click here for The Graphics Fairy Transfer Tutorial on all the ways transfer. So now, you have the graphic you like, where do you find all those fancy fonts? Again, The Graphics Fairy has many to choose from, but you can also check out azfonts or fonts for peas (super cute stuff for painting, scrapbooking, etc.).

So, if you have an old piece of furniture, or spot one at a yard sale that you just gotta have because the size works but just not the style, think about painting and adding some graphics for a whole new look. Recycling, refurbishing, reloving is what country design style is all about! Have a

Thursday, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: AZ Fonts, Country Pretty, Fonts, Fonts for Peas, French Typography Graphics, Joss & Main, painted furniture, Pinterest, The Graphics Fairy, transferring graphics to furniture

Mar 19, 2013

This Old Whale Table

By countrydesignhome · 1 Comment

Last summer Coach and I completed a major outdoor renovation, transforming our deck into a screened-in porch. (Of course, today, on the eve of the official first day of spring here in Boston, the porch still isn’t useable due to yet another ridiculous snow storm!) OK, so once the porch construction was completed, we decided on red, white and blue nautical decor, using primarily vintage castoffs and refurbished finds.

Of the DIY projects that I posted here, the one with the most interest (and great comments!) was The Whale’s Tale.

The old whale-shaped table was scooped up at a yard sale for $5,

then cleaned,

sanded and painted,

glazed and finished the table to give him a new, patriotic glow.

Recently, I submitted the project to This Old House, and it was selected for the This Old House Don’t Buy It, DIY It! Contest. For those of you not familiar with This Old House (hard to imagine…), it was one of the original home improvement TV Shows, beginning in 1979 and starring Bob Vila. Originally airing 13 episodes filmed in the Boston area, the show has grown into a national cultural icon. Presently aired on PBS, and hosted by Kevin O’Connor, This Old House continues to provide valuable information and resources for owners of older homes through the show, their website and magazine.

I am not sure if, at some point, I may need your votes to help me win $100 and a spot in the upcoming July Reader’s Issue of This Old House, but I will keep you posted! In the meantime, if you have a DIY project to share with This Old House, click here and fill in the online forms. (of course, just make sure it’s not as nice as my patriotic pal : ) Have a whale of a Tuesday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Bob Vila, nautical theme porch, PBS, restored whale coffee table, The Whale's Tale, This Old House, This Old House DIY Contest, This Old House Magazine, This Old House Restoration

Mar 18, 2013

Simply ReMARKable Finds

By countrydesignhome · 9 Comments

Two weekends ago I visited the WinSmith Mill Market and, as I usually do when I find something awesome, I blogged about it. Because I really didn’t fully understand the size of the place and the amount of vendors doing business there, I spent many hours shopping and researching, and did my best to make sure I covered all the bases when giving out the information. In a couple of instances, I got it wrong, so I would like to correct that now, once and for all. Upon entering the parking lot at 61 Endicott Street, I saw the first building, where I encountered the shops called ReMARKables and Gallery 2.

Perhaps it was due to the mild head injury I experienced with the snow/sun roof incident prior to my arrival, or the sparkly stars hanging above the entrance, but I got the signs confused and used photos from one space that were actually of the other!

I received a lovely email from the store manager Arlene, who had seen the blog and noticed the photo mixup. (I mean, who could confuse where this sofa came from?!)

She, in fact, informed me that she had spoken to the owner Mark (more about him in a moment) about making the signs clearer, as many customers are just as confused. So, I returned to the scene this past weekend, met Arlene and got a little background information about the two shops: ReMARKables (the large warehouse filled with stuff owned by- you guessed it- MARK Waters)

and Gallery 2 (which is a little vintage shop in the same warehouse building, curated by Deb, the owner). ReMARKables Cleanouts is a family-owned cleanout service with over ten years of experience.

What started as Mark hauling stuff out of houses and into his garage has morphed into the enormous warehouse space you see in these photos.

You name it, they have it- lots of it- and its anything and everything, both vintage- like this amazing Maytag Washer,

and modern- loving this dining set: )

can be had for a great price (Edith actually bought the shelf itself-minus the china!)

ReMarkables also holds a monthly auction, and some of the goods are set aside for that purpose- you cannot purchase them until the auction. The next one is scheduled for Friday, March 22 at the Norwood Commerce Center, where the Mill is located. For more information about the auction, you can contact them at 781-352-3162. Gallery 2 is a small shop that is filled with vintage pieces, like these glamorous furs,

these adorable children’s books

and these vintage office supplies (loving the table fan!)

Deb , the owner, says that she started out with hats and bags, and has grown her shop into a warm and welcoming space that offers jewelry, vintage gowns and some pretty, pretty vintage decor.

Below is a legend that is on the WinSmith Mill Market Facebook Page. Once again, this market is housed in the Norwood Commerce Center @ 61 Endicott, and is open on weekends only.

Although it is difficult to see, you can identify that there are 4 separate, but adjacent builings that house all of the shops listed. Some shops, like Vintage Peacock and Vintage Thymes, which are downstairs in building 23/24, are actually more of a co-op, where many vendors share the space to sell their wares. Other shops, like The Old Bean Antiques, are separately owned and operated.

I can also tell you that many of these shops do not have websites, but some do have Facebook pages where you can find general information. According to the WinSmith Market Facebook Information, the hours of operation are: Friday and Saturday 9am-6pm and Sundays from 12-5pm. (this is directly from the information page) For additional information you can contact them at Sre@61endicott.com One exception: The Vintage Thymes Monthly Market is just that- a MONTHLY Market, and is generally open on the second weekend of every month (Friday through Sunday).

For more info about their upcoming schedule, you can click here. So, I hope this clears up any confusion about the hours of operation and the shops. For any additional information, my best advice is to contact the WinSmith Mill Market email listed above or better yet, take a ride down (or up) there to see what all the fuss is about- you will NOT be disappointed! These past two weekends I visited more shops that are not listed on the legend above, but are included in the one below I found while shopping on Saturday.

So I am assuming that means that new shops are opening quickly as the word spreads, which is a good thing for you! Hope you are having a remarkable day! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: antiques, Gallery 2, Norwood Commerce Center, ReMARKables, shopping for antiques, shopping for vintage, The Old Bean Antiques, Vintage, Vintage Peacock, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market, WinSmith Mill Marketplace

Mar 12, 2013

Vintage Thymes- Hours Update

By countrydesignhome · 10 Comments

Update: Since many of you were confused about the operations hours at the WinSmith Mill Market (me too!), I contacted the owner of Diggin’ Daisys for clarification. Her response: “With the exception of Vintage Thymes which is a Monthly Market, all of the other shops are opened EVERY weekend. Most are opened Friday-Sunday, others just Saturday and Sunday. Let me know if you or anyone else has any questions. Thanks, Deb” So there you have it! If you venture down on Friday, you may find a few of the shops closed, but Saturday and Sunday are a sure bet! Happy shopping! Susan

Since it was such a beautiful day yesterday, I decided to take a ride down to the south shore to visit a shop that I had been following for awhile on Facebook. When internet browsing recently, I had discovered Vintage Thymes– a Monthly Vintage and Antiques Market

that has its home in an old, refurbished tannery at 61 Endicott Street in Norwood, Mass. What I did not realize, until I actually arrived there, was that Vintage Thymes is a huge co-operative market that shares space inside the WinSmith Mill Market-which has many, many more shops housed in this old mill building!

Pulling into the parking lot, I immediately spotted a sign for Gallery 2, so I stopped there first. You know it’s gonna be fun when this is the entryway that greets you!

Floor after floor of any kind of vintage you can want or imagine! As far as the eye could see, there were sections for lighting, dining, sofas (could have picked up this orange chenille beauty with silver threads for $50!)

clothing, tools and essentially anything else under the sun.

Exiting that first building, I made my way over to the WinSmith Mill Market, vintage nirvana. First stop was The Old Bean Antiques, chock full of amazing one-of-a-kind pieces,

including this horse-drawn carriage! As I was standing there chatting with the owner, I was contemplating how I was going to get that home, and how nice it would look in front of the barn…do you think Coach would notice?

From there, I walked through the double doors into Vintage Thymes, which is a giant showroom with little booths set up side by side.

Kind of like Brimfield but without the tents and hot sunshine and muddy shoes. I met one of the owners, Nancy Murphy, who gave me a tour and chatted about the concept. Being open one weekend per month gives the dealers time to refresh and redesign their spaces. Vintage Thymes changes up the theme as well-this month is Vintage Kitchen-so each visit will be like your first, with all new offerings and merchandise. You’d better get there early, though-apparently the local designers and dealers hit the ground running on the Friday mornings for first pickins’! Each vignette had its own unique character, but all with a common theme: reclaimed, recycled, refurbished vintage furniture and accessories.

Most had a small sign or business cards available to ID their spaces, but they all blend seamlessly together into a beautiful showroom with one centralized cashier area.

A couple of my favorites (although by no means a complete listing- there are so many great booths!!) Modern Vintage Design Studio– the gorgeous pastel hand-painted distressed signs caught my eye.

Sadie Wyatt is an adorable space filled with a soft, natural look of old time charm.

Exited through another doorway into a long hallway where I discovered room after room filled with more beautiful finds! Some of these shops, unlike Vintage Thymes, are individually owned, with proprieters having previously been part of the co-operative, then being so successful they branched out on their own. The Queen of Olde’s welcoming space was so sweet and country pretty, all decked out in pinks and blues.

Down the hall was the Vintage Peacock-loving that painted mustard dresser!

From there, I met Deb, the owner of Diggin’ Daisies, another shop I had discovered online. As I was browsing, I overheard her chatting with some fellow shop owners about “the girl from Wakefield who is coming all the way down here!”- they were amazed that people were travelling from the North Shore and Cape Cod to check out this newly opened marketplace (since November 2012). I can assure you, if you are a lover of vintage and antique collectibles, it is well worth the trip.

She was so gracious (as was everyone I encountered!!) and she took me on a tour, explaining all of the booths and introducing me to many of the vendors. It was difficult to keep it all straight! Upstairs I discovered the Salvage Angel,

Furnichicks, and Renewed, Reloved, who was celebrating her grand opening, offering beautifully painted furniture. Best of luck, Krista!!

And finally, POSH Vintage Upscale Boutique, comfortably decorated rooms with everything from vintage clothing to refurbished furniture.

Obsessed with this aqua painted cupboard…if only I had another wall in my house.

So that’s my virtual tour of WinSmith Mill Market. It took me a few hours to make my way around to all of the shops, but everyone was incredibly friendly and eager to share their story and offering refreshments too. There are so many more that I just didn’t have room to mention in this blog post. From the looks of the throngs of people streaming into the buildings and heading out with their treasures, it is a huge success! Today is the last day for this month’s Vintage Thymes Market, so head on over to see for yourself, and tell Nancy that Sue from Country Design Home sent you : ) Just remember to Spring Forward, everyone!! Susan

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Outdoor Adventures, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Gallery 2, Modern Vintage Design Studio, Monthly Antiques Marketplace, POSH Upscale Vintage Boutique, Recycled furniture, refurbished, Renewed Reloved, The Old Bean Antiques, Vintage Peacock, Vintage Thymes Market, WinSmith Mill Marketplace

Mar 11, 2013

So…It’s Not Just Me

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

Yesterday I wrote a very well-received blog about the WinSmith Mill Market in Norwood, Mass. I had a great time meeting many of the owners and vendors, and enjoyed browsing through all of the amazing vintage finds!

The part of the story I ommitted was this: As everyone knows, we had a pretty major snowstorm Thursday into Friday, leaving our yards and cars covered with over a foot of snow!

As the sun started shining and things started to melt, I managed to remove most of the snow from my car, with the exception of the pile that was sitting in between the roof racks- just couldn’t reach it! So, I set off on my journey on Saturday, confident that the snow would harmlessly slide off the car roof onto the side of the road as I was driving along.
Since it was a warm, sunny day, I decided to open my sun roof for a bit of fresh air. As I was pulling into the Dunkin Donuts parking lot to grab a cup o’ joe prior to my shopping expedition, I heard a faint “swoosh”, and then the entire contents of the snow pile that I thought had blown off the car was now sitting on my head and lap!! Yup, those are my legs…

Are you freakin’ kidding me?!? Instead of sliding off the back end of the car, that big pile of wet, slushy snow slid forward and into my sun roof, soaking me and my seats, dashboard and Iphone.

Luckily, it didn’t hit the GPS I just got for Christmas, but not so luckily, there was a guy sitting inside DD watching the entire thing! So I grabbed whatever I had handy to wipe up the mess- tissues, napkins, blankets. Of course, now my jeans were soaked and my hair was matted to my head, so I had to sit for awhile with the heat on high until I dried out enough to start shopping!

The reason I am sharing this with you? Well, first of all, it’s pretty funny stuff, and who can’t use a good laugh?! (even if it is at my expense). Secondly, I just wanted to make the point that things don’t always go according to plan-a botched paint job or a busted lamp, no-show contractors or crashing computers can make you crazy-if you let them. What I try to do is just shrug and think “I cannot be the only person this has happened to-or the “So It’s Not Just Me” theory. There is safety in numbers, and sometimes imagining that others have dealt with the same issues and gotten over it helps to lighten the load. So the good news? I made it to the Mill Marketplace and had a great time. A bonus? My car interior is nice and clean : ) If you have had a “So…It’s Not Just Me Moment” and would like to share, please send me an email and I will be happy to post it- pictures included if you have them! Today is “Have a Nap Day” due to Daylight Savings Time- so grab a quick siesta everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Honda CRV, It's Not Just Me, snow in car, snow on roof, So, Vintage Thymes Market, WinSmith Mill Marketplace

Feb 28, 2013

A Big Thank You!

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

So, I didn’t realize until Word Press (my host server) sent me a little congrats card that this week marked my one year anniversary of this blog-unbelievable!! What started as a simple marketing assignment has blossomed into a full-fledged, time-consuming, educational, inspirational, often-times ridiculous look into the daily lives of myself and Coach and my family and friends. At 150 posts and counting, some of my personal favorites have included guests spots for New England Home Magazine featuring the works of Interior Designer Rachel Hazelton

and photographer Paul Granese,

my work on the Glidden Project,

my posts from some of the amazing weddings we attended this past year

The Whale’s Tale, a refurbishing D.I.M. story

the special tribute birthday cake I created for my sister in Faded Photographs

and of course, my most recent post about our mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

Over the years, I have always looked for new challenges and adventures-whether its traveling, cooking or creating art or design- and my motto is “I can do that”. Or, at the very least, I can try that (see Kayaking…The Launch)

This blog has given me a voice, otherwise unheard, to share my successes and my abysmal failures (of which there are soooo many). Looking back over this past year, it is clear by your responses that you have enjoyed many of my posts about interior design, whether country pretty- yay Buffalo Plaid!

or chic and glamorous.

Also big on the hit lists were my ventures to the SOWA Vintage Market

and the Vintage Bazaar @ Pettengill Farm (can’t wait for that one again!)

and the Brimfield Antiques Show.

And, then, of course, there is that whole “are you freaking kidding me, I dropped the whole can of paint?!?!” posts,

where I have been sharing our crazy lives, living in, decorating and preserving our 1850’s farmhouse and barn- featured in Rejected and Dejected

and so many other posts. Those of you who know us personally have been hearing and witnessing those stories first hand for many years. For those of you in “blog land”, it has been great fun sharing those follies and receiving responses letting me know that you have been there too! For the coming year, I am hoping to expand my horizons and find new places, new spaces and new ideas to share both here and on my Pinterest pages. Endless adventures await, and I never go anywhere now without my camera and iPhone in my pocket. I love comments- so please feel free to weigh in on any subject and “like” a post (the button is at the bottom of the page) so I know you are reading! And if there is something you would like me to feature, check out or write about, drop me an email @ countrydesignhome@gmail.com. Thanks for following my blog everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Brimfield Antiques Show, Glidden paint, Kayaking, New England Home Magazine, Paul Granese Photography, Rachel Hazelton, SOWA Market, Thank You Chalkboard, Vintage Bazaar

Feb 10, 2013

Same Old Story…

By countrydesignhome · 1 Comment

…same old song and dams!! After a day of shoveling and clearing off snow-covered paths and cars, Coach and I were resting our weary bones next to a roaring fire last night, having nachos and beer and watching reruns of Pawn Stars (I know, but how many on demand movies can you watch in a day when you are trapped inside!?!) When all of a sudden, I hear it: drip, drip, drip. Like Edgar Allen Poe’s Telltale Heart, the sounds grow louder, pounding into my consciousness with each drop until the deafening waves can no longer be ignored! (well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea…) Looking up, I notice the tiny drops along the ceiling moldings that are slowly spiraling their way down my freshly-painted walls!

Ice Dams!!!! For those of you blissfully unaware of this natural phenomenon, according to Wikipedia: “An ice dam (or ice jam) occurs when water builds up behind a blockage of ice. Ice dams can occur in various ways which include a glacier blocking an unfrozen river and a thawing river being blocked by a still-frozen section further on. This is a pic I took in Alaska from a ship- beautiful, right?!

On a small scale the term can be used for ice blockages of gutters and spouts on buildings.” Not so pretty.

In above diagram you can see how the ice dam forms on a building: inadequate insulation, incorrect pitch in the roof, no ridge or soffit vents, multiple roof lines causing areas of built up icicles- all of those conditions are present in our old house. What you don’t see is Coach up on the lower roof with a hammer and a roof rake removing the glacier of snow that piled there during the storm on Friday night.

These pics are taken from my upstairs bath window. I think Coach takes some kind of pleasure taking a hammer to our old house.

Yes, much like the House of Seven Gables of Nathaniel Hawthorne fame, we have many roofs-or is that rooves-hmm…

Our original 1850’s home was a small cape with a deeply pitched roof. Add a few rooms and a porch, and you have a recipe for ice dam disaster. This is Coach on the roof, shoveling off the six foot snow dune sitting over my family room!!! Now you may wonder where I was during all of this roof-climbing and snow raking…I was inside taking care of the dog. She is scared by the sound of pounding on the roof! Right.

The confluence of roof lines causes large icicles to form on the upper roofs, which then drip down onto the lower roofs, resulting in multiple areas of built up ice dams that then leak back into the house and leads to the drips down the inside walls.

Damn!! We have tried caulking, adding a rubber ice shield roof, heating cables, but nothing has prevented the return of the ice dam after a big snow storm. Now, looking at the front of the house with the gigantic icicles dangling ( just waiting for some unsuspecting mailman), you would think that would be the problem area.

Not so, because those just melt and fall harmlessly to the ground. Which in the spring leads to another problem, the leaky fieldstone foundation. But that’s a story for another blog. Of course, in the overall scheme of things, a bit of a drip is not a big deal, while in other places folks are being evacuated as their homes along the coastline are being swept out to sea. And we have had a reprieve of sorts, with the weather being so mild the past few winters. So, it’s time to venture back downstairs to see if there was more dripping overnight. And do a bit more digging out.