My decorating partner (no, not swampy) is rather taken with very simple, sleek brushed nickel pulls, which is fine with me. I don’t like shiny stuff, preferring brushed nickel or antique brass.
I’m not much for dangly stuff either - like crystals on chandeliers or beads on lampshades or whatever other silly things some designers seem to favor. Choosing our lighting fixtures is going to be a real challenge.
Have you ever wondered how all that brushed nickel gets brushed? Is it done before of after things are made of it? In other words, are things made of nickel, and then brushed to turn them into brushed nickel things, or is nickel brushed, thus becoming brushed nickel and then used to make things?
What would it be like to have nickel brushing as a job? Would you introduce yourself at parties as a generic brusher, or would you be exact and say nickel brusher? What if you brushed other types of metal as well? “Hi, I’m Kallessa and I brush metel, what do you do?” Maybe they have a special name for metal brushers, brushologists or brushgineers.
Or have all the nickel brushing jobs been sent overseas? Or been replaced by huge nickel brushing machines, capable of brushing the nickel of many men in half the time? If this is the case, is the quality of today’s brushed nickel as good as it was in days of yore? Or has the craft of metal brushing gone inexorably downward, its secrets lost to the next generation? Are we doomed to have inferior brushed metal products in our homes? And if the brushed metal is of lesser quality, what then of the hardwood and hand-crafted tiles–are they too indifferent at best? Are we forever condemned to mediocre wainscotting and tawdry trim? Won’t someone think of the decorators?!!
Pewter nice, too.
**Kallessa ** waxing prophetic. It got me to start thinking about it…I’m all for brushed metal knobs and pulls. fcm, I like the clean look of Shaker style. Your kitchen sounds nice.
Whew! Here I finally am…just dashing in for a couple of minutes here.
I don’t have door knobs; I have the lever type of door handles. They ARE extremely handy when your hands are full. My dog, Cap’n figured out the door levers toot sweet. When we first moved in we put him in the garage just in case he was nervous and piddled or something. Well, he figured out the levers the first day, so I told the kids to make sure to LOCK the garage door. What big, freakin’ mistake that was. Brand new house and he tore the weather stripping and scratched the door all to hell. After that, we just let him stay in the house.
I don’t have any drawer pulls or cupboard knobs. I haven’t decided what I like yet. My light fixtures are brushed nickel/pewtery like and the shades on the fixtures are kind of like a white marble or white alabaster finish. I dunno, it’s kind of hard to describe.
I tend to get pulled in different directions in regards to what sort of decor I prefer. Sometimes I like nice clean lines, sometimes I like little knick knacky, artsy craftsy things, sometimes I look the Ernest Hemingway look, sometimes I like Santa Fe or Western or Southwestern style. I guess I’m just kinda of eclectic. Really, I just want kind of warm, comfortable, elegance. I want people to feel welcome. I definitely don’t like too much floral though…that’s just not my style at all.
FCM, your kitchen sounds like it will be very nice.
…and now…for something completely different…
I got a phone call today regarding that job I didn’t think that I had gotten. It turns out I was referred for TWO jobs and I had them mixed up. At any rate, I told the individual hiring that I was extremely interested. After he described the job, it sounded like I would be a perfect fit for it. It’s a new position, so the job description isn’t completely fleshed out yet. I told him what I do now and what I’ve been doing for the past few years and he sounded very interested. I dunno, we’ll see what happens, but I’d sure like a shot at it. The raise would be VEDDY nice! 
Well, I must dash out again…I have the ever present and growing pile of laundry to do.
I’m just trying to imagine a house full of beaded curtains and three cats… it’s not a pretty picture.
I’ve been gradually replacing my old, shiny doorknobs with new, matte finish doorknobs. Trying to be proactive and all you know. Of course, I didn’t consider the back door, so guess which one broke first? Aw, go ahead, guess. At least the weather was warm and I got to meet my next door neighbor when I went to borrow her phone to call my brother to bring the extra key and let me into my own stupid house. Well… the house isn’t so much stupid as the doorknob was. I bought a replacement knob/lock set but oddly enough, although the doorknob part was fine the bolt didn’t fit. So my back door is only half-locked.
Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone.
That’s easy for you to say since you don’t currently have kids. But it’s a nice thought. Nice to hear from you too Java. There’s always a chair for you in the MMP Parlour. Or Drawing Rue-m. Just don’t knock over my globe.
I don’t like Shaker style stuff. I like the Arts and Crafts stuff better. Dang it! That’s not right! I like Arts & Crafts style better than Mission style. (I don’t like hazel nuts, but filberts are fine. I don’t like chick peas, but gimme them garbanzos.) Shaker is OK. If you like that sort of thing.
You know the Shakers were a segregated bunch. Not by something silly like skin color, but by gender. The boys and girls couldn’t play together. At all. Which is why you don’t see a whole whack of Shakers walking around, having conventions, or starting up buisinesses in your local mall.
If drawer pulls are like jewelry (and what woman wouldn’t like a nice drawer pull for any random Gift Giving Occasion?), first you make it all shiney, then you run it under the buffer. It’s a two-step process. They invented it in Texas. (Ha!)
This is turning into a decorating thread. Ex is gonna scream. So far, we have discussed doorknobs, hinges, drawer pulls, brick and mortar combinations, kitchen cabinets, doors, lamps, interior decor in general, gators and frog pee. Plus we had this errr… umm… interesting post from Kallessa on the state of the metal brushing industry. This can’t get anything but stranger.
Swampy’s dog nanny service is back in business. This time I am dog nanny for Sadie Lady (that’s what I call her). Sadie Lady is a Rat Terrier. She is extremely weird (wierd? I never know). First, she has to have her food and water bowls sitting on this little wooden stool so she can place her front paws on the stool to eat or drink. She will not eat or drink if her bowls are on the floor. Second, she is an extreme lap sitter. Whenever I sit down I have an immediate lap full of Sadie Lady. While she is lap sitting, she must have her lower back skritched at all times. Not petted. Skritched. She also gives lots of kisses which I just lurve. She will only sleep in her pet carrier, which is good, I guess. She will not respond to “Wanna go outside?” She responds to taking care of essential bidness only if I say “Wanna go potty?” She also perches herself rather daintily on the first step of the pool where she is content to sit and watch me in the pool. I have also discovered she likes floats. She likes to lie on a float and float around the pool. Her daddy told me she would do this but I didn’t believe it. She showed me.
-swampbear (I guess I should be grateful she’s not a JRT. No offense Rue
Well FairyChatMom, my weekend was pretty good, for the most part. Except for the bit where my girlfriend ran out of gas and I had to trudge a few miles in the heat and humidity with a gas can. That kind of stunk. Other than that, though, I had fun.
And that’s it, really. I don’t feel that I can, in good conscience, participate further in this thread.
Good job on the Shibb-baiting there, earthpuppy.
Aw, c’mon, Ex, be a sport! Hey, we’re not even talking about undies!
Okay, I’m needing suggestions on replacing the diningroom set. What we have right now is pretty bad whatchamacallit Old Inheritance style stuff that neither I nor Mr. Anachi want to keep particularly. Once the new Travertine flooring is in, we plan to buy a new set but I am at a loss as to what would go best. I’m open to most anything. I even like Mission furniture. About the only thing I don’t like is heavy curlicuey type stuff, or anything that acts as a natural dust catcher. Anybody got any FAAABBBUULLLOUSS ideas? Swampy?
Puggy*, watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy on Bravo. I love the decorator; his name is Thom and he has made at least one appearance on a Pier One commercial, acting badly. But his taste is marvelous! The new episode is every Tuesday night, but I think they run reruns all week.
I’ve been lost since Sunday in the mists of time. We visited my mother, and got to look through a TON of old pictures from my grandparents’ house (both of whom died this spring). I don’t know why we never go to see these, growing up. I guess they were put away.
There were pictures of my grandfather’s relatives – one included a picture of HIS grandmother – my great-great grandmother! She was born in France, as was my great-grandmother, and came over at some point. And get this: three brothers (one of whom was my great-grandfather) married three sisters – and they all live next door to each other on the same street. Isn’t that wild? My great-grandfather’s name was Emil. I think Emil is such a cool name, except they Americanized it, sorta, by calling him Eee-mul, instead of the cooler, French-accented Eeee-meeeel.
Not at all, El, since I made up the name because I have “two pugs and a chihuahua.” :o
Just remember this, swampy: “We” are "we"ird. Don’t know if that will help you, but it gets me through the day. Also, always remember to “fri” your friends.
So how do you feel about Tuppy? And we can call your dogs Tuppy’s puppies.
Or not.
Rue, believe it or not, I know what you mean about Shaker/Mission (although garbonza beans are better than chickpeas, even if they are the same things). I’ve found, in general, Mission is a heavier style, Shaker has more grace. Even in furniture the same size, Shaker seems lighter and less cumbersome.
Shakers get their name from the fact that they believe that dance, or movement really, can help you come closer to God. You fact for the day, brought to you by Get This Stuff Out of My Head, Inc..
[spoiler]So, I didn’t mention this before, because I don’t want to bring down the MMP/TMP, but my brother-in-law was killed in a car accident on Monday. I wanted to get that off my chest, so to speak, but didn’t want to start a separate MPSIMS thread where a bunch of strangers would drop in and give condolences that I don’t need. It’s not like I’m broke up over it, although it has obviously impacted my family. Mrs. Shibb is pretty stressed (it was her sister’s husband that died). They have two small children, one of whom already has emotional issues, so I am concerned with how they’ll handle it. He was a physician with some problems of his own, which I had previously (and privately) discussed with Qadgop the Mercotan. So I guess that’s all behind him now. At least he didn’t have his family with him in the accident and it was a single car accident. That’s all we know right now. So it’s a bit somber around here.
If you have any nice thoughts or prayers if that’s your thing, feel free to direct them at the Shibb-in-Law family. Sorry to pop this in here.
[/spoiler]
Exgineer, that would be Shibb-bating, not Shibb-baiting. Shibb-baiting is when you put me in a ring with two or more vicious dogs and then they tear me to pieces. Unless that’s what you had in mind.
Hey, Shibb, it’s nice to know we’re good for something besides jokes and decorating advice. Your family is in my thoughts.
Of course, I could dig out some jokes for you, if you think you’ll need them for family gatherings. Anything ya need, darlin’. We’re like Alice’s Resturant here at you friendly MMP,you can get anything you want.
As I seem to be incapable of typing the word “your” today, please feel free to insert an “r” at the end of any appropriate “you”.
And yes, when I typed the above your, I first typed yuor. So if it’s not one thing, it’s another. :smack:
Shibb[spoiler]I’m sorry to hear about your family’s loss. Even at a remove like that, it’s still sucky. But since it is at a remove like that I can be heartless and tacky and say:
Funerals. All the fun of a wedding ceremony, only without the chance of banging a drunk bridesmaid.
But really, sorry the grief has visited you and yours.[/spoiler]
Hey Swampy, we’re dogsitting this week too. The neighbor lady took her kid to Girl Scout camp and we’re keeping an eye on their dog. At least that was her story, but we still have their dog. That’s the important thing here. We have her dog.
Not that ol’ Paco is a problem. (We live with Lucy. How bad would a dog have to be before we noticed?) He’s just a dinky thing. A Jack Russell Terrier and Chihuahua mix. A Jackhuahua. (JAK hoo-ah hoo-ah) Lucy spent an hour slapping him around Monday night and then another hour and a half Tuesday morning. Now they have everything worked out. Mostly. (Last night the boys got to see Paco giving Lucy a piggyback ride. Yeah, like that.)
Sleepy-time is a little rocky though. Paco thinks it would be a good idea if he climbed into bed with us for the night. Lucy has a dissenting opinion on that. Paco had to sleep downstairs on the couch. He lived, but he wasn’t happy about it.
I’m so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law, Shibb. That’s such a shame. You are all in my prayers!
Shibb sorry about your in-law removed. Mrs. Shibb and all the Shibb-in-laws are in my thoughts and prayers.
Tupug, or Puggy, or Tuppy, go with mission style dining room furniture. I wish I had. I like the fact that it’s heavy and has clean lines. I think mission style dining room tables, dining room chairs, sideboards and china cabinets are f-aaaaaa-bu-lous. I really do think it’d be a good look with your imported Turkish tiles.
FCM shaker style cabinets are also f-aaaaaaa-bu-lous! I also like the idea for the counter tops. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I have shaker style cabinets and green countertops. My floors, however, are inlaid linoleum. I almost went with tile, then I thought about my penchant for dropping things like cast iron skillets and dutch ovens, then I thought, well, maybe I shouldn’t go with ceramic tile.
Rue a JRT/Chee-hoo-ah-hoo-ah combo? I need to see a picture of that. I’m all nervous just thinking about the idea of a JRT and a JRT combo in the same house. :eek:
Ellen I’ve been in the attic a couple times at my mother’s house recently. Since dad died she’s wanting to get stuff outta there. I’ve found all kinds of old pictures. It’s been cool going through em. My sister and I are planning to get a bunch of em on cds if we can.
tool thanks for the grammar lesson. See, if I’d had a grammar teacher like you to teach me really jake rules, I mighta learned me some good grammar.
Kalley jokes are always welcomed. I’m gonna have to listen to “Alice’s Restaurant” tonight, cause now I can’t get it out of my head. I was signing pay checks a little while ago (I’m not being a meanie this week) and humming it. I got funny looks. 
Oddly enough, I’ve always read your name as two pugs anarchy, and it always made me smile to imagine the anarchy you’d have with two pugs in the house.
Earthpuppy, I’m glad you coaxed Shibb out of hiding. I was gonna e-mail him, really, just as soon as I got back to Orygun, which I haven’t, by the way. I’m presently in Morley, Michigan, the “Trucking Capitol of Michigan” (It says so onna sign here. Apparently there are a whole lotta truckers who live around here. Well, actually they live in their trucks and around their trucks, but their families, or whatever, live around here. Personally I think I woulda thought of something else to brag about, myself.
Sorry about your BIL Shibb.
I’m on my cousin’s computer right now, but I don’t know if I’ll be back on in the near future. Big doings around here. Today we drove out and looked at some elk. And some buffalo. Tomorrow we’re gonna drive down to the airport in Grand Rapids and pick up another cousin. Friday we might watch it rain, I dunno. Saturday’s the big reunion, with hamburger hot dishes and jello salads I’m sure.
Sunday we drive back to Detroit. Monday we (and by ‘we’ I me ‘I’) drive back to Atlanta. Tuesday I rest. Wednesday I get onna plane for home. I’m ready.
I’ll remember to wave to you on the way through this time Ellen.
See ya’ll