THE CAVENDER DIARY

Finally Finished Those Flower Beds

Posted by James on May 9, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Dallas Farmer's MArket, flower beds, indian blanket, pea gravel. 12 Comments

Normally I post several “teaser” pictures leading to the finished project…

But in this case, I’m just gunna start with our new cactus/agave/drought tolerant filled flower beds…

BA-BAM

Jamie wanted me to be sure to point out that the “We” in these stories of the flower beds is 90% him.

Although, I did Art Direct.

After removing all the heinous Indian Hawthorn….

and making a list of the plants that we would like to try planting.

We cruised down to the Dallas Farmer’s Market and bought a few.

We found an old Hippie to help us with our “zero-scaping”. That means that we want to plant it then forget it.

Perfect.

Jamie lay everything out before digging any holes.

Then planted away….Tall things in the back…at least, things that we expect to get taller.

Pretty groovy, right?

We wanted it to look a “desert-y”, but it was a little too “desert-y”.

Maybe some color…and no color is better than orange….and a little red and yellow.

Much better…..How could we not plant a flower called “Indian Blanket”? They grow along the road sides here in Texas.

Here are a few close-ups of the cactus-y bounty.

This is just a start, we plan on continuing to add new cactus as we collect them.

One more time..here’s the bed in front of the porch.

I can hardly wait for everything to get bigger.

Ohhh, and Jamie still has plans to add pea gravel with a layer of weed-blocking newspaper.

We’ll keep y’all posted.

Break on Through to the Other Side

Posted by James on May 6, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: cacti succulents, cactus, Custom Stone Supply, Front Yard. 4 Comments

Other side of the flower beds, that is.

Seems like months ago that we posted about revamping our front flower beds. And we are still on the job.

We tore through the much more established (possibly a sort of Holly?) bushes in front of our front porch this past weekend.

See?

Took Jamie most of the morning to reach this point.

He actually found a handful of interesting treasures digging in that bed. Rocks we would expect, …..but coral?…and a beautiful hunk of quartz. The glass was a nice surprise as well. The plastic, chess-man sized, St. Joseph he found right after we moved in while planting one of those Red Yuccas that we left in place. Apparently people – Catholics – bury him upside down in the yard to conjure good luck selling a house.

Catholic VooDoo? Never heard that before.

We made yet another trip to Custom Stone for yet another carload of Arizona Buckskin Ledgestone.

After dryfitting all the stones, Jamie adhered them together with Outdoor Construction Adhesive.

Yes, it works.

35 extremely heavy bags of topsoil later …..

…we were left with this completely untouched planting bed for our creating. Because this side is in front of the porch, and we will see it everyday, we wanted it to be the more decorative side. Just filled to the brim with cacti, succulents, and agave.

And rocks. BIG rocks.

We found the biggest ones that we could lift together without straining our aging backs.

Again to Custom Stone for “boulders”.

Since there are very few plants….the rocks are my favorite part. They are there for the geckos to warm their fat little bellies on…..

……and the snakes to hide under. We kept unveiling little brown garden snakes with our bush removal…and I had to quickly scoop them up and shift them to the other flower bed. Jamie isn’t too thrilled with them. But I quickly reminded him that they eat all the other creepy-crawlies that we don’t want in our gardens.

But I digress.

We are pretty excited to show y’all the finished beds.

…..and we will soon.

Promise

Classic Magazine Illustrations on Canvas

Posted by James on May 2, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Fab.com, illustration, Vintage Magazine Covers. 2 Comments

Have you joined Fab.com yet?

You should.

Fab is Everyday Design for the masses. And who among us couldn’t use some new design in our lives.

Fashion, Gifts, Jewelry, Home, Food, Vintage and even Art.

Speaking of Art. Currently Fab.com is offering vintage magazine covers from the 1920’s as color canvas prints.

How great would these fun vintage graphics look in a boy’s room, man cave, or family room?

These 18 X 24 inch prints would be perfect in groups of 4.

My favorite?

That’s easy…the Outdoor Life with the cowboy.

But y’all already knew that…didn’t you?

Check them out, Fab sales only last a few days….and this one is ticking away.

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher

Posted by James on May 2, 2013

Posted in: Books, Did Ya Know?, New Home. Tagged: Edward Curtis, Native Americans. 4 Comments

A reader of ours sent a note about the Edward Sherrif Curtis biography that was just published.

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan, Amazon has it here.

“Edward Curtis was charismatic, handsome, a passionate mountaineer, and a famous photographer, the Annie Leibovitz of his time. He moved in rarefied circles, a friend to presidents, vaudeville stars, leading thinkers. And he was thirty-two years old in 1900 when he gave it all up to pursue his Great Idea: to capture on film the continent’s original inhabitants before the old ways disappeared.

An Indiana Jones with a camera, Curtis spent the next three decades traveling from the Havasupai at the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the Acoma on a high mesa in New Mexico to the Salish in the rugged Northwest rain forest, documenting the stories and rituals of more than eighty tribes. It took tremendous perseverance — ten years alone to persuade the Hopi to allow him into their Snake Dance ceremony. And the undertaking changed him profoundly, from detached observer to outraged advocate. Eventually Curtis took more than 40,000 photographs, preserved 10,000 audio recordings, and is credited with making the first narrative documentary film. In the process, the charming rogue with the grade school education created the most definitive archive of the American Indian.

His most powerful backer was Theodore Roosevelt, and his patron was J. P. Morgan. Despite the friends in high places, he was always broke and often disparaged as an upstart in pursuit of an impossible dream. He completed his masterwork in 1930, when he published the last of the twenty volumes. A nation in the grips of the Depression ignored it. But today rare Curtis photogravures bring high prices at auction, and he is hailed as a visionary. In the end he fulfilled his promise: He made the Indians live forever.”

I think I have established what a fan of Edward Curtis I am by now. I have always associated with obsessive compulsives, more than you good people know.

We have one of his 7 foot portraits hanging in our den.

If you are like me, and you enjoy holding a physical book in your hand, buy it.

If E-books are your thing, (not judging), download it….upload it….whatever it is that you people do to read a book now.

If you liked this post, check out these as well…..

Edward Curtis Portrait free for the taking

Chief Sitting Bear in Our Den

Go West! This is What We’ll Do

Posted by James on April 30, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Art Ideas, Fireplace, Go West, home, Song Lyrics. 9 Comments

We got an email from some readers recently, proclaiming themselves to be “Our Number 1 fans from Seattle”. You boys will have to battle that title out with some of our other Seattle fans…..

Peter and Joe were headed to Texas for a few days and wanted some advice for places not to be missed. Of course, your Cavender boys had a few suggestions……

Included in the email were a handful of pictures of their Seattle living room. All the usual things that we love ……globes, Pendleton, postcards, vintage books, framed Indians, a velum suitcase absolutely covered in vintage hotel stickers…my head is spinning just writing about it. But our favorite element by far was the fireplace artwork…

Take a gander…

Fireplace Art Work

Yeah the suitcase, and books, and even the tractor seat intrigued us, but we really caught us by the throat was the white-on-black art piece. How clever is that?

We asked how they did it…….

Peter writes,

CHALLENGE

I moved into a contemporary condo that is Triple B – Beige Builder Basic. Like most other renters, I am not allowed to make any permanent changes to the décor of my apartment. Although I love the look of chalkboard paint, I cannot repaint any of my walls due to strict tenant guidelines.

SOLUTION

I used roofing paper, thumbtacks, sidewalk chalk and hairspray to personalize my fireplace with a temporary chalk art solution.

Roofing Paper, Chalk, Thumb Tacks and Hairspray

STEPS

I cut the paper to size and wrapped my fireplace walls to create a canvas that was both blank and black. Like non-adhesive wallpaper, I tacked the roofing paper above the mantel, taking additional care to secure the corners with extra thumbtacks.

Once I had my writing surface, I chose my content. Joe and I moved to Seattle because he works for NBC and took a new position with the Seattle affiliate. The move happened very quickly – so quickly that we pretty much moved with nothing but clothes. In truth, we own a condo in Minneapolis (where we are from), and with no time to sell it, we decided to rent it furnished. As such, we literally left all decor and furniture behind.

As we drove our loaded Honda to the Puget Sound through Mt. Rushmore, Cody and Yellowstone, we blasted “Go West!” (Both the Village People and Pet Shop Boys version). Hence, the textual choice on our wall.

I chose the words to the song “Go West” as text – with some personal twists on the lyrics. While you could trace ledger lines with a pencil, I chose to write freeform, holding a yardstick as my guide.

As a final step, I sprayed the entire surface down with aerosol hairspray to prevent smudging. You can specifically buy fixative art spray, but as an art student, I always used hairspray as a money-saving substitute. Plus, it’s also good for rooms with poor ventilation. Before using either, spray a test area to make sure there isn’t any discoloration.

TIPS

Handle with care:

Most roofing paper is asphalt based, so it may scuff your walls. As you hang the paper, be precise so you don’t smudge the surrounding surface. For any accidental marks, soapy water and elbow grease should do the job.

Slow down:

Unlike a traditional chalkboard, tar paper is not forgiving; in other words, you probably won’t be able to erase any mistakes. Write carefully so you don’t have to start over and rehang your paper due to a typo.

Vintage Books on a Velum Suitcasewith Plenty of Stickers

This flower is both annual and perennial:

Originally, I intended to replace the black paper and redo the text periodically. I was skeptical about how long the thumbtacks would stick and the chalk would hold up. Two years later, however, the fireplace looks just as it did when the project was completed. While I’ve kept my original installation, some seasonal suggestions would be to display your favorite yuletide lyrics as holiday décor, or incorporate a poem or greeting for a themed party.”

Thanks Peter, for sharing your creative art solution.

Go West, indeed.

Wish I had thought of that……..

Aging a Galvanized Metal Clock

Posted by James on April 28, 2013

Posted in: New Home, Projects. Tagged: Aging Galvanized Metal, Galvanized Clock, Target, Target Threshold Clock. 8 Comments

Target is amazing.

You know it is.

Their latest offerings of over 3,000 new home products fall under the Threshold name.

Too much to love in this line, but we narrowed it down to this galvanized metal clock from the “Urban Farm” collection.

It was inevitable……..He just had to come home with us.

20 inches is pretty big, but not nearly as big as some of the 4 foot + inspiration clocks we posted about a few weeks ago.

Great clock….

Just so…..”New” looking.

I think I can change that.

Galvanizing is a chemical process used to coat iron and steel with zinc. Galvanizing is done to minimize corrosion; the zinc prevents oxidation of the metal and protects it by forming a protective barrier from moisture and corrosives.

I just need to break through that barrier with a sandpaper scrub.

First I removed the clock mechanism by pulling the center pin carefully out.

The arms just slip off gently,

I store all my clock parts in a ziplock bag.

Genius tip here….these screws are small.

Then I sand the entire clock with 80 grit sandpaper.

This removes most of the protective coating and will allow my acid to reach the metal.

I read several suggestions online…..sea salt, vinegar, bleach, and even gel toilet bowl cleaner.

I started with white vinegar.

….and spritzed the entire surface.

Then set my clock in the sun.

I let it bake in the sun for a couple of hours with minimal results…..so I went a step further and sprayed it with bleach.

Whoa Momma, did that work……..and fast too.

Nicely aged, and in just a few hours. All the “rivets” around the edge even rusted.

I was planning on painting the numbers black so they would stand out more…..but not now.

The darker areas around them makes them much more prominent than before the bleach.

Now to age the hands just slightly with some sandpaper.

I carefully reassembled everything…..

…….and this is what we have now.

Pretty Cool. Am I right?

Of course I’m right, I usually am.

(look closely and notice that I painted that single brass pin in the middle of the clock hands with black paint……Why, oh why would it be brass?)

“Orange” You Glad That We Did

Posted by James on April 26, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Behr Mandarin Paint, Cow Skull, diy, Front Door, Paint. 12 Comments

There is only one good thing about having a crappy front door that we don’t like…….

(it’s aluminum – you can tell from the dents – and it has that weird little fake stained glass window)

…….Being able to paint it on a whim.

For Christmas we slapped some Martha Stewart “Barn” on her just to coordinate with all the holiday decor out there.

We loved it in December, and hated it since January.

Time to take her back to a sunnier color.

But, before we do. I have to properly cover over that red.

Red is the hardest color to paint…and the hardest color to paint over.

Many, many coats both ways.

That’s why I start with Kilz 2 Latex Primer. Latex means that it’s not Oil-based and it cleans-up with water. It also dries quickly.

I remove the door knob and deadbolt. ( Don’t kid yourselves, you can’t paint perfectly around them……just take them off. Same with switchplate covers, vents, and light fixtures.)

Then I use a small foam roller to apply the primer.

It was a beautiful warm day and 2 coats of primer dried pretty quickly.

Tons better already…Am I right?

Now to pick a “Happy” color…..

Like Behr “Mandarin”. The perfect shade of “crayon” orange.

There is no happier color on Earth.

Now to roll on my semi-gloss orange paint, also with a small roller….(use flat or eggshell paint for walls and gloss or semi-gloss for trim work. Don’t ever reverse that rule, no matter what the guys mixing your paint tell you)

The trick that I’ve found with painting, is to use way less paint than you think you need. Don’t over saturate the roller or brush. This will avoid drips…..

It’s much easier to add a second coat than to wipe away drips, so start slow.

Trust me, I’m an excellent painter, and this is sound advice.

It took me about 2 coats of orange to cover the front door, way fewer than if I had tried to just paint over the red.

Here she is…

Even the Doberman liked it ….(technically, she was watching people walk in front of the house)

And yes, the cow skull-slash-pinecone wreath combo is back. Some people think it is a Christmas decoration…but it’s not.

Mostly it’s there to hide the weird little fake stained glass window. (hate the window + love the skull/wreath = year round awesomeness)

So we have no problem painting our front door when ever we feel like it…….’till we find a modern, wooden replacement.

But then, that’s a whole other post.

Save the Alamo Plaza Sign

Posted by James on April 24, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Oak Cliff Dallas, Save the Alamo Sign. Leave a comment

We live in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.

I wrote about it last year, and how much we love this diverse and strange, weathered old neighborhood.

In a time before highways, Ft Worth ave was once the main drag from Oak Cliff into downtown Dallas.

In its heyday, Ft Worth ave was littered with shops, restaurants and motels to service the tourists visiting Dallas. As with any neighborhood, time lead people in other directions, and the stores and restaurants were replaced with mechanics and bail bondsmen. A few of the motor courts and motels remained…at least, their shells remained.

My favorite has always been The Alamo Plaza.

The architecture borrowed just enough camp from the real Alamo to make me smile every time I drove by. Even if it was painted “pistachio” green for some reason.

The building, long abandoned, came down in a pile of bricks about 2 years ago. A new developement, the Sylvan Thirty – named for the cross streets – was scheduled to be erected on the site someday.

On April 11, the Alamo Court sign came down as well.

Sylvan Thirty spokesman Cooper Smith Koch said the dismantled marker will be stored in West Dallas until its future home is determined.

When the project was under city review, developer Brent Jackson told planners, preservationists, and the Fort Worth Avenue TIF board that the iconic sign would remain at the ST site.

It looks like Mr Jackson has backed away from those words and is considering other options.

We just want it back.

There is Facebook campaign for people eager to preserve this beautiful sign, please “like” them.

There is also a website, savethealamo.org for neighbors concerned about the missing sign.

When I searched the internets, I found several pictures of the beloved landmark.

I found this photograph available for sale on Etsy.

Dallas based artist Jeb Matulich painted this one a couple of years ago.

It’s good to know that I’m not the only one in Dallas who has been touched by this beautiful reminder of lost era.

Hopefully, it will be back soon…..

Whiskey Barrel Planter

Posted by James on April 22, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Barrel Planter, Front Porch, plants, Whisky Barrel. 8 Comments

“Do we need some color in the front yard?”.

Jamie wasn’t asking me a question. It was more of a statement that he was going to do something about the lack of color out there.

Something like a whiskey barrel full of color.

For some reason, these things were not to be found in November when we wanted to put a Christmas tree in one.

Now they are everywhere.

While I focused on taking down the last remnants of Christmas – that giant vintage ornament wreath (and yes…..it was mid-March) – Jamie added one of these beauties to our front porch.

He started by drilling a few drainage holes in the bottom with a 1 inch paddle bit.

Why on Earth would H-Depot sell these as planters with out drainage holes? A couple big rocks over the holes will keep all the soil from washing out.

The barrel weighs a ton already, and we want to be able to move it someday, so Jamie filled the bottom couple of inches with packing peanuts.

Yeah, you can do that. They pretty much add a layer of air under the soil. As long as they aren’t the kind made from cornstarch and dissolve in water…….I think y’all see the issue with those.

I’m not a huge fan of annual flowers, (they only live a few short months) but Jamie likes them…and I do admit that the color in the front of the house makes the place look more “homey”.

So we picked an assortment that looks like they would be growing naturally on the Texas roadside.

Euryops Daisys in sunny yellow and Osteospermum in orange and yellow…..

….a silvery lavender (just for texture)…and chartreuse sweet potato vines because they are next to impossible to kill. Plus we know that they will gently cascade over the barrel edges quite nicely.

We waited a few weeks ….and this is what we have now,

Found it on the Street

Posted by James on April 19, 2013

Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Garage, Work Table. 12 Comments

We did,

Well, Jamie did.

He dragged this old work table home with him a few months ago.

(Our next door neighbors were throwing it away)

We cleaned it up a little. Reattached the legs, sprayed them black, added casters so it will glide around the garage, and oiled the butcher block top.

It’s our favorite place to do projects, fold laundry, and pile recyclables for the bin.

Look what I found in the pages of Country Living the other day…..

Country Living Work Table

Ours is missing the lower shelf and the drawer….but other than that….it’s the same Effin‘ work table.

675?

Dollars?

American?

Are you kidding me?

And that, gentle readers, is why we never pass up a good trash pile on the side of the road.

THE CAVENDER DIARY

2 GROWN MEN vs a 40 YEAR OLD HOUSE

Finally Finished Those Flower Beds

Break on Through to the Other Side

Classic Magazine Illustrations on Canvas

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher

Go West! This is What We’ll Do

Aging a Galvanized Metal Clock

“Orange” You Glad That We Did

Save the Alamo Plaza Sign

Whiskey Barrel Planter

Found it on the Street

The Cavender Boys

Buy My Book

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