Online Things
Things are moving full steam ahead in the online things category. This past week I again worked on dyeing wool, hooking new pattern #1 of 4, drawing patterns, putting together kits and basically working from sun up to sun down {and then some}.
I feel like I am working at a faster pace this year than last, so that is keeping me motivated.
At the rate I’m going now, I should have no problem checking getting everything in stock and ready to ship by the end of March. KNOCK ON WOOD!
- Reach 20,000 sales in Etsy shop MavisButterfield {I’m currently at 18,114}
- In Stock and Ready to Ship by March 31st
- Create 4 new patterns/kits
- Take all new pictures + videos for Etsy shop
- Get as much as humanly possible done online January – March of this year.
- Stop picking up my phone so much {I’m doing great with this!!}
- Spend less than 3 hours a day online {And this too!!}
- Tidy up the back end of the blog
House Things
Let’s talk about that for a minute. I forgot to include a photo of the mechanical area when I originally asked for suggestions… So I’m including one now.
When I shared pictures of the downstairs bathroom you had so many great suggestions for us… But sadly, a lot of them simply will not work. 🙁
Sprucing up the teeny tiny bathroom by hanging wallpaper, moving walls, changing up the plumbing, putting a door or wall where the barn door is now or to hide the mechanical area simply isn’t an option.
We have figured out {and ordered} the easy stuff. Things like a new t.p. holder, towel ring and shelf for the wall. We ordered a mirror but had to return it so we’re still on the hunt for one of those.
We can order a new radiator cover online and we think we’ve found a good solution for the sink. Now we’re back to the mechanical area. What the heck are we supposed to do with it!?
The screen that’s {kinda sorta} blocking the area now has to come out at an angle because if it came straight up, it would be halfway in the doorway {which is already smaller than usual}.
It’s a peculiar space, that’s for sure. Help!
- Paint The Inside Of The House {including closets!}
- Paint The Interior Window Trim
- Remodel Bathroom #1
- Freshen up Bathroom #2
- Put Stuff On The Walls
- Work on “new” Kitchen Game Plan
Garden Things
Other than going through my seed packets, and watering my indoor plants, not a lot has been going on in the garden department around here lately.
I’m trying to stay focused on the wool stuff and not think about gardening too much as it quickly becomes a HUGE distraction for me. Imagine that. I do think the key to growing 365 pounds of vegetables though will be lots of tomatoes. Tomatoes, zucchini and a few pumpkins. What do you think?
- Grow 365 pounds of food in my teeny tiny backyard.
- Install a side yard {flower} garden
- Make a Potting Bench
- Make a Garden Cart to sell flowers/veggies out front
Kitchen Things
I had possibly the BEST fruity scone I’ve had in a long time last week when the HH and I went out for our date day and now I want to try and recreate it. That {and other than making linner} is going to be what I’ll be doing in the kitchen next week.
Thank goodness for quick meals, because all I want to do is get the wool stuff done and out of the way so I can do everything else at a leisurely pace in the spring/summer/fall.
Being organized and laser focused is hard sometimes, but it always seems to pay off in the end {even if there’s no time for playing around in the kitchen these days.
- Try 12 new recipes
- Fill the canning cupboard
Travel Things
I need to renew my passport and I just found out that you can do it online. I don’t know though…. I mean I’m not in a big hurry or anything, so why do it online? Have you renewed your passport lately? Did you do it in person or online?
Also can I just say that I think it’s a huge disappointment we don’t get our passports stamped anymore. I mean really, part of the fun of having a passport was filling it up with the stamps of all the places we went!
- Explore more of the great state of Maine
- Go on a painting holiday
- Québec City
- Travel Overseas
- Send the HH on a vacation
Marriage Things
The weather was crazy cold this past week so we didn’t go out walking or do anything super exciting.
I’m hoping we can get the new outlets installed and the bathroom painted this week. There’s also a new {to us} restaurant we want try too so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out.
- Keep my husband busy
- Date days
- Walk more
Secret Projects
While I didn’t have an extra moment to spare to work on either of my secret goals this past week, I did manage to order something that will help be with goal #1. It should be here next week. Yee-Haw!
I see that as a teeny tiny step in the right direction. 😉
How about YOU? Have you written down the things you’d like to accomplish this year? Did you make any progress this past week towards achieving them? Even a teeny tiny bit?
~Mavis
P.S. I typed this up on my new computer! I had to upload the pictures from my old computer though because I haven’t figured out the photo thing yet. Baby steps!! 🙂
- Secret Project #1 {Hoping to reveal by April 30th}
- Secret Project #2 {Hoping to reveal towards the end of the year}
Mel says
If adding walls and things like that aren’t an option in the bathroom, I think I’d buy a freestanding room divider (possibly drift wood-looking and amenable to added lobsters) that can be arranged in a c-shape or whatever is needed.
I didn’t get much done in the way of work this week because work has been a chaotic mess, so I’m planning to get back on track this coming week.
Paula says
I do my passport online. The Uk has a new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) program. You need to do this in advance to any trip to the UK as of January 1, 2025. It is in addition to anything else previously needed. It cost 10 pounds per person. I think it lasts 6 months.
Currently working my way through all of our cupboards to clean and declutter. I do this twice a year. January is take everything out and wipe down the cupboard. July is take a quick look in each one and declutter.
Trying some new hobbies this winter: candle making, rock tumbling, and paint by number. So far I am enjoying all of them.
Trip planning: I have several trips planned for 2025: January: two days at a mountain inn, February: 1 night at a local casino to see a comedian, September, 10 days in Scotland, Edinburgh, Isle of Islay, and Isle of Jura.
Farmergirl says
I think the current solution may be the best you can get. If you paint the existing screen the same color as the walls, it will blend in and won’t be so noticeable. Or purchase a new screen that is simpler (i.e. no slats) and paint that the same color as the walls. I think the color and texture contribute to making it look wonky.
Jamie says
We were just in Spain for research and they stamped our passports… so some countries still do it.
Renewing online makes it easier to track your request.
I started my hot peppers, celery, and leek seeds last week (our last frost date is early May, zone 7b)! I will winter sow flowers and herbs this week. I also spent a lovely morning cleaning our my old seed starting station and replacing the burnt out lights. It was a nice project to do while I sipped my coffee.
Lynn says
That is definitely an awkward space. It’s hard to tell from the photo how much space there is between the mechanical area and the barn door. If there’s space, the only thought I had does involve adding a wall in an L shape bringing it just past the mechanical area and then to the back wall, parallel with the barn door. You could add a small access door & possibly still have room for some kind of storage next to the door.
My husband is in construction and we’ve completely renovated our house and I’m still coming up with small projects (much to his dismay). I had him look at it and he agreed with what I said above. Not actually seeing it, it’s hard to tell if that is actually feasible. Although if not adding walls is the plan then it’s not what you’re looking for. Good luck! I hope someone is able to come up with a good plan. Looking forward to seeing what you decide on.
Nancy says
Like someone else above said, keeping screen but painting to blend with walls. With updates to other things you are able to change, the room will feel fresh and the divider could just be a quirk you can live with!
Brianna says
The mechanical is gorgeous copper! Leave it open. Stamp some metal hang tags for your shutoff valve labels. Clean it up a bit and enjoy the industrial look. Consider an industrial or copper shelve above the toilet, copper mirror, and maybe copper hardware on the sink. I think it can be glam copper and industrial looking. Picking the correct fixtures can make it work. No door, no screen.
I renewed my kids’ passports last year, but I had to do it in person because they are minors. We are going to Germany during the summer and I take no chances waiting on anything. It took a long time, several months, for the renewal before we got them in the mail.
Kat says
I’m a bit late, but I came here to say this!!
The gorgeous copper… Why not appreciate it instead of hide it? Remove those weird doors! Update the tags and make the necessary and unremovable details pop. Removing the doors would also give room for shelving space (or a series of hooks) on that wall with the sink, depending on how the piping runs from the right to the left of the room.
If considering painting in that Now-opened space, I personally would build off of those green colored equipment and do the walls in a series of greens. It could blend out into the white (or whatever color you envisioned for the rest of the space). You could also paint a mural, or ask GWELaB to add her creative touch! (You said you’d paint more colors in this house, not just white, even though it is so beautiful and helps make spaces seem larger!)
Regardless, I think the best way to make that piping stand out in the best way possible would be adding some plants. Pothos, as a hard to kill trailing plant, would be a solid choice. You could hang one above where the open door is currently in the 1st photo of bathroom in this post. Install a lightweight wooden beam a few centimeters out from the outer ceiling pipe and hammer in a series of equally spaced long-ish nails at a 45° angle (upwards facing v) such as to guide several of the vines along them to green things out! A tall and thin but lush plant on the floor in a discreet planter could compliment this, or do a macrame style hanger and have a series of other pothos that trail down while the highest one covers the upper area.
As it’s a dark space, you could have a double set of pothos as I do. I switch my pothos in the bathroom, where there’s not much light and I can’t be bothered to install grow lights, and the pothos in the brightly lit kitchen every few months. The resulting variegation is a treat for the eyes!
Best of luck, keep us updated!
Margo says
I think painting your current screen white might help it blend in more, or find something more solid that you can hang stuff on so it mimics a wall.
Heather says
Hang a curtain, that would coordinate with whatever decor/vibe you are creating when you spruce up the bathroom, on a curtain track (for lack of a better word/ description) that is screwed/ mounted into the ceiling. You would not have to worry about tension bars etc.. and you can position it at any angle you wanted.
Molly says
I was just about to say the same thing.
Christy says
Mechanical area…instead of the bifold door what about a curtain rod. Lots of curtain options/colors. Could allow you to bring in other colors and textures.
Peg says
This was my thought too! There are curtain rods that can be hung on the ceiling. If you buy curtains that are the same color as the eventual wall color, it will blend together nicely. Screens are not stable and can fall or be easily knocked over.
Kellah says
Great minds! I agree. I posted separately before I saw your comment.
Emily says
Carrots are one of the highest producers by pound in my garden and we’re still enjoying them now from my last (Oct/nov?) harvest.
Susan Hall says
So sorry -I have subscribed for quite awhile to your blog, but I seem to have been dropped. And I can’t figure out how to get back on your list. Can you help?
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Susan, I just signed you up again… An email with an activation link has just been sent to you. 🙂
Kellah says
Mavis: Have you thought about using a ceiling mounted curtain track? You can get them in flexible varieties to shape a curve. Use fabric of your own choosing or a canvas tarp. You can paint the tarp or add designs as if you were doing one of your rugs. Grommets would allow you to hold the fabric/tarp in place. It is easy to whisk back but covers floor to ceiling. I did something similar in my sunroom.
Carla says
I think your goal posts are some of my favorite ones to read!
(I had to read your title a few times before I figured out what was wrong with it.)
Dena says
Try an accordion door for screening off the hardware – won’t take up as much room as the bi-folds, and sturdier than curtains.
Erin says
Ikea sells curtain panels that are straight (not flowy) & can hang from the ceiling. But I like the above idea of just embracing it & leaving it exposed. It will make the space seem a little larger & less forced. Another option would be to move the barn door to the toilet wall & make a new entrance there (unknown how that impacts the room on the other side of the wall, or course. Then you could more easily close off the mechanical stuff.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve heard you can request a stamp when you cross a border & some will still do that for you, for the fun of it. And I loved being able to track my passport online. Much less stressful than wondering if it will arrive on time. It took me about 4 months to receive it in 2023.
Laura says
I renewed my passport at the end of last year. Super easy to do it online.
Sue S. says
I like this suggestion best. You could paint a “floorcloth” type of hanging out of painter’s dropcloth to disguise the mechanicals.
Katie says
I renewed my passport online and it was so simple and speedy. I think it was 10 days from submission until I had my new one in hand, and I didn’t pay to expedite. It must be more efficient on the government’s end, so maybe we’re helping them (ourselves) out by doing it online.
Virginia says
The problem with using a curtain or fabric screen is that it automatically appears like you’re trying to hide something.
If that were my bathroom and I wanted to hide the mechanical area, I would go to a furniture/cabinet maker and have them make a basic cabinet/storage piece on sturdy casters. No fancy wood necessary, just a furniture quality plywood would suffice. This addresses your need for storage in that room, plus offers an easy way for the piece to be moved for access to the mechanical area. The dimensions of the cabinet should be such that it almost reaches the ceiling and is wide enough to conceal the mechanical area, while still allowing the barn door to move freely. The cabinet would not need to be very deep, and you could even have doors put on the entire cabinet or just put doors on the lower half. It could be painted a beautiful color to add interest to the space, and I think the investment will pay for itself when you sell.
Sue says
I think your idea has serious merit, Virginia! Very clever!
And, you might not have to do a custom build. An old shallow, tall bookshelf mounted on casters would work great. As long as the wheels weren’t visible (skirt moulding could be applied to achieve that).
If it’s not tall enough, simply build out the top with crown moulding. And yes, doors could be added. Paint it the same color as the walls, and voila–movable storage that hides the mechanicals.
Although I did suggest a curtain in the first round, I do like your idea better because of the added storage.
Laura says
Mavis: long time Apple/Mac user, and for getting photos on my phone to my computer (and then to my blog and elsewhere) I mail them to myself, then go my email and download them (there a download file under Finder). From there it’s just a matter of using the blog’s Upload function to place the photos. I know there are probably easier ways but I like being able to check out the photo in Preview to make sure it’s one I really want to use.
I get your pain with the Apple. I feel the same way about PCs.
Michelle S. says
You’ll probably think l’m crazy for suggesting this, but in our bathroom, we have a curved shower curtain rod. I can’t see the angle of that mechanical space and walls very well from the picture, but could you mount a curved shower curtain rod and get or make a pretty shower curtain to cover the space?
Heather in Nevada says
Is there any way to post a sketch of the bathroom with dimensions? I like the curved curtain rod OR maybe a two piece screen with a hinge in the middle. Then it could be closed at an angle, but pushed completely out of the way when someone needs to work in there.
Linda says
The week before we locked down for Covid I sent off my passport for renewal. I filled out the form online, but remember that I had to mail in my expired passport. Everywhere I have traveled since (& before) 2020 (Spain, France, Iceland, Peru) have all stamped my passport.
Gail C. says
Is it possible/feasible to move the mechanical parts into the attic?
Mavis Butterfield says
Nope.
Molly says
I renewed my passport online a few years ago and it was fine. Check with your town hall because I just read that we will be able to renew ours in Cape Elizabeth soon.
Michelle says
So hard to tell, but I wonder if there is a way to follow the same lines of the slatted door and build a corner pantry? Otherwise I am thinking a ceiling track system with curtains like the above suggestions or sliding doors on a track floor to ceiling. All in neutral colors that blend in. Best of luck. Can’t wait to see the update.
Lucy says
You can still have your passport stamp, you just have to ask.