73 at our July 4th Party! circulation, cozy corners, and bottlenecks

The headcount is in. Katherine used a Google Docs spreadsheet and the pictures to ID 73 folks at the party.



Party tip #1: Polka-dot Girls.

Party tip #2: JoAnn says you need circulation, cozy corners, and bottlenecks and she's always right. Here goes:

Y'all know that I prefer people in design pictures. Houses and rooms are for people.


This pre-party sink-view is OK.


But I prefer this.


Yeah. It's a cozy bottleneck. You can lean on the rail, have your back to a wall, and spill your drink: party comfort.


It rained and it was hot before it rained so the big room had to get the job done. Thanks Bill, Susan, and Gordon.


Most folks circulated but a few just sat. We moved chairs from everywhere to everywhere as needed.


You had to go though our back door bottleneck for beverages, lot's of meet-ups here. And who'd want to miss Gab, Cam, Em, and Nina?


Don't you love that look: Carol's loving amusement with her "boys?" Carol and family conferred in our buffet/balcony corner before unleashing themselves.


We pushed the porch table off center. The high chairs made a cozy place for about 12. From there folks could observe inside and outside.


The sofa is cozy 24/7.


Nobody has to teach cozy.


Being cozy in a crowd makes for great parties. Folks instinctively find their querencia (that area of the "ring" where they feel emboldened and which they consider a safe haven).


We had a bottleneck outside too. We nabbed Jere and Debbie trying to sneak a casserole past the pickup.


Of course folks need some space too.


Do y'all allow dancing at your parties? We do.


Crazy games involving cups, beverages, and wet tables? We do.


Shameless multi-generation victory gestures? We do.


But we have do draw the line when REDACTED try to REDACTED with the REDACTED.


It was over too soon. Superman house reverted to Clark Kent house.


All that's left are the MoonPies (Special thanks to Jeff for the MoonPies)...


...and the memories of our wonderful guests for honoring us.

We give a special courage award for blogger Patti at Pretty Old Houses. Patty and Steve braved our party for the very first time. Here they are time lapsed on the porch:


No bloggers were injured filming this video.

Bunny Cake Boss

Architecture Tourists love bunnies and cake and Easter and family and springtime in Atlanta. So we revived an ancient tradition here at North American HQ.


We summoned our in-house Bunny Cake Boss and 2 of our senior architecture tourist bunny consultants and cake counselors.

I guess y'all want to skip to the last page to see how it all come out. Easter dinner on the porch: stewed chicken, dumplings, mashed potatoes (we were heavy on the white food group), deviled eggs, green beans, salad, with snarky but loving conversation.



How and Why We Did It
Considering the world crises of poorly sliced layers, improperly dyed coconut, and misplaced jellybeans, and misaligned twizzlers, our executive board, by secret ballot, agreed to reveal how to make a proper bunny cake.



Recipe? We don' need no stinkin' recipe.


But y'all might. Click here to see the whole show.

I confess we were a little rusty. There were some close calls.

Here's a preview of the bunny ear positioning tutorial.



Our vast experience helped avert a semi-sweet chocolate morsel adhesion emergency.


It was close call but the Bunny Cake Boss made it look easy.

Our experts chimed in on the cosmetics.



Our Bunny Cake Boss has limited openings for the 2012 season (by appointment only) Substantial deposit required.



The menfolk roared their appreciation.



Now the team is in training for flag cake season.

My LR in HDR

HDR means "High Dynamic Range." It's a digital photo processing technique that can make my living room look like this. It's really cool in a bigger picture. Thanks to Blayne Beacham whose blog encouraged me.


And that's really what it looks like, except it doesn't. I've never taken a picture that looks just like the real thing, not really. HDR seems to bring out the details and textures, gives you more to explore, just like the real room.

This is a sunny midafternoon with no lights on, no flash. The big window faces east.

Here is how it's done.

1. Put your camera on a tripod and aim it. Make sure it doesn't move.
2. Take at least 3 pictures with different exposures.
3. Put the pictures into an HDR program.
4. Marvel as wonders of modern science happen on your computer. The HDR program somehow combines elements from the different exposures.
5. Regret you didn't study your physics as much as you should have.

Here are my 3 starting pictures. The light one:


The medium one:


The dark one:


What you need:

1. You need a camera that allows you to adjust your exposure. Most point and shot cameras don't. My new Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 point and shoot does.

2. I did read my instruction book and found a feature called "Auto Bracket." When I turn it on and press the shutter button, it automatically takes 3 pictures, each with a different exposure. Wahoo!

3. You need the software. Blayne uses Photomatix Pro which has a free version. I used the free open source software Luminance HDR" Click here to download Luminance HDR for Windows."

4. You need some time. Luminance HDR does rocket science on photos. The terms and actions bear no resemblance to anything I've ever known. And there are options. Maybe Photomatics Pro is a little easier to use.

Here are the parameters for my HDR picture, in case I need to repeat them. I think I understand "Saturation Factor" but that is about it.

Luminance 2.0.0-beta tonemapping parameters:
Operator: Mantiuk06
Parameters:
Contrast Equalization factor: 0.77
Saturation Factor: 1.28
Detail Factor: 76.1
------
PreGamma: 1

This is processor intensive computing. Even if you have fast computer, it takes a bit of time to process the images with different transformations and parameters.

5. You'll want to play around all day long. My advice is, if you have a family, a job, like to eat or sleep, don't try HDR at home.

Anyway, now I've done my first HDR and I think it's pretty cool.

Thanks,
Terry

Curbside Screen

I found and rescued this 3-panel screen yesterday from a Decatur curb. It's 88 inches tall, 60+ inches wide. It's a little beat up. The family unit is mocking me.



What to do with it?

• Back to the curb?
  
• Headboard?
• Indoor thing tasked as yard structure?
• Art project? What if son gives it an avant-garde paint job?

They paint chairs, like this one at Matre Gallery:



Thanks,
Terry

Make a screen into a wall hanging

I'm participating in my 5th Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch! Today I'll show you how I made my screen into a wall hanging while preserving the "folds." This is my second non-screen screen application. Did you see the one I made into a headboard? It was easier because I wanted it flat against the wall. There are pictures in this post if you'd like to scroll ahead.

I'd been fretting over this for months and finally just did it.

There was nothing on the Internet about hanging folding screens on the wall. Gordon drew some brackets. I asked where to get them. He said, "I don't know." I took the drawing to Intown Ace Hardware's helpful hardware folks and made a plan.

The screen has four panels. The hinges swing in both directions so you can show either side. It's 3/4" thick.

Here is what I bought:

• 1x4" ledger boards cut slightly less the width of the screen as I would hang it so it wouldn't show
• Scrap 2x2" for making shims for the top ledger board to control the fold angle.
• A strip of metal from which I could cut and bend the bottom brackets.
• Screws for attaching the brackets to the ledger board.
• Screws for attaching the ledger boards to the wall to through the studs.
• Screw eyes for wiring the top ledger board to the hinges.
• Black 11" cable ties to connect the screw eyes to the hinges.
• Spray can of metal/wood primer.
• Spray can of metal/wood paint.
• Some dark colored stuff you can stick on the bottom of furniture legs to keep them from scratching the floor. I covered the brackets, the shims, and everything else that might scratch the screen.

Tools:

• Jigsaw with wood and metal cutting blades
• Vise, hammer, screwdrivers.
• Electric drill for pilot holes and screw driving.
• Tape measure.
• Level.
• Stud finder.

Here are the brackets attached to the bottom ledger board.



Here is the shim and screw eye on the top ledger board. This is the point where the screen is furthest away from the wall.



Somehow I had to attach the hinges to the eye. I used black cable ties, usually used for electrical work or trash bags.



Ledger boards ready for the wall. The top is on the right with the "fold-hinge-shims, the bottom with the brackets is on the left. The blue tape mark the center-line of the hall, the shims, and the screen.



Bottom ledger hung. The width (depth) of the bracket notch has to accommodate the angled screen. It's actually bent to match the angle of the screen. The screen is 3/4" thick, the notch is 1 1/2" deep. It was a guess.



Bottom and top ledger boards are ready for the screen.



I used the cable ties to secure the top hinges to the top ledger board.



I don't have the right picture to show it to you in place. Here is the deal: You are standing in the foyer, walking towards the sconces. Can the see the stripes above the doorway to the left? Walk that way:



To your left you'll see the screen. It's a surprise.



You need to ground it otherwise it look like it's ready flay away. You just can't hang the screen alone. We're using file baskets for this picture. We've used a lot of other things on the floor.


Special thanks to my advisers, Architecture Tourist Auxiliary members Erin and Katherine, who both happen to be Georgia Tech Engineers.

Thanks to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Making a headboard from a screen - with "mirrors"

Hooked on Houses is hosting her "Hooked on Fridays" blog party; I hope y'all will click here and have look. Today, I'm hooked my headboard project. I'm also participating in my third Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch!

We found a damaged screen at World Market in Atlanta and Gordon decided we should use it as a headboard. P.S. Keep your eye on this lamp from Flora Dora. It will become a one-of-a-kind sconce.


Here is the screen against the old paint. We tried fabric behind it and it looked great. Then Gordon suggested we try a mirror behind it and Wow. But real mirrors are heavy and expensive, particularly if cut to fit. How to do it?



By coincidence I happened to see a "Painted House" episode using "Mirrored foil." I started searching the Internet and finally found "Reflective mylar" which was readily available from our local hydroponics store. It was cheap. It's the stuff they make those shiny balloons from. It's like a giant roll of aluminum foil but it not so wrinkly.

At Home Depot I had them cut 1/4" oak plywood into six panels to back each section of the scroll work. I got some spray glue and a 99 cent squeegee and I was good to go.

Here are the backing panels and the roll of mylar:


I cut the mylar into sheets bigger than the panels and glued them on. It was very easy. The mylar is sturdy and not wrinkly like kitchen foil.


I trimmed the excess mylar with a utility knife.


I temporarily taped the panels into place to see how they looked.


The mirror foil adds a luminosity that changes as you walk around the room. This picture doesn't do it justice! It sparkles. If we get tired of it, we can always remove the panels or cover them with fabric.

I used a "cleat" to hang the headboard after many look-sees by Gordon for the right height:


Note: The cleat on the screen also keeps the screen flat. There is another 1x2 board on the bottom of the screen to keep the screen plumb with the wall.

Then we redid the room big time. We painted the wood floor and

Benjamin MooreReady mixed "White" enamel floor paint, glossy	Floor
Benjamin Moore OC-19 "Seapearl" Latex eggshell	Walls
Benjamin Moore Ready mixed "White" Latex semi-gloss	Trim
	Sash - Benjamin Moore 2063-20 "Down Pour Blue" Latex semi-gloss

Here we are partway through. We picked out a rug that pulls everything together. It was soon appropriated by daughter #1 for her apartments. Easy come, easy go NOT.


The sash was very controversial but kicks ... I painted the chair red, it's just about my favorite chair of all times.


Remember the lamp? Gordon said to hang it on the wall as a sconce.


Here goes, sorry about the card table.


In ancient mode:


I sure appreciate y'all coming by.
Terry

Thanks to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.



Return to Houses' "Hooked on Fridays" blog party.