Winter Fine Arts and Antiques Auction

***Post Auction Update*** BLOODBATH. Here's how it ended up:

Grant Wood litho - $2,000, and the condition was pretty rough
Dog portrait - $250 (I'm pissed at myself that I didn't go on this, it was gorgeous in person, cleaned and relined by a conservator in 1995. Far lesser dog paintings on ebay right now for way more $. Lesson learned.)
Mah Jongg Set - $275, I never bid, I didn't think it was all that old and the case left me saying "meh"
Seascape - $550, gorgeous painting, worth way more, I just didn't have the free cash
Bronze - $180, which seems a bit much for unsigned work. "Consigned with" two other signed bronzes means nothing
Goodknight landscape - $90, didn't love it so much in person and didn't bid
Norio Azuma serigraph - $80, I let go at 70 and it went to a local dealer. I just couldn't bid more not knowing anything about the artist and it being in the bottom half of the run.

Fun sale to watch, but a drag coming home empty handed.
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Tuesday evening is KC Auction Co.'s Winter Fine Arts and Antique sale. These quarterly catalog sales are always interesting, so I'm heading down after work. Even though I'm not in the market for a linen press, antique Stuben, or victorian jewelry, it's always interesting to see things and what they sell for.

I am always in the market for interesting art, and there are some great things coming up on the block.

This pencil signed lithograph is by Grant Wood. I like the image, but there are some condition issues. The paper has some foxing in addition to the old tape damage on the corners. Pre-auction bidding (these sales are also live on the internet) is up to $600 so it won't be coming home with me, and thats okay.




This dog in profile painting has no pre-auction bids, so if it looks like it's in good shape when I go to preview, I'll give it a shot. From the photos it appears to be a quality painting, and I think a new frame might really breathe some life into it. I've said before that I've avoided buying dog art because I think it's better that I just not start. I'm over that now so who knows, perhaps this will be the first of many.

I love mah jongg sets. I have only a rudimentary understanding of the game, I just think the pieces are so beautiful. The box for this set isn't my favorite, but I'll be interested to see it in person. These generally sell well, and I always fear its to crafters who'll turn the tiles into drawer pulls and elastic bracelets. (Crafters, this is how that word got a bad connotation)

This is the painting I was really interested in, an oil on canvas by Bennett Bradbury. Framed dimensions are 19" by 23", which is a nice size. Born in Massachusetts in 1914, he ended up in California and is known for seascapes like these. Pre-auction bidding was at $110.00 earlier today which only mildly concerned me. Tonight its sitting at $275.00 so I'm pretty sure its going way over my head. The auction data I found has his past sales in the 3K -5K range. I think it's really beautiful and I'll be very interested to see what it sells for.

Sculpture is something I rarely buy. I sold a couple things at the antique mall, but I could likely find a spot for this 9 inch tall bronze. It's attributed to a Kansas City artist named Clara Bikales. I know nothing about her, but I do like the form. If I were lucky enough to bring it home we'd have to find a more attractive base. Polished stone block perhaps?

If you've paid attention to the art I've mentioned and/or bought in the past, you know I have a thing for landscapes. This little oil on board woodland scene is by Colorado artist Veryl Goodknight. I think a new frame could smarten it up quite a bit, but it's a pretty nice little painting as is. It's 14" by 16" framed, so again could fit in anywhere.

Of course I do like a little bit of modern too, like this serigraph (silkscreen) print titled "Calm" by Norio Azuma. I know nothing about Mr./Ms. Azuma, and this is the lower half of the run (277 of 500), but I like the image a lot and could certainly find a spot for it. Things like this often sell for very reasonable prices, so again I'm anxious to see it in person to know if I want to bid.

Hopefully I'll come home with something good and can chronicle another framing project soon.

Restoration Hardware's new garden lines

I got an email announcing Resto's new garden products for this spring, so at the end of my workday I took a few minutes to look around the website. I run hot and cold on Resto, but there are some things I like.

I think the Spartan daybed has Raina written all over it.

This round dining table from the Klimos collection comes in a smaller and larger size. The accompanying side chairs are just as good looking and I can totally see this on our patio.


Along with the lounge chair from the same collection.

Hit the website for the other new offerings, there's lots of goodness to see.

***UPDATE*** There's way more than I realized in addition to the outdoor furniture. Planters, fountains, pedestals, pots, tools, even some ivy and boxwood topiary.

Are you watching?

Not only are we now obsessed with visiting Vancouver, and probably Whistler, but Brett and I are also obsessed with curling. We've watched hours of it, marveling at the skill and finesse required. Ok, and also a fair number of cute guys. Look up hot Canadian curler John Morris. If that doesn't make you say Oh Canada! nothing will.

My friend Jim was going to watch the Kansas City Curling Club today. Brett has researched and they have clinics where you can learn, we're totally thinking we need to give it a try.

Put the Bedazzler down. Now.

What the hell is going on with mens figure skating? I can appreciate the talent and drive and athleticism required to skate at the olympic level. But the drama, and the commentators, and worst of all, the costumes. Enough with the ridiculous outfits already.

Johnny Weir, I'm talking to you. You certainly didn't start it, but you're a big part of the problem. First you arrive at the venue carrying the same purse favored by half the women in my office. (Don't you say man bag to me, I know what I saw. I'm betting it was Gucci or Jimmy Choo.) Then someone in the audience throws you a heart-shaped pillow that just happens to match what you're wearing, down to the pink straps and a tassel. Good God man, it's too much, even for a big mo like me.

And you, Kevin van der Perren, sequined skeleton? WTF?

Samuel Contesti, I'm giving you props for changing it up with some country music, but faux-dirty bibs? You're Italian, we expect better. Fail.

Evan Lysacek, you rocked the rink, and since you were skating to The Firebird I'll forgive you the feathers on your gloves, but those shoulder things are awful, as were the little see-thru panels on your back. The commentators went into great detail about how hard you train, its time you require a similar effort from your costumer.

You, Patrick Chan, get big points from me for this. It's a performance, I know, so I'm expecting some sequins. But you reined them in and it totally works. You looked great, classic even, and we could watch what you were doing without being distracted by what you had on. If this is how you present yourself at 19, I can't wait to see you at 23 or 27.

And finally, you're my favorite Takahiko Kozuka. Your outfit wasn't so far from the distressed jeans and party shirt you'd see on any guy out at a club. But in figure skating, that's innovative. No flesh colored panels or sailor suits. No gimmicks. Just something like normal clothing, but amp'd up just a bit, and built for skating. You could kick your skates off, put some boots on, and head out into the night. You wouldn't look "costumed," you'd just look good.

Remodeling Show Recap

Sunday morning we went to the Remodeling show down at the American Royal building. And while it annoys me that they have exhibitors selling stray things like jewelry or clothing or nuts, we did get some useful information.

There were tons of replacement window people so we talked to a few and got lots of brochures. We also talked to an insulation guy, and met our next door neighbor who runs the kitchen remodeling part of her husbands hardware store. We've met her husband when he was outside, but as it's been cold we're not out much and had yet to meet her face to face. Having been in the house she said "Oh yeah, you need a new kitchen," scoring her major points in my book.

Most useful, in my mind anyway, was talking to the guys from Overhead Door.

My mom bought me a new garage door at my first little house in Brookside, and it was all done by Overhead Door. Their products work beautifully and hold up well, but have always lacked a bit in the style department unless you wanted the basic sort of door that everyone else has. Until now.

What drew us over to their booth in the first place was a really sweet door with an aluminum frame and frosted glass panels. It looked like the door above, but that photo is not theirs because they don't seem to have the aluminum and glass line on their website yet.

Whats even better is that you can also get mirrored or reeded (my favorite) glass, and nearly 200 colors of aluminum, so we could match the frame to the rest of the trim on the house. Best of all, it was a third of the price of the other glass and steel door I've been lobbying for. I also learned that they now make openers that mount at the upper corner of the door rather than dangle from the ceiling, and overhead lights that just plug in and are turned on wirelessly by the opener.

I think the modern glass and aluminum would be great with our 50s stone, and have been planning on glass panels in our exterior doors as we replace them. You know how I like continuity. It seems like Brett's on board as well as he was trying to figure out a way to backlight the glass so that it would look good at night. Now I just have to figure out how to pay for it.

MidMal recommends: Jack Gage American Tavern

Locals, especially those of you in the Plaza/Brookside neighborhoods, Brett and I enjoyed our dinner tonight at Jack Gage American Tavern at 50th and Main. In that stand alone brick building that has been everything from a gay bar to a chinese buffet.

It's a dark and casual atmosphere, and the staff is attentive without being intrusive. You can see the menu at the link above. Prices aren't shown, we had two call cocktails and two dinners and it was 40 before tip.

Brett had the Black & Bleu Burger and enjoyed it although he didn't think there was enough bleu. I had the Roadhouse Chicken, which is braised in a wine sauce with pearl onions and mushrooms, and comes with spatzle in brown butter. I thought the sauce was slightly strong, and the spatzle was a little salty, but overall enjoyed both.

Having had a blah breakfast at Ingredient (new, on the Plaza) this morning we hoped we'd like Jack Gage, and we both did. There are a few southern/soul dishes on the menu, and I'm looking forward to either shrimp and grits or chicken and waffles next time.

From my valentine

We're horrible about waiting until the actual holiday. We both get it from our mothers, so at least we come by it honestly. Once we were both back home today it was "so do you want your present now or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"

You might remember when I posted about our Chinese cabinet from Kincaid's that I loved this turquoise glazed reproduction horse figure. I love his fat body and neck with his slender legs and tiny head. He's got some kiln dirt on him at the moment which I might clean up a bit, but I'll leave the red wax stamp on his forehead. We've set him on each of our cabinets and he looks fab on both, but I'm thinking he'll eventually live on the dark one that I plan to use in the entry.

Brett's gift was in two parts. The bottles of his favorite wine are chilling away in the fridge (we've suddenly and inexplicably turned into wine drinkers), and he's reading the manual for his new copy of Wii Resort Sports.

The Olympics are set to record tonight as the KU basketball game begins at 7pm. Beef stew is thawing for the dinner we'll have before, and my "toss in what ya got" cheese dip is warming in the little crock pot for during the game.

Tomorrow we're off to the remodeling show down at the American Royal. Here's hoping you enjoy your weekend with your valentine just as much.

I really should be working

But Stefan posted this and I can't tear myself away from the furniture.

I did not know about Flamant when we went to Paris, but after Stefan's review it's high on my list of places to visit next time. It's great knowing their designs are now available here through Copper Strawberry.

Pricing seems very reasonable. The breakfront cupboard above is $6100, but it's also three inches shy of 8 feet wide. I can't wait to explore the rest of the website this weekend. Click on through and take a look.

Gilt.com: pointless

Gilt's Mens Final Sale started at 11am central this morning.

By 11:03 I had clicked on a pair of WeSC jeans, a pair of AG jeans, and an RRL belt. ALL THREE were in another members cart.

Also, the belt should have been on my waitlist from the last RRL sale. I never received an email that they got additional stock.

Now one pair of jeans is showing available for purchase, but when I click to view the size I waitlisted is X'd out.

Does anyone ever get the opportunity to buy anything at Gilt?

Super

Via Buzzfeed

Catching up with Craigslist

Generally speaking the furniture listings on craigslist here are dreadful. Chris at StyleNorth regularly finds all sorts of goodness up in Canada, but I've never had great luck here in KC. That said, I keep looking. Even though I'm not selling now and I've got way too much to do here before I think about furnishing rooms, I like to keep on top of whats out there in the second hand market. And who am I kidding, not being ready to decorate doesn't mean I don't think about decorating. A lot.

Remember all that pale furniture with the sort of pinkish cast to it, maybe from the 80s? Someone in Leawood would like to unload theirs. The armoire looks like something right out of an airport motel, but I thought this piece had potential.

The post says it's by Century so its probably decently put together, and I like the lines. Painted white (white? pale gray?) with some chrome hardware I think it could be interesting. They're asking $275 though, and that's too much. $150 and I would have already called.

We're planning to use the corner bedroom as a place for Brett's desk and a project table for me. The bedrooms here are roomy, we're replacing an old built-in desk with a window seat, it'll be a nice space. This next cabinet would be great for storage. Office supplies and such in the bottom, my sewing machines and craft stuff up top.

From up in Excelsior Springs, the post states the piece is made of antique lumber but does not call it an antique. Home woodworker I'm betting, which is great. There are a lot of basement craftsmen out there, and some of them are really good. I'd paint it to try to take away some of the "primitive" feel, but I like the simple shape and panel doors. No measurements are given but the size looks about right to me for the space. I'd have to change the hardware. The ask is $750, which seems sort of okay for custom furniture, but high for craigslist. I'm going to have to think a while about what I'd offer.

Finally I noticed this, an Eames Aluminum Group lounge by Herman Miller. The soft pad chair is my absolute favorite Eames design, but this one is a close second.

The post says it was manufactured in September 2009, and it appears to be in like-new condition. The upholstery is described as "chocolate leatherette." They start at $1400 in fabric at Design Within Reach, so it's a good deal even if the "leatherette" is a bit of a let-down. Sadly I don't have anywhere here I can use anything brown. Somebody will snatch it up quickly though, and I can't blame them.

Out of towners, how's your craigslist, anything good?

Basque chicken stew

One of the things I made on Crock Pot Weekend a couple weeks ago was a recipe I found called Basque Chicken Stew. I followed the recipe, well, as close as I follow any recipe, and it was just ok. Last Sunday I thought I'd try again as the weather refuses to warm up any and we've had enough intermittent snow or rain to make washing the car pointless.

When this batch was done I divided it up and froze it, and we pulled some out tonight for dinner. A couple of additions (capers and wine) made a difference so I thought I'd share.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices bacon, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
1 green bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
1 bunch green onions, sliced into half inch sections, white and half the green part
4 chicken brest halves, cut into 1 inch dice
1 can (4 oz) sliced ripe olives
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried ground marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt (I like kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prep:

Heat olive oil in large skillet and saute bacon until browned. Add mushrooms, peppers, and onion and saute for another minute. Add vinegar (honestly I don't measure, I just pour what seems right) and cook one minute more, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Place chicken in the bottom of a 3.5 quart or larger slow cooker. (It seems like you might want to brown the chicken, but I didn't and it's fine) Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix. At this point I added a handful of capers and a big slosh of the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc we'd opened. I also added a bit more of the chicken broth since I'd opened the can and only used a quarter cup. Pour everything over the chicken and vegetables.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. I cooked on medium for between 5 and 6 hours, which also worked). We like it better reheated the next day, or frozen for later on.

Things I love: Boss outerwear

Brett had networking things after work, so after taking care of the boys I cleaned up and went out for a little shopping. I'd been tired and draggy and cold all day and thought a new sweater would perk (and warm) me up. My first stop was Hall's, as they're taking an extra 25% off markdowns through the 31st.

A sweater somewhere in the brown family was what I was looking for, so of course I came home with a black coat. This military-inspired wool jacket was just too good to pass up, especially for less than half price. Boss shirts don't always fit me well, but their pants and coats are great. I love my tan Boss topcoat (also bought on final sale at Hall's) and need to remember to pull it out more this spring. The fabrics are always interesting. I wish you could see the twill weave in this jacket, but it's too faint in black to photograph well.

I'm ready for spring to get here, but this should make the remainder of winter less awful.

Who's my hero

No, not Lance Bass. But I do love this new glam rocker shot on his facebook page (taken by photographer Mike Ruiz, found via towleroad). Surprised? Well now you know, I can't resist a stubbly man in a bellboy hat, leather collar and excessive guyliner. It feels like he's the drum major of a scantily clad, musclebound marching band. Only with less marching and more bump-and-grind.

Anyway, the picture made me smile, and I've needed something to do that this week. The SCOTUS ruling striking down the prohibition on corporate spending in elections scares me. Not only because of what it could mean for the election process in our country, but because it makes me fear the final ruling when the California Prop 8 trial reaches our court of last resort. I truly believe that the conservative justices on the bench are evil. Just so you know where I stand.

The other thing that has made me smile this week is that Brett bought Guitar Hero 5 last weekend and his band is named Hellfire Wilma. That was always what my grandpa would exclaim when my grandma would get on him about something ("Hellfire Wilma!"), and I always swore if I ever started a band that would be the name.

I don't play guitar hero. My fingers don't move that fast and just watching those notes coming at me makes my neck and jaw tighten up. But Brett's been playing Garbage (with an animated Shirley Manson on screen!) and Beastie Boys and old David Bowie, which I'm digging a great deal.

Good to be the King

The owner of my company has a birthday that falls on December 21. We don't buy him a Christmas gift, but we do chip in company wide for a birthday present. As a successful business owner with great taste, he's extremely hard to buy for.

His desk is an antique Baker dining table. It's beautiful with the rest of his contemporary office furniture, but after about 18 years in service and multiple moves and modifications, it's falling apart. My boss Mike heads up the gift selection each year and decided it was time for a new one.

I assisted with sketching ideas and finding photos of furniture features we liked. Mike came up with the final design and selected the wood species. It was fabricated by a local furniture studio. Simple, contemporary lines in walnut, zebrawood, and what I believe is madagascar rosewood.

There were a couple production delays so we just presented him with it today. We threw a couple tablecloths over it and set out the puppy carrier, bowls, and dog toys I picked up over lunch. I think he really thought he was getting a baby until Mike started to grab the carrier and things and asked him to pull off the linens.

It came out great, and he was very pleased. The guys from the studio are coming back late this week to move it up to his office and if possible I'll try to get a shot of it in place.

Hot in here!

They arrived around 815 this morning and left a bit after 3pm, but the new furnace is in. And its GOOD.

Favorite moment of the day: I could hear them talking below me in the basement and in between the banging and drilling and hammering one of the guys said "Oh my God, look at this heat exchanger." (Thats the part that killed the old furnace)

Brett and I make similar remarks about something here nearly every day.

Visit my neighbor

If you haven't stopped by Mrs. Blandings' recently, go today. I love her Musings from the Dream House, and today's especially. Yes, she loves designers and rooms and all the things that go in them, but she loves her boys the most.

Vindicated

I'll reference again this post, where I placed the blame for the passing of California's Proposition 8 squarely on the Mormon church. And as they issued their call for "civility and mutual respect" I stated clearly that I was feeling neither. Well I was right, and now there's proof.

What came to light today in a California courtroom but a document concerning Proposition 8 from the LDS church that states:

"With respect to Prop. 8 campaign, key talking points will come from campaign, but cautious,

strategic, not to take the lead so as to provide plausible deniability or respectable distance so

as not to show that church is directly involved."

Mormons, if you're working on anything where you might need the cover of plausible deniability, you might think twice about saying that very thing in a memo. Asshats.

Friday Forecast: Warmer!

Look at our latest house purchase! We're planning to use it in the basement.

While terribly not exciting, the new furnace is certainly a welcome addition. I'm looking forward to it being warmer than 60 for my morning shower. Along with it we got a new A/C unit since we found out the two current ones are 30 years old. Installation is Friday morning, so I've taken the day off to sit and read blogs and drink coffee while the guys do their thing.

The upside of a down (or just recovering) economy is that there are incentives galore. A rebate of $1500 from AB May when you buy a whole system, and a $1200 tax credit from Uncle Sam for improved efficiency. And since they couldn't repair our 20 year old furnace (parts unavailable), the home warranty kicked in $2000 toward a replacement. Finally for KC residents, if your air conditioner is old and inefficient enough, KCP&L may have $800 for you to use toward a replacement. As with everything, conditions must be met and restrictions apply.

The Lennox Signature series is pretty nice. SilentComfort technology and a fully insulated cabinet make for quiet operation. The two stage variable speed operation runs on low 80% of the time, increasing only when necessary. The low-speed fan provides a consistent, continuous flow of warm air. The 80% efficiency should be plenty when we get new windows and insulation in all the walls.

I'll have a performance review for you this weekend!

Turning Japanese

Living here for a while before making any changes has been good as it's given us knowledge about what does and doesn't work for us and the way we live. We've got more of the not fun stuff to do, like heating and cooling and insulation and electrical, but that doesn't stop me from burning hours looking at fixtures online.

I'm not sure I have any place for this (it's huge, 31" tall by 9" wide). Its the Bagoda sconce by Uttermost, and I sort of love it. The finish is described as brown, which I'm not feeling, but the lattice bracket and the swoop of the roof I totally dig. The little bird just seals the deal.

Ok, back to what I was looking for, a pair of sconces around 15", in silver.

Winners in my book

Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical may have gone to Glee, but Modern Family is the winner in my book. Not just because of Eric, but the entire cast and their great writers. They've already been picked up for a second season, so I expect more fun, and hopefully some awards, to come.

Adornment

I love jewelry. I know, people have such strong opinions on men and jewelry: not too much, not at work, not too big...whatever.

Chez Malaise is likely getting a new furnace (thank goodness we have two), and almost all of my tax refund is going towards that. But I've had my eye on Konstantino's Pegasus Ring for a bit now, so I'm thinking about skimming a little off the top (with no stones its surprisingly reasonable) and treating myself.

Speaking of taxes...Mine are very simple so I did them Friday night. AB May was scheduled about the furnace on Saturday morning so I thought it would be good to know what I've got coming. Turbo Tax made it a breeze as it always does. Then at the end it gave me the strangest option, to announce on Facebook that I'd finished my taxes. (I did, and Brett promptly liked it)

About Facebook. I resisted until just recently, in spite of invitations from everyone from Brett to my 73 year-old mother to people I used to work with. "It doesn't do anything" I said. Eventually I made myself a page, although I didn't tell anyone. Just as I suspected, friend requests started arriving from high school classmates. Not that I think thats bad, but it confirmed what I already believed, that Facebook functions mainly as a way to find people you went to school with.

It's been entertaining to see what people are up to, but I'm not sold. The status updates on people's games are annoying, and I've already had to unfriend someone who apparently spent Saturday night typing every single solitary thought into the status update box filling my screen with, uh, not much. Brett says you can hide things or people you don't necessarily want live updates on, but it's not readily apparent to me where those controls are and I'm not prepared to work very hard to find them.

I've yet to say no to a friend request, so if you can find me and want to be my friend, come on.

Industrial Chic

Obviously I didn't make it to the DC Winter Antiques Show, but Homer's Odd Isn't He did. (photo credit, same blog)

Among his picks was this, which I'm especially taken by: early 20th century French industrial metal cart. $5,500, from the Finnegan Gallery.

Firsts: Things the new house has taught us

Courtesy of the University of Minnesota extension service, here is a diagram of an ice dam. This is what happens when you mix up the lethal cocktail of lots of snow on your house, extended periods of below freezing temperatures, and uneven heat loss through your (in our case uninsulated) roof.

Water started running down the inside of the picture window in the living room tonight. It's stopped for the moment as I'm sure everything has frozen up for the night. Now we know what the big discolored area on the floor under that window is. I'm sure it's been doing it for years. Arrgh.

The forecast tomorrow is in the 40s, which I don't think is going to be warm enough to melt the dam (but will certainly melt all the snow above it), but what do I know. It's the biggest piece of ice I've ever seen, cross your fingers.

This week in California

In case you haven't seen the news, and I haven't noticed a mention anywhere outside of a couple of the gay news blogs I read, the Proposition 8 challenge began today in San Francisco District Court.


You might remember that I have definite opinions on the issue of same-sex marriage, but I think the photo above best illustrates my point. The moment Mr. Speedo rolled out on the Conveyor Belt of Love, he and Bitchy Asian Chick were eligble to run down to the courthouse and tie the knot. After 12 years together Brett and I are not. Sanctity of marriage my ass.


I'm not angry, nor am I sad. Truthfully I'm not even hopeful. I'm just tired of the argument and the rhetoric and the politicization of something so intimate and personal.


Brett and I will do what we must to ensure our wishes and security are safeguarded, whatever the ruling may ultimately be. The fight won't end in San Francisco, and it won't end anytime soon. I've simply lost the ability to care any longer.

Gray matters

We went yesterday to pick up our new cabinet from Kincaid's and fell in love all over again. Here it is with my new white jars from Nell Hills. (and a little asian-esque wood stool that never sold at the mall) Yes, that's the big picture window smack in the middle of our house. The verticle line is blue painters tape and some masking tape, and is a representation of where we're building wall, and where we're removing. It makes more sense when you see it from the other side, where this piece will eventually live.

Something else we found yesterday is this:

You'll remember that I found what I thought was the ideal gray flooring for Chez Malaise. Ideal except for the price tag, which would land in the neighborhood of 20K before installation.

This above is a gray stained prefinished oak just like the first product, but is made by Armstrong rather than Mirage. I like the look a lot. The cost is nearly 2/3's less if we buy a pallet, (and we'll need at least one), and not a whole lot more than the cost of refinishing the existing floors. This would allow us to easily remedy the floors in parts without having to deal with drying times and stop/start finish issues.

So the only question is the quality of the product. The one manufacturer review I've been able to find was neutral, and an installers review named it an average product. I'm pretty much ok with average because it's the look I want, and I don't think we're especially hard on our floors. If you've had any experience with Armstrong's hardwood products I'd be very interested in hearing them.

King of the Crock Pot

With the hellish cold weather we've had all week, Kamikaze Chef (me) pulled out the electric skillet and the crock pot and went to work on comfort food.

So far we've had beef stew and chili. Today I made a basque chicken stew (tomatoes, red and green peppers, olives) that we'll have tomorrow. Currently in the pot for later this week is a beef and mushroom soup.

Who needs a stove?!

Vote for Eric

How fun! My straight cousin Eric is in today's After Elton Battle of the Network Gays poll.

Fans of Modern Family feel free to click on over and vote for Cam & Mitchell.

Resources: Kincaid Antiques

A couple posts down you'll see an antique chinese lacquered cabinet I found online that I thought might be good for under the television in the family room, once we get that wall built. I specifically didn't mention my source by name just in case you were in the market for something similar. Well, we stopped by today and I'm sad to report that it was already sold.

But I'm only a tiny bit sad because of this:

The shop, just like I said, is chock-full of gorgeous asian pieces and we thought this one was outstanding. At 6 feet 9 inches long though we were concerned about it's size. There was a second cabinet in a dark red lacquer that wasn't quite as long, and it was also a contender.

After a run to Nell Hill's to pick up a second white lidded jar we came home to do some measuring. Since we're removing almost an entire wall and replacing it with only a section, we hoped that something around seven feet wide would work. We measured off where the new wall would be opened up and where we'd rebuild the section and seven feet will be perfect. With that we headed back to Kincaid's and made the purchase.

While we were there I asked if I could take some photos to post here and was welcomed to do so. Online shopping is available for both furniture and accessories. Click on these photos to enlarge and you'll see there's some really wonderful things.

Brett was in love with this pair of red lacquered upright cabinets. The owner was telling us that on occasion she's had them modified (by moving interior shelving) and that they work very well as bar cabinets, an idea I like very much.

I tried to express, and hopefully Brett will remember, how much I love these fat horse figures. Perfect, oh I don't know, for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift. I've seen them in the shop before in an ivory glaze, and I like them even better in this turquoise. As gray as we're planning to go here with the renovation we'll definitely need some color to keep things lively.

There's plenty besides cabinetry too. Altar tables, screens, lighting, antique boxes of all sizes and lots more ceramics.

The lines on this little side cabinet aren't really my taste, but I couldn't love the pale gray color more. The lamp and pair of urns are right up my alley.

The white lidded jars on top of those shelves would totally be mine if I hadn't just bought my new jars.

This long, low green box was used for holding scrolls. I could see it sitting on the floor under one of our big picture windows, or perhaps on top of our new gray cabinet. Perfect for holding Wii accessories. By the way, so far Brett is WAY better at Mario Kart.

She also often has these large wooden lattice panels, and I think they're beautiful. In fact I mentioned to Brett that on the other side of the wall we build one of these would be gorgeous with some mirror behind it, and a simple parsons table below.

Prices are good here and as you can see the selection is great. Holding our cabinet until next weekend (I've got to get my car unloaded with stuff from the mall) was also no problem. This was our second purchase and very likely not our last.

Locals are luckiest as they can stop in to see things first hand, but with a website and phone you can likely buy from almost anywhere. And you should.

Kincaid Antiques

1711 W. 45th Street (45th and State Line)

Kansas City, MO 64111

(816) 753-5067

http://www.kincaidantiques.com/