HAPPY SECOND ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two years ago today I took possession of the Cross House. This seems both a brief time, and forever. In the VERY long projected timeline to restore the house, two years is a blink of an eye. In terms of my life, the last two years have seemed very very very long. In a good…
Continue ReadingHow To Decorate a Victorian-Era House?
So, this is the plan. The other day though, Bo Sullivan commented. As faithful readers of this blog will know, Bo is a God to me. He is incredibly knowledgeable about period design and period lighting and period wallpaper and, golly, just all things period. I suspect that if I wanted to have…
Continue ReadingNautical Influences
I love fixtures like this. The fixture is late 1930s, and was created during an era when nautical-themed lighting became popular. I love the wood ship’s wheel, fabulous anchor finial, and gorgeous glass shades. It all just brings a smile to my lips. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingCan This House Be Saved? Four N. Main Street, Coudersport, PA
I am a sucker for an architectural damsel in distress. And this house pushes my every button. It just intoxicates me. Had I not purchased the Cross House I might well have gone after this faded beauty. The house was featured on the fabulous Old House Dreams, where you can learn a lot…
Continue ReadingWhy Kelly is Sooooooo Sweet!
My favorite blog is Old House Dreams, which was created by Kelly. To me, Kelly is a Goddess. She created Old House Dreams from nothing, and built the site into one which now receives a million page views a months. Zounds! This is truly incredible. Old House Dreams (OHD) is the most fabulous place to…
Continue ReadingThe DREADED Six Rule!
I have a rule. The rule is absolute. THE RULE: If you buy an old house, EXPECT to discover at least six structural issues. And be calm. But, if you find a seventh issue, GIVE THE HOUSE BACK TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER. The point of The Rule is that all old houses have structural issues….
Continue ReadingDemolishing the Cross House
This week we started to demolish the Cross House. Well, not the whole house. Just a part of the house. Just a small part. Just a non-original part. Just a badly built non-original small part.
Continue ReadingGO FUND ME for the Cross House? Done!
Eek! I took the big scary step. EEK!
Continue ReadingWhat do you think about a…GO FUND ME for the Cross House?
Last week a reader, Carla, wrote in, curious why I did not have a Go Fund Me link on this blog. Since starting the blog in the summer of 2014 I have received about a dozen such comments. Without quite understanding why, I have resisted the idea. Yes, I know people donate massive amounts of money…
Continue ReadingSome 1930s Maritime Magic
My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingChanging THE PLAN with some Stencil Magic?
I have a long background in architecture and design. And restoring the architecture of the Cross House is MUCH easier than trying to figure out how to decorate the place! For, I have never decorated a house built in 1894. To me, the challenge is trying to create…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingA Beauty by Gill Glass
Gill Glass & Fixture Company was located on Amber Street in Philadelphia, and occupied most of the block between East Tioga and East Venango Streets. The factory backed up against rail lines, as was common, and there would have been a rail spur leading directly to Gill loading docks. The Gill buildings are extant, although…
Continue ReadingDoes ANYBODY on Earth Sew???????????
I have a problem. And was hoping that you could help me. You see, I have taken on this HUGE and very OLD house needing a TON of work. And, so far, when I have needed help with something, like renewing the radiator system, relining built-in gutters, or restoring stained-glass windows, I have found the…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingSlip-Shade Beauties!
During the 1930s a new type of lighting fixture appeared on the scene using slip-shades. Slip shades are glass shades which “slip” into place. These were the very acme of modernity, and such fixtures became wildly popular. They still are. And are normally quite expensive. I rarely offer slip-shade fixtures. Partly, because they are so…
Continue ReadingHidden History…Revealed!
I know what I am going to do. When the stair-hall is restored, I will create a small glass “window” at the corner. The window will reveal the curved framing, artfully lighted with an LED bulb, and an explanation typed up and framed inside the wall.
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