Light Fixtures and Fall Weather

The past couple of days here in Winnipeg have been beautiful. Mr. Bliss and I have been out and about taking in the warmth, completely neglecting yard work. I had planned on getting a start on it today, until I stepped onto the porch. It can wait.

After much procrastination (ahem. playing Borderlands 2 and watching Alias) I came up with a quick project to do while hibernating from the cold.

When we moved in, every room in the house had the dreaded boob fixture. In brassy gold. Seriously. It's like they were on special if bought in bulk. When we finally got the master bedroom painted and the floor installed, it seemed all the more apparent that the fixtures had to go.

While I would rather replace them all with more contemporary, less boob-shaped fixtures like these:

Steven Chris

Kichler

Alas we are poor.

Enter: spray paint.

How to Make that Old Fixture New Again!

You will need:

- Ugly fixture

- Screw drivers

- 400 grit sandpaper

- Rags

- Plastic bag 

- Painter's Tape

- Spray primer (I use Rustoleum)

- Spray paint (Again, Rustoleum)

First, you need to remove the fixture from the ceiling. To do this, you need to shut off the breaker to the fixture. If your house is like mine, then you know that the breakers may not actually be labeled accurately. I turned on the light and flipped breakers until the light went out. Sometimes that's just the way it is.

On my fixture there is a little finial (the nipple) that needs to be unscrewed, then the glass cover comes off. The screws holding the fixture to the electrical box are behind the light bulbs  so I had to remove the bulbs, then the screws.

And then the fixture wouldn't come off of the ceiling.

It had somehow fused itself to the ceiling! A couple of sharp taps with my screwdriver and it dropped off.

Now you have a fixture hanging down from the ceiling by it's guts.

Remove the marettes (the plastic covers) and use an electrometer to check that the circuit is actually dead. Now you can proceed with removing the the fixture.

YAY! Who needs a man!?

Please forgive my crappy photos, my basement is poorly lit and my equipment consists of an iPhone.

So this is what we are working with. Nasty brassiness. 

Now lightly sand that mofo. Not too intensely, you only need to remove the shininess. Less shine = better adherence! I use a sponge sanding block to better get into the curves. 

Now wipe them down with a rag. I just used a dry rag, we would do a better job but you'd have to wait for it to dry. I am impatient. I took the time to wipe down the reflector too, but it is fragile and didn't take it very well.

Cover the guts and reflector plate with a plastic bag and tape it down with some painter's tape. This is important because the paint can prevent a proper circuit from being made and will interfere with the reflector plate which causes the maximum amount of light to be shone down.

Now the fun begins! I am in all honesty THE WORST at spray painting. This seemed to work pretty well for me in spite of that though! I gave everything a couple light coats of primer a few minutes apart.

About 45 minutes later I went at it with the spray paint. I chose the Nickel colour. Kind of regret it, but I'll work with it. This was my first time working with Rustoleum's metallic paint, I must say I like it. Watching the metallic particles shift as it evens itself out is pretty fun.

I chose not to apply a top coat, again, the impatience thing. I figure that it probably doesn't need to be too tough since it is a light fixture and won't be handled often. I'll update with it's hardiness.

Ta da!

Comfort Breakfast

Baby, it's cold outside! Call in the forces, stat! Sweatpants, check. Over-sized hoody, check. Big ol' bowl of  Red River Cereal, check! 

I know it doesn't sound very appealing, I was resistant to it too at first. Mr. Bliss had picked it up for himself but he never seemed to get into it.

One cold morning I was desperately looking for a pouch of oatmeal to cook up for breakfast but turned up empty handed. The container of Red River Cereal stared back at me. Gingerly, I opened it and looked inside at the multitude of gritty grains. Bugger it all, I'll give it a shot.

Red River Cereal a la Prairie Bliss

1/4 cup Red River Cereal

1 cup Water

Pinch of Salt

Combine and pop into the microwave for 7 minutes. Stir. cover and let sit for about 3 minutes.

At this point it looks pretty... blah.. and unappealing. However, the neutrality of the cereal lends itself to a lot of tasty toppings:

Brown sugar and cinnamon

Brown sugar and blueberries

Almond butter and pureed raspberries

I'm not a photographer. I am so sorry.

Or my personal favorite:

Nutmeg

Half and Half

Raspberries

Honey

Toasted Pecans

All measurements are "to taste". 

Now that my soul is prepared to head out the door, it's time to prep my body. *shudder*

Have you explored the world of Red River Cereal? What are your favorite additions? What do you like to munch on during cold, blustery mornings? Let me know!

xox

Char

Great Friends and Blanche Nuit

I hope that you all had a fan-fricken-tastic weekend! We certainly did! A very dear friend of ours was in town for the weekend, so naturally we offered her an air mattress in our "guest room" (re: storage room). After some quick tidying (re: carefully stacking everything in the basement/closets), thermarest air mattresses, an old coleman air mattress and some blankets the room was quite hospitable. She even had a fresh new pillow to use. We had borrowed the mattress from a friend and it did not arrive with a pump. So this happened:

Mr.Bliss "blowing" up the mattress

Terrible innuendos aside (she and I were standing behind him, drink in hand, giggling like little girls), it worked really well!

Prairie Bliss Life Hack #1

In the event that you need to blow up an air mattress and you are lacking a pump you can use a small funnel and a hair blower. The end of the funnel must be small enough to fit into the nozzle (the thing you blow, tee hee) or fit tightly over the nozzle. The hair dryer must have a no-heat function. This one had a "cold shot" button that Mr. Bliss held down. Why cold? Well; the rubber may melt or be otherwise negatively affected, and you may also have bacterial growth within the mattress. You don't want that, trust me.

Nuit Blanche

The weekend with Mel was lovely, only made better by the occurance of Nuit Blanche! Our friend Matt Jenkins of Cloverdale Forge was directing an art display in Old Market Square on Saturday night. That's right, I said "forge", our friend Matt is an artisan Blacksmith. His work is simply amazing, follow him on twitter (@cloverdaleforge) to see his work.

The goal of the evening was to complete three bike racks that Matt had designed. Spectators were invited to enter the pit and swing a hammer, few took up the challenge but those that did enjoyed it a lot. Mel and I brought some sparkle and shine into the pit with matching head scarves that we had bought from Dollarama earlier in the day. We swung massive hammers, played with fire and smoked cigars for nearly nine hours in the beautiful autumn air with festivities all around us. It was an incredible night.
By the time we were done packing up the display it was 3am.
We had to leave at 5am to drive Mel and Matt to the airport.
It was after 6am when we finally went to bed.
We are too old for this shit.

My whole body is still sore from swinging that hammer!
What did you get up to this weekend? If you are from Winnipeg, did you attend any Nuit Blanche events? Did you come to Old Market Square to watch the sparks fly?
Let me know!

xoxo
Char

Prairie Picks: Vivid Hues!

The best thing about this blog is that it gives me a concrete reason to obsessively browse ModCloth. If it were possible to be a creepy stalker to an online store, I would be ModCloth's stalker. I mean that in the most flattering way, like the nerdy girl in highschool with braces and glasses following around the captain of the football team. Or something. I hear that is a cliche anyway...

ANYway.... With the day's Prairie Picks we will be anything but cliche. Unless you are a crazy cat lady.

You Got Soft Served Sunglasses

These lovelies are deliciously inexpensive at about $12. At that price I'm pretty sure that you can't afford NOT to own them. I'm pretty sure that is how economics works.

Solid Bold Dress

I am LOVING the marigold hues this season! Orange is not a colour I would usually wear, but the golden tone is beautifully complimentary and can easily be toned down with some earth-toned accessories (I used "toned" three times in that sentence and didn't even realize it...). Seriously coveting this baby right now.

Be-weave Me Dress

Don't be offended if guys are staring at your chest all day and night while wearing this. Heck, I'd be staring at your chest. I would actually not get anything done if I were wearing this, I'd be staring at my own chest in reflections all day. The colour is lovely too, though maybe not the best for my skin tone. I am hoping it will be released in another colour because I have a crush on jersey knit dresses and that cut would be super flattering on me; my girls need all of the help they can get.

Cats of Characters Magnets

Sometimes life isn't all about clothes, but little things that make you smile. That cat is in a tea cup. And wearing a monocle. 

I should also mention that ModCloth is giving everybody the opportunity to Share the Love! Recommend the lovely drug of ModCloth to your friends and receive a $20 credit per referral. 
Oh yea, and your friend gets $20 off too!

Until next time my friends!

xoxo

Char

Out with the flirty dresses and in with the knit sweaters

Here in Winnipeg the hope of a return of the summer heat is long gone. For weeks I have been in denial, but this morning while I was bundled in my boots, cardigan, scarf and coat... and STILL shivering like mad... I knew that summer was over. Every year I am surprised by how bloody cold it becomes in the fall, and how unbelievably intolerant I am to it.

I almost pulled my parka out this morning.

Good bye my lovelies :(

Seeing my flirty summer tops and dresses in my closet had just been depressing... SO.. I packed them up. Out with the flirty and in with the cozy!

The exchange...

I left some of the more versatile dresses in my closet because some days a gal has just got to wear a dress, no matter how bone chillingly cold it is. Gotta be honest, I feel crazy just typing that. I am currently wearing sweat pants, wool socks, and a big ol' sweater. I can even be found wearing a blanket like a stole. Mr. Bliss is a lucky guy, huh?

The cozies!

Blogger has a mind of it's own. I just want my photos to appear the way I want them to!

xoxo

Prairie Picks: ModCloth New Arrivals of the Day

Oh ModCloth; if I could marry a store, I would marry you. And then all of your beautiful dresses and lovely housewares will be mine! All mine!!! xoxo

ModCloth is constantly adding new styles to their collection and I love to check often. I will share my top 5 (or so) new arrivals every day (or so) with you!

Today the fall fashion is in full swing. Beautiful autumn hues are reminding me why the season is so tolerable here in Winnipeg. I do prefer looking at sweaters to actually wearing them however.

Harvest Carnival Dress

Harvest Season Dress

I love shift dresses! They are so versatile, and autumn truly is the season of versatility. I love the colours of both of these dresses so much that I can't pick between them!

I could totally see myself walking to the local cafe in one of these darlings with leggings, some sweet knee high boots, and a cozy wrap or boyfriend cardi. Also, scarves. Always.

Tips for Travel Boots

I just love boots, and I think these would look great in my collection. Also, with that Harvest Season Dress. With mustard leggings. Sigh. I will dream of these boots tonight.

The Great Owl-tdoors Convertible Gloves

Good Company Sweater in Mint

I love the fresh colours on these two snuggle buddies! They *shudder* make me think of the first day of winter- in the best possible way though! (Which in Winnipeg, is still not the happiest of thoughts)

I imagine myself curled up on my porch watching the first snowfall while drinking a big ol' mug of hot cocoa and baileys (of course!) while wearing these.

New Higher and Higher Dress in Slate

This dress makes me feel like a lady just by looking at it. I love the structure and the neckline. It does all of the work for you, putting all of the curves in the right places. The demure colour is just screaming for some red lipstick and a pair of killer heels.
Seriously, this dress could bring out the Joan Harris is any girl.






What are your favorite ModCloth finds my friends?

xoxo
Char

I hate my basement

Our very own doorway to Hell

Creepy. Dingy. Hole. In. The. Ground.

*Shudder*

We've all had one. Maybe you have one right now.

No matter how many Martha Stewart inspired crafts you do, how chic your decor is, or how much crack you smoke will change the fact that your perfect little home is built above a doorway to Hell itself.

I choose to drink, myself.



This "room" has been designated the man cave in many houses, it certainly has in ours. Any time I spend down there is spent desperately seeking alternate escape routes in the even that hellspawn block or otherwise destroy my rickety exit. Every moment in the hell pit is tortured.

Tinder for Hell's fires

Mr. Bliss however, seems to enjoy the company of the hellspawn, as he can often be found working on his exquisite workbench in the evenings. It really is too bad that the bench and all of his tools will be the first things to burn when the walls defending us from the heat of Hell finally crumble.

This could only be sinister

Do. Not. Want.

Mr. Bliss ran down to Home Depot to pick up some spray-foam to fill in some of the hellspawn entryways. It was a starting point and has helped to keep some of the cold out. (Don't let anybody tell you that Hell is hot. They are wrong.)

Step B is to build a facade room at the bottom of the stairs for me to do laundry in because I am NOT Hell's laundress. 

Step C is to add a main floor laundry room, after we win the lottery and/or decide to continue living in this house.

In all seriousness, this is just one of the lovely quirks of owning an older home. We only bought our home in July; our first home! YAY! What a learning curve! That is a story for another time though!