Big changes going on around the domestic environs – we’re prepping the house for a series of home renovation projects. The first one is replacing the floors on our main and second floors. We have an old and damaged carpet upstairs (4 furry animals + 2 humans + nearly 9 years of occupation doesn’t bode well for low “builder”-grade carpet) and we will be replacing that with a bamboo flooring. The same bamboo flooring will extend down the stairs onto the main floor, where we now have oak floors that have also seen better days… It’s going to be a lot of work, especially because we are planning to do it ourselves, but I just know that it will be a good thing in the end.
In preparation for all of this, Kris and I have begun to clean out all sorts of things. There are very few things that are making my cut, and we have been making frequent trips to the second-hand shop to drop off lots of things. It’s very cathartic! We did buy ONE new thing, however… more of a test run for the upcoming project:
These are the FLOR carpet tiles, the customizable 16″ square tiles that can cover a whole room or (like we used them) an area rug. We’ve only had them for a few days, but so far, I LOVE them. They are easy to clean, and in the events of an animal accident, you simply pick up the tile and clean that (or replace it if need be). They are held together by super duty stickers. So far, that is working out just fine.
Like I said, this FLOR rug is a test run for the wood floor/stairs project… we are planning now to put the carpet tiles on the each stair edge and the landing. That should make it less slippery for both dogs and clumsy humans.
More on this project as it develops… it’s gonna take a lot of time and patience (and furniture rearrangement as we move from room to room!) but I think it will look great!
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In the middle of August, Kris and I got on serious canning bent. It was our way of trying to keep up with the LOADS of veggies coming in from our garden.
…and that’s only one night! We also had 12 more jars of salsa (to say we had tomatoes coming out of our ears would be an understatement…) from the previous week.
All of this canning made me think that it would be fun to do a canning swap. I knew several friends from Twitter were also into canning, so I organized a small group (12) to swap with each other. Fun way to share the bounty! I traded some salsa and got these goodies from Melissa at The Boastful Baker!
Oh. My. Goodness.
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Earlier this year, Chandler (and a few of her friends) created a series of “Dead Feminists” broadsides - quotes and accompanying artwork and Chandler made them available on her Anagram Press Etsy shop. I have long admired her work, and when I saw the Rachel Carson piece she released earlier this summer, I wasted no time in acquiring my own copy. Once I received it, I started planning where to display it in the house… and I took it to the frame shop to make an extra special “home” for it…
I chose this teal and gray double matting, a simple dark nickel frame, and (my favorite part) the float mount to show off the paper edge of the piece.
The piece is hanging in my kitchen/dining room area and it is one of my favorite things in the whole house. Makes me smile every time I look at it. Chandler’s site features many of her beautiful pieces, as well as her stories and photographs about travel, her artistic process and collaborations, and general good things. Highly recommended 
I am putting those Flor “tiles” down in parts of my basement once we’re done staining the concrete. I’ll be interested to hear how you like yours over time.
I love your garden-in-jars! I really admire you for taking the time to tend a garden, and preserve the bounty to enjoy when winter comes. I wish I was able to do so (I mean, make the time to do it). One day, maybe…
And that canning swap is a brilliant idea! The prospect of also getting to enjoy someone else’s delights makes the whole canning thing even more attractive!
Renovations! So fun
I love love love this site,younghouselove.com, they have amazing renovation tips and ideas. Check it out if you haven’t come across it already!
Those floor tile things should also help cut down on stair noise, as bare wooden stairs can be incredibly loud.
We just put bamboo in our newly renovated kitchen. Although I love the look and feel of it, it is fairly soft and shows the smallest ding from anything falling on it. Now, maybe it wasn’t very smart to put such a soft product in the kitchen what with forks and knives and such, but I loved the look (high heels kill it too). I am wondering how doggie paws will do with the bamboo.? I will look forward to your review because we were actually thinking about adding a dog to the mix!
Oh, bamboo flooring is beautiful, your place is going to look wonderful!
You’ve been so lucky to have had great weather for tomatoes. It’s been so cold and foggy in SF all summer, my little tomato plant only recently managed to pop out two tiny little pear tomatoes that are hanging on for dear life.
I’m looking forward to hearing about your flooring adventures, as we will be going down that road here sometime soon – ripping up old carpeting and wood floor and replacing it with all new wood.
Exciting! All those canned goods look so delicious! Good luck with the renovations, I’m sure it will look great.
Love the print! And a canning swap is such a good idea! I don’t can, but if I did I would want to participate
Thanks so much for sharing this. I love these little glimpses into other people’s lives. Can’t wait to see your home renovation project as it develops!
oh wow, i love that new print of yours! it is lovely and chandler does some amazing work! i’ve added her to my favorites on etsy
I really love the print — checking out her site now!
Good luck with the renovations. I love paring down stuff (I actually help one of my friends periodically go through her stuff (accompanied by wine decluttering/drinking)).
NEED to start canning….I keep procrastinating about it.
I want to second the review of bamboo flooring in high traffic areas; we put it down in our kitchen and entryway, and I was heartbroken to see scratches and gouges almost immediately. We had a large dog who came in and out the side door and through the kitchen, and there was a trail of nail gouges… That said, I think it’s a beautiful, eco-friendly choice and would work beautifully in low traffic areas. Good luck on your renovations!
Love that print – thank you for sharing the etsy love! Rachel Carson is a lifelong hero of mine and I adore that print. I have immediately made AnagramPress a favorite etsy shop.
Things are looking good Lolly! Lots of purging going on around since it’s soon to be fall. Let me know about the canning swap if you arrange something locally, I’d be up for it. Good luck with the flooring project, can’t wait to see how they turn out.
I would love to see pictures of your garden! I have a townhouse as well, and am wondering how you manage to get such great yield from a small space.
My dining room walls are the same color! It is so serene. Mornings are my favorite. It’s been 4 years and I have never tired of it.
Holy cow, Lolly, thank you so much for your glowing words and your beautiful conservation and display of the piece (well, heck you *are* an archivist, so I’m not surprised)! Jessica and I are totally blushing.
And I love the snapshots of what’s going on at home! Your canning production is gorgeous, and the carpet tiles are a great idea. And *blueberry butter*? Oh, my. That’s going to have to happen in our house, too.
Thanks for making me smile today!
We just replaced the remaining 30+ year old carpet that was here when we moved in — three bedrooms, hall way and dining room. Sooo glad to have it all gone now! We put in wood laminate flooring and did it ourselves. Well, my husband did it…I was busy painting walls & ceilings for my part of the redo! LOL It’s so nice to have a refreshed house.
Hi. Long time reader first time commenter. I just wanted to add my two cents in. I put down FLOR tiles on my stairs. I have one dog (used to have two but one recently had to be put down for medical reasons) and they work great. They are a great solution for a budget wise choice. We have had them for over one year with dogs running up and down them and they have never sliped and they still look like new.
Hope this helps. BTW. Love reading your blog. Thank you for sharing you life with the world.
We put in a couple hundred square feet of bamboo flooring ourselves last fall. It was actually pretty simple. We really didn’t have that many skills and did it mostly by the seat of our pants & it still looks fantastic.
Thanks for the tip on the floor tiles I’m looking for something along these lines for my studio…