Wow! It's been a busy couple of days!
First up: Big Studio Update!
I believe I'd already mentioned that my heat-shields were installed ("Shields-Up, Cap'n!"). Well, last night I did my Very First Firing - Yaaayyyyy!!!
It was just a "burn-in" to season the heating elements and burn off any manufacturing residue (or whatever), but I am here to tell you - My Kiln Works!!
First firing was a "Fast Glaze" to Cone 04 (1945* F). Took just over 4 hours...
99* to go!
It got all glowy-orange inside!
Looked kind of spooky in the dark!
(This was after the kiln had shut itself off, and I was heading off to bed)
Side-Story on the kiln: Right after I'd turned it on, I'd fired-up my Netbook and started making a spreadsheet to track my firings. I am primarily interested in keeping track of firing times/temps and the types of ware (/types of glazes) I am firing. Of course, I'll also be tracking stuff like start-time/stop-time/temperatures and total firing time, right?
Well, DH - ever worried about the PG&E Bill - had poked his head into the studio; Seen that the kiln was on; and IMMEDIATELY said "You need to keep a log of how long and how often you run the kiln!!!" I slid my chair aside and gestured to my computer: "Already started, dear!"
Well, a lengthy discussion ensued, about amperage/voltage/KWh costs/and yada-yada, so I ended up adding a couple of columns to my spreadsheet where I can calculate the total # of hours, % of total power (i.e. "Fast" Firing Profiles will run @ 100% of capacity, "Slower" profiles are slightly less); a column to convert that to Kilowatt Hours; and a calculation to determine HOW MUCH that particular firing cost (Last night's firing @ 4:08 @ 100% of 28amps x 120v, ended up costing a whopping $4.17!).
I wonder if that will show-up on my e-Bill? ;-)~~
Next up: Garden Update!
My cool-season veggies are sprouting!
I only planted 'em on Sunday, but I'm seeing "activity" on all of 'em!
Awww, look at the babies!!!
And last - but *certainly* not least! Bathroom Update:
Di came over today and "blessed" my Tile Selections (Yayyyy!). She agreed that the Goldilocks floor tile was too dark and waaaaay too expensive. So she (wisely!) told me to leave the non-contenders at home. "Don't EVEN tempt yourself!" So we took the "Final" tiles to the bath showroom today and selected the grout colors. #365 "Canvas" for the tub surround (pale beige that is a dead-on match for the tub tiles, and will complement the mosaics nicely), and #50 "Nutmeg" - which really is the color of nutmeg - for the floor tiles (which will be laid on the diagonal). It will make the tiles "pop" very nicely. Grout Selection went AMAZINGLY well!
Faucets/Fixtures have been selected (Yayyyyy!!!):
Delta "Dryden" Line - Sink Faucet
And matching Tub/Shower trim.
I had a $550.00 allowance for faucet/shower/bath stuff - and that would have been the "Lahara" Line from Delta. I probably could have done brushed nickel with minimal impact $ to the budget, but Lahara really didn't speak-to-me like the Dryden line did. Actually, had I just left-off with this, the budget probably would have been fine. But, I wanted a separate hand-shower, as well. The Dryden hand-shower didn't have a lot of "features" to it, so I ended up adding this baby:
Grohe "Euphoria" Euro-Style hand-shower
It has three different spray patterns. And mounts to the wall with a Euro-Style sliding bar assembly. And it has a built-in soap-dish. (Although we are having a niche built into the bathtub wall, as well).
I really, really like it. Even though it threw me ~$100.00 over budget (Ooooops!)
Shower door :::sigh:::: is still "TBD. This is one that I found at OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware which, I think, is just a California chain. *Not* a Big Box Store).
The glass pattern is called "Radiance"
I like the "squares" and the fact that it's semi-obscure glass.
It comes in two styles. This one, and one that's more "Euro-Style" (with a more "rounded" handle). Both of them are "frame-less" - which makes for a much cleaner look. I checked with AKB today and it looks like I've got a $240.00 allowance for the shower door. The one they offer is also frameless - with totally clear glass, or with a couple of choices of patterned/obscure glass (none of which thrill me as much as this glass pattern does). I need to go back to OSH, tomorrow, to see how much this shower door is gonna cost...
And Lastly (Eeeeeeek!!!) I just learned TODAY that I need to make my paint selection *earlier* rather than later. Seems that they like to complete the painting BEFORE the tiles go up (Makes sense, less "cutwork" to do). But I was rather hoping that could wait 'til after the tiles and new light fixtures were in (and I could see the general "tone" of the room).
No such luck!!!
Aaaaaack!!!! Too many choices!!!!
The good news is: I have a million colors to choose from - with the mosaic tiles.
The bad news is: I have a million colors to choose from!!!
Guess who's gonna be hitting Kelly Moore this weekend to pick-up itty-bitty paint samples???
Job Starts Monday (Oh My GAWD!!!)
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