Monday, June 9, 2014

Boat Update: Work in Progress #4 Continued….

I have been trying to work on the boat at least one day after school each week. I originally thought I would just be  decorating with my new goods: making the beds, changing out old photos with current ones, fluffing the pillows, switching out old beach towels with new, but I cannot ignore some of the major cosmetic deterioration. My focus has now shifted as I scramble to fix some of these issues before  it's too late. As I make these repairs, I am switching up some of the materials originally used to better suit the limited time we can devote to boat work in the future. 

The mahogany railing that I painstakingly stripped, sanded, stained and varnished years ago had some serious aging and exposed areas. If I didn't address it, the mahogany would look terrible and the peeling varnish feels like a paper cut when you grab it. It's now totally stripped & sanded, waiting for a coat of stain and I will now use two coats of Cetol instead of several thin coats of varnish. This will save time in the long run & will look just as great. Stay tuned for final photos.

The swim platform hadn't been sanded in a few years and looked so faded and sad. I used the radial sander so hard, I actually broke it. Thank God I was basically done & ready to Cetol. 

The headliner is in really bad shape. In many areas, it is not even attached to the ceiling frame anymore.  To replace the entire thing is simply not in the budget. There were a few holes that if not repaired, would only tear open more. One was the size of a fist. hmmmm...Beckett...The problem is, after researching online & checking a few marine stores, they really don't sell headliner patch-kits so I decided to make my own. I bought a yard of the liner at an upholstery store that works mainly on boat cushions. To adhere it to the existing 46 year old liner, I bought a 3M spray product used by car repair shops for car headliners. It was pretty toxic & extremely difficult to apply upside-down. I admit, the stack white looks a bit odd against the old liner, but better than a hole I guess.

Other housekeeping jobs that have kept me from my decorating finale were painting the bottom, scraping the trim tabs, rudders & propellers and scrubbing the fenders. Almost to the finish line- I'll post  more photos when finished!

Monday, June 2, 2014

The White Shirt Experiment


After months of a freezing winter layered in sweaters and more sweaters, I was so happy to finally bust out my summer wardrobe. Well, I'm kinda bummed. My summer wardrobe sucks. I can't seem to piece anything I like together. 

Problem # 1: 
I made a promise to myself when I turned 40 I would no longer wear shorts. They are completely unflattering on my bod. However, after going a few summers now in sundresses and skirts, my thighs are fighting and begging me for a separation. Ok. I may buy a few 'city shorts' this summer. I will give that a try, but knowing there is a fine line with short attire between looking like an L.L. Bean suburban mom and a cool mama , (the difference being about 30 lbs.), I am torn. Not sure I am a fan of shorts after all.

Problem #2:
I went tunic-crazy over the last 2 years. I do love them, I purchased many, but they are all 3/4 sleeved, and most are too short to wear w/o pants, which makes it hard to keep cool.

Problem #3: 
Nothing I have really goes with well together. I hate having to find a top & bottom each morning. And the cargo pants I thought would make me look like a casual Jennifer Anniston with a tank, clearly look like maternity pants. I heard all you haters loud & clear. 

Solution:
I once read an article about Giorgio Armani. They showed a photo of his personal closet. It was filled with about 100 hangers of black T-shrts and below, 100 hangers with jeans. That's it. WOW. Serious focus. Serious uniform. I was sold. I have always loved the idea of wearing the same thing to work Monday-Friday and then going fashion-nuts on the weekend. If my kids had to wear uniforms to school, I would be in heaven. There are other things to worry about. 

So, I came to a grand conclusion about my summer wardrobe dilemma. I am calling this summer the 
"WHITE SHIRT EXPERIMENT". With all of the odd bottoms I have in my closet, I can't go wrong with a classic white shirt, can I? 

*Starting July 1- Labor Day, I will narrow my daily clothing choices down to wearing either:

1. a tunic / sundress 

OR 

2. a WHITE SHIRT paired with a bottom

a few of my tunics
a few of my white shirts

a few of my inspirations:



I'll let you know how my 2 month experiment goes...