Em's idea

Em just sent me this photo... its her vision for my stairs...

and now I should stop wasting time on t'internet and get sanding ... lost motivation somewhat now. oh well.

Friday's Progress - a good morning's work

Was convinced that Chris was going to ask for his ladder back today, so I made sure that I'd done all the ladder requiring bits.. did the second coat on the cupboard. Glad Ems told me to do it in the 'wall' blue..

Then I did the missed out part of the door frame in the spare room, and did the edges on the last green wall..

Did the edges in the bit where the nasy shelf was, the bottom of the cupboard. You wouldn't believe how tricksy this was. I wished more than ever I had achieved my childhood dream of growing to 6 feet tall. My climbing skill did come in useful though, as reaching the corner involved getting onto a high step, then falling forwards, stopping with a hand out on the wall in front...

Just had a genius idea of putting climbing holds on this bit of the stair case, cos it looks so much like an artificial overhang, but I very much doubt that cupboard would take my weight. Plus I'm supposed to be being sensible, and not painting clouds on the wall or climbing up the ceiling. How dull. Anyway.. filled in the gaps.. I love the noise the roller makes.


Spent the rest of the time before getting lost in Derby cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and doing a wash load. I may have made progress on the stairs, but the rest of the house was disgusting. And in the evening I finally got to play Guitar Hero... Yaaaaaaaaaaay! Although I am depressingly crap at the drums. Not yay.

Thursday's Progress... even slower!

Spent the morning at a job interview, so that's not really helped my progress. Guitar Hero arriving at 7.30 could be suspected of hindering progress... but its still in the box. I think it had best stay that way at least until all the walls are painted.

Sanded the banister before lunch, and now I should be getting back to it rather than blogging.

Sanded the door frame. Apart from the stairs themselves thats all the prep for that wall, so ready for the second coat now.

Also did the prep on the red wall (the side of the cupboard above the stairs.. but forgot to take a photo. Popped to B+Q for more paint. Ems was here when I got back... she was a painting demon.. so speedy. I put primer on the red cupboard while Ems painted the landing walls... she must have had a great idea... (actually she did.. and now I REALLY want to paint clouds on the walls!)

Hmmm I get the subtle impression its time to stop for tea...

Nooooooo! Ems takes a tumble...

Now we're just being silly..

Ems took this one, she must have been very proud of her painting round objects skills..

Harls invents the latest extreme sport... Ladder Surfing

Getting there (thanks to Speedy Ems) ... first coat on the landing.. 2 coats on one of the stairs walls.

Did amuse me that Em painted around the ladder..

Wednesday's Progress..... Slow!

Spent a bit of time doing the previous day's blog! Then prepared the loft hatch..

Got into my painting outfit....

..and did the second coat on the ceiling..

..did 3 coats on the loft hatch over the course of the day...

.. prepared the walls (sanded and washed)..

..and had my first disaster! amazingly it wasn't me that went tumbling down the stairs... but the paint tray... D'Oh!

.. luckily the carpet is going anyway. Carefully painted the edges of the big wall...

..then filled in the gaps. And got to bed about 1am (having had chip butties for tea hehe). I am way slower at this than even I thought. Oh well.

Half Term Project

Its half term and lack of cash and adventurous mates means I am not going skiing. Think I will have to make it a goal for 2010 to be brave enough to go on my own. Anyway. Its half term, and plans changed somewhat. I was supposed to go to London for a couple of days with Alison and Karen and Graeme, but now Alison has gone to Cornwall instead. Which is cool, cos she will get to chill a bit and I got to spend the money I had saved for theatre tickets on Guitar Hero instead hehe. But until that arrives I've got to find a way to keep myself out of mischief. So I decided to try a bit of decorating. My theory is that the staircase/landing looks so hideous that I can't really make it any worse, however bad a job I do. So, lets see how I do. My whole plan is built around hanging my 'drum' throw that I bought in Africa on the wall. Hmmm.

Ok, here are the before pictures...

Some interesting colour combinations.. and a lot of stuff stored here..

... not the best ever paint job on the ceiling...

...aforementioned colour combinations...

..nasty looking shelf..

...Norwich City stairs...

..ceiling paper left hanging...

... large cracks in the wall...

Ok. So, what improvements can I make on that?? Well. Tuesday... went to B+Q and bought the paint. Was talking to myself a lot. Thought I'd done alright, but then Chris said that emulsion is the wrong sort of paint for the doors, but I might get away with it. We shall see. Oh, and I know the ceiling isn't that big.. it was on offer!

Chris set me up with a ladder... gave me tonnes of advice (which I hope I remember).. and trimmed the paper (I am not to be trusted with knives). I cleared all the stuff out and started filling cracks and stuff, got rid of the cobwebs from the ceiling..

..then did the first coat on the ceiling.. bit scary, balancing precariously on a wall wielding a roller! This is before...

...and this is just after putting the first coat on. Bit alarmed that the paper seems to be coming off worse than ever. Oh dear.

Then I went off to play Djembe.. what a skiver!