<![CDATA[Touch of a Feather

<![CDATA[Touch of a Feather - Tiny Living]]>Wed, 03 Jul 2024 12:53:06 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[ Project Holy Jeans & Grab for Good Luck]]>Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:39:46 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/-project-holy-jeans-grab-for-good-luckProject Holy Jeans
1993-94 my favorite pair of jeans and I hiked about Australia for 6 month. On return to Germany it was in a (w)holy state. This pair of leg coverings symbolized my first claiming of living my life, rather than life living me. I declared my guts and pluck. I overcame the fear of attempting such a trip all by myself. Even though after the train trip from Hamburg to Frankfurt and half way to Singapore, my first stop, I sat in my seat crying in panic overcome by uncertainty but that is another story.
This was a trip of a lifetime, a coming of age so my jeans were worthy of lovingly being patched up and being turned into a work of art. I created an Aboriginal “Dreaming” from buckskin incorporating local wildlife and the echidna of the ozzy 5 cent piece. Thus living on until the seat of my pants gave out in repairable. By now a piece of art of cause further transformation was required. So I turned the legs into a purse and 2 pillowcases.
96ft2 will only accommodate so many pillows however…

Grab for Good Luck
Earlier this year my friend Jan forwarded a used-add to me. A local soft furnishing business advertising the giving away of the ‘ends of roll’ that were still left over from a sale the previous week. They didn’t want to see all that fabric wasted, bless them. I arrived a little before opening time and entered a scene of frenzy.
A swarm of local stitchers was having a field day and we walked out of the store with as much as we could carry. In such a situation all that was to be done is cast your eye within arm’s reach and grab for good luck. Once I got home with my bounty I surveyed what would work for Kalina’s furnishings. Truth to be told I was much happier with what I had grabbed for my friend’s Yurt at first. My favorite piece of fabric was only one yard. I combined with the cream lining my friend Phyllis gave me and made a pair of Roman shades. 2 larger pieces worked together for the mattress/seat and back of the sofa. I made two large pillow cases of the offcuts to hold my duvet and pillows.

And here is where my jeans turn up again. Once again transformed and incorporated into the 2nd pillowcase which is now holding my bed pillows during the day.
The bed/sofa frame idea I found on Pinterest. Unfortunately its tutorial was no longer available. ‘Shoot’! Now I had to make it up as I went along. Nothing new there, it would have been nice though to follow instructions. Anyway I did it and it does a good job. One fine day when everything is finished I’d like to revisit the bed solution and have something with draws underneath for ease of access, just a personal preference.

]]><![CDATA[Of Dark Times and Light Within]]>Wed, 16 Dec 2015 23:38:27 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/of-dark-times-and-light-withinFor a couple of month I had been visiting with the dark side of life and not been feeling up to sharing with the world. Never before did I hate our divine creator with such a passion. I questioned the teaching of all spiritual masters I have come across and was wondering whether it’s not all spiritual B.S. Had its holiness decided to pull the plug on my physical form, I would have gone gladly! But for the bond with my K9 friend Indi. When I adopted her I promised to pull through for her and she would grow old with me. During one of life’s adversities I had failed my last dog Murphy, she was a full of beans Airedale and lived to the age of 15, dying of heart failure out hunting with my dad 5 month before I got Indi.

Saying all that I know spirituality within me is what did take me by the hand even though I was ready to disown it all (the light within, will not be denied it seems). It did lead me through the darkness, although kicking and swearing. After all, what is one here for in physical form but to experience whatever life presents our way, the glimpses of accomplishment, fun and excitement together with the frustration, the being fed up and just plain having had it. I’ve been asking questions like: What’s the point? And then what is important to me? What do I want to surround myself with? Where do I want to wake up in the morning?

Living a spiritual life for over 10 years, it’s the teachings that came to me over the last couple of years that were the most helpful and oddly comforting. 1. You don’t have to like it, just be OK with it. It is so easy to live the mantras ‘I’m not supposed to feel this and the other’ and feel bad about oneself failure. Its ok somehow to manage being ok with what is embrace all feelings and feel them fully without apologizing or hiding. 2. Be kind to yourself; love yourself through adversity, because that’s when we need it the most.

And then a few weeks ago (or month now) I took some photos and got excited again about the progress they depicted. Another couple of month gone I really had wanted to get the blogging going again but had lost the groove. In November I spent my first few nights here at ‘Kalina’(Yay, that was exciting!) Without internet, cell reception or computer I started getting in touch with myself again. It was raining and dark outside. The bag containing my IPod and easy entertainment remained in the car. It was warm and cozy with the woodstove going (I finally got all the smoke out – it later turned out the chimney although just completed 2 weeks prior was blocked) and wasn’t inclined getting out there to get it. So, sitting on my sofa with Indi, pen and paper I wrote 2 blog entries that weren’t going to make it onto the website until mid December still. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my town days were I’m staying at my husband’s doing my internet stuff, laundry, have showers….

I confess to having a ritual burning of the instruction manual. The whole process of getting the chimney pipe in and outside done was an ordeal.

]]><![CDATA[Woes of Hard Wood]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2015 23:43:24 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/1

The other day I fitted the countertop and made a template for the sink, marking it out I left the job of cutting it out for the day after. So next morning I find my cook top being ready for pick up. Great then I can cut both wholes today, I was thinking.

Dear Lord, I nearly killed Georgie my Jig Saw. Turns out she could barely handle the hard wood which in turn demanded more of me than I had easily available. So after Georgie and I had fought our way through the whole for the sink I couldn’t bear the thought of the 2nd and bigger whole the same way. I did the corners with Georgie and put Stella my Skillet Saw on the job for the straits. That wasn’t child’s play either, of cause. Trying to sink the blade down from the top it grabs and kind of wants to kick back. And did so in 2 instances creating gouges, one of which would be showing. This was leaving my sense of perfectionism in disgust. I packed up for the day, played a few tunes on Lenea that is my Harp, and took myself and Indi home (for those who haven’t meet Indi yet she’s my K9 side kick).

Some time in between getting home and setting back out the next morning I remembered what Roger taught me while we were building my harp, to mix wood glue with sawdust to fill gaps with. Proceeding thus I filled the gouge, sanded and polished the whole countertop and it looks actually just fine, could have been any of the character marks of old wood.

Finally got the outside cubys insulated and doors hung.

]]><![CDATA[Light the Beacon – Running on Vapor]]>Wed, 19 Aug 2015 23:03:01 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/light-the-beacon-running-on-vapor

I’m SO tired. And there is a bunch of stuff coming up I feel I can’t do by myself and, heck, I don’t Want to do by myself!

I’m 8 month into my build now and it’s catching up with me. I basically started financially exhausted and that state has now been joined by physical and mental depletion. A combination less desirable. It still amazes me what I keep manage to accomplish.

On our way to the build site I usually stop at a regional Park to take Indi for a gentle 50 min walk. Earlier this week I was taken with the boohoos sitting in the car park sobbing and I was composing a mental S.O.S. e-mail calling for help with allsorts. This pressure has been building for weeks and also been a coming and going sensation over the months. But then isn’t this all part of the journey.

Thats same day I saw the energy going up again, the scale tipping, and creativity flowing again. Saying ‘Yes’ to every sensation, grudgingly at times, and doing my best to go with it all. To stop fighting and resisting what I’m experiencing is maybe a bigger challenge than building this house.

Oh and getting pissed off at waking up with an aching body and going to bed with the same is also just an experience. Is that what feeling alive is all about then? I’ll share my findings when I’ve found out what that one’s supposed to teach me. I don’t like how hard seemingly simple processes turn out to be and asking for help isn’t getting easier either. However I can’t imagine doing anything else, so I keep putting one foot in front of the other. And know it’s all going to work out. How do I know? Well it has so far! And most evenings I’m leaving the site feeling with a sense of accomplishment and love for the place.

My friends Jan and Geoff started their own project of building a yurt the same time I started with my Kalina. A couple days ago Geoff helped me cutting and gluing the counter tops, I’m making from an old Hardwood table, in his workshop. We compared notes so to speak on the state of our beings and he said ‘yes it’s like running on vapors’ and I found that rather aptly put, that’s exactly what it feels like. My request which I thought of as very strait forward, being approached by Geoff from a carpenters view, was way more involved. On top of that it threw him a challenge. There was I feeling equally sorry for adding to his work load and reassured that it is not just I who’s experiencing these stupid little challenges where things should be plain sailing. Well in my humble opinion they should be.

]]><![CDATA[West coast Engineering]]>Fri, 07 Aug 2015 22:32:27 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/west-coast-engineering

At times rough and ready, rooky style and what is perfect, without the right tools and or knowledge, anyway. I love curves, walls, ceilings, from an early age I wanted to live in a round house. Curves are sexy, warm and playful and I love the look and feel of them. However I’ve had the privilege of finding out that they are a damn nuisance to build with. Shaping the pieces of my furnishings to conform and fit my curved wall and ceiling was a pain in the behind to say the least and pushed me once again to my limits. I’ve used a template with little to some success and yet each piece needed adjusting. Once having fitted one shelf using it as template for the next above no such cooperation and more adjusting. Hurrah! Same thing with leveling, with or without level the shelving either side the window kept looking slanting up here and down there and I had to go against the level at times winging it.

I have months of building still ahead of me (no complaining I’m just feeling the wear and tear at present), taking 4 days to get the shelving up above my desk I’m saying good is good enough. By no means perfect it is looking cute never the less.

]]><![CDATA[Transformation]]>Sun, 12 Jul 2015 19:43:37 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/transformation

A blank canvas. Now she is ready for furniture.

I just finished the last bit of grouting after I had run out of gout. This time I paid much more attention to cleaning the pebbles of and they were still covered in a grout film when dried. So I ended up using muscel and a stiff wire brush. (My body was still complaining 2 days after) Once the furniture are done I'll make time for making the tiles.

In Memory of Ivan

I have never met Ivan but I will always think of his chest of draws as Ivan's chest. As he was an artist himself and into sustainable housing I hope he would approve of the transformation his piece of furniture is undergoing. In a tiny house every inch counts and so I cut of the 1" overhang on each side of the top and in order to utilize the space under the chest for the storage of shoes I had to alter the kick plate and I have plans for a stencil on the face of the draws.

Desk Job

Freeby at roadside 2009

After sanding

Primed

Base coat

Scramble Glaze

Sampling Paint Effect

Finished

Modern furniture doesn't withstand the demands of moving frequently. After 5 moves this unit had all but fallen appart and changing of requirements this is all that's left. I had to rebuild and shorten the depth down to 22''.
The Desk Top I made from an old solid wood door.

This little unit I forgot to take a picture of before copping it in half.
It was also a roadside freeby I picked up a number of years ago. There were 2 rows of draws next to each other containing a lot of my art supplyes. however needing the realestate on this side of the house for my bed I cut it in half. I first thought the second half would become a casualty of downsizing but then realised a new side could be attached.

]]><![CDATA[And My Floor Is Done]]>Wed, 17 Jun 2015 00:47:21 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/and-my-floor-is-done

My body is telling me quite unmistakably to take thing even slower than I already have been doing. So I’ve been slowly laying my hardwood floor over the last 2 weeks during 5 workdays and 6 sick days dotted in. Starting out with cleaning the site, laying the under lay then cutting the curve of the front wall. Hey I’m so happy that I kept the template Kai created in the early days of the build!!

The wee beasty

Once again being confronted with cutting crooked I borrowed Robin’s table saw. I spent about 12 hours just on laying out and cutting. Although I had used a table saw once before it took me an hour to become friends with the wee beasty and get to know its quirks and mannerisms so to speak. Indi spent the day on short zip line to keep both of us safe. I had wanted to butt up the hardwood against the tiles. What shall I say, my tiled area isn’t properly squared and though I did a smashing job cutting my wood the gap is decidedly uneven. What the heck, I’ll yield and use molding to bridge the gap. The door jamb line turned out beautifully strait and I’ll finish that of with a quarter round.

Once I finally started nailing the floor down I expected this to go off easy having done all that prep work. Hm, it didn’t but yesterday I finished, having a tool deadline to fulfill, around lunchtime leaving me enough time to make use of having the table saw on site and get another job on the way. Well the divine plan changed when we had another power outage and I waxed my ceiling instead with 2 more coats to go.

]]><![CDATA[I’m very good at ‘crooked’]]>Mon, 08 Jun 2015 21:35:44 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/im-very-good-at-crooked

I’m using my set square, saw along the line and each cut I made the other day was crooked. I had to get comfortable with ‘crooked’ early on in the project …. it has charm and goes very well with my wonky house.
Following the flow also requires sometimes to be OK with taking it slow and so the last few weeks went at a leisurely pace. Acknowledging that progress is being made helps me to soothe the little niggle that wants it to go faster.

My Tool Hero and ever helpful friend Robin took me to his current jobsite to show me some samples for framing my windows lend me some tools and rip some trim. I had all the intention to do mine the way he suggested. But when it came to it, one of my window casings was chopped to tiny house size in wonky fashion (not wanting any parts of them shown off in a reveal) and the curved wall simply wants to be spatial in every way. So following the flow I went with individuality and made relatively easy work of it and once the Roman Shades are up it'll look great.

I wanted to get my partial pebble wall grouted before setting the Fireplace on it and move on to doing the floor and ran out of grout. Going by the box and had I used normal tiles it should have been enough for twice my aria floor to ceiling. I’ll possibly wright up a tutorial on my findings of creating a beach pebble wall because I didn’t find any guidelines other than pictures of other people’s projects.

]]><![CDATA[This Weeks Hero]]>Fri, 15 May 2015 14:36:39 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/this-weeks-hero

My friend Damon came from Vancouver with his ‘Contractor Ambulance’ to give me a hand for the weekend. You should have seen the mobile workshop that appeared around my little house!

It soon became very apparent to me, had he not come, I would have been once again a ‘damsel in distress’ surely the job would have taken me 2 weeks. First thing he got me to do is take out a strip of my ceiling insulation! This corner didn’t have anything to grip a screw into whichc had to be remedied.

When Kai and I replaced the walls and roof at the far end, Kai reinstated the roof’s original arch. The door end has kept its arch and the middle is all wonky and flattened out, so all in all another challenge to deal with. The professional lined out our options to go with and of we went to Home Depot to buy OSB to line the entire ceiling with, this way we had a solid surface to nail into throughout. Day 1 we ended with pinning the first row of tongue and groove and for me a lot of excitement and a tired body.
Day 2 we launched right into the tongue and groove, Damon put me to the job of pinning while he chopped the boards into length. Once we got towards half way tension started building and the cedar planks needed Damon’s oomph to stay in place while I pinned them. I thought considering the wonkiness, we had to do not much adjusting. It just looks fantastic!

]]><![CDATA[Sneak Preview and Learning about Listening to the Flow]]>Fri, 08 May 2015 15:43:13 GMThttp://www.kalina.rocks/tiny-living/sneak-preview-and-learning-about-listening-to-the-flow

Oh I’ve got to share this! I was soo excited yesterday morning I was jumping up and down and in circles. OK, just inside, I was driving a good part of the morning, but it felt like being a kid at Christmas.

What was it all about? Hardwood flooring. You see I didn’t think I could afford hardwood flooring and settled for laminate early on in the project. I bought a secondhand lot from UsedVictoria in January. And a nuisance it has been ever since, not having had a place to store it I drove around with it in my car for several months and only just reclaimed my trunk. It is still advertised for reselling.

Kalina being situated in the rainforest and making her habitable starting with the removal of rot and mold, I didn’t feel good about putting in laminate any longer. The alternative seemed to be linoleum but that didn’t make my heart sing either. So after long internal debating and a busy universe creating (my brain twirling around endless thoughts) I asked myself ‘what do you really want?’ ‘Hardwood!’ was the answer.’ So then look for hardwood and trust’.

Within a couple of weeks plenty of affordable lots came up, most of them not quite enough square footage. But I took it as a sign the right post would come along. And then there was this post I just wasn’t sure about was there a pull or wasn’t there? The price was more than perfect $40! The colour was too red for my really liking it and would 90 square’ be enough? A week goes by I am waiting for a better pst to come along. Thehe add still being up as if waiting for me to get into gear. So I finally get onto my ‘to do’ list and approach a mathematically inclined friend to calculate the area of my wheel wells and floor tiles. Turns out with 90 sq’ I have way more than I need. Yesterday morning I went to pick it up and in real life the wood turned out to be brown not red. What a bonus and a left over from the building of a luxury apartment building downtown.

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