The last few times I attempted to update, the posts failed. My tech guy has been very busy with work (he didn’t get his full Swedish Summer but is meant to have some time off later) so I’m not sure what’s going wrong. IKEA is WFH until January and we’re off to a challenging start with internet failure and competition for space and quiet zones. But the kids start school in person next Tuesday! We had a wonderful road trip around the southern half of Sweden, including Stockholm, which I’ll try to include in later posts. For now, we’re getting to know Lund. The City Park is very impressive, with a lake, many little fountains and plazas, a cafe, skatepark, a bird exhibit with finches, parakeets and chickens. even a meditation labyrinth.
House
Broken mirror art
Our trip to PEI inspired me to finish a project. This cracked mirror has been waiting for reincarnation. Using clear epoxy and some stones, sea glass, and shells from PEI and the North Shore, we stabilized the glass and made it pretty enough for the patio. It’s a nice way to use our beach treasures, too!
Solstice Garden
Starting to fill in nicely!
Pot Rack
I found an old copper grounding rod being used as a clothes rod in the basement. I cleaned it up, cut it to length, drilled and tapped the ends, and mounted it under the hood over the stove. I made a jig and shaped a bunch of hooks out of 6ga copper grounding wire. Looks pretty good, if I may say so myself!
Finally done!
Here’s a couple of snaps of the finished kitchen.
Almost there!
Still missing paint, tile on the backsplash, the drawer pulls, and the floor needs the final finish but it’s mostly functional.
Appliances, faucets, paper stone counters and all the other systems are in.
Cabinets!
And the cabinets are starting to go in. I came home and squealed like girl when I saw this.
Floors!
The floors are in and the first round of stain is on. A little dark, but it will mellow.
Interesting discovery
We found this old newspaper crammed in the wall of the kitchen, probably as insulation. It’s from 1936, which is interesting to see all the cigarette ads … Â Also, it’s clear that today that dude wouldn’t be arrested unless he was black … đ
  
More kitchen angles
it’s still all torn out. But here’s some pictures from some other angles that show the opening to the dining room. You can also see the tape outline of the island in the kitchen. That took two takes with the cabinetmaker to get right, but we’re all good now!
