So excited! My seeds for the dye garden have arrived!

My latest area of experimentation in my fibre art is using natural dyes on cotton fabric. I haven’t done much with natural dyes since university, where we dyed (and spun and wove) wool, using many of the same botanical dyes and a few mordants that are no longer considered safe (chrome and tin, for example.)

The back rock wall should collect all the heat I could want for the dye garden. It runs on a north-south axis, facing east, so will get sun almost all day. Some of the plants don't love sun, so I will plan the location of the tall plants to provide shade.

Late last summer we did the big landscaping thing, which created some terraces. I designated a bright, protected level to be my future dye garden, planted fall rye to embellish the soil, and planted a glorious sumac (in a pot to restrict its growth.)

The first plant, a Sumac, in the dye garden

In October, I took a wonderful course at Maiwa, on printing with natural dyes, from Michel Garcia. Michel is the founder of Couleur Garance (study group) and the Botanical Garden of Dye Plants, set in the Chateau de Lauris in France. Although Maiwa carries a wonderful variety of natural dyestuffs and extracts, I would love to grow some of my own. It turns out that finding a source of seeds for such dye plants as indigo, madder, and woad is not easy, although many common garden plants make fast dyes as well. (“Fast” meaning lasting or permanent.)

Some internet research did find the following sources of common dye plants:

Richters in Ontario for Tansy (a common roadside weed), Woad (blue, back-ordered), Coreopsis (flower), and Osage-Orange.

West Coast Seeds in BC for many common plants such as Coreopsis and Marigold.

And, the jackpot: Horizon Herbs in Oregon for their dye plant collection, which includes Madder (the best orange-red you can get from plants), Indigo (blue), Dyer’s Camomile, Elecampane, Our Lady’s Bedstraw, African Marigold and Stinging Nettles (another common roadside weed.)

Black walnut is another great dye plant, but it won’t be planted in my little bed. I’ll look for another part of the yard to install that one.

Wish me wisdom (works better than luck in this endeavor).

The basement bathroom has no window to the outside, so we framed two openings at the top of the wall to install some of those used glass blocks I bought off Craigslist about three years ago. (I installed glass block sidelites by the front door and learned a few things.) I read in a popular home decor magazine that glass block is no longer trendy, but I don’t care. I love the light effects day and night, inside and out, and the slightly green/turquoise tint.

1. We lined the opening with painted wood. A plastic floor guide was screwed into the bottom of the frame.

2. The blocks have been stored outdoors, so needed scrubbing to clean off the old paint or mortar and leaves, etc.

3. Special glass block mortar mix

4. When mixing this fine, corrosive powder, wear a mask and use gloves. This is the main lesson I learned from last time – don’t use bare fingers, because your hands will suffer all sorts of injury/pain.

5. Add acrylic (Weldbond glue) to the water to increase strength and adhesion.

6. Add liquid to powder (about 1:5). Mix thoroughly.

7. Our mortar mix had absorbed some humidity over time, so the hard lumps had to be removed and discarded.

8. The right consistency is dry-looking, and falls off the trowel in one big lump.

9. Gloves, tools, equipment are cleaned in a bucket. Mortar mix in your sink will harden and plug the drain eventually. Bucket dumped outside when done.

10. Apply the mortar in a generous layer on the bottom and sides of the opening, Then, “butter” the glass block itself before placing it into position.

11. The mortar wants to slide off the block, so I use the trowel and my fingers to push it firmly into the spaces. This is messy work, with lots of mortar falling to the floor and getting on every nearby surface.

12. Once the block and mortar is in place, check level and plumb. Make adjustments where necessary. I used some plastic spacers as “convincers.”

13. I used blue masking tape as an edge guide on the inside. It kept the painted wood clean, too.

14. Brick ties nailed onto sides to strengthen the row.

15. After a couple of hours, clean excess mortar and smooth joints with a well-squeezed mason’s sponge. Rinse sponge often, and buff with a soft dry cloth.

The end result

(Thanks to Tess for assistance with photos.)

And, an add-on: I have trimmed the openings with wood and paint. It looks much better, don’tcha think?

Outside trim

Wood trim inside

I broke the steam generator before we had even used it once.

I haven’t told D, because I was so ashamed.

It happened like this:

In an effort to have a welcoming guest suite in time for Christmas (and, let’s face it – I wanted to have a steam shower myself in this inhospitable season), I ordered and picked up a steam generator in November. With plenty of coaxing, I managed to get our recalcitrant plumber to install the little unit under the stairs. Then, our electrician came by to bring power up to it. The plumber stayed around over the next day, preparing to finally hook up our toilets to the rainwater cistern, after many false starts and re-doing over the last year-and-a-half. And, that’s the last we saw of our plumber, in spite of many (successively angrier) phone calls and emails. Here’s what the yard looks like (and why the plumber has created a safety hazard on our walkway for the past two months):

The full-height glass shower door was installed a few days before guests arrived. I thought that, even though the shower itself wasn’t hooked up, we could at least sweat it out in the steam room and pour water over ourselves. So, I checked that the breakers on the electrical panel were on, then turned on the timer. One minute… Two minutes… No evidence of steam. And then I heard a clunk and smelled a smell. (You know that smelling a smell is a scientific way of identifying problems, don’t you?)

I immediately turned off the unit, and a shot of adrenalin blew into my head. I just knew that I had done something wrong. Then, I read the instructions. (I know, I know, you don’t need to say it.) The instructions said that warranty is void if the unit is turned on before the water supply tap is opened. Sure enough, the water supply wasn’t turned on.

I waited a few minutes for any heating element to cool down, THEN I turned on the water supply. Turned on the timer/switch again, and, happily, listened to the steam vent hiss. But, no steam, then “clunk!” It turned itself off.

Lucky I was alone at the time, because I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to know what I’d done.

I shoved the problem to the back of my mind, where it has niggled at me for more than a month. Today, I called the supplier, Leisure Baths in Burnaby, and confessed what I had done. I needed to know what to do to fix the problem, and assumed I would have to remove the unit and bring it to town to have the element replaced at my expense.

Jonathan, the technician, was as good as those gods who walk me through internet problems: patient, calm, appearing to be able to see exactly what I was seeing, and not talking down to me.

First, we took a look at the electrical. At one point he asked if I had a volt-meter. I said we had one somewhere, and I would find it. When I finally found it and opened its case, a feeling of “I can’t do this” washed over me.

It was a complicated-looking gadget that I have always let D handle. After all, he wired our first home all by himself (and it passed inspection). I am nervous about anything electrical. But, Jonathan told me exactly how to use it, and when I tested the contacts, no circuit appeared to be functioning, thus validating my assumption that I had blown an element. But, he said that there is an over-ride switch that turns off the power if no water is getting in, so unless some wire is fried (which it isn’t), electrical should be fine! Then, I noticed that I hadn’t pushed the black plug all the way in on the multimeter. When I did that, it proved that the unit was still getting power! (Happy Dance.)

But, when I turned on the water again, and then the timer/switch, no steam. Jonathan just kept on calmly trouble-shooting with me. “See that blue water connector with the brass hose bib? Unscrew the bib. BUT, first turn off the water supply! What kind of washer is in there?” “Well,” said I, “It doesn’t look like a washer at all, but a flat disk with a tiny hole in the middle.”

“I think that’s our problem,” said Jonathan. “There were two different washers included. The plumber was supposed to use the ring-shaped one that is just like a regular hose washer. Take that one out and replace it with a regular washer.”

The round black washer with the tiny hole in it is the wrong one. A regular hose washer is now inside the hose fitting.

I did that (only 1 small soaking when I had it on crooked.) Turned on the water and THEN the switch/timer.

And, glory be, the steam head hissed, AND real-live steam came out!!! Look:

So, I learned some valuable lessons:

1. Read instructions thoroughly.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

3. Don’t be afraid to try new tools, especially after getting a tutorial and/or reading instructions. Read about the last time I learned to use a tool that I was afraid of, here.

4. Professional tradespeople make mistakes, too.

5. The Relax-A-Mist steam generator is well-designed, to withstand the abuse of incompetent users and tradespeople.

Now, if you’re still reading, you may be asking yourself “What does all this have to do with building green?”

Truth is, not so much. But, consider this: I am just an ordinary person who is building a green home. I’m not formally trained in anything except Home Economics and design. I am organized and persistent and can do some pretty good research.

The purpose of this blog is to help anyone who is interested in building green gain insight into the mechanics, technicalities, philosophy, costs, and processes involved. I want to make it easier for people to build the way we all should be building (OK, preachy, I know.) I wish I had such a blog to read before we started this project 2.5 years ago. I have approached this massive task as an ignorant person who can be stubborn and get things done, sometimes by myself. In these pages you can read about all my relevant research and far too many mistakes. I hope it will encourage anyone to be courageous and try new things.

And, by the way, I looked up the current Hydro rates and calculated how much it costs to run the steam shower for 30 minutes. $0.29! (and that’s at the higher BC Hydro “step.”) So, not such an energy hog as you might expect.

Regular readers may be thinking ill of me for not posting. (Or they may be thinking me ill.)

Like many people expressing good intentions this month, I decided to take some time off the green house-building to do some writing and make some art. I can’t show you my writing, but here’s a photo of some ideas I’m pursuing in my fibre art:

At least it’s “green”, because I use the tiniest scraps of leftover fabric to make these confetti trees (local species, in negative.)

This larch is not in negative, however:

So, don’t be mad. The green house-building posts will resume.

A Forest Cabin

Like so many others, I have reviewed my blogging year stats.

Compared with 2010, the number of visits to my site has nearly doubled.

I have averaged one post per week.

The “top fives” lists from my previous post, Blog Statistics (a three month review) are similar to this 12-month review. Readers’ countries are the same. Top referring sites have changed a bit. In addition to the search engines and Facebook, they are now:

A Vintage Green

Miss Mustard Seed

Tantalus Roofing

Fibre Art Network

Eat Logical Sentences

Thank you for providing the links, referrers!

The most popular landing pages:

119) Design/Engineering/Construction of a Rooftop Garden

87) Wall Finish

111) Random Slate Foyer

Rainscreen

52) Rainscreen Airspace Behind Shingles

Spending and Saving

Most bloggers I follow thrive on the interaction with their readers that comments provide. The five posts that gathered the most comments were:

130) A Forest Cabin

153) Driveway

Blog Statistics

Generations

124) Generations

90) Floor

The top cities where my readers are from are still Vancouver (1), Kelowna (2), and Prince George (4), but Haney (5) and (surprise!) Oakville, ON (3rd place – who are you, Oakville?) are now on this exclusive list.

Surrey and the Sunshine Coast are off the top five list.

I’m sure that I find all this much more interesting than my readers do, but if you want to get a little competitive….

And, in any case, Happy New Year!

Wishing you a merry time.

LED lights in carboys

Photo credit: Rafferty Baker

I picked up on this quote while reading a very popular blog, Young House Love:

“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone,that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor, and wrought substance of them, See! This our father did for us.”  – John Ruskin

I do not assume that any of our own children will live in this house, but I see this as advice to build for future generations, with long-lasting methods and materials that will not fall apart or rot within a few years. Again, I think of the book, “The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman. It’s a fascinating look at what would happen if all humans were suddenly not here on this earth. Within hours, without humans to control our built environment, systems would break down and there would be floods and other disasters. Certain materials (stone, ceramic, concrete) will last through millenia.

And, while we’re on this theme of building forever, this Patrick Watson (and the Cinematic Orchestra) song, introduced to me by our eldest son, comes to mind:

To Build a Home

There is a house built out of stone
Wooden floors, walls and window sills
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust
This is a place where I don’t feel alone
This is a place where I call my home

And I built a home
For you
For me

Until it disappeared
From me
From you
And now, it’s time to leave and turn to dust
Out in the garden where we planted the seeds
There is a tree that’s old as me
Branches were sewn by the color of green

Ground had arose and passed its knees

By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree to see the world
When the gusts came around to blow me down
I held on as tightly as you held onto me
I held on as tightly as you held onto me

And I built a home
For you
For me

Until it disappeared
From you

And me

And now, it’s time to leave and turn to dust

This hauntingly beautiful song refers to the meaning of home. We humans will leave it and turn to dust. The home will endure, if we’ve done our job right.

I hope the love (of each other, of craft, of materials, of beauty, of our planet, of work) will somehow communicate itself through the “soul” or “spirit” of this home (and of all the homes from which we salvaged materials), to all who enter here, even after we’re gone.

It was a mistake, I think, to look back at our Christmas photos from 2010. In 2010, we made a big push for the holiday, as so many people do when building or renovating a home. The main floor was essentially finished:

Banquette 2010

The living room was furnished.

Bringing in the tree 2010

I thought we worked so hard in 2011, but the photos (of the interior at least) don’t show much of a difference from last Christmas to this. Here are the roughed-in stairs from 2010, though:

Stairs 2010

And, in 2011:

Perhaps the bulk of the work was outside. In any event, to make myself feel better, here’s a small recap of our 2011 progress in photos:

I did the stonework on the entryway pillars:

December 2011

The major hardscaping was done:

Back retaining walls

Front yard

The driveway was poured:

Basement gallery

Finishing trim/built-ins

Funky Powder Room

Basement bathroom

Basement passage

Mary and Tess collected moss for me, and Mary and Natalia dug up some lovely ferns, to add to our rockery. (I should call it a rock yard, there is so much of it!)

These generous gifts coincided with the arrival of the West Coast Seeds catalogue.

Among all the enticing seeds (and crazy cotton socks made from t-shirt manufacturing leftovers!) there are a couple of items in the catalogue (Moss Milkshake and 1 kg of three different mosses) that I have finally attempted myself.

Regular readers will remember the recipe I passed on (throw a handful of moss into a blender with 1 cup of yogurt or  buttermilk,

and paint it onto your shady rocks to generate lush moss growth.)

Yesterday, I made this recipe. Will update its success in a while, if the dog doesn’t lick it all off before the spores get busy and reproduce!

Meanwhile, in the garden, we’re still harvesting some herbs,  lettuce, carrots, beets, adorable Little Tokyo turnips (the latest seeds I planted), Swiss Chard and spinach (albeit very tiny quantities of the latter two.)

In my studio, I have resurrected my interest in natural dyeing, which began (and ended, actually) during university. Late in the fall, I harvested marigold flowers, artichoke leaves, and onion skins before the frost put most of the garden to sleep. I planted a sumac bush in the layer of the garden that will soon be devoted to dye plants.

The first plant, a Sumac, in the dye garden

I have begun the search for seeds, but many common flowers and leaves lend their dyes to cotton. This is what gardeners do on the shortest day of the year – plan their gardens.

And, the last outdoor note for now: the songbirds (if there are any hanging around still) have been offered a treat: little wreaths, stockings and stars made of birdseed mix especially-formulated for songbirds. I read about this kind of bird treat/decoration on a website/blog called Everyday Eden.

Christina and John are the creative team behind this blog and their excellent book of the same name, published earlier this year. Christina Symons has major talent in the area of styling, writing and photography, and does freelance work.  John Gillespie is a landscape designer, horticulturalist, arborist and green roof technician. They live and work here on the Sunshine Coast.

So, it may be the “dead” of winter here, but there’s lots of growing going on at “This Green House.” (And, it’s not just around the waistline.)

One day, while dropping off items at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, my eyes spied this interesting chest/cabinet. It’s made of oak, has a gently-bowed front, and was in the process of either being stripped or painted shabby-chic. Almost karma-like: the messy paint job was butter yellow with gold detailing, closely paralleling the colours of my wooden Chinese tiles. AND, it was exactly 36″ wide – the same as the loft powder room! I couldn’t leave it there, could I?

I lightly sanded it down, including the yellow/gold shabby-chic bits. Re-painted those bits my “Wheat” colour, with some Behr gold highlights. Then sanded it to make my own shabby-chic interpretation. Paste wax over top of the paint.

The bare wood was coated with three coats of Varathane.

Holes drilled in the back to accommodate the water and drain.

Dragged upstairs to check the fit. It fits!!

Pulled it out again to install baseboards.

Amazingly, I found a 3-way mirror/medicine cabinet 36″ wide by the road, so I re-finished it, shabby-chic style.

When we tried it out above the vanity, it didn’t work, style-wise or proportionately. The “safari” lights I bought many months ago needed space to shine down onto the bathroom occupant, but the medicine cabinet stuck out too far.  We installed it above the toilet, where it offers much-needed storage in this tiny space.

My sister and I “auditioned” a few mirrors that she has on hand:

Then I found this one at my local thrift store for $10:

I refinished it in my colours, and here it hangs:

The backsplash here is made of 3 of the tiles, with the blue border trimmed off. It has been varathaned to help with water-repellency.

We installed the toilet ourselves. Got tired of chasing the plumber, who I will review in due course.

And, arduously, the vessel sink:

Finally, the drawers had to be rebuilt to accommodate the plumbing inside the cabinet. Here’s the professional drawing for the drawer renos!

I used the table saw to get nice straight cuts

Used glue, finishing nails and staples, with clamps, to rebuild the drawers

A bit of sanding

And a bit of painting

It’s an unusual powder room, but I like it! I hope I will still like it in 20 years.