u/SuckerForNoirRobots

My brother is an architecture student so for his birthday, we did a tour of the Zimmerman and Kalil houses in Manchester NH, which are owned and maintained by the Currier Art Museum.

The Zimmerman House (1950) was bequeathed to the museum by the Zimmerman family after the death of its original owners. Some notable things about the house:

-A large stone near the front door of the home served as the fulcrum for the rotation of the lot; the stone itself was not moved from its original position on the lot

-The layered brick walls completely drown out the sounds of traffic on the busy road outside to a remarkable point, which was perfect for the couple as they were both talented musicians and hosted other musicians in their home

-There are multiple windows with mitered corners as to not break the visual lines when looking outdoors (according to the guides this confuses the Chipmunks quite regularly)

-An example of the mathematical repetition in the house: the ceiling slats are 10" wide with a 3" back board, and the fireplace shelves are 10" apart from one another and each shelf is 3" thick

-The radiant heat flooring was installed improperly and stopped working; when the museum came into possession of the house the floor was completely removed and the radiant system was restored (but done properly this time) and if you look very closely at the floor where it meets the walls you can see a slight difference in color between the old and new flooring

-The original floor tiles were tinted using colored powder and they were not properly sealed, resulting in the Zimmermann's dalmatian turning from white to pink after laying on the floor!

The Kalil House (1955) was purchased by the museum recently, after a patron of the Zimmerman House tour noticed it was for sale and donated over a million dollars to the museum so they could acquire and begin restoring it. It was originally built for Mildred and Toufic Kalil and ended up in the hands of their nieces and nephews, none of which who wanted to move in. Interesting facts about the place:

-This house is constructed primarily of concrete blocks that come from one of (I believe) 7 different molds which are held together with woven rebar

-A large rug in the main room was originally taken by the Kalil family when the house was sold but it ultimately returned due to its unruly size and the fact that several pieces were cut out of the edges so it could fit around the wall seating legs properly!

-The kitchen has an indoor charcoal grill and it vents through the wall into the fireplace

-There are several closets in the columns of the carport where Mildred Kalil had groceries delivered

-The bathroom shower is sunk deep into the floor which is wild considering Toufic lived there until he was 102 years old

-Unlike the Zimmerman house, the Kalil House was not preserved with the same historical focus and the museum is currently looking for period accurate appliances (Fridge, Dishwasher, Washer & Dryer stack) and a kitchen sink to install

-The patio wall was completely replaced recently due to a vehicle driving through the middle of it; in order to keep everything matched they opted to redo the entire thing instead of just replacing the knocked out parts (the silicone molds used for the replacement bricks can be found in the empty storage shed/guest space on the back of the lot)

I didn't get as many pictures inside the Kalil House and I wish I had taken more of the landscaping on both properties but it was a very cool experience that I definitely recommend to anybody in the area. Our ticket fees included admittance to the museum and they had a small display with more information about the Usonian Automatic houses and how the Kalil was assembled. My biggest wish is that we could have seen the homes fully lit but they keep the lighting low for conservation purposes, which is completely understandable, but it does make it harder to appreciate how the builds were designed with natural lighting in mind. I'd like to go back in a few years and see the progress on the Kalil House; one of the guides told us that the gardens are particularly beautiful in May so it will likely be a springtime visit.

Thanks for looking!

IG: thecoleycloset

Quick edit for people who don't like the outfit: you're entirely missing the point of the post and killing the good vibes in the thread!

I got a bunch of tank tops from Old Navy that I really loved but for some reason the fabric was a magnet for stains. With the summer being so damn hot where I am, tank tops have been my primary wardrobe staple and I wasn't about to retire four of them while they were still new!

Inspired by some posts I've seen here and in other places, I decided to try "reverse dying" with bleach. It took a little bit of experimenting and some came out better than others, but now I have four unique shirts that nobody else will have, and if I happen to stain them further you won't be able to tell!

EDIT: Here's a loose "tutorial:"

• I used a spray bottle with mist and stream settings and added a solution of water and bleach. Initially I started with 1 part bleach to 3 parts water but that wasn't as effective on the darker colors so I experimented a bit. I think I ended up with 1 part bleach to 2 parts water but YMMV depending on garment color and material. Wear gloves and an apron!
• These were first dampened with water and then arranged in whatever way to create their pattern (in this case they were laid on a metal grid patio table so the liquid could drip dry off), and I sprayed them outside and then I let them sit for a few minutes (the lighter colors reacted much more quickly). Once they had lightened enough, I rinsed them out in plain water and then hung them up in the sun while I worked on the others. They were all then tossed into the washing machine with a touch of detergent.
• Rinsed the table/porch where I was working
• To achieve the patterns I got:
  • Red: "Bullseye" tie-dye technique with rubber bands, coloring every other segment. (I also had to stitch a few small holes in this one---they weren't caused by the bleach but I wanted to make sure the process worked before putting in the extra effort to mend it).
  • Grey: "drew" lines on the garment with my spray bottle set to "stream." I let them work for a few minutes and then added more once the pattern started emerging.
  • Purple: I sprinkled star & moon shaped confetti over the garment and then misted the bleach over it. I left the confetti on the garment until it was time to rinse. It didn't come out perfectly but it's still a neat pattern.
  • Green: "Spiral" tie-dye technique with rubber bands, coloring every other segment.

If I were to do it over I think I would have started with the lighter colors and then played with the bleach:water ratio on the darker tones for a stronger/faster effect.

Sitting around waiting for the tow truck and my husband to show up. I wish I had my book with me, and I have to pee.

Edit: first it shut off my radio because it went into low battery mode (didn't know it could do that), then it threw a temperature warning and as I was pulling over and shutting it down it said to service my AWD

Edit 2: Husband and tow are here, hubs thinks it's my water pump

Classic tale, computer chair with vinyl arm rests that got cracked and damaged by kitties and life. Originally I put NoSo patches on the bad spots but they eventually started shifting and sliding around, and then I remembered that I have this pair of kids socks that came with a pair of adult socks I bought which have been sitting in my dresser for ages. I slid the socks over the arms, secured with zip ties, and then folded the edge of the sock back over the zip tie just to give a little extra padding. It's not the prettiest option in the world but it works! I'm composing this message while sitting in the chair right now 🙂

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So if you have a computer chair where the arms need repair, get a pair of children's socks and some zip ties or rubber bands or whatever (you probably don't even need them if the sock is tight enough) and just slide them right over!

My birthday was last weekend, and I wasn't subtle about it!🌈

Dress from Svaha

Belt from Amazon

Shoes are Vans

Jacket was thrifted

Showing my friend the size of a banana shaped purse via texts

This is so darn precious omg

Photo by Mesha Mittanasala on Unsplash

I've been collecting rubber ducks for about 30 years. One of the thrills of collecting for me is finding unique and new ducks to add to my collection.

3D printing kills the excitement of finding new ducks. They're ugly with all the ridges on them because they're not printed with the right settings and/or not sanded & finished smooth. Dark colors bleed through lighter colors. And who knows how much waste is being produced?

I think the sub is being overrun with 3D printed ducks (and AI generated "concepts") when it should be about the silly little friends you can play with in the bath, find at an arcade, and maybe even squeak when you squeeze them. Not on-demand plastic printed stuff.

Looks like someone else has posted a set here before!

Shirt brand is CeCe and I found it at TJ Maxx back in February

I really love the bold colorful looks of Oxknit clothing, but I've heard mixed feedback on their quality and their "plus size" doesn't seem very inclusive. Nooworks and Blue Platypus have some great patterns but I want more than just the same patterns on every piece, things that have a "statement" feel. I'm getting into enamel jewelry and those bold colors are the vibe I'm after. And I'd prefer separates as the few flashy pieces I already own are dresses and jumpsuits.

Does anybody have suggestions? I surfed the web for hours last night and couldn't find anything that sparked joy.

(other places I've already looked: Dressed in Lala, Lilla Barn, Softcore, Torrid, Lauren of Palm Springs, Unique Vintage, ModCloth, Ulla Popken, Dangerfield, Nasty Gal, Burnt Toast, Joytoast, Chic and Curvy, Modern Millie, and lots of straight-sized places)

I will not be buying these but I had to share with y'all.

I ended up sewing a small plastic snap to the corner of the jeans which so far is working well; I purposely misaligned them so the top is a little stretched when it's buttoned, and I can bend over and touch my toes without the snap un-snapping.

I happened to have upholstery thread that was close in color to the jeans so I stitched it on with that, and I expect this snap won't be going anywhere for a long time!

The corner edge of my jeans folds diagonally outward over the button, even while they're not being worn. It's very annoying and gives me a really strange pointy bit when I wear a thin shirt over it. I'm looking for suggestions on how to secure it, so it looks and feels more polished.

I could try safety pins but I don't think they're strong enough to deal with constant tugging as I move and bend throughout the day, and with my luck I'll end up stabbing myself in the tummy when it inevitably fails. I also thought about a flat enamel pin, but I don't know of any that don't have awkward/uncomfortable backings.

Does anybody have experience or tips I could try?