DIY Vintage-inspired Vanity Wrap-Up

Okay, let's get this done! You should have your vanity built [your doors should open for easy access to plumbing]. It should be painted and your zinc top on (I found you can purchase 36-inch rolled flashing if you want a wider top). Your bucket-sink should be dry fitted in. Now the plumbing.
Bucket:
1) You cannot use the drain that comes with most faucets. The bucket bottom is too thin. You'll need a common drain that doesn't close or hold water. See the top photo. You will need a drill and bit.
2) Drill a hole in the center of the bucket bottom according to directions. Wear eye and hand protection! Be careful not to push on the bucket bottom because of the bottom seam. Drill with it secured to a solid surface.
3) Use tub and kitchen CLEAR sealing *caulk* [see Part One] around drain opening. Push drain into place. Wipe excess sealant off. Let it set up according to sealant directions. I added more after it was installed, PLUS around the entire bottom seal because that's a weaker seam. It dries clear.
Faucet: We purchased chrome wall-mounted kitchen faucets. We like the bigger size of kitchen versus bathroom, the ability to swing the faucet out of the way and we adored the look. Uh.....they're not easy to install. If you're not at least moderately experienced, I suggest to do a deck model faucet
Duly warned, let's proceed. :)
1) Dry-set your bucket in the opening and clamp the backsplash into place. Mark the center and height for your faucets. Wall-mounts don't come with a deck cover, so no *do-overs* or cheating to the left or right. On the other hand, building another backsplash is easy.
2) Drill the holes as needed.
3) Because we're not attaching them to a thin cast iron sink back, but 3/4-inch thick wood, you may need to get plumbing spacers. We went to our local hardware store and they helped. Plus, our faucets were *jiggly* so we used Shower CURTAIN ROD mounts on the front that were screwed in and washers on the back to secure them! Worked great.
4) Once you've gotten the faucets on, do a happy dance...and then bolt on the backsplash.
5) Plumb everything to your drains and water supply. This vanity is a "stand-alone" vanity because I like the furniture look, but we still placed it in a corner. 
6) Test it for leaks.
7) Enjoy!
You can add a shelf below to help hide the plumbing, but I chose to decorate instead.

Location, Location, Location

I was reminded of a truth recently: location.... We moved the secretary into the living room with a few garden accessories, [Spring will be here in a few weeks], and it just "clicked." She may be small, but she's a hard working office gal who needed to be out front in a place where she could be accessible and appreciated from all angles. She's got a bit of *bling* but is a no-nonsense organizer.  Yeah, we're gonna get along just fine!

Office Assistant or Secretary?

It's a secretary in this case...one I decided to partially strip to the green paint. It's a sweet piece we got for a *steal* at an auction three years ago because it was painted one bad coat of white. I planned on using it as our "Office," but there's something about it I don't like. Is it the shelves? The style? The location? Help me! Maybe I'm just not the secretary type? 

The Red Door

Last stage! We put up the original 1867 pediment above the front door.  It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but taking a cue from the reds peeking through the old chippy paint, we stained the front door streaky Barn Red and Bordeaux Red. Two colors give it depth.

In the Spring, using the original clay bricks from the fireplace and stone from the foundation, we'll add a porch which will tie it all together! 

Dutch Hope Chest and Gouda

When I grew up, girls had "hope chests." No, it had nothing to do with cosmetic surgery....that's a whole different story.  They were wooden boxes or trunks (usually cedar-lined) that held items to be used when you got married, or "went off into the world" on your own. These are two  beautiful examples of antique hope chests, or blanket chests. Yes, they were already sold. Both are Dutch inspired. They make great coffee tables as well as toy chests when retro-fitted with safety hinges.
Did anyone else have a hope chest?  The Netherlands is also famous for their cheese (among many other things).  I'm a big smoked Gouda fan.  The open-faced sandwich is made of two fried eggs; bacon beneath and melted Gouda cheese on top!   I'm posting out of town, so I'll be checking comments only once. Thanks for your patience! *smile*

 

Wood Burning Stove?

Not long ago "The Egg and I" was on the classic movie channel. It starred Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert. In the movie, city-slicker Claudette has a run-in with an old wood farm cookstove.
Well, one year my honey and I, along with a large group of friends, went to a cabin retreat in the Georgian mountains.  Imagine our surprise when we found it had one large, OLD wood cookstove to prepare meals on. Period. No microwave. No, nothing else. Meals for around 40 people. Ye-ah.

Buddy, we "fired her up," and began experimenting. It was slower than our modern counterpart, but I tell you the truth, it made great meals! The biscuits seemed especially delicious.
It was a blast feeling a connection with our pioneer ancestors too.
Anyone else ever cook on a wood-burning cookstove? Since my biscuits were immediately scarfed up, there were no photos, so I'll post these biscuits that closely resemble mine. They belong to Pinchmysalt.com. There are FAB recipes there!