All the Elves Have Been Hard at Work!

All in the last week....

Nicky applied lime plaster to the basement wall below the stairs. Of course lime plaster is much better for your walls than regular plaster, and allows them to breathe and drink when thirsty, but who knew it could look so luscious! The texture of it is eyeball heaven. It has a lively color and richness to it that is unsurpassed by any other plaster. It's so beautiful you have to restrain yourself from licking the walls!

At the beginning of the week, the room that is now a fully functional bathroom looked like this: A misty realm devoid of life, fit only for mists and invented creatures...

Until Nora saved it: she plastered the floors, scored them to look like large tiles, and applied a gorgeous treatment to them that made them look old and time-worn. Nora is the artist who did the stunning interiors of The River Tavern, and as always, she worked her magic well. She's one of our instructors for the Historic Paint and Interior Finishes Workshop. So for those of you who come to the workshop, maybe she'll teach you how she did this incredible face-lift in our basement. Check back tomorrow for photos of the bathroom as it is now. You won't believe your eyes. I don't.

Announcing our 2007 Series of Workshops

We are pleased announce our 2007 Series of Workshops here at Howard Hall Farm. The series begins on July 24th with a Historic Lime Plaster Workshop taught by the infamous Rory Brennan (of Preservation Plastering and This Old House).. This on-site consultation will include hands-on lime plaster training, commencing with a certificate of completion for workshop participants.

Our classroom is a 220 year old Federal style home in Athens, NY, which offers a unique environment for hands-on learning and offers specific restoration challenges that are distinctive to this region. These classes are geared toward the restoration practitioner as well as the layman and are a sure to be valuable this restoration-heavy area of the country.

Just Around the Corner

Although we aren't seeing buds on the trees out on the property, we can feel it... Springtime is just around the corner! Nobody is happier about this than Reggie, who braved 99% of the season here at the farm with the wind howling all around.

Through the last bit of Winter we have plenty of indoor projects keeping us busy. This week we are in the process of getting some fresh plaster up on the hallway walls:
We are finally making progress on some 2nd floor rooms so Reggie and Nora can finally get off the 3rd floor. Also, finishing up some scheduling for our Spring and Summer Series of Classes! Stay tuned, as things are about to start bloomin'!