That sort of day.

I am making my cabinets out of rough cedar.  They look really good, in my opinion, when they are finished.  Not everyone has my taste though.  I recognize that.  They are very 'campy', as one person put it.  Another referred to it as lodge like.  A few years ago, my husband and I had the good fortune to stay in a rustic cabin whose trim and cabinetry were made of rough cedar.  I've always loved cedar, though it irritates me if I get it in my nose or eyes.  My husband was really taken with the cedar, though we both agreed that if we did it in our home, it would have to be a little less rough.  We have, and it is.
The process is a long one.  The boards must be cleanned off and sanded down.  Then they must be sized.  Right now I'm using two basic sizes of board. 2.5 for the frame and 5 inch for the backwood.  I'm using dowell pins to join the frames, though I'm using small brads to join the back wood to the frame.  Of course both require a good strong bond of glue.  Then when assembled, the door receives another light sanding and is brought into the cabinet with it's hardware.  Once in place, the door receives its first wash of oil and then is rubbed to a light sheen.  Once dry, it is oiled again, and rubbed and oiled again, etc.  Eventually the sweet rubbed finish begins showing off the grain and color of the wood, which in cedar is very dramatic and varied.
I am also using straight frames instead of mitred corners.  That I borrowed from my grandfathers work.  He was a cabinet maker in the old welsh style and as a child I watched him on more than a few occasions.  That's another story that's already been told.  But I still have pieces that he made and cherish them much.  On my kitchen, I used antique bronze hinges and homemade knobs of wood and glass. On this shower room, I'm using satin nickel hardware to match the fixtures in the shower.  I'm not decided if I will continue with the satin nickel or change to some other fixture in the powder room.
My designs integrate form and function.  I want a certain look to serve a certain purpose.  I expect the effect to be aesthetic and functional at the same time.  Because of this, often my methods follow a different path than is normal in building and renovating.  In my experience, if the construction method I devise is not followed, the end is not aesthetic or functional or it's just not the design I came up with when it's complete.  I like to solve problems, but those solutions must stay with the job, or it doesn't work.  So far, the wedding of solution and design is working well in the bathroom.  There is still a lot to be done. 
I have two other projects running parallel to the bath room.  I am screening in my studio porch and creating room for plexi panels to eventually be installed for coldest weather.  This will keep the clay from freezing in the wet cabinet.  Last year I made frames wrapped them double in clear poly and it worked passably, but of course without much aesthetic.  This year I have put in kneewalls of brick and glass - with one section left to do yet - and have screened it in.  Once the treated lumber dries well, I will paint it to compliment the porch.  I redesigned and resized my old screendoor when I found that I really didn't care for most of what was on the market and what I did care for was terribly expensive and didn't come in my needed size without a commitment from my firstborn child.  I decided to just rebuild the screendoor.  How hard can that be?  I'm laughing right now.  But in the end, the product is something I like and will use with pride.
I'm putting stucco on the garage/port (another design that we are enjoying) and preparing for a stucco fence to go from that structure down to a gate that also will be an original.  The porch and stucco are complimentary jobs.  I always make up way more mortar than I will use and use strengthener in it -yeah strong wall.  That way I am able to use the excess on the garage/port when I've come to a stopping place on the porch.
Living with three incomplete rennovations at the same time is a bit of a strain at times.  But if it gets too hectic, there's always facebook and cardio salsa to capture a little time.  Today, I reached a bit of a milestone in a couple of places.  I didn't get any stucco laid, but I probably will tomorrow morning.  The screen door is sort of in -sans trim that will eventually stop it's forward motion.  It has about the effectiveness of locking your car doors with the windows down.  The second section of screening is also in sans trim.  And the plastic is out of the area that will be made solid to block the airconditioner's noise and heat in the summer.  I still have to deconstruct the frame boards and prepare it for concrete board that can be finished out with an artistic application later.  And I have the last small section of kneewall to put in so I can finish the screening.
I am tired, but satisfied.  I'm excited to get it finished, but am relishing small milestones knowing that each brings me closer to a desired end.  It was that sort of day.