OK, well maybe you had to be here to get the title. I was feeling very pleased with myself and thought, "Shera... wait, Kiva - Warrior Princess!! Yep, that's me."
I've been blessed with the ability to look at what someone else does and then copy it. That was the approach I took when I did the drywall in the bathroom last year... I'd never done drywall, but I knew what the end product was supposed to look like. (How hard can it be?)
When we moved to our house on Columbia Ave I watched the carpet men put the carpet on the stairs. The bottom two stairs were exposed on the edges and the carpet guy did something like this. You know, roll under the edge and staple the heck out of it. Kind of like binding a quilt, but with bigger pins ;)
My original plan was not to carpet the sides of the kiva, but the remnant of carpet Camille bought was 9' x 12'. With tricky cutting I was able to carpet the sides. I think it looks better than the wood sides (I couldn't get paint grade plywood at Home Depot) and it will be more user friendly.
I got some wonderful feedback from my sister/niece Cindy.- You make me laugh... "How hard can it be?" will be on all our headstones when we die. But you know, because of you the kiva is a reality. Both Curt and Kevin wouldn't have magically combined efforts to make it happen without you! You are a project manager extraordinaire!
I also got a question from another niece, Sarah, who teaches as well. I thought it might be nice to answer some of the questions here.
- The finished size of the kiva is 24" tall at the highest tier, 60" wide, and 48" deep. (That makes them small enough to fit through doors and the back of pickup trucks)
- The teacher who's kiva I measured said she could get 15 children per kiva. We've made 2 kivas.
- The cost for building materials for the 2 kivas was about $225.
- It is very helpful to have talented family who help you out when you're in a fix... but you could accomplish this project with a few power tools and lots of gumption!
- If you want more particulars, send me a message...
4 comments:
How amazing are you? Obviously no mountain is too high or hard for you to climb. The Kiva even has shelves in the back. I'll be interested to see how it looks in the classroom. I'm not clear what the kids are doing when they are sitting on it. Is it for story time? Boy, Camille is really a star and you made her that way. Love ya P
Those are some impressive carpeting skills auntie! Thanks for the particulars. I've never seen a kiva in a regular classroom, just the jumbo ones in the libraries which would have to be built there or they would never make it in the door. Still...I think I value my projector, ELMO, and management rug the most. I want for nothing! Except maybe a reading loft like Kathryn's...You wanna try it out? Just kidding, her kids peed in hers (I'm serious!) so I'd better keep the monkeys on ground level where they can get to the potty quicker. Thanks!
P-
The children sit on this instead of the "carpet" for group instruction, story time, etc. It makes it easier for them to see and not be so antsy. I will get photos when school starts in Miss LOOOOO-is' class.
I am impressed, you have so many talents! I would never even try my hands at something like that. It looks really cool!
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