Claiming Our Space

I Love a Gallery Wall & the 1st Pieces for Our Own Wall

2012-02-13T06:36:00.000-05:00

I love gallery walls. Love them.Love them.Love them. Did I mention that I love gallery walls? I especially love ones that incorporate other pieces besides photographs, turning it from a picture wall into a view into the people who live there.

Photo Sources: 1. Domino Mag 2, 3 and 4: Pottery Barn

As part of the ongoing (never-ending) overhaul of the living room, I want a gallery wall. We have the perfect space for it - a 12 foot expanse with nothing on it - and once I am done, it will look fabulous. Or so I hope.

Over the next few weeks and months, I will be highlighting some of the art projects that will be hanging on our wall. Starting with the framed coins.

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I was sorting through boxes that were stored in my parents' basement when I came across coins I had brought home from some of my travels.

I didn't want to put them back in the bottom of a box but wasn't sure how to display them until I saw an episode of Sarah 101 where the amazing Sarah Richardson used buttons to create some art for a laundry room. It was then that I thought, "I could do something similar with my coins." So after a bit of searching for frames and fabric for backing, I was off and putting together my famed coins.

Step 1: Gather Materials

Coins (Having a variety of sizes and colors works best, I think)
Fabric
Frames (I used 1-5x7 and 1-4x6 frames)
Tape (I used packing tape since that was all I could find)
Glue (I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue)

Step 2: Take apart your frames to measure your fabric

Step 3: Cut your background fabric and tape it to the paper

I used the paper "picture" that comes with the frame as my guide
I used a linen-look muslin I got a Joann Fabrics several months ago. This will be the background for several of the pieces on the wall to help build a more cohesive look

.
Step 4: Arrange your coins and glue

Create a pattern of design that looks best to you.

I used just a small bead of glue since I thought I may want to remove them at some point in the future.
Let dry for at least an hour

Step 6: Place into frame

The final step would be to hang these but since I have a few more pieces and photographs to get together, these are going to hang out in the living room while I continue to gather photos and make new pieces for the wall.

I think this will be a great way to remember some of my travels.

Cost of the Project:
$0.00*

This was another "free" project for us since we had all the items.

*Assuming you had your coins, glue and tape already and only had to buy the frames and fabric, I would think this could be done for no more than $5 a piece. Less if you could find frames at the dollar store or thrift shop.

Linking to:
Making the Word Cuter, DIY Home Sweet Home, A Round Tuit,The Girl Creative, Mad in Crafts, Keeping it Simple,Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Singing Three Little Birds, Skip to My Lou, C.R.A.F.T., Craftomaniac, Marvelously Messy, Coastal Charm, Northern Cottage, Hope Studios, Tip Junkie, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Homework, Today's Creative Blog, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Passionately Artistic, Not Just a Housewife, Type A, Crafty, Scrappy, Happy, Brassy Apple, Homemaker on a Dime, Sisters of the Wild West, Tutus and Tea Parties,Dwell on Joy,

To Dos This Weekend: 2/11-12

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend is part fun and part work.

First the fun parts.

It was Hubs' birthday on Wednesday. He turned the Big Four-Oh! To celebrate such an auspicious occasion, I got him a home brewing kit from Mr. Beer as well as the makings for several batches of different beers. He plans on whipping up his first batch on Saturday. Will keep you posted on how it all turns out.

We are having a family dinner on Sunday to celebrate his birthday and my mom's birthday. Her birthday was back in January but was out of town so we decided to combine the fun this weekend. I am going to try my hand at making some bread on Saturday so we can have garlic bread on Sunday. Wish me luck. I have never had much luck with making my own bread.

Then there are the work parts.

Massive cleaning to prep for the party. Willow has decided that the unseasonable warm weather means she doesn't need her winter coat anymore. I swear I swiffer up the equivalent of a small Yorkie almost every day.

How does this one dog have so much fur?

She must position herself so she has maximum sun exposure!

I think that question is one of the mysteries of the universe.

We also are going to try to hook up the new-to-us stereo system that my dad gave us in time for the party. It will be nice to have some music upstairs, finally. Though we have a few obstacles to overcome...including a fireplace between the receiver and one of the speakers.

Hope you all have a good weekend and make progress on your To Do lists.

Our Big List:
1. ~~(Attempt to) Make bread~~
2. ~~Make birthday cake~~
3. ~~Pre-brown meatballs for birthday dinne~~r
4. ~~Make beer~~
5. ~~Remove dog hairs from house~~
6. ~~Birthday Dinner~~
7. ~~Take photos for blog post~~
8. ~~Menu plan~~
9. ~~Write up blog post~~
10. Grocery - going on Monday
11. Laundry
12. Try out my new bottle cutter
13. ~~Shoveling~~

Additions
14. ~~Hook up new to us stereo system my dad gave us. We now have music upstairs! Wahoo!~~

Menu Plan for February 9 to 15

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I plan our weekly menu differently than most folks in that our menu week actually begins mid-week. Hubs has class on Tuesday and Wednesday nights so I use Thursday as the "beginning" of my week when it comes to my menu planning.

Thursday: Crockpot Bacon and Cheese Chicken
Friday: Chipotle Burritos
Saturday: Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
Make the Strawberry Cake and Frosting
Sunday: Homemade meatballs with canned homemade marinara sauce served over rigatoni, side salad and garlic bread. Strawberry cake for dessert (we are celebrating Hubs' and my mom's birthday)
Monday: Crockpot BBQ Pork
Tuesday: FITF (Forage in the Fridge)
Wednesday: FITF

Asking for Your Feedback on Merging Blogs...

2012-02-08T19:49:00.001-05:00

Source: Microsoft Clipart

I also have another blog, mainly a cooking blog, called About a Bit of Everything. But once we moved to Michigan and we started working on the house, I just wasn't able to keep it up. Trying to post to two blogs with limited time just wasn't happening.

However, since Hubs and I still love to cook and bake and putter about the kitchen and fire up the grill, I am thinking of importing all the posts from that blog into this one, and then adding some recipes to the post mix. I am thinking that this could be a good thing. Since it would add some more dimension to the blog and maybe give some more insight into our personalities. Plus, it would be a reason to use more chocolate! That is never a bad thing, right?

What do my, few, readers think? Would a few recipes thrown into the mix be a good thing or bad thing? Or would it not really matter at all?

I would love to know what you think.

Valentine Pillow

2012-02-06T22:00:00.001-05:00

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. While I am not a full-on “decorate the whole house for every holiday” person, I do like to put a few items out and about.

I ran into a few problems with Valentine's Day though. I am not a huge fan of hearts, I am not a big fan of pale pink and red isn't a color we use much of in our house. So I knew that I would have to get creative. And go bright with some hot and deep pinks.

Luckily I ran across this tutorial on Sugar Bee Crafts while perusing Pinterest. (how I love that site!!) It is hearts but not in your face hearts. While she made them into hair clips, that wasn’t an option for me - no little girls in our household.

After a bit, I knew I had the perfect idea. I could use them to decorate some pillows.

Several months ago, my mother had given me a couple of pillows.

They were definitely not my style. They have a definite 90s vibe with dusty rose, forest green and black. But I didn’t turn them down because they are a nice size and, the best price ever, free.

The only bad part of this whole project? I had to cut out all my hearts because I don’t have a machine that uses die cuts. Boo! Luckily, cutting goes quickly while watching HGTV and the DIY Network. I created a template using some card stock which helped things go quickly.

Once I made my “flowers” using the technique outlined in Sugar Bee Crafts, it was time to make the pillows. After perusing a number of web sites and videos, I made a basic envelope pillow using a cotton paint tarp I had washed and dried as my fabric.

When together, we have a V for Valentine’s Day.

When they are apart, it just adds some color to the couch.

I love these heart flowers.

Linking to Making the Word Cuter, A Round Tuit, The Girl Creative, Mad in Crafts, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Singing Three Little Birds, Skip to My Lou, C.R.A.F.T., Craftomaniac, Marvelously Messy, Coastal Charm, Northern Cottage, Hope Studios, Sugar Bee Crafts, Homework,Today's Creative Blog, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy, Blue Cricket Design, Passionately Artistic, Not Just a Housewife, Crafty, Scrappy, Happy, Brassy Apple, Homemaker on a Dime, Sisters of the Wild West, Tutus and Tea Parties, Dwell on Joy, Michelle Page,

To Dos This Weekend: 2/4-5

2012-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

It is going to be a busy weekend at Casa Claiming.

We are hosting a dinner party next Sunday for Hubs and my mom. So massive cleaning is in order, along with all the usual blogging/doggy/hanging out stuff.

Plus we NEED to get rid of our "upstairs neighbor" Rocky! A postive of delaying from last week? I found another spot that he is getting in. Now we can block off both entry points and not just the one we already knew about.

Source

Eviction - Take 2. We are armed with moth balls & ammonia (apparently the smell bothers squirrel/rodent noses), steel wool, metal mesh and metal flashing (to block off the entrances. According to the internet, they don't like to chew on metal).
~~Take photos for this weekend's post~~
~~Come up with an idea for this week's "randoms" post~~
Write up dog stand post tutorial and take photos
~~Laundry~~
General deep cleaning - dusting, vacuuming, window washing, etc. - of common areas of the house
~~Pack up the crafty stuff in the dining room - there is fabric, felt, buttons, glue bottles and threads everywhere in there~~
~~Pick up speakers and stereo from my parents. We are going to be able to play music upstairs...so exciting!~~
~~Laundry~~
~~Menu Plan~~
~~Willow check up. She had a "bug" and we need to see if the medication worked so she can go back to the dog park~~.
~~If Willow gets a clean bill of health, dog park~~ No dog park yet. :-(
Errands
          Michael's
          ~~Grocery stores~~          ~~Costo~~
          World Market
Try out my new bottle cutter for possible post
~~Not watching the Super Bowl. I am SO not a football fan and I can watch the commercials on Monday.~~

What is on your To Do list this weekend?

Are you like me, putting everything you want to get done on the list even though you know it all won't happen? Or are you like Hubs who only puts the stuff he knows he can get done on his list?

I Have Moved...

2012-02-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

OK, not physically. Apparently I have moved Hardiness Zones.

For those that are not gardeners, a hardiness zone give guidance on what may or may not grow and/or thrive in your area. Most tags, packet or descriptive provided by growers for a plant or seed indicate the zone range that the plant can survive in.

According to the new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map chart, our location is no longer Zone 5b, it is now Zone 6a. I used to be light blue but now am green. Wahoo!

I am hoping this means that some of my flowers and herbs may make it through the winter better than they usually do. I am especially hoping that my two rosemary plants left outside survive. How I love rosemary! I brought one plant inside to overwinter but haven't had much success with that in the past.

I am also hoping it means I can start my direct sow veggies earlier, too. Spring is right around the corner

Have you "changed" zones? Click on this link and enter your ZIP to check out which zone you are in.

Trivet Trouble - Take 2

2012-01-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

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After last weekend's Trouble with Trivets , I still had many corks left in my "Big Box o' Corks." I also had more space in my drawer where I keep my oven mitts, pot holders and trivets. Did you know that Corks + Space = More Trivets? I personally think this equation may be one of Pythagoras lost theorems.

This time construction went much quicker since there was no cork cutting since I wanted a trivet with more surface area. Why? While the trivet I made last week is fab looking and I love how it turned out, the reality is that it can't hold larger pots or pans. Square pans are a bit wobbly on it due to its rounded shape and what if I made a batch of brownies or a pan of enchiladas? I wasn't sure this small(ish) trivet would be able to handle them.

So my plan was to lay the corks on their sides in a basket weave pattern and hot glue them to the felt backer and to each other. I love it when a plan comes together.

The first trivet is 4 sets of corks wide by 4 sets of corks tall (approximately 7" x 7"). You will need 32 corks for this layout. This size is perfect for those 8x8/9x9 pans.

The second is 4 sets by 8 sets (approximately 7" x 14"). You will need 64 corks for this layout. This size is great for the 9x11/10x13 pans.

I realize that being able to make some trivets utilizing over 100 corks, and still having a bunch left over, makes it appear as if Hubs and I are hanging out in the evenings and on the weekends drinking our selves silly so I can get my craft on.

That isn't the the case. I have asked several of my family members to save me their corks, including my little brother who works with a caterer. Parties = lots of corks.

	Step 1: Gather materials Corks* Hot Glue Gun Ruler Marker Scissors
	Step 2: Laying out your pattern Since the sides of the corks are visible, choose ones that have interesting patterns or fonts on the sides. Also, if you have any corks from red wines, you can place those so the red end is visible. I chose a basket weave pattern since I like the look. I made sure to have any writing or images all lined up in the same direction. Make sure to lay out your pattern off to the side of where you will be gluing. This will ensure that you don't have to keep moving them around your workspace.
	Step 3: Marking and cutting the Felt I laid one row up and one row across on my piece of felt to get the dimensions, marking the edge with a marker. I them trimmed it to size.
	Step 4: Gluing the corks, part 1 Starting in one corner, hot glue the corks to the felt in your selected pattern. I tried both putting the glue on the felt and on the cork. I decided that putting a zig-zag bead of glue on the cork itself and them applying it to the felt worked best. I glued one row across then one row up first. Then worked my way from one side to the other. Once our have all your corks on, let cool completely.
	Step 5: Gluing the corks, part 2 You will need to glue in between the rows to give some added stability to the trivet. I folded the trivet and put a bead of glue along the bottom of the corks on one side. Glue all the gaps in one direction. If it is still a bit wobbly, glue the gaps in the other direction. Let cool completely.

All done! Now all you need to do is make something so you can use them!

While I still have a bunch more corks in my Big Box O' Corks, it is going back in the basement since I am done with them for a while.

Cost: $0.00

This was another no cost project since I had all the materials in my craft stash.

*Last week one of my commenters asked where they could get a bunch of corks if they weren't big drinkers. If you can, ask your friends and family (like I do). If that isn't an option, check out eBay, Etsy, your local Craigslist or even ask on your local Freecycle. You could also try to ask at a local bar/pub/restaurant that serves wine, seeing if you can you have/purchase any corks they may currently throw away.

Linking back to:
Making the Word Cuter, A Round Tuit, The Girl Creative, Mad in Crafts, Keeping it Simple, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Singing Three Little Birds, Skip to My Lou, C.R.A.F.T., Craftomaniac, Marvelously Messy, Coastal Charm, Northern Cottage, Hope Studios, Sugar Bee Crafts, Homework,Today's Creative Blog, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Passionately Artistic, Not Just a Housewife, Crafty, Scrappy, Happy, Brassy Apple, Homemaker on a Dime, Sisters of the Wild West, Tutus and Tea Parties, Dwell on Joy,

To Do This Weekend - 1/28-29: Updated

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend's To Dos are about tying up loose ends and an eviction.

About the eviction, we have a critter, most likely a squirrel in our attic.

Source

We have heard the sound of rolling acorns in the ceiling above our bed the last couple of nights. Definitely not the sound you want to hear late at night. So we need to scare/remove our unwanted tenant from of the attic, find out where its access point is and then cover it up so we won't continue laying in bed listening to the rolling acorns. Hopefully the critter is a loner and is all alone up there. (Keeping fingers crossed)

We will then move onto some loose ends in the powder room and foyer.

Weekend To Dos

Evict critter from attic (UPDATE: The eviction is on hold. It snowed all weekend so we weren't able to get the hole patched up. So we are hoping that the weather will be nicer next weekend.)
Finish trim install in powder room
Paint trim in powder room
Install trim and baseboards in foyer
Paint trim and baseboards in foyer
~~Make elevated food/water bowl stand for Willow~~
~~Take photos for Sunday post~~
~~Finish sewing projects for Valentine's Day~~
Nap with the dog
Menu plan for week

Wish us luck that the eviction goes quickly and quietly so we can get on with the other items on our list.

I will keep you posted on how things go.

The Trouble with (cork) Trivets

2012-01-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

OK, I am showing my nerdy side since the title of this post makes me think of the original Star Trek and their “Trouble with Tribbles.” I love that episode and found this photo on Wikepedia.

Interestingly, the cork trivet I made this weekend, is a similar color to Kirk’s Tribbles, and the ribbon matches Kirk’s tunic. Coincidence? I think not! (OK, it is a total coincidence.)

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The first cork trivet I made was inspired by the various cork trivets on Pinterest. Many of those were secured by metal hose clamps or embroidery hoops. I didn’t have either of those in my stash so figured I needed to figure something else out using what I had. Armed with my box of corks, a hot glue gun, some felt and a ribbon, I figured I had the beginning of a great trivet.

Step 1: Gather Materials

Corks (I used 37 – 12 from red wines and the rest from white wines)
Scissors
Serrated knife
Marker
Hot glue gun
Additional Glue Sticks
Ruler
Ribbon
Felt

Step 2: Measure Your Corks

I decided that a full cork was too tall for my trivet.
So I measured my corks and marked them at 1 inch.

Step 3: Cut the Corks

Cut all the corks using the serrated knife. I found this worked better than a pair of scissors or a regular knife.
While I tried to be careful when I cut the corks, the reality is that I wasn’t very accurate (as you can see in the picture). But don’t worry, it all works out. You can use the hot glue to build up the low spots under the felt.

Step 4: Lay out your pattern

Arrange your corks in an arrangement that is pleasing to you.
Once you have your arrangement, you can figure out the dimensions of the felt.
On your felt, mark the edge of the corks with a marker and then cut along the lines, trimming to make sure the felt doesn’t hand over the edges of the corks.

	Step 5: Gluing Flip the corks over, making sure to keep them in your particular pattern. Hot glue in between the corks to hold them together. Once this initial gluing has cooled, check to make sure all corks are secure. Re-glue any areas that seem loose. Let cool completely.(Or you may end up burning your finger on some glue that seemed cool but was really not.) Build up any low spots with glue. Let cool. Glue the felt piece to the bottom of the trivet.
	Step 6: Ribbon I noticed that the corks on the edges didn’t seem quite secure. So I decided that I needed add some trim to the edges so I could glue the intersection between the outer corks. Cut your ribbon about 1.5x the circumference of the trivet. Glue in between the outer corks then, using a bead of glue, secure the ribbon to the outside of the trivet.
	Enjoy!

Cost of the Project:
$0.00 TOTAL

I had all the supplies in my "craft stash." This is my kind of project.

Linking back to:
Making the Word Cuter, A Round Tuit, The Girl Creative, Mad in Crafts, Keeping it Simple, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Singing Three Little Birds, Skip to My Lou, C.R.A.F.T., Craftomaniac, Marvelously Messy, Coastal Charm, Northern Cottage, Hope Studios, Sugar Bee Crafts, Homework,Today's Creative Blog, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Passionately Artistic, Not Just a Housewife,

To Dos This Weekend–1/21-22

2012-01-21T10:36:00.003-05:00

Source

Another busy weekend here at Casa Claiming. Winter is here in full force with single degree temps and negative wind chills. Right now it looks beautiful out with clear blue skies but it is so so so cold out. That seems to be the way it goes in winter, blue skies = freezing temps. All that just means we need to concentrate on the inside of the house. Time is a wasting so I better get cracking on my list.

On this list for the weekend

1. ~~Laundry~~
2. Cleaning bathrooms
3. ~~Doggy Day Spa for Willow (bath, ear cleaning, nail trimming, tooth brushing)~~
4. ~~Deal with paperwork in office and kitchen~~
5. ~~Shopping (Grocery, Garden Store, Bank)~~
6~~. Shoveling at our house and my parent house~~
7. ~~Take photos of latest tutorial project~~
8. Finish writing tutorial project post
9. ~~Go to the theater on Sunday afternoon~~
10. ~~Get haircut~~
11. Go through some more boxes from my childhood stuff
12. Work on living room update
13. Get some wood for a fire this evening
14. Floors

Additions

15. ~~Color hair (I am back to being a red head!)~~

Winter is Finally Here!

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we finally got some snow that actually stuck around for more than a day. This hasn’t been our usual Michigan winter. We have had 50+ degree days in December, thunderstorms in January. All in all very very strange winter.

It snowed for three days and we had no wind. A totally unusual occurrence here in the north. Usually snow is accompanied by wind and lots of it. Think blowing drifts and the wind chill in the single digits. But that wasn’t the case so I headed out to the backyard with Willow to take a few photos (she doesn’t really like the cold, even with her red jacket).

I think this one of a tree in the backyard looks like lace, woven by Mother Nature.

There were a few berries on one shrub and I can only imagine that the one of the many birds who live in our backyard will find them soon and have a winter snack. And that is about an inch of snow on those branches. The snow was so light and fluffy.

One of my plant hangers is waiting for spring.

The snow was so light, it didn’t settle but stacked up, like little snowflake building blocks, that you could see through.

These beautiful pictures almost make me like winter…almost.

I know that we have at least 2-3 months more of winter so I am spending some quality time flipping through my growing stack of seed catalogs. Makes spring seem a bit closer.

Pinterest, How I Love Thee for Helping Me Find a Use for Unused Stuff

2012-01-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

I am a later-comer to the Pinterest Party, having only joined a couple of months ago. But, in that time, I have quickly become hooked and have definitley joined the ranks of the converted. (Long Live Pinterest!!)

I think I will need to live to 100+ to visit all the places, make all the crafts, prepare all the recipes, create all the jewelry, plant all the gardens, etc. that I have pinned, plan to pin and want to pin.

Sometimes, I think to myself there is no way I can even begin to work on any one of the myriad of ideas pinned to my "For Free Time - DIY Crafts" board, mainly because I don't always have alot of that thing called "free time." I don't even have as many things pinned as some of the folks I follow. The other problem is that besides the time investment, many projects also involve a financial investment into tools or materials that I either don't have on hand or have enough of to make the project.

However, the flip side is that when I am sorting out a cabinet, or closet, and come across items that remind me of something I have seen on Pinterest, I become totally inspired.

This project is no exception. I found this image on Pinterest from http://eighteen25.blogspot.com.

I just knew that with minimal outlay, I could create something similar. Since I already had candlesticks and vases/jars in my living room cupboard.

My only expense was the E600 glue, which I know will come in handy for other projects down the road. The vases are leftovers from my wedding. The jar is from IKEA. The candlesticks are from who knows where (I have had them for at least 10 years). All these items have been packed away, unused, for the last 2+ years.

But that is about to change with just a bit of glue after I ran everything through the dishwasher to make sure they were sparkly clean.

Then I set up my workspace at the dining room table (with Willow supervising), gathered my materials and tools and got to work.

Step 1: Gather all your tools and materials

E600 glue
Vases/Jars
Candlesticks
Small Level
Toothpicks (I like the flat ones since you can use them to "scoop" up the glue)
Paper plate
Tape (if needed)

Step 2: Decide which vases/jars go with which candlesticks
Since all my candlesticks are the same, for me this was the quickest step.

Step 3: Put dollop of glue on the paper plate
Size depends on how many pieces you have to glue.

I have read several reviews on the glue that have said that trying to use it straight from the tube can result in a big mess and a cap that won't come off the next time you want to use it.

Step 4: Applying the glue
Using a toothpick gather up some glue and apply to the top of the candlestick.

This is probably the most tedious part of the who process.

Step 5: Placing the candlestick to the vase
Place the vase upside down on your workspace.
Gently place the glue end of the candlestick on the bottom of the vase.

Step 6: Making sure things are straight
With your level, check to make sure things are straight.

This may not be as much of an issue if your vase/jar has a flat bottom, but if it has a curve, this step will ensure that your vase/jar won't look wonky once things are all dried.

If your vase/jar has a particularly curved bottom, you may need to use a couple of pieces of tape to keep the candlestick in the level position to dry.

Step 7: Move the glued piece(s) to somewhere safe so it can dry without being bumped.
     I places a couple of books on top to make sure things things got good adhesion.
     E600 glue needs 48-72 hours to fully cure.

Step 8: Filling
Once the glue has cured, remove tape (if necessary) turn it over and fill with whatever fits your decor.

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Cost of the Project:
$ 0.00 Candlestick holders
0.00 Vases from my wedding
5.00 Tube of E600 glue
$ 5.00 TOTAL COST

Linking to
A Round Tuit (84), The Girl Creative, Mad in Crafts, Craft-O-Maniac, Skip to my Lou, Hope Studios, Tip Junkie, Sugar Bee Crafts , Homework, Northern Cottage, Confessions of a Stay At Home Mom, Not Just a Housewife, Type A, Passionately Artistic, Blue Cricket Design,

To Do This Weekend–11/14-15

2012-01-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

Source

It is Saturday Morning and that means it is time to plan our weekend. It is cold and snowy outside, so we will have to fight the urge to hunker down under the blankets, curled up with Willow and watch movies. That isn’t really an option since we have lots to do.

Saturday

~~Shoveling~~
~~Take photos of the snow. There hasn’t been any wind so it is gorgeous outside.~~
~~Put plastic on the drafty family room window~~
Cleaning
~~Laundry~~
~~Organize the pantry~~
~~Final photos for a tutorial post on making apothecary jars~~
Finish apothecary jar post and schedule
~~Take photos for baking posts~~

Additions
~~Make it through all the posts in Google Reader~~

Sunday

~~Shoveling~~
~~Grocery shopping~~
Finish laundry
Finish cleaning
Get hair cut - Moving this to next weekend
~~Figure out next DIY post~~ Working on something with wine corks
~~Menu Plan for next week~~

Additions
~~Make baked potato soup~~

Let’s see how many we actually get crossed off.

New Art in the Hall

2012-01-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

While our bedroom hallways are still a work in progress, I couldn't stop myself from hanging some artwork. It makes is seem a bit less construction zone-ish since it will be a while until we start back to work in this area. I like art that come with a history and these two are no exception.

The first piece is a favorite of Hubs. It is one that he has had f.o.r.e.v.e.r. According to his mom, it was purchased for $12 from a pizza parlor in California that showcased art student's paintings. Since the early 80s it has moved from place to place to place with him and/or her. I thought this part of hallway would be perfect for it since it is rather large, and the reality is that there isn't really any other place in our home where a giant screaming eagle would fit seamlessly into the décor.

Too bad Willow seems unimpressed by the giant eagle swooping down on her.

The second piece is traditional Chinese peony painting I received for Christmas last year from my mom. A number of years ago I was fortunate to travel with my parents to China. In addition to seeing the numerous cultural sites, we were able to see a number of skilled Chinese artisans. Their works included paintings, cloisonne, jade carving and pottery.

During one demonstration, a talented artist painted this in about 5 minutes and, upon its completion, presented it to my mother. (I think he was enamored with her blond hair and blue eyes.) Painted on thin rice paper, it was so delicate that Mom wasn't quite sure what to do with it. So it was carefully rolled it up and stored it away for safe keeping. Over the years, the "safe place" was forgotten so it was just found again last year, ending up as my Christmas present.

I just love the little bee looking for the blossoms.

Now it is the out from the dark, has been framed and is prominently displayed in our home. (please disregard our lack of baseboards and door trim. Installing them is on "The List.")

Do you have any favorite art hanging in your home? Does it have it's own history?

Home Goals 2012

2012-01-11T19:53:00.000-05:00

The Nesting Place is having her second annual home goals linky party beginning today.

I missed it last year and, even if I did post, my list would not have had much, if anything, checked off due to our new roof (More on that issue here). But this year, I have high hopes and actual plans for projects. Yay!

Being a bit Type A, I know that if I actually write stuff down, it has a better chance of taking place. Why? Because I like to cross thing off with my bright red "crossing things off the list" marker. (Yes, I have a special pen just for crossing stuff off my lists.)

So after some thought and walking through the house looking at the long list of want-to-dos, here is my list for 2012 with some major and not so major projects.

Indoor Projects
1. Master Bedroom

Tear out pink carpet and replace it with carbonized vertical bamboo flooring (which is already purchased and in the basement)
Paint (colors picked out Farrow & Ball Brassica and Behr Plus Mineral)
Replace door trim and baseboard to match rest of the house
Find dresser(s) and nightstands on Craiglist or at thrift stores
Prep and paint the lamps I got at a garage sale last year

2. Rip out and install new flooring in the hall bathroom

This is what we found when one of the bath tiles came up when we were ripping out the hallway carpet.

Who uses thinset to stick down vinyl tile? Apparently the previous owners of our home.

3. Living Room

This is what our fireplace wall currently looks like...total disaster!

    Finish stripping fireplace and repaint white (the woods don't match. Boo!)
    Paint all woodwork white
    Install marble tile to fireplace surround
    Rework shelves in the cabinets
    Install lights in the cabinets

4. Install baseboards and trim in the hallways, foyer and living room.

5. Set up crafting/sewing area in the downstairs guest room.
     Possible thanks to the gift of a fabulously large desk with hutch from my parents.

5. Create dedicated exercise area in basement with small TV.

6. Replace fixtures/lighting in the master and hall bathrooms

7. Finish the wall repair in the hallway.

8. Install curtains and shelving to create a "linen closet" of sorts in the back hallway

9. Install new lighting in the hallways

Outdoor Projects
1. Replace/repair small deck off kitchen and add stairs to garden

2. Expand the garden by adding more garden boxes

3. Build a potting bench

Source

4. Build a strawberry tower

Source

5. Install fencing around the garden to keep out the critters

6. Hire someone to take down several large trees

7. Finish steps from garage to garden

8. Clean up/rework the "natural areas" in the backyard

Remove several plants that we have learned can be poisonous for our dog
Cut down some dying/sickly trees for more light
Possibly plant some Columnar apple trees, if I can talk Hubs into it

Furniture projects
1 and only 1 goal: Finish repainting/restaining/etc. my "project" pieces.
I currently have waiting for my attention

4 nightstands/endtables
1 dresser
1 bar cart
3 lamps (not including 1 lamp shade redo)
1 chair
1 cedar chest
2 buffets

According to Hubs, I am not allowed to buy/bring anything else into the basement before these are finished and put into whatever spots in the house I have planned for them. So I better get cracking so I can start looking for stuff for the master bedroom.

I plan on updating quarterly on my progress on any/all of these goals.

Just Call Me Scrappy!! (or how to turn a pile of bamboo flooring scraps into rolling plant stands)

2012-01-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

Scrappy. That is how I have described myself to more than one person. I meant to allude to the fact I would be a good person to have your back in a fight (even though I have never ever been in a fight) but turns out it means something else entirely.

You see, when we finish with any project we always have a box/pile/bag of scraps. I have a hard time parting with those scraps because I think to myself "I just know I will be able to find a use for that in the future." This reasoning is why we have several boxes/piles/bags of wood, bamboo flooring, tile and/or slate in the workshop. Along with the scraps, there is also Hubs' hope that I don't turn into a hoarder with my "I will be able to use that in the future" talk."

After Thanksgiving, when I was in the basement looking for some wrapping paper, I had a brainstorm. I could turn scraps from our bamboo flooring install (look for a post on that sometime soon) into some plant stands since I was tired of seeing my non-winter-hardy plants looking pitiful and sad just haphazardly arranged in front of our west facing sliders.

First up, hit the internet to figure out what type of wheel would work best. I ended up getting my plate mount ball casters from Rockler. They were about $11 for a set of 4. I went with casters like this because 1) the wheels are rubber so no damage to the brand new floors 2) all 4 wheels will swivel, making it easy to move these around 3) I thought the color of the brass complimented the caramel color of the floor and 4) I couldn't find anything similar for cheaper in my area.

Once they arrived, I headed down to our workshop to play with our power tools. With winter upon us, the table saw and miter saw have been moved from the unheated garage to the warm basement. This is where the "magic" happens."

Step 1: Gather all your tools. You will need

tape measure
marker or pencil to mark cut lines
straight edge
a saw (I used both a table saw and a miter saw)
safety glasses
screwdriver
drill with drill bit to make pilot holes for the screws
wood screws (18 per plant stand) - whatever length will go through 1.5 pieces of your flooring (I used 1")
Stain to match your flooring/wood
4 plate mount casters
extra/scrap flooring
clamps
orbital sander

Step 2: Determine the size of your plant stand and make your cuts for the top

I made two of my plant stands square.
To figure out the size, I placed 3 pieces together to get my length.
I then used that to get the length of each piece, cutting them to size. (in my case it was approx 11 3/4").
Finally, I cut the tongue off 1 piece, the groove off another piece, keeping the center piece intact.
I didn't get all of the tongue and groove off so sanded the edged to smooth them out. If the opposite edge is clean and smooth, the sanding doesn't have to be perfect since it can point to the inside.

Step 3: Make the cuts for the bottom pieces.

You will need 2 cross pieces for the bottom of the plant stand. These are the pieces that the casters will be screwed into.
The length will equal that of the 3 pieces together (again in my case, it was approximately 11 3/4").
The width of this piece will depend on the size of the caster plate since the wood should be at least 1/4" wider to cut down in the possibility of splitting.

Step 4: Clamp, drill and screw

Line up your pieces for one side, clamping the 3 pieces across and then clamping the whole thing to the table. (the photo above shows what I mean)
Mark screw holes for casters and drill pilot holes. Secure casters with screws.
Drill pilot hole for single screw to secure center piece and secure with screw.
Repeat on the other side.

If you don't don't clamp the three top pieces together, you risk having a gap. How do I know? I found out the hard way on my first go. See the arrow, it is pointing to a visible gap between two of the pieces. Notice how you can't see any gap between the other two pieces.

Step 5:

Stain the unfinished edges, if you like. I chose not too.
Let dry 24 hours.

You now have custom plant stand that coordinates with your flooring and used up scraps that might otherwise go into the landfill or molder in your basement.

Cost for 3 plant stands
$ 0.00     Bamboo scraps
0.00     1" wood screws (leftover from another project)
33.00     3 sets of plate mounted ball casters
$33.00     TOTAL*

*While this may not be our most cost effective project due to the cost of the casters, I like that these coordinate with our flooring and they use up some of the leftover scraps.

The first stand I made took the longest, about 45 minutes, since I was still working out the process. The last one I made took me less than 30 minutes from rummaging through the scrap box to putting a plant on it.

If you make some of your own "reclaimed" plant stands, I would love to see them and highlight them in a later post.
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Back in the Saddle Again...

2012-01-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Image Source

With 2012 having already begun, it is time to get back in the saddle when it comes to blogging. We had quite a hiccup to our plans for fixing up the house this last spring when we found out we needed to spend our current reno budget, along with next year's budget, on a new roof. Turns out a total tear off on a ranch house can be quite expensive, especially with a wonky roof line and valleys needing extra work. It was enough to make both my head and chest ache when we got the first quote. However, it all worked out in the end and we now have a fabulous, leak free, 40 year shingled roof.

While we are so happy with the new roof, what it really meant was all of our other projects, like finishing the living room, installing new trim and baseboards, along with starting a number of other projects, like the master bedroom, had to be put on hold. It also meant that my DIY/craft project budget also got cut waaaay back.

So the summer and fall were spent in the garden and not working on the house.

But with the holidays over, we have started to rebuild our reno budget and are getting ready to tackle a number of projects. Plus I have about a million things pinned in Pinterest that I want to try to make. So join us as we jump back in the reno saddle...

A Work Shop Transformation - From Chaos to Organized (and it didn't cost a dime!)

2011-03-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

One usual result of trying to complete several projects at one time is a work shop that becomes a total disaster. At least, that is what happened to us. We had lived with this situation for several weeks, making it worse as time went along.

As you can see from the pictures below, once we ran out of room on the large workbench, we decided the bottom ledge was perfect for throwing things on. Once that was full, we used the floor. Needless to say, things were going from disorganized to total disaster.

Here is the proof.

Apparently this is where boxes go to die on our house.

Why put break down the boxes when you can pile them in the corner? And yes, that is a mitre saw sitting on a box of bamboo flooring. Again, why put it on a table when an extra box of flooring will do.

Or, we could just throw everything on the work table. Why put them in some sort of order when you can throw them on the table?

Or we could just start filling up the bottom shelf of the work table. Yeah, that's it, fill the bottom shelf so things don't end up on the floor.

Whoops, guess again. We ran out of room on both the top and bottom shelf on the work table, so the next logical place for them was on the floor. This is when I knew we had to take charge and get organized.

That and having spent at least 20 minutes looking for a phillips head screwdriver that wasn't only 4 inches long. I knew it was time to get things off the floor, off the work table and into some semblance of order.

The worst part, our workshop in is a huge area of the basement. And we already had some storage pieces we could utilize that had been left by the previous owner (these are way in the back of the room.)

We also had space along the wall to hang our elfa shelves that were formerly in the basement of our old house. (Check out our mess inspector in this picture.)

With an afternoon, the storage pieces leftover storage pieces left by the previous owner and and the elfa shelving along with my label maker, I was going to make order or the mess.

I think I was pretty successful.

The corner where all the boxes were previously stacked haphazardly. Looking so much tidier. Once all the stuff in the middle gets added to the weekly trash pick up, it look even better.

The elfa shelves up and organized. The floor cleaned and not a single tool on the floor. (Yay!)

The work table is empty and ready for the next project.

A couple of the storage pieces left in our basement have been utilized. The one on the left is for paint and paint supplies. The one on the right is our flooring supplies storage.

Another left-behind piece holds fasteners, tapes, caulks and other small items. And all the those little white things on the shelves are the labels to help keep us organized.

An previously unused IKEA storage piece and some baskets I found in the basement hold other small items like tape measures, gloves, screwdrivers and the like. And we have all our Dremel tools, bits and attachments together in one locations.

So in the course of an afternoon, I was able to create organization out of chaos. It is so much nicer to head down to the workshop to plan out our next project.

Next up, cleaning out the garage. Before gardening and painting season starts, we need to get things cleaned and organized so we know what we already have and what we need to buy to accomplish our plans.

Seeds Are Planted!

2011-03-20T15:43:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, I planted some of my first seeds of the season taking advantage of my new grow light contraption.

Parsley
Tarragon
Thyme
Peas
Lettuce

I already have some teeny sprouts and will keep you updated on things in the coming weeks.

Happy first day of Spring!!

A DIY Grow Light Stand

2011-03-09T07:24:00.000-05:00

If you live in a northern climate, like I do (Zone 5b), starting your veggies inside is almost a necessity.

But the catch is that you also don't really get enough natural light to ensure that your seedlings won't get leggy, like mine did last year. Or you may have a dog that will eat anything green within her reach. Seedlings growing in front of a slider door on the floor would be like a siren song to our goat dog, Willow.

The answer to that problem is growing my seedlings on a table using a grow light.

Of course, you can get grow lights and stands from various catalogs and online stores but the cost can get quite expensive. Most of the versions I have seen start at about $60. Being a bit of a cheapskate, I decided to build my own using two 8 ft long 2x2s, twelve 2 1/2" wood screws, a 4' long shop light with two T8 full spectrum daylight flourescent bulbs, about 8 feet of chain and two s-hooks. Total cost? Less than $35 (the full breakdown will be at the end of the post.)

For my table, I am using an oddly shaped, beat-up coffee table with a missing drawer and wobbly legs that was left in our basement by the previous owner of the house. I figure that this is a better use than holding empty boxes and old magazines, which is what I was using it for last week.

Step 1:
Create a plan. I sketched out a rough draft and then created a "cleaner" version of my plan using Word and the Draw functionality.

Step 2:
Double check the measurements of the table or other surface you are planning on putting your light on.
I ended up having to cut my top piece shorter to make the stand fit on my table.

Step 3:
Cut all your pieces of wood. I used my table saw but you could even use a hand saw to make the cuts if needed.

For my stand, I cut my pieces in the following dimensions.
1 top piece (50")
2 side pieces (24" each)
2 corner brace pieces (3" each)
2 base pieces (20" each) I originally cut 4 pieces but only ended up needing 2.

Step 4: Lay out the pieces according to size so that you don't accidently cut your top piece in half and need to go back to get another 2x2 the next day (not that I did that or anything...)

Step 5: Securing the sides to the top.
Clamp the side pieces to the top piece, using a corner clamp, if you have one, or you can just a regular clamp. (On a side note, if you are planning on building garden boxes or raised beds, the corner clamp is an amazing tool that makes putting together boxes a breeze.) Pre-drill 2 holes per end and screw in your screws.

Repeat on the other side. You should now have a large U-shaped piece.

Step 6. Attaching in the corner braces
In the corner, place the brace piece, Predrill straight through the side into the brace and install screw. When predrilling the hole through the top, you will need to drill on an angle so you don't hit the previously installed screws.

Step 7: Attaching the base pieces.
Measure and mark the middle of your base piece. Center that on the side and clamp in place, with enough space showing to pre-drill, then install one screw. Once you have one screw installed, you can move the clamp to expose the other side so you can pre-drill and install the second screw. Repeat on the second side.

You now have your stand for your light.

Step 8: Hanging the light
The light I bought actually was made for hanging so came with short chains and S-hooks. These were not long enough to go over the top of the stand so I needed to get some more chain. I bought a 15-ft length and cut it in half, then in half again with some wire cutters to get my desired length (about 3.5' of chain for each side of the light. Drape the cut chain over the top, use an additional S-hook on each side to connect the light chain and the cut chain together.

Step 9:
Place the stand with light on your table, install the bulbs, plug it in and test it out. If everything is working properly, you are ready to grow.

You can also add a timer so you don't have to remember to turn the lights on and off.

Here is the breakdown of the cost for the DIY grow light and stand.
$20.00 4' shoplight
    7.00 2pk of T8 daylight flourescents
    1.30 3pk of S-hooks (Package was $2 but I am using the 3rd S-hook for another another project)
    3.00 1 pkg of 15 ft of chain (package was $6.00 but I will be using the other half for another project)
    2.60 two 2"x2"x8' furing strips
    0.00 16 - 2.5" screws (already had these in our work shop)
$33.90 Actual Cost of the project

If you already have a grow light and bulbs, the cost is less than $10.

Now all I need to do is get my seeds planted for my cool weather crops. Any suggestions?

On this weekend's To Do list

2011-03-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

image souce: vcsu.edu

It is the usual busy weekend of keeping up withe usual house stuff but we also have a few house related projects/activities on the list.

I am making a grow light frame so I can start my veggie seeds using 2x2s, a shop light and some regular florescent bulbs. Total cost is less than $40 or so. Even better than the price? I get to use some power tools.

We are also moving some furniture that we were storing in the garage into the basement so we can actually start working on getting them refinished or repainted. Then that means that we will be able to reorganize the garage. (Oh, to have a clean-ish garage.) And the up-side for you readers is having furniture where it can be worked = projects to post on the blog. [:)]

Finally, we are heading to our local Home & Garden Show to get some ideas for, whatelse, the home and the garden.

What plans, house related or not, do you have for this weekend?

We're Back!

2011-03-04T19:13:00.000-05:00

After quite a hiatus, we are back! We have been trying to balance work, school, some family issues, time with our new dog, and work on the house, needless to say something had to give and blogging hads fallen by the wayside.

But now we are back in on the radar. We have worked some things out, gotten into a routine and stockpiled information for a number of posts.

We have lots of photos of our projects still to download off the cameras, a list of posts to write but in the coming weeks we will have posts on

bamboo flooring
slate tile instillation
repair of hidden water damage (never fun to find)
Organizing our workshop in the basment
our completed dining room
our completed office
beds for the boy's room (plans from http://www.ana-white.com/)
along with several other home dec related projects
With summer coming, there will be many yard and garden projects, including builing your own grow light stand.

Plus a number of photos of the cute dog that is our Willow, who is right now curled up on Hubs' chest with her snout pressed on his face, even though she weighs 55 pounds. She is included because she is our un-official building inspector, aways checking out work.

Hubs and I are glad to be back. We hope you will be too.

Adding Some Detail - Lamp Update

2010-04-23T10:08:00.001-04:00

You may remember both the nightstand redo and the lamp redo for the boys' room well, now that we have an accent color there is an added detail to the lamp.

Using two different thicknesses of bias tape and some hot glue

I turned all the perfectly fine, all white lamp and shade into something just a bit nicer.

And it looks great against the blue wall and coordinates perfectly with the bedding.

It is always amazing to me how a little detail like some bias tape on a lampshade can make such a difference. I am trying to remember this fact when I get overwhelmed with a room redo or a piece of furniture makeover. Sometimes it is the little things that can make the biggest impact.

What little detail(s) have you added to a plain or solid colored item that made a big impact?

Dollar Store Finds Turned Votive Holders

2010-04-17T12:06:00.001-04:00

I love poking around dollar stores. Why? You never know what you will find. Last visit, in addition to the pieces featured in this post, I got a bunch of seeds for our garden. Yay! Some of them were planted in my seed starter kits and have started to grow.

But back to the project. I found a couple of votive holder that were already an oiled bronze color (score, no need to spray paint) and a couple of small glass vases. Below is one set.

I flipped the voitive holder over, applied superglue to the metal edge, set the vase on top making sure it was level and...tada...

For only $2, I think it is a cute and slightly different from the usual votive holder.

I duplicated the same process on the other two pieces for a second holder.

I placed one in our basement guest room on the revamped table. I think it looks perfect in that spot with the bronze color looking fabulous with the espresso color of the table.

The other one ended up in our living room to give a little atmosphere on our Craigslist end table that still is in dire need of a redo.

Don't you just love the vase? It was a wedding present made specially for us by my mother's cousin.

Not too shabby to end up with two votive holders for a whopping $4.

What creations have you come up with from your Dollar Store finds?