I have 2 dog cot slings for the large dog cots with PVC pipe sides that measure 32″ and 26″. One sling is khaki and the other in nutmeg. Both are made of 100% duck cloth and washable. I had someone contact me asking me to sew the slings for her – even nagged me over Memorial Day weekend about getting them done – and then refused to ever send payment. Sigh. Does this fall under “no good deed goes unpunished”? Due to this I am rescinding my offer to sew slings for people in the future. Each sling is … Read more…
Category Archives: Home Decor and Crafts
This post isn’t so much about my lamps as it is about the paint. I love Rustoleum Oiled Bronze Spray Paint! The can said it was good on wood, metal, plastic, and masonry. So far I’ve tried it on metal lamps, plastic coasters and a switch plate and ceramic knobs I have two good quality brass lamps that were in desperate need of an update. I toyed with the idea of using brushed nickel spray paint since that turned out so well on the ceiling fan, but decided it would be too light a color. Then it hit me an oiled … Read more…
I had a bare wall that needed something and also had a bug to have a chalkboard for jotting grocery lists and to do ideas. Combine those two wishes with left over materials. I figured the chalkboard framing that worked so well for my Shaker kitchen cabinet update would work for this — I had left over 3″ strips and two larger pieces of MDF. I took one of the pieces to Lowe’s and asked if they would cut it for me — they reluctantly did. I need to get a table saw as soon as a move to a … Read more…
This is just a short post. If you crochet fleece blankets and have only done 90 degree corners, you should try rounded corners. Also, if you crochet fleece blankets you should look into joining or contributing to Project Linus since there are chapters all over the US. I learned this from a woman in the Dallas chapter of Project Linus — round the corners so you just cruise around them when crocheting the border on a fleece blanket. She was so good at it she could do it free hand — I’m not so good, so I made a template … Read more…
I recently read a post explaining the chemistry behind this process — how the tannin of the tea would combine with the oxidation of vinegar/steel wool mixture and provide an aging stain for new wood. I was doubtful. Since the ingredients were all on hand and economical I decided to run a test to see if it would do anything. Brewing the mixtures I made a small amount of tea with 4 tea bags and let them steep for a couple of hours. I got a small chunk of 0000 steel wool and dropped it in about 1/2 of apple … Read more…
In all my picture taking of what I’ve done to the kitchen, I have carefully avoided one thing — the ceiling fan. You can see why. It was like an ugly albatross hanging there. I was dead set against spending money on a new one and when I’d look at it I’d mentally mumble something along the lines of “The next people who own the house can do something about that…” But it bugged me that it had absolutely nothing to do with anything I’d done to the rest of the kitchen. So I looked online to see if anyone … Read more…
Making stuff from PVC is a fun project. You cut it, sand it, glue it, and paint it. All you need is ideas. I purchased a couple lengths of PVC, 2″ and 3″, and several caps to make a free form pen holder for my office and individual tool/pen holders for my sewing table. I had PVC cement at home. I used my compound miter saw to cut the pipe since I wanted smooth edges. I sanded the bottom and top edges and glued the caps in place. This is the first time I’ve tried angle cuts for one of the … Read more…
This isn’t a DIY post, but suggestions of how to put curtains on a large window without spending a fortune. Not even close to a fortune. I had some left over canvas and had already made a roman shade for the kitchen window over the sink so I wanted to stick with the canvas theme for the sliding door in the kitchen. I shopped curtains and rods and they were a lot more money than I was interested in spending on a house that I plan to sell in the not too distant future so I started researching how to … Read more…
I was looking for a low-cost solution for the kitchen backsplash. I had painted the walls a gold that matches the color in my countertops using Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint, but wasn’t sure where I wanted to go from there. Maybe do some artwork with chalk or just settle for being able to jot down shopping items? I had been thinking about the large decal mural my niece-in-law Brandy had done and was browsing decals for ideas. Shopping and decision-making Then I found Dali Decals. These folks have some great decals and the mini poppies that I loved were only $10 a set. I ordered … Read more…
Link to Part 1 of $70 Countertop Fix – Giani Granite Paint As promised by Giani the replacement paints arrived Monday morning. In the meantime I had figured out how to get the appearance I wanted. If you use a large section of sponge (like half of one) you get a blotchy circles look. If you use the edge of a thinner piece of sponge and use it repeatedly you get a speckled, not blotchy look. This is a case where less really is more. After you cover the area with the big splotches using a large piece of sponge, switch to … Read more…