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Showing posts with label in. Show all posts
Showing posts with label in. Show all posts

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Vintage Desk in Navy Blue


I found this darling little vintage desk a few months back. 
However, the top could not be salvaged. I thought about scraping it (way too much work) and painting underneath, but I found out it was particle board. So rather than scrape and redo another laminate top, 
I though why not just make a solid wood top??!

So thats what I did. I went to the lumber yard and found some solid cherry "shorts" for a song!
You can see where I started to scrape off the top. Fugettibout it! 

 Here are the 3 boards glued and jigged together getting sanded. 
The edges were also routed to smooth them out. 
 I think I used a combo of stains. I know I did a gel in dark walnut. I might have thrown in some
                                red mahogany just to brighten it up a bit. Cherry is beautiful!


And here is the desk all put together!

Yes, I painted the "Union Jack" as well! 

Oh, and the chair too! 
Would this not be adorable in a boys room????

I love the new top better than the original! 


If I never have to paint a "jack" again, it will be fine with me! LOL





This beaut is for sale!!

UPDATE>>>>>>I repainted it in BLACK





Linking up to all my faves below plus: betweennapsontheporch.net , my uncommon slice of suburbia, The Dedicated House , new house new home new life, Coastal Charm, The Shabby Creek Cottage, From my front porch to yours, House of Hepworths

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Sunday, February 16, 2014

Raising Chickens In Your Backyard Chicken Pen

If you are raising chickens or are intending to do it soon, chicken coop is something you cannot ignore. Although, many people prefer buying pre-built chicken coops available in the market as they find building a chicken coop themselves a bit difficult.

However, the reality is, not only building a chicken cage is simple but is essentially far better option than going for a ready assembled chicken shack. With one or two simple chicken shack plans, we will help you get going with this venture. Well, firstly select the location you would like to build your chicken shed on.

It is better that you build it in your yard or a place where you can watch your chickens all of the time. This hence will save your chickens from predators and will save you of additional costs of fencing or other protecting measures, you otherwise would have taken.

Second thing to consider is that you should build your chicken coop according to the number of chickens you are raising. You can take help of the easy chicken coop plans available on internet to literally start building the coop.

Hence you should install windows and a door to keep air flow. But that doesn’t indicate that you absolutely forget the facet of insulation in cold weathers and in wet or snowy days. You can install a light within the coop as it’ll give them a recurring heating effect.

Moreover, make sure that your chicken coop stays clean every time. You should wash it alternate days or after every 2-3 days but do not let the water accumulate inside. So make your coop in such a choice that it slides the water outside or you can have it facing towards the sun, so that it could get dry naturally soon after you wash it.
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Monday, February 10, 2014

A House In The Trees Part II

Once the first two (2) bolts were in and I’d cleaned up from the first day of the tree house build, I walked the site and thought about how I would lay out the platform. As part of this process, I measured between the trees and discovered that the clearances between trees were 9’11” (too big for my intended 10’ beam) 12’6” (too big for my intended 12’ beam) and 15’7” (too big for my 16’ beam). Ungh.

Initially, I thought I’d just get two 2”x8”x18’ boards and make an 18’ beam. If I did that and discarded the 10’ one I’d already made, I could shift the other two down in location and still end up with the triangle shaped platform I had in my head.



In the morning, before going out to get the 18’ boards and walked the site again, with a slightly clearer head. While an 18’ beam would allow me to make the triangle shaped platform I’d intended, as I stood there between the trees I realized that the triangle was going to be too small. If I added a post to act as a fourth tree, I could turn the triangle into a rectangle and just about double the size of the tree house platform.

With this new plan, I headed to the store and picked up two (2) 2”x8”x16’ board to make a second beam for the long side and two (2) 2”x8”x10’ boards to make a second beam for the short end. I also picked up a 4”x4”x12’ post for the fourth “tree.”
Additional beams during glueup.
As soon as I got home I again glued up the joists. Then I set to work marking out and digging for the post. To my astonishment and delight, I managed to dig the 3’5” hole for the post without hitting any roots, rocks or other impediments.
The easiest hole Ive ever dug.
I tossed a few inches of gravel in the bottom of the hole to help with drainage and tossed in the post. After temporarily bracing the post level, I slowly filled the hole with dry cement. Every few inches I would tamp it down with a broom handle (on which I’d cut a flat end instead of the original rounded end) and added a bit of water with a watering can. Years ago I read somewhere that when setting posts you didn’t need to actually mix the cement, but could get away just watering it in place. I’ve used this method a few times now, and it seems to work fine.

The four trees for the Tree House.
With the post in place, I again thought about the beam layout and how I would frame and deck the platform. I realized that since the double 16’ beams would extend past the trees and pick up the weight of all of the joists, the double 12” beams at the end wouldn’t add anything but weight. At least I’ll be able to use two (2) of the five (5) beams I’ve made.


Other Tree House posts.
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Whats in my Cabinets

Recently I got a Silhouette Cameo and Ive finally put it to use! A year or so ago I purchased a container for the flour and as odd as this sounds, I couldnt be happier with it. I know what you are thinking ... is she really that excited about a flour container? Well this one is perfect, it has a wide opening so I can measure and level the extra off without flour going everywhere. The top snaps on an off like a breeze and it also seals really well (its Food Network brand found at Kohls).

Anyways, I decided to invest in a few more containers that will hopefully make me equally happy, while organizing my mini pantry.


I love things organized, but I tend to get overwhelmed when I try to do it all at once,  so Ive decided to tackle it little by little (like cabinet by cabinet little)

For now we just have a few cabinets devoted to our pantry (hopefully a full size one will be in the future next time we move!)

So I took everything out and decided where it should go and how it should be stored (moved somethings to another cabinet, and moved somethings in)


I moved these baskets from Ikea on top of the microwave, dont they fit perfectly there? They hold coffee/tea items and canned goods that I use on a regular basis for easy access. The jar to the right holds Annabelles treats, David gets up way to early for work and she always goes to the kitchen (half sleepy eyed, I hear) to get her treat while he eats breakfast. So having that within reach was important too!

I moved my flour container from another cabinet and put the vinegars and other like items on a lazy susan, which makes them so much easier to access!



I covered a few jars in tissue paper from a Kate Spade purchase and mod podge. 

I found containers like my flour one at TJ Maxx, these were sold in a set of 6 that perfectly stack and are proportioned so that they are the same height. (They ended up being about $4 each)

I used the Silhouette Cameo to cut out these cut out a few labels ... 


For the top shelf, I put lighter items (so it would be easier to get down) that I dont use very often ...


I covered a peacock blue bin found at Target for $2.50 with fun polka dot paper from World Market 
to put medicine and vitamins in. Individually packaged mixes are next door in a plastic bin, but I would like to find something a little bigger to fill the space. 


Such a big improvement! Im looking forward to tackling the other cabinets! 
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Friday, January 31, 2014

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Monday, January 27, 2014

Doors for the built in

Today, I made the doors for the lower cabinets.  They will be hung as inset doors, not overlay doors.  I used glue and pocket hole joinery to make them.  Id like to say that pocket hole joinery, although relatively new over the last 20 years, makes for quite a strong joint. Additionally, they are quick to make, and when done properly are very effective and impressive (where joinery is concerned at least).  Ive ordered some custom hinges, and will be hanging the doors soon, and then will be prepping the entire unit for paint.




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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Finishing the built in part 2

The priming, resanding, and painting has been finished on the built in.  Its nice and smooth!  There is some other work to take place in the room, and then Ill be installing the crown molding and base trim to finish this project off.






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