Customizing our Ikea Lanterns

Posted by James on July 1, 2012
Posted in: New Home, Projects. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 19 Comments

If you don’t shop at Ikea, you are seriously missing out.

I know, I know, it’s a sad design world when every post-grad and their mother has the same particle board furniture. But the trick is NOT completely filling your home with doo-dads from just ONE store.

And customizing the things that you do buy there…..

When we were in Puerto Rico, our hotel…the La Concha…had a very swinging bar scene by the pool every night. To create that “swinging” atmosphere the hotel surrounded the pool area with these orange glass cube hurricanes. Simple orange glass boxes with candles. Very modern, very sexxxy. Of course I thought, “I can make those”. And I certainly could…..but maybe, I could make something similar (and slightly cheaper) with the Ikea lanterns we already have.

The Borrby Lantern to be exact

9 inches square, by 14 inches high…I’m sure you have seen them. Ours are galvanized, but they come in black and white too. Like everything at Ikea  they are reasonable priced, at about 15 bucks each. There’s a smaller version, but I wouldn’t even bother with those. Make an impact. Buy the big ones. Trust Me.

If you’ve never heard of theatrical gels, I’m sure you have seen what they can do. They are thin transparent sheets of colored polycarbonate, like a plastic water bottle, when inserted in front of a spotlight change its color. Gels are amazingly inexpensive and come in every color of the rainbow. (except black and clear, for obvious reasons) They are way much cheaper than colored glass…see where we are headed with this now, folks? A 20″ X 24″ sheet is about 8 bucks….and a sheet and a half is enough for 2 of the big  lanterns. I picked a few up at Norcostco Theater Supply here in Dallas this past week. Orange number 21, the darkest orange color they had.

I started by cutting a few 10″ X 7″ pieces with scissors. Don’t worry if your edges aren’t perfect, no one will even see them.

Adhering the gels to the glass is much easier than you might think. All it takes is Windex. Clean your lantern glass really well, any specks of dirt will look like bubbles in your “colored” glass. Then spritz the entire glass surface lightly….

Remove the white tissue backing and lay your gel piece on the glass. This is why I do the inside of the lantern to hide all the rough edges of the gel. Otherwise you will have to trim every piece exactly to size. And who has time for that? 

Now, use a credit card, or a Tom Thumb Reward card, to squeeze all the Windex out. Start from the middle and gently push towards the outside….

As the Windex dries, the gel sticks to the glass……it’s sssssooo simple. And they peel off when you are tired of them. You will want to make sure that your candle flame will be far away from the gel, or they melt….again, use the Big lantern.

Look at all this Awesomeness…….

They look just GREAT with our currently orange front door too….

Choose any color you like. Just stick with the darker colors because they will make the most impact. We happen to love orange in this house…but, I’m thinking red might be the way to go for Christmas this year….

Stay tuned and see……..

Sherwin Williams Chip It

Posted by James on June 28, 2012
Posted in: Did Ya Know?, New Home. Tagged: , , , , , , . 4 Comments

Have ya heard of this yet?

Sherwin Williams has an app for your pc, “Chip It” , that can match Sherwin Williams paint colors to any inspiration picture you can find.

Just paste the app on your favorites bar, press it when you find a picture you like, then hover your cursor the over the picture……Amazing, right?

Example, here are a couple of pictures from my Pinterest page…with coordinating Sherwin Williams colors…

It works so well with Pinterest, that I thought I would see what color suggestions we get with some pictures from the ol’ homestead…

Looks like we have our color pallet down already.

Hidden Valley Dairy

Posted by James on June 22, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , . 4 Comments

If there was one friend I had from high school that I would have deemed,

“Most likely NOT to live on a working dairy farm”….

It would have been my dear friend Judy. I’m not saying that she isn’t tough. Far from it . She just never struck me a the type who would milk goats when she grew up.

Can y’all guess what she does now? That’s right. She and her family have an actual working dairy farm, Hidden Valley Dairy. It’s in Argyle Texas if you can belive it’s under all this snow.

They sell raw goats milk, yogurt and kefir, free range eggs, and make the most amazing handcrafted goats milk soap.

Naturally I was curious, so I ordered a few bars……….When our package came, I could smell the unopened box when I walked into the house…….

If only the PC was scrath-n-sniff; you could smell just how heavenly for yourselves….

Goats milk soap is naturally nourishing to skin, kills acne bacteria, moisturizes skin instead of drying like commercial soap, and actually reduces irritation for people with sensitive skin. Don’t like fragrance or dyes? No worries.  They sell unscented/color free as well.

 I had to know how this all came about for Judy and her family. So I quizzed her…….

How on earth did y’all ever decide to raise goats?

Judy, “We started in goats in ’06 after lots and lots of research. We wanted something that would allow us to be a bit more self sufficient and also put our land to good use. Dairy goats fit the bill because they don’t require expensive facilities ie; heavy duty fencing, large barns, livestock handling etc., and goats like vines, broad leaf grasses and leaves, which we have plenty of with our heavily treed property. 

Dairy Goats are very intelligent, friendly and easily handled because, frankly, they are like big dogs. They know their names and you can lead them around by their collar which means the kids can handle them without getting hurt (unlike cows). After we decided on goats we went to the Ft. Worth stock show and visited the Dairy goat barn and talked with a lot of the dairy goat breeders. We made some friends and ended up buying seven LaMancha dairy goats….all in milk…and I’d never even milked a goat! You know what they say: “go big or go home” LOL!”

Do goats, like cows, have to be pregnant or nursing to produce milk?

Judy, “We practice what’s called “extended lactation” which basically means we only breed when we absolutely have to. There isn’t a large goat market (non-dinner plate, that is) and we feel it’s better to not bring a bunch of unwanted goats into the world. So we milk twice a day, everyday, summer and winter. Seven of the nine does are well into their second year of lactation and still going strong. The other two will be bred again this summer.”

Here are a couple of the girls, Sugar and Ima respectively, strapped in for a feeding and a milking….

How did you start using the goat milk to make soap?

Judy, “A well bred dairy goat will give a gallon or more of milk a day so I had A LOT of extra milk. I made yogurt, cheese, kefir, as well as all of us drinking a ton of milk and still had milk left over so I started making soap. I had no idea how wonderful goat’s milk soap was in the beginning. I just needed to do something with the milk. The first time I used my soap (after curing) I was stunned that my skin didn’t hurt. I truly had no idea that soap wasn’t supposed to burn! Needless to say I was hooked. “

Here are some bars about to be sliced and packaged…That’s Rosemarry, Eucalyptus Mint (Our personal Favorite), and Lavender.

How did you start selling your soaps?

Judy, “One of my close friends is Anne Jones of Latte Da Dairy in Flower Mound and she kept telling me I needed to sell my soaps but I was nervous so she invited me to set up a table at one of her farm open houses (if you’ve never been to a Latte Da open house you need to!) and people loved it so the rest is history. “

 

Other than your website, Hiddenvalleydairy.com,  and Etsy, where can we buy your soaps?

Judy, “We mainly do Farmer’s markets right now although I’m about to launch my Amazon store and we also have a couple of wholesale accounts. I bring my soap and Anne’s cheese to White Rock Local Market and sell both. I’m looking into larger venues like craft shows and also expanding my wholesale business (B&M stores). I’m trying to grow slow enough to focus on customer service and order fulfillment but fast enough to keep up momentum…it’s a harrowing balancing act! “

I have wanted to get a couple of chickens for years, but Jamie thinks I’m joking when I bring it up…..

Judy, “Tell Jamie you NEED chickens! They are so much fun! They all have different personalities and are a blast to watch. We used to have one hen that would want to be rocked on the hammock every time my daughter would go outside and we also had one that would wait by the gate for us to drive in and then “lead” us down the driveway as if we needed her help to find our way home. LOL! They eat bugs and give you fertilizer. They also give you breakfast…”

How beautiful is this girl? And I am totally in love with that galvanized nesting box.

 Please take a look-see at Hidden Valley Diary online, order a few bars for yourselves, you will NOT be disappointed.

Drop Judy a note, tell her the Cavender boys said “Howdy”.

…….. she’d love to hear that you’ve enjoyed her soaps as much as we have ……

Barn Light Electric Giveaway

Posted by James on June 18, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Barn Light Electric is where vintage and modern collide.

That is actually their slogan….and it describes the Cavender Diary style to a “T“.

Check this contest out.

Barn Light Electric is hosting a Giveaway for three lucky winners in three different amounts: $1000, $500, and $250  to spend on their amazing light fixtures! Since I have been planning on hanging about 5 or 6 of these in our garage, this is kind of a big deal.

Here’s what I would choose if we win, OR if our budget was endless…….

Ivanhoe™ Sky Chief 16″ Warehouse Porcelain Pendant

Or maybe this one…

Ivanhoe™ Bomber 17″ Warehouse Porcelain Pendant

How great would this look over the driveway in back of the house???

Goodrich™ Bomber 17″ Porcelain Gooseneck Light

I would find a place for a few of these as well, maybe over the potting bench, LOVE the red cage ….

These would look great in a future bathroom remodel….in satin nickel, of course….am I right?

Not that I’m sucking up, but we have had a link to Barn Light Electric on our site for a couple of years now…..I truly do believe in them.

So, you want in? Here’s what you have to do:

  1. Look online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
  2. Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
  3. Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog post

Once your personal post is up, you must email your blog link to: marketing@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win – the contest ends July 2nd, 2012

For those that do not have a blog but wish to enter, please email the following information to marketing@barnlightelectric.com:

First & Last Name
Mailing Address
City,State, Zip
Valid Email Address

(Fingers crossed)

OOOPPPPSSSS, forgot to post the actual rules…..

Official Giveaway Rules

Our one (1) $1,000.00, one (1) $500.00 (USD), and one (1) $250.00 (USD) Barn Light Electric Gift Certificate Giveaway (“Giveaway”) is sponsored by Barn Light Electric Company (owner and operator of barnlightelectric.com), 3405 South Washington Avenue Titusville, Florida 32780.

ELIGIBILITY: To enter, you must be age 18 or older. Anyone else may enter, however, additional shipping rates will apply if shipping outside the continental United States. Employees, partners and vendors of Barn Light Electric Company and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. All prizes will be awarded. No substitutions including for cash are permitted. Winners will be responsible and liable for any and all taxes, duties or fees on the value of their prize.

An email from the entrant including their blog link must be sent to marketing@barnlightelectric.com in order to become an official entry. You are allowed ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Duplicate entries will be discarded. Entries are open from 06/04/2012 at 12:00 am EST to 07/02/2012 at 11:59 pm PST. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means are void. Normal time, toll, connection and usage rates, if any, charged by your Internet service provider will apply. All entries become the property of the Barn Light Electric Company. By submitting your entry, you will be agreeing that your email and any other information collected in connection with the Giveaway may be used by Barn Light Electric Company in accordance with Barn Light Electric Company’s Privacy Policy and may be shared with Barn Light Electric Company’s affiliated business entities. All entries must include the entrants valid email address. The email address provided and used by online entrants will be the identity of the entrant and, if selected for a prize, the identity of the winner. We expressly reserve the right to disqualify any entries that we believe in good faith are generated by an automated program or via scripts. By participating, all entrants agree to abide by these Official Giveaway Rules.

WINNERS: After the entry period, three winners will be chosen at random. One (1) $1,000.00, one (1) $500.00 (USD), and one (1) $250.00 Barn Light Electric Gift Certificate will be awarded to each winner. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting the entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the e-mail account is registered. The Giveaway will be conducted under the supervision of Barn Light Electric Company. The decisions of Barn Light Electric Company are final and binding in all matters relating to this Giveaway. The three winners will be notified by email to the email address provided in the entry. Upon notification and prize acceptance, one (1) $1,000.00, one (1) $500.00 winner, and one $250.00 winner will receive an electronic gift certificate redeemable only at barnlightelectric.com. Winner’s selection of product can be ordered online or via phone. It is the winner’s responsibility to confirm the order is correct upon receiving the electronic Invoice from Barn Light Electric Company. The amount of the gift certificate can be used towards shipping costs if located within the continental United States, however, additional shipping rates will apply if shipping outside the continental United States. Winners will be responsible and liable for any and all taxes, fees and duties on the value of their prize. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. Each entry submitted in response to the Giveaway and in accordance with the rules will constitute an official entry. Winners will be announced on or around July 6th, 2012.

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND RELEASES: An entrant or winner may be disqualified from the Giveaway if he or she fails to comply with each provision of these Official Giveaway Rules, as determined in the sole discretion of Barn Light Electric Company. Participation in the Giveaway is at entrant’s own risk. Barn Light Electric Company shall make its best efforts to include all valid entrants into the contest. Barn Light Electric Company shall not be responsible for unintentionally excluding valid entrants from the possible winners and also shall not be responsible if valid entrants are not received due to communication errors relating to the internet, email, computer or telephone network failures, human error such as a Barn Light Electric Company employee accidentally not including the entrant in the random drawing, or for any other reason. Barn Light Electric Company does not make any, and hereby disclaims any and all, representations or warranties of any kind regarding any prize. By entering, an entrant agrees to release and hold harmless Barn Light Electric Company and its respective partners, sponsors, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives from any damage, injury, death, loss, claim, action, demand, or other liability (collectively, “Claims”) that may arise from their acceptance, possession and/or use of any prize or their participation in this promotion, or from any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, regardless of whether such Claims, or knowledge of the facts constituting such Claims, exist at the time of entry or arise at any time thereafter. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Giveaway will be ineligible for prizes and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Barn Light Electric Company reserves the right to modify these Official Contest Rules in any way or at any time. Barn Light Electric Company reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this Giveaway should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond their control corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Giveaway. In the event of cancellation or suspension, Barn Light Electric Company shall promptly post a notice on their online Giveaway page to such effect.

Finishing Up Those Cedar Details

Posted by James on June 17, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , . 11 Comments

We finally got around to completely finishing those cedar details on the front of our house that we started just over a year ago.

I know, we feel a little embarrassed by our lack of speed. The heat of the Texas summer is almost here and we wanted to have some of those outside projects finished before it hits us full blast.

Last year we covered the front patio posts with cedar planks to hide the thin, spindly posts that were there.

We also covered the ceiling of the patio with cedar planks. We love this so much, we are probably going to do something similar on the garage walls.

WE, I mean, I am the King of starting projects, and then moving on to another one before the first one is finished. Luckily I have Jamie here to bit.. , no, I mean to rationally persuade me to finish the fist one. (side note here, we still have a few little details left unfinished in the kitchen). A prime example is the shutters that I made with leftover cedar pieces back in AUGUST….They have been sitting in the garage taunting me as a testament to my short attention span.

Now they are hanging on the front of the house and we couldn’t possibly love them more. It took several different approaches to make them stick. I didn’t want big nasty screws in the front of them…..and what do we have? Big nasty screws in the front of them. Hopefully a little stain on the screw heads will make them disappear. BTW….When people talk about hanging things on brick, and they used a masonry bit to drill into the brick…..What they really mean to say is that they drilled into the mortar surrounding the brick. It is way easier. I drilled holes, slipped in a “Sharkie” (it’s a plastic insertable anchor), and then screwed my shutters in with galvanized drywall screws.

After our dear friend Chuck stained the fence….It looks so amazing that everything else looked shabby in comparison. We knew it was time to stain the cedar posts as well.

Here’s the picture of the house from the real estate listing the first time we saw it …….2 and a half years ago….

And here’s what she looked like after we painted the trim chocolate-brown, beefed up the front patio posts, painted the front door luscious orange, and replaced the patio light…..

AND NOW……. (insert drumroll please) this is what she looks like today with the new shutters and stained patio posts….

LOVE………………….. just love.

Now she looks like she was supposed to. There were holes and nails in the mortar where shutters used to hang. I wonder what they looked like.

I’ll bet they weren’t the perfect combination of “Modern” and “Texas Ranch” that we have now.

Chalk Board Globe

Posted by James on June 16, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , , , . 4 Comments

We started cleaning out our garage this weekend. We have big plans for it soon….remember those cabinets we took out of the kitchen? Well unfortunately, our garage is currently full of things we don’t really need. Who’s isn’t?

(possible hoarding issues, but I’m not worrying until an A&E camera crew shows up with a psychologist)

One of those things filling up our garage was this vintage tin globe.

It’s been glaring at me from on top of a pile of “donate-ables” for a couple of months now. I have a passion for tin globes. Especially weathered ones. But this guy….way too weathered for me. I bought him on Ebay for ‘prolly 5 bucks. That’s the gamble with Ebay, you’re never quite sure what you will get until it’s in your hot little hands. And 5 bucks, is only 5 bucks.

So there he’s been sitting; in the box to trash/sell/donate.

I though that there just might be a glimmer of hope for him yet.

I took him off the red/black base, just unscrewed the wingnut on the bottom, and gave him a light sanding with a fine grit sandpaper. That actually took off quite a bit of the rust.

I drilled a hole in a 2 X 4 and mounted him with the rod still running down the middle. Then a quick shot of Rustoleum black primer. Always have black spray paint available…..just for black spray paint emergencies.

I’m diggin’ the Death Star look so far…

I seriously didn’t mean for this post to become a Rustoleum add, but stick with what works…..Have you ever used this chalk board paint? 

It’s pretty simple…just roll, or brush it on.

I used my Texas public school education to draw what somewhat resembles the continents. Europe looks like a T-rex, and I’m pretty sure that I left off most of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and a good portion of India as well. But this side looks way better than my Western hemisphere….It’s shamedfull, so very shameful.

But still a cute globe.

Displaying Our Treasures

Posted by James on June 8, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

I wrote this post for karapasleydesigns a few months ago….Awesome blog, please check her out.

Not only does it highlight the shelves in our rarely-viewed living room…it’s chock full of great inspiration that we wanted to share with y’all.

Greetings and Salutations….

I’m James from  The Cavender Diary.

Kara asked me to stop by and share a few of the styling tips that my partner Jamie and I use at our own house.

A few weeks ago, we picked up 3 of these chrome and glass shelving units for our living room. That meant that with the shelves almost filled with books, we would have the entire top to display art and a few tchotchkes. When you have as much “acquired stuff” to display as we do, it can become a little overwhelming.  Fortunately, after 20 years of display for retail stores, I’ve picked up a few styling tricks to keep all our inexpensive treasures looking like treasures, and not……well……  just plain clutter.

Want to  know the secret to arranging your possessions so that everything looks balanced? It’s a pyramid. Seriously, group taller items in the middle, and shorter ones on both sides. Try to avoid everything being the same height ( except for a collection of the same thing….like the jars ). The color story is pretty much just black, white and natural, but there are also small amounts of red and yellow interspersed for just a little energy. The wall mounted hurricanes act as “book-ends” for the whole she-bang.

Art doesn’t have to cost a fortune or even have matching frames to look cohesive. An African mudcloth with an IKEA picture light, mingles with an Edward Curtis Indian portrait, a color copied vintage map and a Pop-Art alphabet piece. They have very little in common….except for similar clean-lined frames and crisp white mats. Your pictures don’t need to be professionally framed to look expensive. Any framer will cut a white mat, perfect for a frame you may already have, for about 20$. White mats = instant art pedigree.

Not every picture has to hang on the wall. Because we move our ever-changing art collection almost monthly, I usually just lean them in groups.  This keeps our sight line low and tight and makes the ceiling appear to be higher. Too make the alphabet print the highest point I set it on a piece of scrap wood. There is even a smaller pyramid configuration in this grouping too.

Don’t overlook a purchase just because it’s a little damaged. The chalkware Jesus was a junk shop find that looks like a cherished family heirloom with his chipped patina. The Indian portrait came out of a $4 Amazon book that was missing most of its binding. I just taped it  into a simple Ikea frame that already had a white mat. We used a plate stand as an easel.

We always add small details that evoke memories. Jamie and I both travel for work, so we constantly pick up vintage postcards, old black & white photos, and Letterman’s patches on our travels and then tuck them into the corners of frames all over our house. I’m all for souvenirs that only cost a buck or two. Even a set of  “Silver Screen Cowboys” stamps become a part of the mix. This is a perfect thing to do with family photos, ticket stubs and fortune cookie fortunes.

Plants don’t have to be contained in flower pots. I love orchids, but sometimes they are just a little too “precious” for me; so I repotted this one in a tomato can. The colors couldn’t be more perfect together. I’ll pretty much use anything I have available to pot a plant in….. a silver trophy, an ice bucket, a wooden box. I’ve even used old paint cans with dried paint dripped down the sides. Think outside the box, or pot.

Anything in a frame will instantly look like art. I’ve never found an object that I wouldn’t hot glue into a shadow box. These celluloid indians look like a one of a kind piece and they were just a couple of bucks each on eBay. We have also framed Pezz dispensers, baseball mitts, belt buckles and even paperback Western novels. Trust me, this is a fool-proof stunner every time. I use hot glue, but velcro or bank pins will make things easier to change out later.

Contain your collections. These jars are just kitchen canisters from a department store. 3 of the largest size looks way more graphic than one of each size.  We used paint stripper to remove the way too bright enamel color from the lids and reveal the “much cooler” galvanized metal underneath. The croquet balls were just gathering dust in the garage, now they add a visual “punch”. Ok, so we didn’t drink all that wine alone, we had a little help……. the Champaign corks have the dates that we opened them ( Birthdays, New Years, Anniversaries…etc ) written on each one.  Any collection, like baseballs, dominoes, or sea shells, will look less “junky” in a canister.

Once we place a big piece of furniture, it stays put. All the accessories, on the other hand, rotate constantly. And rotate constantly is what they do.

So there y’all have it. Just a few pointers on how we accessorize our home without letting all the “stuff” we’ve collected take over.

Tool Cart…..or Possible Barcart?

Posted by James on June 3, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , . 30 Comments

Let me introduce y’all to Harbor Freight and Tools. Quality tools at ridiculously low prices. (that’s the slogan that they use)

Brilliant store, but don’t worry if there isn’t one where you live. The website has the exact same awesome things that we saw in the store WITH $6.99 flat rate shipping.  I have slight commitment issues and have to touch power tools before I can actually buy them…..but that’s just me.

Our friend Jimmy, you might remember that he connected our dishwasher for us, sent us to Harbor Freight and Tools to buy foldable saw horses.

“Only 12 bucks,” he said.

Up to this point, we had been using Ikea fiberboard saw horses meant for a light weight desk top…..Pretty crappy, but they were free. We started with 4, and we’re down to just 2 because they kept shattering when I tried to use them as actual saw horses.

Anyhoo, my first step into Harbor Freight and Tools, and my head was,

“Spinning right round, Baby, like a record, Baby, right round, round round.”

They have absolutely everything that hardware stores used to have……I seriously didn’t know where to focus……chrome axes, air compressors ($65 range), live bait traps, rolling tool-cabinets, Adirondack chairs (only $25, I might add), $12 saw horses that we were there to get in the first place, a 12 foot greenhouse, (takes breath) I could go on for days…..

But this is what I couldn’t stop myself from buying.

Red powder coated tool cart with locking drawer and wheels. Very Cool…

I just had no idea what to do with it…

Wait a minute, didn’t I just pin an inspiration picture on Pinterest ? Oh yeah, this one…….

And my brain started chanting “Bar Cart, Bar Cart, Bar Cart”. I have always wanted a bar cart. And here was one for only $75 staring me in the face.

We are not big liquor drinkers, I very much prefer beer. But I do enjoy collecting those cool liquor bottles….See…

Now we have something to put all those bottles on..and eaisly roll them from room to room around the abode.

I did have to make a few modifications, just to make it our own.

For starters I installed the bottom shelf upside down , so that it’s not concave like the top.

Ohhh yeah,  the top. There are 4 weird nuts that stick up in the tray on top….

So I cut a 30 X 16 MDF piece to insert inside and make a nice flat surface…..

Because the handles for the whole cart take up the corners, I had to jig saw away about an inch and a half of each corner.

Then I was left with this cross shape…

The bolts stick up about 1/4 inch, so I used a router bit on the drill to make holes, but not complete holes. I wanted this piece to fit perfectly on top of the bolts.
Looks like this…..This will be the bottom of the tray top.

We always use adhesive cork shelf liners in our drawers to keep things from sliding around. This stuff is great. It’s not so sticky that you can’t peel it up and adjust it if you didn’t do a perfect job applying it. We buy it at Target, but I think The Container Store sells it too. I covered the top of my cart insert with the cork and trimmed the edges with a sharp exacto knife. (Hint; change blades often, a sharp blade will make a world of difference with all your projects)

Because I measured several times, it fit just perfectly. See

Then I filled her with bottles…and naturally, an orchid.

I know that y’all didn’t think that we forgot to put cork in that drawer, now did you? What a perfect place to keep a bottle opener (shaped like an antler of course), shot glasses, cocktail napkins, a bartenders guide…and the most important things, old-fashioned glasses…

With only 4 1/2 inches of drawer height, I thought it might be difficult to find old-fashioned glasses to fit in there. You know, some that I actually liked. The Crate & Barrel outlet is not far from our house…and these were the first ones I saw…

4 inches tall? Only a buck fifty? Are you kidding me? I took 10.

We could NOT possibly love this cart more.

On the off-chance that someday we do tire of it…..we will just use it in the garage.

You know, to actually hold tools.

But I don’t see that happening anytime soon……

Did Ya Know?

Posted by James on June 1, 2012
Posted in: Did Ya Know?, New Home. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Did ya know that snails and slugs like beer? More than they like marigolds.

Jamie planted a small cluster of marigolds in our front flower beds, just the right shade of orange to match the front door.

Well, apparently we were feeding a family of slugs and snails.

I don’t like to spray chemicals in the yard if we don’t have too. I enjoy seeing the geckos and the mantises too much. So I set out a couple of shallow bowls of beer.

They drink, they get drunk, they fall in and drown.

Done Deal.

Kinds looks like nasty slug soup.

Finally Stained that Fence

Posted by James on May 27, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , . 30 Comments

2 years ago…We tackled our first major project.

Let that fester for a minute,     

2   years  ago… 

Here’s what our backyard looked like the first time we saw it …..

Huge backyard for our neighborhood, But a chain link fence?..

Honestly?

Not very sexxxy.

Not at all. And completely covered in honeysuckle, trumpet vine, and morning glory. It just looked unkempt.

We needed an actual wood fence. A horizontal fence to be honest.

We met with 7 different contractors/fence builders……and none of them would build us a horizontal fence ( for a reasonable price, anyway). But the 8th one we talked to was willing to take on our challenge. All right for you Jack!

He tore out the chain link….and left the fig tree. Yeah!

And started building our horizontal cedar fence..

We Love it!!! Love it so much. So, Very, Very, Much.

We constructed our fence 2 years ago…

Let that fester for one more minute,     

2    years    ago…  (slowly shakes head and sighs)  We built it……but never stained it.

In 2 years time the beautiful cedar had faded to this soft grey…

Well all that changed this week……We finally stained it. Now it’s russet. Beautiful color this russet, warm brown..slight redish tint. Semi-transparent stain/sealer with 25% colorant added…so it’s not too dark/not too light. Looks great.

( by “We”, of course I mean our dear friend Chuck who did the actual work)  Remember Chuck? He installed the new electrical panel a few months ago. Well, he came back.

Chuck started staining by hand, but just for about 2 feet of the whole fence……then he and Jamie rented a sprayer. Aaahhh, slightly faster process.

In 2 days time, you can tell this by Chuck’s wardrobe change, he had that baby looking like a million dollars.

Speaking of a million dollars; our dry-ass fence soaked up almost 5 5-gallon drums of stain(that’s 25 gallons if you’re counting)  Jeeshh

Every shot I took straight on in the backyard had a blurry Doberman in it …so there ya go.

How was that Steven? More of what you wanted to see?….Shutters are next BTW.