Evertaster--I cannot wait to read this book!

 

One of my best friends just wrote a youth book called, "Evertaster".  This guy is one of the smartest, funnest, most adventurous, and most creative people I know and everything he does is amazing.  So, naturally, I cannot wait to read this adventure novel to my four boys!  It comes out next month, just in time for a good summer reading.  We are all excitedly anticipating its release.  Check it out when it comes.  For more information, you can visit the Evertaster webpage:  www.evertaster.com

It's going to be awesome!

UPDATE:  The kids and I really enjoyed Evertaster.  It was funny for both kids and adults.  And now, Sidwell has put out a follow-up Novella to Evertaster:  Buttersmith's Gold!  We just got our copy and are excited to read it!

 

Outdoor Curtains

So, I pretty much live on my back deck in the summertime.  In the early morning hours, it's a bit sunny on the couch where I read and in the evening fall hours, the dining table gets a bit too much sun at dinnertime.  So, I wanted to add some curtains that I could pull back to block the sun wherever and whenever needed.  I also thought the curtains would be nice for keeping the snow off the deck furniture in the winter. 

But, our deck is huge and that many curtains can get pricey.  So, after much research, I decided to make the curtains out of canvas drop clothes.  I figured that sails are made out of canvas, so it should be a good material to stand up to the sun and intense wind around here.  Turns out I was right so far.  They have endured a terrible winter and now are still doing great this summer.

Curtain rods are way too expensive for a space this large, so I headed to Home Depot to come up with an alternative plan.  In the end, I decided to hang a plastic-coated wire (metal rope) through some eye hooks that I placed between each of the curtains.  The, I ran the wire through some clip-on curtain rings that I ordered from Jo-Ann's.  I tightened the wire with a little hardware from Home Depot and hung the curtains (drop cloths also from home Depot) on the rings and WaLA!  I now have curtains for my whole 9'x40' deck.

I am so impressed with these little curtain rings.  In the winter, I clamped the curtains to the railing, as they would catch that crazy wind just like sails.  And, believe it or not, those tiny little clips held tight.  I only had one curtain pull off the rings one time when the wind caught it just right.  I think that's pretty impressive considering the weight of just the curtains themselves.  When the curtains are open, I find that little ball bungee cords work best for holding the curtains in place.  They are easy to use, look surprisingly  nice, and keep the curtains put when the wind blows.

All in all, I've been enjoying the fruits of this project and feel like the curtains are not only functional, but really help this outdoor space have the warmth of an indoor room.  I am very pleased with the results.

Cheap Hardware Make-over

So, our house is full of brass hardware.  I am NOT a fan of brass.  And, incidentally, brass is not "in" right now either so it gives the house a dated look.  But, hardware is EXPENSIVE!  So, I decided to try a little updating on the cheap.  I spray-painted all the hardware with Rustoleum Oil-rubbed bronze primer/spray-paint in one.  I figured I had nothing to lose.  And, I am so pleased.  It has held up really well and looks SO much better.  It looks much more upscale now and complements the nickel fixtures instead of clashing with them like the brass did.  The only hardware I actually changed were the builder's grade outdoor light fixtures.  Everything else was done with paint.  You would never know they used to be brass.  And, it has been months now and they are still holding up well.  I figure I can touch them up if I need to in the future, but, so far the only one's that need any touch-ups are the ones my three-year-old got to before they were totally dry.  In order to paint everything, I removed it all, cleaned it with wet-wipes, scuffed it with steel wool, and wiped it down with a microfiber tack cloth before spray painting.  I would like to do all the hinges as well, but since the previous owner painted them all, it will be such a big job to strip the paint, it may  be a while before I get the courage to tackle that project.  (UPDATE:  I am working on the hinges for each room as I do the rooms individually--turns out it's not a bad as I thought--just boil the hinges in baking soda and water--using an old pan you don't use for food--and the paint comes right off!) Anyway, here are some before and after pictures.  I don't have really good before since I didn't take any and just had to use what I could find after-the-fact.

BEFORE

  AFTER

 

Bathroom Vanity and Sink

So, my boys' bathroom was very awkward.  The vanity sink stuck out so far into the room that it blocked the door, crowded the flow of traffic, and scared you with its daunting corner when you tried to sit on the toilet.  It also was only big enough for one person to use at a time.  Not good.  But, it was a standard-sized vanity.  And, there simply aren't vanities (or sinks) narrow enough for the space (except expensive euro-style vanities/sinks, which still would only accommodate one person at a time).  So, I decided to make one myself.  I bought an acacia wood tray to use for the sink.  I built everything else with the cheapest pine boards and 2x4s at the hardware store.  I added bail pulls on the ends to hold hand towels and put a long mirror above the vanity so all four boys can use it at once.  I finished the sink and vanity top with Waterlox to protect them from the water.  I finished the shelves with polyurethane (a less expensive finish) to protect them from water.  I found that the grid-style drains simply do not have enough venting to drain properly, so I jery-rigged the overflow drain that came with the faucet to work in a no-overflow sink.  In the end, I am very pleased with the results.  The bathroom feels so much more open now and has plenty of space for all four boys to use at once.

 Crowded Bathroom BEFORE

Vanity

Bathroom AFTER

(I switched the towel bar out for hooks that are easier for little boys to use)

Knife Block Drawer Organizer

Today I made this knife block drawer organizer.  I was tired of having a messy drawer of knives.  Not only is it inconvenient, but it's also dangerous.  It turned out pretty well.  I made one cut 1/8" off by accident.  That, consequently, threw everything else off so that I could not maintain uniform spacing and still have the block function properly.  So, that was very frustrating.  I had planned to sand it down more and oil it and make it all beautiful, but after the frustration of the wrong cut, I gave up and threw it in the knife drawer to start using it.  It's still quite pretty and, being that it's in the drawer, I don't care that it's not perfect.  If it bugs me, I can go back and touch it up later.  It seems to function really well, which pleases me.  It holds all my knives, with a little room to spare and still leave enough space for my other cutting utensils (e.g., egg slicer, apple corer/slicer, french fry slicer, can opener, rasp grater, peelers, garlic press, etc.)  It's so much nicer than it was before when everything was just thrown in the drawer.  And, the drawer is right below a built-in cutting board--bonus points for that.  Overall, I'm pleased with the end result but this project cost me just enough time and sanity to make it worth it to me to just buy one in the future, even though they cost a small fortune.

Pot and Pan Lid Cupboard Rack

No more cramping my style--or my space!  So, I was getting sick of the inefficiency in trying to store the pot and pan lids in my kitchen.  There's really no good way to do it.  So, I thought, there must be some sort of cupboard organizer for this problem--I can't be the only person in the world that this drives crazy.  So, after a little research, I found a bamboo rack that had good reviews.  But, to fill my cupboard, it would have cost $20.  I showed it to Cam and he said, couldn't you just build that?  Sure enough it looked super simple.  So, a trip to the hardware store for some dowels (<$5) and using some scrap wood I had on had, I threw this thing together.  For about a half hour of my time and $15 savings, I got this new custom rack for my cupboard.  I love it already.  It's in the perfect location.  I can grab a lid without having to leave the stove.  So, I look at it as I got paid $30/hour to make it.  Not bad, not bad at all.  :)

Today I'm tackling the knife drawer problem (and danger for that matter).  Will post the results soon!

For my Tiger-Lover

So, my third son LOVES tigers.  He has BEEN a tiger for about 7 months now.  He loves everything about tigers.  I've never seen a kid THIS consumed with a single thing.  He was a tiger for Halloween.  We were walking through JoAnn's a couple weeks before Halloween.  After walking down an aisle, we turned the corner, but our 2 year old did not come with us.  Then, all of a sudden, we hear an excited exclamation:  first a gasp of excitement, then "I LOVE this!!!!"  I've never had a kid say that about anything, let alone a 2 year old in a fabric and craft store, so naturally we all rushed back into the the aisle to see what he was looking at.  He was holding a . . . wait for it . . . a pair of tiger ears.  This was one of those times (o.k., probably the only time) that I couldn't resist buying an unnecessary "toy" for my kid when there was no special occasion to do so.  Is that sad?  I don't know, but I knew that those few dollars would bring endless amounts of fun, and they did.  For Halloween, I picked up a tiger tail and pinned it to his pants and painted his face.  Who would think that a two-year-old could sit still long enough to have his face painted?  But, he was SO excited to look like a tiger that he held perfectly still while I painted his face.  When it was time to wash his face that night, he was so reluctant to do so.  It was truly remarkable.

So, come Christmas time, he was still Tiger-Enthused, so it was only natural that most of his Christmas gifts this year revolved around tigers.  Since I make a toy for each of my boys for Christmas every year, this year I made the traditional "flipper toy" for my number three, since he didn't have one yet.  And, of course, it HAD to be a tiger.  After making it, I was a little concerned that he may grow out of his tiger-phase before Christmas hit, but, fortunately, he didn't.  In fact, he's still a tiger, going into Valentines!  Anyway, I forgot to get pictures of it before, and the baby has gotten ahold of it since and left his teeth marks in it's face, but here are some pictures and video of it anyway.  Enjoy!

My Little Tiger

About half the time, he added these tiger teeth to his costume.