Vinyl repurposed

Have you seen the fun people are having with old vinyl? They're shaping them into bowls, trays and I've even seen clocks! The end product has a really cool, shiny, funky, metro vibe.

I looked online and saw some great, artistic options...but I needed it for a gift exchange, and it was already Christmas morning...so I was out of time!

Luckily I planned a little ahead, so I already had the vinyl. But, I soon learned it making these things was harder than it looked. The good thing is that vinyl can be reheated and reshaped.

So, with the oven set just below 200 degrees, I tried a couple different melting methods:

1. Set the record on a bowl. Place a can on the label of the record. As the vinyl heats, it will start sinking into the bowl. Wait until it is flexible, then shape it into something attractive.

Or:

2. Place the record in the oven on top of a tall can. Again, wait until it starts drooping. Then shape it.

The most interesting thing I found was that the record melted differently depending on their age. The 50's were a lot different than the 80's!

Here are a few pictures of the outcome:

Happy Thanksgiving

Things have been a little busy recently, and I haven't had a chance to post ....but, I hope to make up for it!

First, a little Thanksgiving cheer to pass on. I embellished a pumpkin pie with a little turkey! It was very tasty, festive. ..and used up some extra pie dough.

Patterns

Have you noticed the new trends of pattern layering? I love it -- the new Ethan Allen catalog came in the mail and it is showing "The New Eclecticism".  I apparently strive to fit into this category.  Look at this example, pattern rug with patterned table base, pattern wallpaper...and somehow none of it is overbearing.  I think I need a decorator to pull this together for me....

Here is a picture that reflects my true inspiration, the repeating arched supports reminiscent of a time passed.  Positioned on top of layers of concrete surrounded with the columned edging on a backdrop of waves and trees.

This is the pier to the South Haven, MI lighthouse.  It was really cold, rainy and windy there this past weekend!!  But we had a great time -- we normally aren't on the shores of Lake Michigan in November!!  It made us want to come back in February to see what the lake looks like covered in ice and snow!

Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing!!

I hosted an event here the other night and needed something fun and seasonal for dessert.  Maybe it's the pumpkin latte's everywhere, but I've had some serious pumpkin cravings.  And, since my hubby won't go near pumpkin, I had to make sure there were others around to eat them.  My kids will eat them (all of them) but I don't need that happening!!!

The other interesting thing to note is that I don't bake desserts.  My husband does. I've even devolved to using the bagged cookie mix.  (I know those of you who ate cookies I made in my teens are cheering right now.) So for me, this was a serious challenge.

So, I searched for recipes and found two awesome options.  The first was from My Baking Addiction and the second was from Skinnytaste.com. One of the sites said that it was adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe -- always a good sign!!

After looking at the calorie content on both the recipes, I combined the two.  I was aiming for really tasty and not too bad for you.

From Skinnytaste.com, I used the pumpkin cupcake recipe (and it was stupidly easy...so that was a selling point for me) and I pulled the cinnamon cream cheese frosting recipe from the second site.  It is the really unhealthy part of the recipe.  But it is really, really tasty!!  Then I couldn't resist sticking the candy corn on top.

They were a HUGE hit!!  People even took extras home to their spouses (supposedly). I think they just hid them in their fridge for later....


Thanks to both My Baking Addiction and Skinnytaste.com for your publications!!

Houzz: In Praise of Silliness

There was a great Houzz article published today, In Praise of Silliness.  Take a look -- there are some seriously fun home ideas.  Fun paint, a slide or displaying a funky collection? How far would you go?

Camouflage an "oops" or Upcycling your Shirts!

While working on the "mud wall" I was waylaid by a small problem...

My first grader came home from school with a "mysterious" hole in his shirt.  He didn't know how it got there.  And didn't notice it until I mentioned it.  It was about the size of a quarter.

Well, this was a nice long-sleeve Life Is Good woven shirt.  Perfect color for fall, and plenty bit to last through the year.

What to do....

What to do....

How to save the shirt?

Look at Pinterest and Etsy.  Two great sources for ideas.  I decided to put an applique on top of the hole.

Much to my surprise, when the shirt was washed, the hole shrunk drastically.  It was obvious that it was made by poking the shirt with a pencil. Hmmmm.... <sigh>

Anyway, there are lots and lots of cute ideas out there!  Numbers (for birthday shirts); animals, footballs, basically anything you can think of.  I was inspired by a deer shape -- we happen to have a significant amount in our neighborhood and their antlers are now visible.  So, I used my 7th grade art skills to draw a shape proportionate to the shirt and a large enough to cover the area where the hole was.  I also printed off a picture I found online (silhouette of a deer head).  It wasn't the right size, but made creating the new shape much easier.

For the fabric, I wanted to try something boy-ish and it needed to match the shirt.  So, I dug around in my giant space bag full of "baby clothes that are too cute for me to let go of".  I was initially thinking something camo or striped would be cute; but found a really cute 3 month size plaid button down.  So cute!!  It also had an orange/rust color in it that looked great with the shirt. (winner!)

Here's a close up of the fabric, simply hand stitched on top of the shirt.  Yes, a machine would have been A LOT faster...but I don't have a machine that is easy to access.  A contrasting thread would also be sharp; but this one blends so you won't see any huge discrepancies in the stitching.

Here's the finished product:

It looks even better on!!  So good, that my other one asked me to make him a "special shirt" too......:)

Completed "Mud Wall"

It's finished
and has even survived a gathering that included 14 kids...

Actually, it is such a clean look that the comments about it as people walked in the door were basically limited to, "this looks nice!".

I'll take it!

whimsical hooks and all :)

My kids love it.  There backpacks are actually up off the floor again...and the entire space looks larger and cleaner. Ahhhhh.....

(in case you're wondering, I did play around with different paneling looks; like adding more vertical dividers.  but, the space is so small that it just looked too busy.  so, we just went with a horizontal frame.  It keeps a clean edge.)

Today's the day!!!

I PROMISE I will get the hooks up today...after school..:)
Pictures coming soon!!

OH....I've got another project up my sleeve.  The Cement Counter.  It's real.  It's happening....It's heavy. :)

"Mud Wall" progress!

It's a little slow going...ok that's not completely true. Progress was speeding along; but we welcomed a quick visit with relatives, and then hit a literal speed bump. (Two different events...sigh).  Actually, I was able to do everything here in just two days.  My husband was actually laughing and at one point said -- "the paint has to dry, that will slow you down a bit"!!

So, the progress is: First, I painted the wall...yes, I am cheating. I'm not about to rip down the wallpaper, so I'm priming it to make the painting easier after the trim is on.

I was toying around with just doing the small wall and leaving the wall next to the front door alone.  But decided it would have a more cohesive look (and be brighter and larger looking) if I wrapped the finish around the corner.

I cut and nailed the trim work to the wall, caulked the seams, filled the nail holes, and put two coats of paint on everything!

For now I'm leaving all the sections white.  But, don't you think the top area (between the trim pieces) would be fun in a contrasting color?  Any suggestions?

Now I need to install the working parts and interesting thing...hooks and art!  My boys have been hounding me...they actually WANT to hang their backpacks up!!  Maybe I'll have time to surprise them with it when they get home from school....or maybe I should figure out what to make for dinner.  Hmmmm....

Remember what it looked like before?  A serious improvement.  PS:  Free: small wall-mount hook board with trucks and trains. :)

Coat Wall (aka: the smallest mudroom ever!)

I may have mentioned before, but my kids come and go through the front door.  It's the closest door towards the bus!

So, I've started working on converting the wall behind the door into a "coat wall". Or, as may be more appropriate...the smallest mudroom ever!

The only restriction is the depth of the area.  The door swings open towards the wall, so I need to keep thing slim along the wall....both for ascetics and to get the door opened!

If anyone has any great ideas or pictures they've seen elsewhere, let me know!

jh

Kroehler buffet table...salvaged and beautified!

I was at a Church Rummage sale and spotted a Kroehler Buffet Table.  If you're not familiar with  Kroehler, they are a furniture making company started in Chicago in 1902.  Their peak in popularity was from the 1940's through the 1960's.  They produced high quality, solid wood furniture, with definite flair.  It's very mid-century modern and the original pieces would be very comfortable on the Mad Men set!

So, when I saw it, I thought, "ooooh how fun!". (That thought occurs to me a lot when looking at furniture).  However, this piece looked like it had been sitting in a basement for awhile.  It had the usual mid-west basement furniture problems: chipped legs, gouged top, possible remains of water damage...

But, undaunted, I spent the $25 and bought the piece.  (Yes, $25.)

It is a sleek piece with flush drawers and pulls only on the top row.

So, I decided to put this in the entry way, but it HAD to be painted before that happened.  I've refinished and repaired wood before, but this was too bad to repair.  However, paint can camouflage anything!

Next, pull the drawers out, removed the hardware, and get ready for to repair and sand.  I did all this in the front yard because that was the closest spot to its final resting place.  However, I would definitely recommend doing any sanding and/or painting outside or in a garage if possible.

Then I started sanding the existing finish so the paint would stick.  Apparently, I have some sort of masochistic tenancy, because I ALWAYS do it by hand, even though I have a sander.

After sanding, get out either wood putty or "Durham's Water Putty".

Yes, the stuff is real!  And looks like it could be a product developed right around the time the buffet was made!

Fill your gouges, or missing areas and let dry.  You may need more than one application depending on the depth or extent of the gouge or damage.  After it's at the level you want, sand it smooth. Really take your time here because this work will show when your project is finished.  If you're really particular, sand with a couple different grades of sandpaper and/or finish with steel wool. (I'm really particular...)

Next, wipe off the dust from the repair work and other sanding and ready the paint supplies!
For painting, you'll have to decide what kind of finish you're looking for and then how to do it.  For this project, I wanted a BRIGHT, SUPER GLOSSY finish.  So I chose an enamel.  And, man, is it potent! whew! Even though I was outside, it was really, really stinky.

I also spray painted the brass handles black.  They have a really great shape, so I wanted to keep them.  But brass and yellow don't work together.  at. all.

Here are some pictures:

You might be able to make out the damage on the closest foot.  The top of one drawer had a hunk chipped out of it and the top was gouged significantly.  But now....all you see is sunshine!! ;)


PS: That mirror isn't yellow...it's a green/sage color.  It was a Habitat Reuse-It store purchase that was painted and hung sideways.  I think it was $40...so the mirror is more expensive than the buffet!! The color of it in this picture is horrible!!

It just started raining...and it's dark!!  Especially for noon.  Anyway, here's the entryway...now you can see why I need help with that wall!!  Yuck. Seriously UGLY.

I've been published!!

Take a look at this!!!

Midwest Living asked me to preview ABC's new comedy The Goldbergs.  There was a brief survey after the preview and they asked for a comment about the program.

http://www.midwestliving.com/Then they published my quote!!  How fun!!  It's in the September/October magazine.

Oh, and the show is HYSTERICAL!!! It's set in the 80's and whether you liked the 80's or not; you won't believe how much there is to relate to!!  The characters are a riot!

It premieres September 24th...watch it...I hope you laugh as much as I did!!

Next Project...mud room/mud wall....concrete counter tops?

OK, I've got two projects I want/need to do.  One is a concrete counter top for our kitchen bar area, and the other is a mud wall.

My kids come through the front door to catch the bus.  So, I need a mud wall.  A coat/backpack hanging space that's big enough to hold their everyday things, but slim enough to fit in the foyer; and maybe even a little attractive!  Oh that would be a dream!!

The wall is about 5 ft wide and we have standard 8 ft ceilings.  There's not enough room for a typical bench, the door opens into the wall; but a shallow one might work.  Unfortunately there is no other wall space for coats or other things.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Before I get out the nail gun, I'd love to hear suggestions! :)

Jen

Mason Jar Pendant Light

Have you seen the Mason Jar lights in the newly remodeled Bob Evans' Restaurants, Pottery Barn or the incredible creativity of people posting on pinterest/Plow & Hearth?  They are really nice!

So, a year ago, I bought a box of old Mason Jars.  There was one blue one, but I had to get the whole shebang just so I could have the blue one.  Needless to say, I suddenly had extra jars hanging about.

I also had been to Ikea and found their cord set. (A similar style to the one below..but it plugs in...don't ask, we have a mid-century modern home, with all sorts of unique amenities!!)

After the idea came to me (...I won't lie, it took awhile...) I decided to simply combine the two!  The Ikea cord set simply screws together to put their shade on, so all I needed to do was make a hole in the top of the mason jar lid that was large enough to fit the light socket through and screw the flat plate onto the other side.

I used a variety of tools to make the hole in the lid...but learned that clamping the metal jar lid to something on both sides and using a drill bit and screwdriver to punch out the area; is by far the best/safest method.

So, this is the result!  

About me...

OK,  I have a problem.  I like to make things...and they're normally pretty big.  Like, a table or refinishing a dresser. Or demolish a bathroom and rebuild it. And since the internet is a great place for research -- whether it is to see how to or how not to -- I thought I'd add my experiences in for you too!
Enjoy!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!  I like to make things...all sorts of things, and I thought you might be interested in seeing what is created.  So, let's make it!