....even when he thinks you are a bit nuts lol.
Since I wanted to try out some new wood stains with what I learned in my last blog post, we picked up some vinegar at the dollar store yesterday, but couldn't find any steel wool. I tried walmart today and they didn't have any either.
So hubby on his own offered to go to home depot and get me some today :) and he got me a couple pieces of copper tubing so I can test and see if it will work better then pennies to make the copper one that turns green.
And once he got home he even did all the preparations and made the mixtures for me while i finished up work :).
Now I just have to wait about a week to see if any chemical reaction happens, in the meantime I got 4 types of tea to test out and see what kind of fun stains they can make :). Hubby happens to have a scrap piece of 2x4 in the livnig room (yea I know, we're weird lol) so I can use that to test :).
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
New ideas on how to "finish" furniture
HI :)
I was goggling around last night looking for plans to build an aquarium stand for hubby and found another interesting blog where another female tool user was reviewing some different ways to finish wood with stuff like tea and vinegar mixtures :)
http://www.toolgirl.com/toolgirl/2010/03/staining-wood-with-cheap-natural-and-nontoxic-tea.html#more
Of course geeky me decided to Google more about the vinegar mixtures to see if there were other methods and why it works. I foun another site that gives more ideas on how to stain wood:
http://www.woodworking.org/WC/Garchive01/3_27colorants.html
So basically if i throw a clean steel wood puff into a container and pour in vinegar, in a week or so I'll have a brown-like stain (I'm building with pine, not oak). it's called iron acetate when done.
Or I could use tea and test a few different teas to see what color I'd get, and if I wanted to deepen the color then use the iron acetate on top of it. Very cool.
Then the other idea was putting pennies in vinegar to get a turquoise stain, but the problem I saw is that I don't know if that mixture has a different name or if it is copper acetate, but if it is copper acetate, I read online that there used to be pigment made with that and some kind of arsenic and it was toxic. Now I'd assume it was the arsenic that made it that way, but i wanted to me sure.
But you know me, I can't just stay wondering, so lucky for me I have a science geek in the family :). I emailed my other sister Randi (told ya boys name run in the family lol) and she is having a PhD geek at her job check out the toxicity for me before i attempt to use it. Thanks chicky!
so now i have another side project of course, which is cool because I have scrap wood at home so I can test various teas and maybe some food coloring mixtures to see what I can make. I can't build until its a weekend and sunny, but I can color swatches on wood anywhere, so that should keep me busy for a bit :).
If anyone has any suggestions on what kind of teas to try to get some cool colors, let me know :).
Oh, and I did find a very cool plan for an aquarium stand that i can re-size for hubby's 55 gallon tank, so stay tuned after I build the bunk bed :).
(pic courtesy of Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation, Inc)
I was goggling around last night looking for plans to build an aquarium stand for hubby and found another interesting blog where another female tool user was reviewing some different ways to finish wood with stuff like tea and vinegar mixtures :)
http://www.toolgirl.com/toolgirl/2010/03/staining-wood-with-cheap-natural-and-nontoxic-tea.html#more
Of course geeky me decided to Google more about the vinegar mixtures to see if there were other methods and why it works. I foun another site that gives more ideas on how to stain wood:
http://www.woodworking.org/WC/Garchive01/3_27colorants.html
So basically if i throw a clean steel wood puff into a container and pour in vinegar, in a week or so I'll have a brown-like stain (I'm building with pine, not oak). it's called iron acetate when done.
Or I could use tea and test a few different teas to see what color I'd get, and if I wanted to deepen the color then use the iron acetate on top of it. Very cool.
Then the other idea was putting pennies in vinegar to get a turquoise stain, but the problem I saw is that I don't know if that mixture has a different name or if it is copper acetate, but if it is copper acetate, I read online that there used to be pigment made with that and some kind of arsenic and it was toxic. Now I'd assume it was the arsenic that made it that way, but i wanted to me sure.
But you know me, I can't just stay wondering, so lucky for me I have a science geek in the family :). I emailed my other sister Randi (told ya boys name run in the family lol) and she is having a PhD geek at her job check out the toxicity for me before i attempt to use it. Thanks chicky!
so now i have another side project of course, which is cool because I have scrap wood at home so I can test various teas and maybe some food coloring mixtures to see what I can make. I can't build until its a weekend and sunny, but I can color swatches on wood anywhere, so that should keep me busy for a bit :).
If anyone has any suggestions on what kind of teas to try to get some cool colors, let me know :).
Oh, and I did find a very cool plan for an aquarium stand that i can re-size for hubby's 55 gallon tank, so stay tuned after I build the bunk bed :).
(pic courtesy of Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation, Inc)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Another day, another step closer!
Busy busy day today. Hubby was nice enough to deliver all my wood from last night's home depot adventure to Joey's first thing this morning and bring the car back so i could go on another excursion today. I was on a mission to find non-pressure treated 4x4x8s and that was pretty hard cause apparently every lumber yard only has PT or cedar. I finally found some in stock at a different home depot 20 mins away after checking out 2 lumber yards. But I did get some good 2x8s at the 1st lumber yard since HD's were all too crappy. The 2nd lumber yard was also a hardware store and I scored a great deal on a portable miter saw table.
So me and the munchkin got all the wood at HD (while the munchkin decided the push cart was a jungle gym of course lol). We filled up the car to head to Joey's and this time at least i could see in all directions :o)
Hubby and BIL were hard at work in the backyard doing some cleanup but helped unload the rest of the lumber and brought out the boxes for the saw. A friend from church came by and he helped teach me some safety tips for the miter saw and helped me get it set all up. I did a few practice cuts and I think I'll be nervous for a few tries but since I have about a million pieces of wood to cut, lol, I should be an old pro in no time.
I assembled the miter saw table, which was surprising easy as it was partially pre-assembled. Of course it figures that I tightened one of the nuts much too tight and it snapped the bolt right in half so unfortunately my afternoon was spent back at home depot lol. I also stopped at sears for a new saw blade because the one the sears guy recommended to my hubby was the wrong kind lol. I would have done all the shopping at sears but for some reason they are a hardware store that doesn't sell screws. seriously. that makes no sense.
All in all a productive day I'd say. All the lumber is stacked in joey's shed and the tools and saw are in her workshop inside the house. I now know how to use my new toy, so next time i go over, I actually get to get to work. :)
Here is my new toy
and here is the pretty new miter table from a distance :). It has "arms" to support the wood. The screws from that to screw down the miter saw to it are the ones I snapped - so word of caution - never over tighten your screws or you may find yourself at a hardware store that doesn't sell screws :).
That's all for now :)
So me and the munchkin got all the wood at HD (while the munchkin decided the push cart was a jungle gym of course lol). We filled up the car to head to Joey's and this time at least i could see in all directions :o)
Hubby and BIL were hard at work in the backyard doing some cleanup but helped unload the rest of the lumber and brought out the boxes for the saw. A friend from church came by and he helped teach me some safety tips for the miter saw and helped me get it set all up. I did a few practice cuts and I think I'll be nervous for a few tries but since I have about a million pieces of wood to cut, lol, I should be an old pro in no time.
I assembled the miter saw table, which was surprising easy as it was partially pre-assembled. Of course it figures that I tightened one of the nuts much too tight and it snapped the bolt right in half so unfortunately my afternoon was spent back at home depot lol. I also stopped at sears for a new saw blade because the one the sears guy recommended to my hubby was the wrong kind lol. I would have done all the shopping at sears but for some reason they are a hardware store that doesn't sell screws. seriously. that makes no sense.
All in all a productive day I'd say. All the lumber is stacked in joey's shed and the tools and saw are in her workshop inside the house. I now know how to use my new toy, so next time i go over, I actually get to get to work. :)
Here is my new toy
and here is the pretty new miter table from a distance :). It has "arms" to support the wood. The screws from that to screw down the miter saw to it are the ones I snapped - so word of caution - never over tighten your screws or you may find yourself at a hardware store that doesn't sell screws :).
That's all for now :)
First project: A bunk bed
I decided to jump right into building and make something that I've been wanting for my baby girl but couldn't afford any quality ones. A bunk bed. we checked out local stores and even the furniture wholesalers and discounters but the ones under $500 were all wobbly crap, to put it nicely. if I am scared to sit my fat butt on the bed next to my child, I will not spend $500 on it. That would be idiotic.
So i stumbled upon many different building plans online and while many of the free plans were ok, nothing really grabbed me. Most of the free plans had horizontal boards spaced out from floor to the top on each end. They looked cheap and camp-like. I wanted more traditional and cute. One that could be used for many years and not look like we were at sleepaway camp about to get chopped up by a serial killer (Please tell me i'm not the only one who remembers these pathetic horror movies)
I'm too cheap to buy a building plan, so I kept on searching. I hit the jackpot and found Ana's blog, Knock Off Wood. She has an awesome blog dedicated to helping women get out in the world of tools and get to building. She is a genius. She looks at various name brand solidly built furniture and then whips up very simple to read pans on how to build each piece. you will be seeing a lot of mention of her blog here, so might as well bookmark it now. I have quite the extensive list of project I want to tackle.
Anyway, she created a plan for a bed that was inspired by the Land of Nod's "simple bed". This is the perfect bunk bed for miss Alyssa. She saw it and loved it and the picture is now up on my fridge while she anxiously waits for me to "build it now" lol. She doesn't quite get the concept of patience.
This is the mock-up of her sketch for the beds:
Isn't it awesome? I don't think i'll go with those colors though lol. They are just to show the different pieces. If you want to see the plans, click here. just keep in mind that they are based on building 2 twin beds, and those plans you can get by clicking here.
My sister, Jo, who we also call Joey, said she'd help me build it and will let me built it at her house since she has a back patio. Yay! thanks Joey! (Yes, boy names run in the family).
So today's adventure took me to home depot and I got almost all my lumber that we need. I drove my clown car, affectionately known as the mom-mobile by hubby, home filled to the brim with pine lumber and grinning the whole way because I'm sure I looked ridiculous. Here's a pic from my door :). Couldn't even see out the passenger side and used a baby blanket to protect the front windshield :).
And here is the view from the hatchback!
Tomorrow hubby will empty the clown car for me off at Joey's so I can head with the munchkin to one more lumber yard to get the last few pieces of wood. Hopefully hubby gets done early with helping my BIL (brother in law, Joey's hubby) with yard work so he can watch the munchkin so I can get to work.
:)
So i stumbled upon many different building plans online and while many of the free plans were ok, nothing really grabbed me. Most of the free plans had horizontal boards spaced out from floor to the top on each end. They looked cheap and camp-like. I wanted more traditional and cute. One that could be used for many years and not look like we were at sleepaway camp about to get chopped up by a serial killer (Please tell me i'm not the only one who remembers these pathetic horror movies)
I'm too cheap to buy a building plan, so I kept on searching. I hit the jackpot and found Ana's blog, Knock Off Wood. She has an awesome blog dedicated to helping women get out in the world of tools and get to building. She is a genius. She looks at various name brand solidly built furniture and then whips up very simple to read pans on how to build each piece. you will be seeing a lot of mention of her blog here, so might as well bookmark it now. I have quite the extensive list of project I want to tackle.
Anyway, she created a plan for a bed that was inspired by the Land of Nod's "simple bed". This is the perfect bunk bed for miss Alyssa. She saw it and loved it and the picture is now up on my fridge while she anxiously waits for me to "build it now" lol. She doesn't quite get the concept of patience.
This is the mock-up of her sketch for the beds:
Isn't it awesome? I don't think i'll go with those colors though lol. They are just to show the different pieces. If you want to see the plans, click here. just keep in mind that they are based on building 2 twin beds, and those plans you can get by clicking here.
My sister, Jo, who we also call Joey, said she'd help me build it and will let me built it at her house since she has a back patio. Yay! thanks Joey! (Yes, boy names run in the family).
So today's adventure took me to home depot and I got almost all my lumber that we need. I drove my clown car, affectionately known as the mom-mobile by hubby, home filled to the brim with pine lumber and grinning the whole way because I'm sure I looked ridiculous. Here's a pic from my door :). Couldn't even see out the passenger side and used a baby blanket to protect the front windshield :).
And here is the view from the hatchback!
Tomorrow hubby will empty the clown car for me off at Joey's so I can head with the munchkin to one more lumber yard to get the last few pieces of wood. Hopefully hubby gets done early with helping my BIL (brother in law, Joey's hubby) with yard work so he can watch the munchkin so I can get to work.
:)
Mama Rae's got her tools and is ready to go!
thanks to Ana, at Knock Off Wood's blog, I've decided to delve into the world of wood working, mainly furniture. I have always been pretty good with tools and am generally good at figuring out how stuff goes together, and I am a HUGGGGEEEE bargain hunter. So it only makes sense that I would combine and decide to play with some big girl toys and make my own furniture instead of throwing my money down the drain.
I may be an avid "Wally World" shopper, but there are just some things they do not have, and one of them is quality furniture (or good produce but that's a blog for a different day lol). I love antique styles of furniture, not so much rustic or country, but definitely not modern. Give me a dry sink any day over a fancy console table :) Speaking of dry sinks, if I ever have another kid I totally need anew one of those. They make awesome changing tables - the changing pad fits perfectly and the kid won't fall out and there are drawers and cabinets for supplies. Needless to say I'm a firm believer in creating new uses for old stuff. This is why I stalk yard sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops as often as possible, even when it's freezing cold up here in NH. My last dry sink actually came from a thrift store - was $10 and it lasted about 3 years up til we moved and I ripped the leg off in the doorway (oops!). now ya know why I need a new one, even though my baby girl is no longer a baby and is a self-proclaimed "big girl" :o).
If you are reading this for the first time and don't know me, here's a little bio. I'm Rae, 31, married to Lawrence, and have a beautiful and fiesty little 4 yr old named Alyssa, who we also call "baby girl". I'm also a step-mom to Lawrence's daughter who is 17. We are fur parents as well, although I'm much more of a furball lover then hubby is. We have Midnight, our 6 yr old lab, and Candie, my 10 yr old kitty. We would have more but currently live in apartment and can only have 2. I volunteer with a pit bull rescue based in NY and before you even think it - no they are not bad dogs. They are awesome dogs with a bad rap and have been known for many years as being incredible family dogs, they were even called "nanny dogs" many years back. People decided they wanted to fight them against each other an because of their loyal nature to their owner, they obliged, launching a sad history of dog fighting that still exists today. I won't go on and on with details but just know that I love the little buggers :). Now I'm not a fan of all animals, sorry. Rodents are gross, especially field mice who sneak in during the winter lol. Hamsters and gerbils are cute, at other people's houses. Not mine. Snakes, spiders, lizards - not for me. Fish are ok, hubby has an obsession with fish. One day maybe I'll build him a new tank stand :).
Anyway, I am a work at home mom, and work as a Dispatcher for an internet company. Basically i tell a group of guys what to do and where to go all day to install and repair business' internet and phone service. I know, exciting stuff. But it works for me for now. I'm also in college online with not a clue what I want to be when I grow up. Hubby is a school bus driver. He hates it but it's a paycheck and it works until he gets into and finishes school to be an electrician.
That's about it, thanks for viewing :)
PS: I cannot spell, lol. I type much too fast for my brain to comprehend and type the right letters. My keyboard is also possessed and doesn't like to capitalize anything and I only sometimes catch the mistakes.
I may be an avid "Wally World" shopper, but there are just some things they do not have, and one of them is quality furniture (or good produce but that's a blog for a different day lol). I love antique styles of furniture, not so much rustic or country, but definitely not modern. Give me a dry sink any day over a fancy console table :) Speaking of dry sinks, if I ever have another kid I totally need anew one of those. They make awesome changing tables - the changing pad fits perfectly and the kid won't fall out and there are drawers and cabinets for supplies. Needless to say I'm a firm believer in creating new uses for old stuff. This is why I stalk yard sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops as often as possible, even when it's freezing cold up here in NH. My last dry sink actually came from a thrift store - was $10 and it lasted about 3 years up til we moved and I ripped the leg off in the doorway (oops!). now ya know why I need a new one, even though my baby girl is no longer a baby and is a self-proclaimed "big girl" :o).
If you are reading this for the first time and don't know me, here's a little bio. I'm Rae, 31, married to Lawrence, and have a beautiful and fiesty little 4 yr old named Alyssa, who we also call "baby girl". I'm also a step-mom to Lawrence's daughter who is 17. We are fur parents as well, although I'm much more of a furball lover then hubby is. We have Midnight, our 6 yr old lab, and Candie, my 10 yr old kitty. We would have more but currently live in apartment and can only have 2. I volunteer with a pit bull rescue based in NY and before you even think it - no they are not bad dogs. They are awesome dogs with a bad rap and have been known for many years as being incredible family dogs, they were even called "nanny dogs" many years back. People decided they wanted to fight them against each other an because of their loyal nature to their owner, they obliged, launching a sad history of dog fighting that still exists today. I won't go on and on with details but just know that I love the little buggers :). Now I'm not a fan of all animals, sorry. Rodents are gross, especially field mice who sneak in during the winter lol. Hamsters and gerbils are cute, at other people's houses. Not mine. Snakes, spiders, lizards - not for me. Fish are ok, hubby has an obsession with fish. One day maybe I'll build him a new tank stand :).
Anyway, I am a work at home mom, and work as a Dispatcher for an internet company. Basically i tell a group of guys what to do and where to go all day to install and repair business' internet and phone service. I know, exciting stuff. But it works for me for now. I'm also in college online with not a clue what I want to be when I grow up. Hubby is a school bus driver. He hates it but it's a paycheck and it works until he gets into and finishes school to be an electrician.
That's about it, thanks for viewing :)
PS: I cannot spell, lol. I type much too fast for my brain to comprehend and type the right letters. My keyboard is also possessed and doesn't like to capitalize anything and I only sometimes catch the mistakes.
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