Aluminum can tab bracelets

I've been seeing these tab bracelets around and I love them!  I have a recycling bin full of aluminum cans so I thought I would give it a try. 

To make a bracelet like this you will need 20 - 25 tabs and about 2-1/2 feet of elastic cord / thread.  I used a silver elastic thread for mine.  I won't  attempt to do a tutorial since there are so many good ones already out there.  Here are links to the two easiest to follow ones that I found:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pop-Tab-Bracelets/

http://www.ehow.com/how_5427863_make-bracelets-soda-can-tabs.html

It's super easy - the whole thing took me maybe 10 minutes.  The best part is that if you ever get tired of the bracelet then you can just recycle it!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

T.A.A.F.O.M.F.T. and disaster averted...

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

I've been running around singing songs from The Sound of Music all day.  Don't you just love that movie?  David has requested that I please stop singing - he hates musicals.  He even hates it when his favorite tv show has an episode where they break out into song.  I pointed out the fact that he loves The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Same difference, right?

So anyway, I've seen it done before and I thought it would be fun to do a version of "my favorite things" posts for my blog.  My first favorite thing is this wonderful pair of Christmas socks!  I love silly socks - the more colorful and flashy the better.  I know it may sound silly because most of the time no one can even see them, but it makes me smile!

Now to explain the "disaster averted" part of this post.  It has been snowing on and off since December 1st here in Tennessee and it is so cold right now.  This morning was a record low of 5 degrees!  We use electric space heaters for the apartment, but there are also wall heaters in some of the rooms.  Years ago when we first moved in the landlord told us that all of the wall heaters had been disconnected.  Well obviously they missed one because I woke up this morning to a strange burning smell.  I walked around the apartment trying to figure out what it was when I realized that the wall heater in the second bedroom was on.  I'm assuming since it was so cold that the furnace has some sort of emergency thermostat and it kicked on automatically.  The second bedroom is sort of our catch-all room, it has the turtle aquarium, my desk and computer, David's weight bench, and all of my crafting supplies.  The house that our apartment is in is very old so the closets are almost non-existent.  I have two 48 gallon plastic totes that I keep all of our extra linens in for that reason.  The totes and my desk are against the wall where the heater is - and since the heaters were "disconnected" I never worried.  Needless to say I was not a happy camper this morning.  I have since searched the entire apartment to make sure that nothing is touching or even close to a wall heater.  It's scary though, because the whole situation could have ended much differently.

So everyone out there please be careful with your heaters and such this winter!  Stay safe and have a happy Wednesday :)

Christmas Gift Sneak Peek...

My Mom is a bit of a "luddite" so I have no fears of her getting online and reading my blog.  So I think it's safe to show off a couple of her Christmas gifts a bit early.  For years she had been telling us how much she admires the "faceless angels" that they carry at Hallmark.  So my Dad and I were out shopping and we decided to check them out.

Her "faceless angels" are actually these beautiful figures designed by artist Susan Lordi.  The collection is called Willow Tree.  I'm in love with these and am already wishing for my own "faceless angel" collection!

One of the quotes from Lordi on the webpage says, "I try to keep the interpretation of Willow Tree open. I hope this makes it more personal, and allows the viewer to decide its meaning."  She really does an amazing job because when my Dad and I saw this first sculpture we immediately knew it was perfect to represent my sister and I.  I took pictures at all different angles to show you just how beautiful the figurine really is.

"Heart and Soul"

Open hearts, sharing souls, trusted friends

My sister is probably my closest confidant so I love that to me the two girls appear to be in deep conversation.

(The day we were shopping I was wearing my hair back in a pony tail just like this!)

(Did I mention that my sister is a blonde?)

Don't you love it?!

We also wanted a figurine that would represent my Mom and Dad.  This is the one that we picked out:

"Anniversary"

Love ever endures

I think this side is so sweet.  As of 12/31/10 my parents will have been married 33 years :)

I hope everyone has a happy Thursday!

It’s the first of December and we have snow in Tennessee!

Hello! I’m sorry that I haven’t posted in a few weeks, but this is such a busy time of year! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had a great time with my friends and family and for once actually managed to not overeat.


Christmas time is already in full swing around my place. Tomorrow is the annual Bristol Christmas parade and I’m hoping that it won’t be too cold outside to go. I also hope to have some fun holiday decoration pictures to share soon.

I’ve still got a bunch of craft projects going on so I’ll be posting new pics for those as well. A couple of things that I have managed to accomplish as far as the blog goes is of course updating the background and overall layout. I also took the time to go back and tag all of my posts with labels so they are easier to find. This is definitely something I wish I had done from the beginning and will continue to do from now on. A word cloud can be found at the bottom of the blog.

I am behind on checking out all the new blog followers and I promise to catch up on that as soon as possible. In the future I also plan on only posting when I’ve actually got something to say. I know that may sound weird, but there are times when I wrack my brain for something to post about. I envy those of you who can update your blogs every day. I’ve joined in on different “topic of the day” posts, but they just seem like space fillers. I have so many hobbies that I enjoy so why not just post about those instead?

And this next thing that I want to talk about kind of sucks – and what I mean by that is how ridiculous it is that I would ever need to write about this in the first place. I basically want to say that in the future no “anonymous” comments will be accepted on this blog. If you have something that is important enough to say then you should want to sign your name to it. I will reject rude and offensive comments even if you do post them with your username. I enjoy blogging and even more than that I enjoy the feedback that I get. Helpful hints, compliments, and even constructive criticism are welcomed.

What I really can’t stand is so-called “unsolicited advice.” I apologize if that offends anyone, but I do have my reasons. Unsolicited advice is when you give counseling to someone who neither asked for nor wanted it. What I’ve discovered throughout my life is that if someone really wants your advice – they will ask for it. The best way that I know how to express this is to share part of a post that I read a while back:

“The giver of unsolicited advice may claim his motive is purely to be helpful, but the action is almost always driven in part by a conceited desire to show off (what he perceives as) his superior knowledge. As such, it comes across as argumentative, arrogant, and annoying — not kind, friendly, and helpful.”

So to the anonymous poster who proudly proclaimed of his expertise with his 4 year old RES I appreciate your concern for my turtles – I truly do. Although I would ask in the future that you not take the tidbits of info or the few pics that I choose to share to be a comprehensive review of their health, habitat, or anything else for that matter. Before I allow myself to become more annoyed I’ll stop here – and again I sincerely thank you for your concern.

Signed,

Jessie – proud owner of 2 RES
Herman – 13 years
Cecil – 12 years

Beer Bottle Rings

This is a neat little project that I ran across online. I found an interesting youtube video a while back and I finally decided to give it a try myself. You can rub the necks of 2 beer bottles together and cause the top portion (where the bottle cap is normally) to separate from the bottle. The bottles have to be the kind with twist off caps - if it requires a bottle opener it will not work.

Since we have a collection of beer bottles lining the cabinets of our kitchen this project didn't cost anything to try.  Works for me! :)  (sorry for the blurry pic!)

Here is what the ring looks like once removed.  This actually worked for me the very first time.  Make sure you put your thumbs on the necks of each bottle in order to hold them securely.  Also be sure the bottles are pointed downward and away from anything breakable.  The ring will shoot off rather quickly once it breaks. The ring as you can tell breaks very smoothly, but I sanded all of the edges just in case. 

You can watch the youtube video here:

And just in case the above video doesn't work here is the actual link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg1aH6nyGgY

If anyone gives it a try please let me know how it goes.  I hope everyone has a happy Tuesday!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce, reuse, recycle is an idea that I definitely try to live by.  I'm no where near perfect and there are plenty of ways that I could improve, but I do try my best.  David and I take all of our cardboard, recyclable plastic and glass to the local recycling bins and we donate our cans to a local animal shelter.  The shelter in turn recycles them to raise money.  I would like to learn more about mixed paper recycling and hopefully one day when I have a house of my own I'll be able to start composting as well.

For today though, I wanted to show some of my "reuse" projects that I am currently working on.  I finally got back to work on the old window that I'm turning into a chalkboard.  One of David's friends brought over a heat gun so I could remove the rest of the glazing compound.  This gun works wonders!  If you look at the top window pane in the pic below you can see all of the compound that I was able to remove.  Hopefully after a few more passes I will finally be able to remove the glass.

I also finally tried out the glass cutter that I bought at Michael's.  This was my first attempt so as you can see my score line wasn't very straight, but at least I was able to separate the bottle.  The instructions say that "practice makes perfect" and I believe it.  I also want to try another method that I saw online that involves string and acetone.  I'll post pics after I give it a try.

My friends and family have been saving their incandescent light bulbs for me for a while now.  Many of the bulbs have a filament inside that is shaped like a tiny liquor bottle.  I use them as minis for the 1:12 scale saloon I am building, which I posted about a while back - http://beyondbaffled.blogspot.com/search/label/mini%20liquor%20bottles.  Some of the bulbs have the wrong sized filament, but the bulbs can still be used for other things.  I used pliers to remove the filament and then soap and water to wash away the kaolin (the white ground up clay that makes the bulb opaque) inside.  I've seen these used a vases and also as mini terrariums.  I'll post again once I've decided what to do with these.

Hope everyone has a happy Friday!

Weathered wood trial and (mostly) error

The old window / menu board project is on hold for now.  Basically what I've done so far is don a painter's mask and scrape away at the glazing compound with a putty knife.  I'd say that so far I've removed half if not 2/3rd's of the compound.  The rest of of it is completely and totally stuck even after almost 60 years.  From what I've read online the solution is to use a heat gun to help loosen the remaining compound.  So now I just need to find someone who has a heat gun that I can borrow.

I've also been wanting to try some aging techniques on wood.  I want the board and batten siding on my saloon to look like it's been sitting out in the elements - sun, wind, sand, etc. - for many years.  So I thought I would try first on a couple of $2 tables that I found at Ben Franklin's.

I tried out 2 different solutions.  I learned about both of these techniques from a Greenleaf thread about Weathered Wood.

#1:  A 1/2 cup of white vinegar with a steel wool pad left to rust for about 24 hours.  Then I removed the pad and added 1/2 cup of water to dilute it a bit.  The steel wool looked pretty rusted after 24 hours, but the solution didn't look all that different.

#2:  Isopropyl alcohol with a few drops of India / calligraphy ink.  The solution immediately turned black. 

So here are the results of solution #1.  Personally I don't see any difference.  Do you?  I am thinking that next I may try leaving the steel wool in the vinegar for a longer period of time.  The results that I saw on Greenleaf looked amazing so now I just have to figure out what I did wrong :(

Results for solution #2.  Now this one I can definitely tell a difference with, but the only problem is that to me now the table just looks dirty.  The tabletop didn't really change color, but the legs now have this sort of blue - gray tinge.  Not exactly what I was looking for either.

Oh well, I guess this was okay for a first try.  If anyone out there in blogland has any guidance on weathered wood or other techniques then I would definitely love to hear from you.  Ideally I am looking for something more brown, but still with a nice aged appearance to it.

That's all for today, but I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! :)

Finally a finished project!

Remember when I was working on the mini dresser kit a while back?  Well I finally got around to finishing it :)  I'm pretty happy with the results.

The House of Miniatures Chippendale 3 Drawer Chest / Circa 1750 - 1790

Scale 1" to 1'

I added the penny for scale purposes and a few minis on top for decoration.  Some poor tired cowboy must be about to turn in for the night :)

The one thing that I didn't do was add the keyhole plates.  If you look closely at the picture on the box you'll see that each drawer has a lock.  I like the way the dresser looks in the picture, but then again I like it without the locks as well.  I can always go back and add them later.

All in all I think it turned out pretty good for a $4 kit from the flea market.  I used some Minwax Red Mahogany Stain that I already had and then I finished the outside of the kit with Minwax Clear Satin Polyurethane.  I did end up staining the inside of the drawers even though the kit instructions said not to.  I just think it will look better if I stage the dresser with one of the drawers open with clothes or blankets, etc. peeking out.

Back to blogging...

I know I've been gone for a long time, but real life seems to be calming down a bit now so hopefully I'll be back to blogging on a more regular basis.  I noticed that there are now 101 followers, which is amazing!  You guys are the best :)  I'll take the time to do introductions soon as well.

For today I just wanted to show a few of the craft projects that I'm working on right now.

Project #1:  Of course I'm still working on the 1:12 scale saloon.

Project #2:  My parents recently had the windows in their house replaced.  This particular window came from the attic, which was my old bedroom.  Their house was built in either 1952 or 1954 so this window is close to 60 years old.  My concern of course is lead based paint, so I will take the proper precautions.

Here's a view of the inside.

So on to my idea - I'm going to use chalkboard paint on the actual window panes and I'm going to sand and paint the trim white.  I'm thinking I'll hang it in the kitchen and use it as a sort of menu / bulletin board.

Project #3:  A couple of week's ago when Michael's was running a 50% off coupon I finally gave in and bought this bottle cutter that I have been wanting to try out.  I have lots of ideas for this one :)

Anyway, those are my current projects.  I'll post updates soon.  Happy Sunday everyone! :)

Celeste Debwa has arrived!

The travel doll that I told everyone about previously has finally arrived in Tennessee!  I would like to introduce you all to Celeste :)  She hasn't been able to meet Kitty, Sophie, or Olive yet as unfortunately we've spent her first few days here running back and forth to the hospital.  My Dad has been ill for a few weeks now and was admitted to the hospital on Saturday.  Thanks to the great doctors and nurses and some pretty good medicine he is doing better now and may even get to come home today :)

Celeste reminds me a bit of Emma (our last travel doll) as she has quite a bit of luggage already!

Celeste's owner also sent along gifts for each of her travel hosts.  Mine is this lovely acorn with a gold bead on top made to look like a jar and lid.  Its hard to tell from the picture, but it says "Coyote Cuticles" and has a small coyote footprint on each side.  Celeste's brother Jacob is in love with a lady named Chloe who owns a shop named the "Blue Cat Mercantile" - which is where I think the gift came from.  I wonder what else they sell there?

Please everyone go and check out Celeste's blog to see the pics that we've taken so far - and leave some comments :)

Virginia Highlands Festival 2010

This past week has been pretty yucky around my place - I've been sick, but no worries I'm finally feeling better now.  My poor Dad has been sick as well and actually had to visit his heart doctor and have some x-rays done.  They put him on some antibiotics and may be changing around some of his prescriptions so hopefully he'll be feeling well again soon.  My Mother on the other hand is going a bit stir crazy at home.  With Dad being sick all week they haven't been able to go to church or the gym or anything.  So today I thought I would take her out for a little while.

The Virginia Highlands Festival is held every August in historic Abingdon, Virginia.  Lucky for me Abingdon is only about 20 or so minutes away from where I live.  There are tents full of arts and crafts, food vendors, and lots of music.  There were no "mini" artists, but maybe someday! :)  I thought I'd share some pics with everyone today.

This is the back of the Field-Penn 1860 House Museum.  The entire house is very beautiful - I love the vines that run along the back porch.   The black metal piece you see in the yard is some sort of old fashioned water pump.  A couple of other historic places that I didn't get pictures of, but are worth checking out are the Martha Washington Inn, which was a private home built in 1832, but is now a 4 star hotel.  There are some ghost stories that go along with the hotel as well if you care to google it.  There is also the famous Barter Theatre, which has some pretty cool history as well.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of these - pottery with faces!

This tent was full of very interesting wind chimes.  See the one with the tea/coffee pot on the left?  There was also a neat one on the other side that was made to look like a chuckwagon.  It was too big for 1:12 scale or I would have definitely bought it for my saloon.

The "Starving Artist Cafe" - I thought the raged looking awning was very appropriate.

This guy was carving wooden bowls.  The huge pile behind him is all of the wood shavings.  It looked so cool that I just wanted to jump in it!  Probably would have come away with quite a few splinters though...

The arts and crafts tents went down a street that ran alongside a set of railroad tracks.  There was a really cool pedestrian bridge that ran over the tracks so my Mom and I walked up to take some pictures.

Here's a cool view looking down the tracks.  And at the bottom you can see my shadow :)

And a view looking the other way.  The old white train station building has been turned into the Art Depot.

Below is my Mom's favorite tent :)

Now I want to show you my favorite part of the arts and crafts tents.  Mary, the wife of my very first boss, makes beautiful pottery.  You can read more about her craft here - Stoneware Baskets. 

And here's Mary :)

I have many of Mary's beautiful baskets at home that I'll have to take some pics of to share with everyone as well.

I hope everyone has a great Monday - it's also my sister's birthday so Happy Birthday Samantha!

Blog giveaway - Celeste Travels the World

I just wanted to do a quick update on the blog that I told everyone about yesterday.  Celeste's blog is going to have a giveaway if they can reach 50 followers!

1st prize will be a doll made by S. Marie Carlson - the artist that made the Celeste doll

2nd prize will be a set for your garden

3rd prize will be a new addition for your library

According to Celeste's blog rules will be posted on how to enter once they reach 50 followers.

Sounds great, huh?  So go here http://travelwithceleste.blogspot.com/ and click to follow :)

Celeste Travels the World - a blog recommendation

*UPDATE* I just realized that I didn't include the link to Celeste's blog - oops!  So here it is
http://travelwithceleste.blogspot.com/

 

I think I've mentioned Celeste's blog before, but I wanted to share some more with everyone today.  This blog has a little bit of everything - miniatures, travel, genealogy, and more!

Celeste Debwa is a 1:12 scale miniature doll that is currently traveling the globe in search of her family's heritage.  She is 22 years old and is quite the wandering spirit.  Up until recently the only thing that Celeste knew about her family was that her mother Jacqueline Debwa, left when Celeste was only a year old to join a gypsy caravan.  Her brother Jacob helped to raise her ever since.

A few things that Celeste has discovered is that her great-grandmother was a servant at a castle in the Netherlands.  There are rumors of a scandal involving her and a prince...!  Also Celeste found out that her great-grandfather emigrated from England to the United States where his last name was changed to "Dubois."

So far Celeste has traveled to:

New Hampshire

Waldorf Maryland / DC area

Derbyshire United Kingdom

The Netherlands

She is currently en route to Texas and then hopefully she will be visiting me here in Tennessee!

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you check out her blog and her great travel pics.  There is an amazing pic of Celeste standing behind the Department of Defense podium inside of the Pentagon!  Celeste also has pictures from the birthday party of Deborah Cavendish who is the Dowager Duchess and widow of the last Duke of Devonshire.

So far Celeste's blog only has 25 followers - a few more would be greatly appreciated ;)  So please stop by and say hello!

Progress pic for the HOM Chippendale 3 drawer chest

Well I've gotten the first coat of stain on the Chippendale chest.  The instructions said to use a mahogany or cherry stain so I decided to go with Minwax Red Mahogany.  I like the color so far, but I think it will look better after another coat of stain.  The instructions also said "For authenticity, when finishing drawers, finish only the drawer fronts."  I'm not sure that I like the way the drawers look with only the fronts stained.  Also I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stain the inside of the chest either.  I would like for it to look like the original, but then again I guess I can just do it the way I want it.  I can't wait to see how it looks with the hardware attached!

Have a happy Monday!

Monday minis of a different kind...

I thought that by now I would be finished or at least much further along with my House of Miniatures Chippendale Dresser.  But alas, when I came home from work last Tuesday I found a lovely surprise waiting for me.

Herman must have been very busy that day because there were turtle eggs all over my aquarium!  I counted 14 whole ones.  I have no idea how many there were in total because Cecil had obviously been eating some of them as well.  It was such a mess!

This one is almost an inch and a half long!  I can't believe there were so many of them!

This is afterwards as Herman was desperately trying to escape while I was attempting to measure just how big he/she really is.

Here is a front view to share, this is from a few months ago, but Herman is still about this same size.  From left to right the top of his shell measures 8-1/2 inches wide.

And from front to back the top of his shell measures 9-1/2 inches long.  He just doesn't seem to be big enough for all of those eggs!  I may have mentioned it before, but Herman was already named when he was given to me and I've been referring to him as a "he" for so many years that I still have trouble saying "she."

I'm sure you're wondering at this point, but no I won't be having lots of baby turtles swimming around.  Turtles like RES require very specific conditions in order to have viable eggs - for example a place to bury the eggs like in sand or dirt, specific temperatures, incubation time, etc.  Also there is no way to tell if these eggs were even fertilized to begin with.  I have reason to believe that Cecil is a male, but then again I thought Herman was a male for a long time as well.  I've read that female turtles can carry sperm for as long as 7 years after an encounter with a male as well.  Crazy, huh?

Anyway, the tank and the filter were such a mess that here it is days later and I still haven't been able to put it all back together again.  I'm actually writing this Sunday night - guess it's time to sign off and give it another try - wish me luck!