Friday, June 27, 2014

A Picture Perfect Planter

My sister and I were at Lowes a while back looking for plant deals, for HER.  She's a plant-a-holic!  
She has yet to admit this.
We saw this cute hanging planter which was a steal at 60 bucks....and when I say a steal,  I thought ain't no one stealing my sister's 60 bucks!
Hanging cake pan picture from Lowes

A side view.

My quest, was to create something similar for nothing!


I scrounged through the scrap pile and found
 an old roasting pan lid.
I didn't even clean it for her.


I determined how big I wanted the frame and cut some scrap wood to that size.

Cut the inside out.

Drilled a couple of  holes for watering and put in some supports for the plants and dirt.  The other end was the lids original vent hole, which will be used to drain excess water.


I removed the lid handle and re-used it for the hanger, drilling new holes and using small bolts and nuts to fasten it in its new position.  Ouch


I glued and clamped the board to the metal and left it overnight to dry..... which was a fail.   Also the chicken wire ended up being cut away to allow for the roots to tuck in.
I ended up securing the pan to the wood, using four washers and screws

I painted the surface using an exterior paint.

I used some grey caulking which I had leftover from another project.


and attached rocks using the caulking as glue, hoping it would look like grey mortar.




My sister worked her magic  and made it beautiful!  Being 60 bucks richer, minus the cost of plants, she joined Garden Club, which she says is like AA for plant-a-holics.

Wait a minute, I don't think that will help her, will it?



Look what we have!
A new generation of Great Horned Owls!
I can't get as close to these guys as I did to last years batch.  They spook so much easier.  Guess last years two got used to me bugging them every single morning!
You can see them here
Cheers!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Lilac Simple Syrup

Did you know lilacs are edible?
  What kind of a person would eat them?
A survivalist?
That's not me.
Maybe drink them.....but definitely not eat them

Lilac Simple Syrup
2 Cups lilac buds
2 Cups of water
2 Cups of sugar
1/2 tsp citric acid or lemon juice
a few blueberries for color, or food coloring

Throw the buds in a pot....

with some water and sugar.....

I threw in a dozen blueberries for color.


Gently boil for about 20 minutes and add the citric acid.  Careful cuz it foams up when you add the acid!
And strain into a jar.  I keep this jar in the refrigerator.

A splash of lilac simple syrup to soda water, makes for a refreshing drink


It's so hard to let go of lilacs this year....I felt the need to save a bit of spring for next winter.  Tomorrow I will be picking a huge batch and process sterilized filled canning jars of lilac simple syrup for 45 minutes.......
And here it is, tomorrow!


 If it's a long, cold winter, 
 me and "lilac gin drink" will stay
 nice and warm cuz I'm really stocked up!
Cheers!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Ceiling Tiles Are In!! Canada Ceiling Tiles Gets a Big F!

UPDATE
*Looks like this company is done and I can see why!*

Skip this next bit and go to the pictures if you aren't here looking for a review on Canada Ceiling Tiles, cuz it ain't pretty!
I hate to throw my support to a US company but just buy from http://www.decorativeceilingtiles.net/white-styrofoam-ceiling-tiles/ and you will save time and money, unless Canada Customs delays your shipment.
MY ORIGINAL ORDER WAS MAY 5th,
the very day my credit card was billed for the tiles!
I received the incorrect tiles May 16th and immediately called the company
informing them of the mistake.
I finally received my tiles June 4th
The email I received : 
Let me take this opportunity to apologize for the mix up of the orders.
Tomorrow May 28th your correct order will be shipped by Canada Post
Tracking # 03%^439000!@#$%^.
I am told it will take approx. 6 days.

In order for us to send the package you received in error to the correct client,
we have included on your box a packing envelope on the outside that contains
1) Packing List for our Client in B.C.
2) A Pre-Paid Canada Post Shipping Label

If you would be so kind as to bring the incorrect box that you had received back to the
Post Office when you receive your correct one and have the Post Office place the
Pre-Paid Shipping Label on that box so that it can now be shipped to our Customer.

Your patience and help in this matter is incredibly appreciated.

Again, we are so sorry for our error.

Thank You So Much,
Angela Smale
Canada Ceiling Tiles
132 King Street West
Prescott, Ontario Canada
K0E1T0


My reply to this letter is:

Wow   I can't believe it has taken this long for you to ship the correct order.   I was assured by Steve that my order was to have gone out last Tuesday after the long weekend.   I am curious as to what the delay was?  This puts my project back three weeks.


I NEVER RECEIVED A REPLY TO THIS EMAIL!!!
  May 28th to ship the correct order???  Come on people, do your jobs!
I think if I would have been in their shoes, I would have paid a little more for overnight shipping.

Not even an offer of compensation for my gas to fix their mistake. 

Also, 1/3 of the tiles received were scratched on the back.  I believe they had debris on the rollers, or a malfunction in the processing end of the tiles which was passed on to me, the consumer, at full price!  Not sure if this is standard practice for Canada Ceiling Tiles to pass on seconds to their customers???
I can say I won't be buying from this company again.


And now for the peeps looking for progress and not reviews.....Hope I don't disappoint!


BEFORE




 During




After





Some nasty before shots


Compare!!!  What a difference!

Yes that is plastic on the light.....I still have to paint the ceiling and this turtle doesn't want any splatters on my new light.  Not a great deal at fifty bucks like my girly closet light, but I love her just the same!   Crown molding, baseboard and windows still need to be completed, and then we can close the door on this room, because it actually has a door that closes!
Cheers!

Saturday, June 7, 2014

A Kitchen Cupboard Organizer. Things I Did While Waiting for Canada Ceiling Tiles to Deliver My Order!

Suffering from a bit of anger and too much coffee,  worked to my advantage.  Probably mostly the coffee, but waiting for my ceiling tiles is becoming quite annoying.  I just found out that good ole Steve lied about getting the tiles shipped out immediately after the long weekend, which here in Canada, was May 19th.  Instead I got an email stating that they would be shipped out May 28th.  Way to go Steve.   What the hell do they do at their warehouse all day?  Knit sweaters for cold sheep?  We are Canadian after all, but this Canadian is tired of being polite!    Anyways, if someone is looking for a good review on Canada Ceiling Tiles, you won't find it here.  They suck!....and you can read about here!
Today while cleaning the kitchen, I crammed my last cookie sheet into this cupboard.

 I forgot to take a before picture but I do have a picture of the shelf that was jammed into the back.  It was only half the depth of the cabinet as I used some scrap wood to build it.  A wire divider from the dollar store was my magic holder for cookie sheets. I shut the door on that fix a few years back.....when it would shut and called it "good enough!"
I didn't even veneer the edges.  It was crap.

  Unfortunately, every time I opened the doors to
 bake some crazy science experiment from Pinterest,
 everything would fall out and onto the floor.
Dado's were cut into a top and bottom piece, (bottom shown).  1/4" MDF was glued into the slots to create dividers for cookie sheets and other bakeware.

Exposed edges were veneered
And then I forgot I had a camera and was supposed to use it.
A trial fit.  I realized I needed one more divider on the top shelf and a lot of paint

Last divider was added and paint was applied.
I wish I could be more patient and apply paint before assembly, but when I get an idea, I just go with it.  So instead, I painted the wood and my arms with a very nice coat of white paint!


Two, handled plastic bins from the dollar store, house food processor and stick mixer parts.


shhhhhhh  a very very early B-day gift for Mr. FT.  Had to make a special place for his new kitchen gadget.
 A sous vide cooker!


 The handle to the frying pan sticks out, but with the setback of the dividers, door clearance is not a problem.
  Whew. (wipe sweat from my brow)


Look at all those shiny labels!  
Hmmmm that reminds me, I better get started on that "knitting sweaters for sheep" project I've been putting off.  Me and Canada Ceiling tiles will keep those poor sheep warm this winter!
Cheers!
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