Making a Garden From Industrial Skids and a Kitty Window Flap

Well here we are.... Enjoying the outdoors. Don't we look at ease with our environment? We don't appear uncomfortable without our walls and computers do we? 

We found different sites online (too many to track back to an original source to give credit to the genius who thought this up) and decided it was perfect for our "would rather be playing online than weeding" lifestyle.

All we did was plunk two wooden skids onto our back lawn, staple some plastic to the open sides to keep the dirt in and fill those guys right up with topsoil. It took ten bags of topsoil to fill the two skids. The only tip I can really give you is to make sure you get all the dirt packed right in there. We sat on the grass and shoved the dirt into the cracks with our fingertips. It didn't take very long and was kind of relaxing. Sebastian looked worried. It was a new experience for him to see us all covered in dirt. We'll post progress shots and let you know how it all works out as the summer goes on.

*EDIT*

I wanted to add some progress pictures to this post to make it easier to see how well or badly we did with this skid garden.

This shot was taken roughly one week after we planted. We're watering every day that it doesn't rain after I get home from work. About 6:00 pm or so.

This shot was two weeks after planting. The radishes are doing really well and because of the extra hot weather my girlfriend Marlene has assured me we will have extra hot radishes.

The tulips are all opening in our yard and smell like honey. 

George is terrorizing the neighborhood dogs.

Here is his new cat flap. We made it ourselves. He had shoved his head through the old screen and it needed to be replaced. Mr. Jimmy fitted in a new screen and I modified it to open on cat command.

George was leery at first.........

But decided it was safe in the end. This should make for a much more peaceful house with less meowing to be let in and out every ten seconds.

I still expect to wake up to a raccoon drinking my coffee.

Hope you're venturing outdoors for some new experiences too.

Sparklie Blue Stud Earrings Made With Acrylic Nail Products

These are inexpensive accessories you can offer your nail clients to match their nail art. These ones look like little teeny earths. They're a bit of an up sell, but I think your clients will love the option to have jewelry to match their nail art. These are speedy quick to make and use almost no product. The STAEDTLER silver and gold powders are an awesome addition to any nail artist's stash.

I mixed 1 part STAEDTLER Fimo silver powder to four parts EZ FLOW clear acrylic powder to use as a faux metal base for my earrings.

I dipped my brush (#3 round sable) into my monomer and then picked up some of my silver powder mix. I built a 3/4 cm round base for each earring. I made six in total for three sets.

Follow THIS LINK to go to a full tutorial on how I add colour to my acrylic nail powders using STAEDTLER Karat soft chalk pastels. Below are the blue mixes I made with the chalks, but there are so many more colours to choose from.

  I used the first colour blue above and added several fine blue and rainbow sparkles.

I dipped into the monomer again and this time picked up a ball of my blue sparkle mix. I added a ball of this blue mix onto the center of each of the silver discs and let them self level into dome shapes.

I added a ball of clear acrylic liquid and powder to encapsulate each earring mound. Let them cure for a few minutes before proceeding to clear coating. If you clear coat too soon it will become cloudy.

Give each lump a good layer of some kind of clear coat. I just happened to have a nail polish clear coat on my table so I used it. Let them dry completely before you handle them again.

Use some jewelry adhesive (I used E6000) to glue those earring backs onto the back of each sparklie blob of nail goodness.

Sand the edges of each earring on a medium grit nail file (or some sandpaper....... whatever's handier)

You see what I did there? I poked those earrings right into my STAEDTLER plastic eraser so they wouldn't roll around on me while I was clear coating them......

:)

BRAINZ!

Maggs turned 18 this weekend...........

18!

I can't believe it. Time sure has flown by.

We honored her by making her some brain cake!

Looks pretty good there thinking bout stuff on the birthday table.

It's cherry flavored brain. 

Love you my Maggs!

Spring Planting Begins

 I think it's still pretty early to be planting things unprotected outside yet. Folks around here usually wait until May 24 weekend to avoid frost damage on new sprouts. 

We couldn't help ourselves and we started our seedlings early this year. 

They're doing well with a weeks worth of good growth. Just the radishes are getting a bit leggy.

Here's a cluster of basil seedlings. We'll have to separate some of the bigger guys this weekend and give them more room in another temporary bed. For now they'll live in the dining room in a big sunny window.

Had to show you this image I found on the inside flap of a product case at work. 

It warns us not to stab the parcel vigorously with a sharp dagger like knife........

I thought I was opening those parcels wrong.....

Butterick 6048.... Smurf Jammies

I found a  duvet cover at the thrift shop last May and I thought it was about time I used it. I also used one on my fabulous new to me vintage patterns gifted to me a while back. Here's what I came up with using Butterick 6048 view E and some smurfy goodness.

I made my standard house dress pocket with the elasticated top. Here is a closer look at the basic shape and how I place them if you're interested. I kind of love these pockets more because they have Smufette cooking up a domestic storm and receiving a beautiful flower as a reward. She's such a temptress.

It's a great pattern. Easy to follow and quick to sew.

The front of the jammies are plain but fitted.......a little low cut....... but they're jammies, right? Built for comfort not so much modesty.

The back bodice buttons up nicely. I used some second hand buttons from a button box I inherited from someplace. Now I just need a matching housecoat fabric.......

Nighty Night!

Re-Making a Matchy Stool

This is a pictorial tutorial........ Very little words, mostly pics...... Ask questions in the comments spot if you have any. Hope this helps with any re-stooling projects at your house.

after

before

don't ruin the wood prying the staples out

sanding

cleaning the groves with a dry paintbrush

painting with an interior semi gloss

laying out fabric squares

quilting the squares together

making sure the colours are matchy

staple the center of each of the four sides

work to each corner and fold them in

 Trim off extra fabric

glue on trim

 Here is the little stool where she will live, under the coffee table in the sitting room.

Watchmen Nail Art

Maggs came and asked me if I could paint little Watchmen happy faces onto her nails. She already base coated them in two coats of happy yellow polish.

I think they turned out pretty cool.

An extension of the comic book nail art topic. 

There may be more.......

Hope you're having a great week.

Don't forget about the STAEDTLER giveaway!!