All posts for the month June, 2012

Finally, I’m Color Blocking

Will the makeover power of spray paint ever wear out? It’s always good for a showy after. And speaking of spray paint, I feel like I always have at least 3 things on my list that I want to spray at any given time but for some reason have this mental block telling me it will take a lot of effort and FOREVER to do. And then I get tired of it being on my to do list, so I tackle the project, and before I know it, I’m sipping a celebratory glass of wine. I went through that very progression this week; I finally got off my fanny and sprayed these three Ikea Knuff magazine files I’ve had laying around. I forgot to take a true before, so here they are from Ikea’s website:

http://www.ikea.com

Nothing like a new desk to make you want to update your office supplies. Originally, I was just going to paint the outsides all one color, a nice tomato red Valspar spray called ‘Hacienda Tile’ that I picked up:

http://www.plumbersurplus.com

But then, as I was taping off the inside, one of the pins I posted a few weeks ago popped into my brain:

                                                                                      Source: theproperpinwheel.com via Maria on Pinterest

 

Aha! That little color blocking treatment could look fancy on these Knuffs, don’t you think? I wonder if I’ll ever get eKnuff color blocking. *rim shot* ;) So I abandoned my original idea and covered the tops in saran wrap and taped them off. I highly recommend using the plastic wrap for this purpose, it’s so much easier than trying to cut pieces of plastic bags to fit perfectly around an odd shaped piece.

I lined up the Knuffs, primed ‘em up:

And sprayed them ’till my heart’s content. The reward for my efforts? Well, see for yourself:

And a little view of them on the desk:

I’m so on-trend, I can’t even take it.

2 Comments
by folksyhome on June 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Small Projects
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Posted by folksyhome on June 29, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/29/finally-im-color-blocking/

Revealed: The Desk!

Oh, this desk. Wow, I love this desk. So simple, casual and functional, if I do say so myself. It’s been an epic journey, but she’s finally done done done, and here’s the rest of the story of how it was finished. After the cabinets and doors were built, I glued some wood plugs from Homey Deeps into the outward-facing pocket holes,

then puttied the joints and crevices:

I’m terrible and hopeless at puttying. Every time I go to do it, I say to myself, ‘OK, take your time, use a steady hand, not too much putty.’ That sentence pretty much goes from my brain right out my ear (it that’s even possible?). I did make my best attempt though, and didn’t mar it beyond what the sander could fix. With the cabinets and doors all smoothed out thanks to the random orbital sander, it was priming time. I used this Zinsser primer to coat the side panels, the front, and the doors.

From http://www.homedepot.com

I left the back and insides raw to save myself the painting. I’m never one to let a viable short cut slip by!

After the primer dried for a day, I sanded it a bit to take down the brush strokes as much as possible.

I painted the cabinets ‘Van Deusen Blue’ from Benjamin Moore. I looooove this color. Exactly what I was going for with the desk. I used Benjamin Moore Advance paint, which was great, except it took 16 hours to dry before I could re-coat! For an impatient painter like me, this was torture! I waited it out, though, and put on the second coat the next day and it was perfect. I guess good things do come to those who wait.

For the finish, I wanted something that looked hand-rubbed and wouldn’t be too fussy. After a bit of research, I found that paste wax was just what I was looking for. Added bonus? All you do is wax on, wax off. THAT’S IT! No worrying about brush strokes, no worrying about dust in the finish, NADA. Just grab a rag, channel your inner Karate Kid and go. Needless to say, I’ll definitely be using wax again!

Inside the cabinet, we installed a sliding shelf for the printer.

Now, this was almost a disaster because the printer fits inside the cabinet veeeeery snugly. See what I mean?

There was no space for the drawer slides to fit beside the printer. Just as I was muttering my first curse word of the day, Mike came up with the idea of risers that would screw to the drawer slides, and then we could put the shelf MDF on top of that so the printer would have full rein of the cabinet width. Genius, I tell you!

With that crisis averted, we attached the hardware (all from Lowe’s) to the doors, and the doors to the cabinets, mostly by eyeing where things look best. Let’s be honest, the cabinets are not the most square things in the world so going for square would probably look worse than eyeing it.

With those in place, we brought them into the house and set up the desk! The top, as I’ve mentioned before, is a piece of Ikea butcher block counter top. The piece was going to be a corner desk, but we had a change of heart when we saw the whole thing together as a straight desk. I couldn’t bear to cut that pretty chunk of wood! For now, the top is just setting on the cabinets until we make up our minds on the corner desk business. Once we do, we’ll latch it down for good. In the mean time, I sealed up the wood with some Watco Teak Oil. I just poured it on,

brushed it around,

waited 30 minutes, and wiped it off. Again, easy-peasy finishing. Double score!

Phew,  and that’s the story of finishing the desk! I still can’t believe I built/designed it!…Oh, what’s that? You want glamour shots? Why yes, I can show you those! A hardware/cabinet/top close up:

The filing-cabinet cabinet (I still can’t believe that all my measurements worked out):

The printer cabinet:

The left cabinet basking in the sun:

And the whole shebang:

Parfait! Now, if only I had an ounce of accessorizing talent I could really make this desk sing. Outlook not good, but that won’t stop me from trying!

7 Comments
by folksyhome on June 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessorizing, Building, DIY, Furniture
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Posted by folksyhome on June 27, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/27/revealed-the-desk/

The Desk!

Ahhhh!!! The desk is COMPLETE. And I am in LOVE. Before I reveal the whole shebang (the finish is still drying so it’s not accessorized or anything), I wanted to tell you guys a little bit about how it was constructed. You may remember that I designed it from scratch. Let me tell you, it was worth it! After I had my plans and dimensions, I found myself at home with this pile:

After using the chop saw to cut it all to size, I had this:

The general design was of an open-front cabinet with an overlaid door. Each cabinet had two side panels, a back and bottom of MDF and a front door. I started with the side panels, as they were the most labor intensive. The general idea for them was to have a 2×4 frame with 1x4s in the middle to create a recessed panel. I laid everything out before I started drilling so I could make sure the good side of the wood was facing out.

I used the mother of all jigs, the Kreg Jig, to drill in pilot holes for connecting the boards to each other. I also drilled pilot holes that will eventually connect the cabinet to the top. I am so thankful I thought of this, because it’d be hard to get the jig in there after the cabinets were already assembled! Foresight to the rescue!

After all pilot holes were done, I clamped together the center 1x4s and inserted the screws. Yep, I did this step in the living room. What? Celeb Apprentice was on! I couldn’t miss it ;) !

then assembled the outer frame:

and then attached the two! Viola! 4 panels:

I also used the jig to pre-drill holes for the pieces that attached the two panels.

The board sizes used for the 4 pieces were dictated by the file cabinet that needs to fit inside. So, because the total height of the desk was restricted by the chair and a pre-fab center support from Ikea, the top front cross bar had to be small to maximize the open front dimension. Make sense?? Probably not, but in a nut shell, I had to make the cabinet fit, and that size wood was the only option! Next step was the front and back. Cue the MDF. Here’s the bottom, it’s made of 3/4” MDF and is glued to the front and back crossbars for support:

The bottom piece left 1/4” of width so the back panel could be set on top of it, and sit flush with the back of the cabinet. Here’s a detail shot of how the back is attached:

In the photo above, the bottom is the side panel, the left vertical piece is the top rear cross bar, and the right vertical piece is the back piece of MDF. As for the front of the bottom piece, it got a tiny piece of trim to cover the raw edge:

 

And with that, we had cabinets! Apparently, I forgot to take a good picture of the raw, finished piece. This is all I got:

But you get the idea. It’s a cabinet! Woohoo!

As for the door, it’s similar to the side panels in that there is a frame and center. For these, however, the frame is of 1x4s screwed together using the Kreg Jig:

and the centers are just 1/4” pieces of plywood glued and nailed to the back of the frame:

Again, I must have been so excited to be finished I forgot to take a photo! Bummer city!! But yeah, those are the desk cabinets! Coming up: how I finished them!

1 Comment
by folksyhome on June 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Building, DIY, Furniture
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Posted by folksyhome on June 25, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/25/the-desk/

Not Just a Foot Soak

For a period of time when I was a kid, epsom salts were a cure all: clogged noses, sore feet, you name it, epsom salt will fix it! Well, now I’m adding one more use for the magnesium sulfate crystals: garden spray. Really. Probably 4 years ago I read this little tip in a Farmer’s Almanac, I think. It seemed simple enough, so why not try it? Well, let me tell you, I won’t go without it now! That year my habaneros plants were more orange than green from all the peppers. Apparently, the salts deliver some much-needed micro-nutrients and boost flower and fruit production. Whether it’s science or alchemy, my peppers love it so I’m hooked. And, it’s dead simple. Check it:

1) Acquire spray bottle and epsom salt (super cheap, that box was bout $1 at the grocery store):

2) Add 1 tbs. to about 16 oz of water. Shake. (After a quick Google search, I found that water/salt ratio recommendations vary, but this combination works for me):

3) Spray on pepper plants (mostly on the leaves and a little in the soil).

4)Wait impatiently and enjoy your bounty!

I’ve also read that the spray can also boost tomatoes and eggplant, but I haven’t ventured there yet. Let me know if you get the courage to :) .

2 Comments
by folksyhome on June 22, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Gardening
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Posted by folksyhome on June 22, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/22/not-just-a-foot-soak/

From Grey to White

Ladies and gentlemen, she’s painted! The misguided slate grey in the office is no longer. It’s now a refreshing, simple, blank canvas of delicious white.

It took one coat of primer and two coats of paint, but we made it. And, thankfully, I had the assistance of two of my favorite helpers, my niece and nephew. They did a bang-up job painting the trim. Thanks, guys! (I know the back of the closet looks splotchy, but we ran out of paint and it will be covered with clothes, anyway. Whataya gonna do?)

The office is officially on its way to non-hive inducing. What a difference a day makes!

3 Comments
by folksyhome on June 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Room Before and After, Small Projects
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Posted by folksyhome on June 20, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/20/from-grey-to-white/

Summertime, and the pinning’s easy…

With summer officially arriving next week, naturally, I’m in a frenzied craft-make-do-clean EVERYTHING mode. The warm weather inspires me, what can I say? The easiest step in making things happen, of course, is finding some inspiration and figuring out what you want to do. The actual crafting/making/doing/cleaning is the hard part. Today, I’m focusing on the easy part. Here are a few of my pins that I’d like to see happen in some iteration in my own home:

1. Ridiculously Cute Tennis Ball Small Item Holder (That name just rolls off the tongue, don’t it ;) )

 

A) How cute is it? B) He holds mail! C) Really, how cute is it??? I can see this as a nice, functional pop of color somewhere.

2) Cork Succulent Starter Magnets

Source: buzzfeed.com via Maria on Pinterest

 

I still have a few magnets left over from my gemstone magnet project, and this seems like the perfect use for them. Hollow out a wine cork (lord knows I have plenty of those laying around!), add magnet, soil and a succulent. I’m seeing them as a great way to start new plants from clippings.

3) Neon Plant Pots

 

Back in the day I got a ridiculously large haul of terra-cotta pots on Freecycle. Though with my butter fingers many have bit the dust, I still have plenty. A can of spray paint and some masking tape and I may just be able to upgrade those freebies into a statement.

4) Wine Cork Plant Labels

 

These are super cute, and I could use a better plant labeling system. Somehow whenever I get to planting, I completely forget about writing down what goes where. I’ll start a garden map and only keep up with it for the first half of the gardening session. Right now, one corner of the garden is just a crapshoot of cucurbits- cucumbers, melons, gourds all intermingling. It’ll be a nice little surprise when the veggies start popping up and I can put a face to a plant, so to speak. So yeah, had I made labels before hand, I wouldn’t be in this pickle (ha! pun totally intended).

5) Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

 

Many people have done versions of this nifty little craft and I think I may just have to throw my hat into the ring. It’d look cute on my sink, if I do say so myself.

So, what are you planning to craft this summer?

2 Comments
by folksyhome on June 15, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Gardening, Small Projects
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Posted by folksyhome on June 15, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/15/summertime-and-the-pinnings-easy/

Too. Many. Photos.

We live in the digital age. No surprise there. While I like to think I’ve mastered some parts of it (e.g., typing, auto bill pay), some areas leave a lot to be desired, especially my photo organization. They’re basically in a digital version of the shoebox under the bed: all in one place, but not efficiently organized. And I’m not sure how to remedy it.

Currently, I view my photos through iPhoto and organize them into events as they’re imported. And that’s about it. Here’s what it looks like:

Pretty good, but not efficient. The events are sorted by date, but when I want to go find something specific (usually a particular picture of Oats) I have to cross my fingers and make a wish to have any chance of finding it. Single photo events are usually lumped in with larger events, so they get lost in the shuffle. And I can’t bear to get rid of photos, so don’t even go there. I always think of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when Blomkvist is searching for the missing girl in old photos and finally finds her image in someone’s honeymoon album. What if that had been thrown that away!? I know, cray-cray. I blame my dad, he’s a photo hoarder, too. (Love you, Dad!)

But really, what do I do about this? Here are a few options I’ve found, most of which are viable, but thinking about giving keywords to all my photos since the dawn of digicams quickly dissuades me from starting.

1) Keywords: Basically tags that you can give photos or a batch of photos so that they are more searchable. Good solution, hard to retroactively implement.

2) More specific events: Make an event for every little thing. That picture of Oats with a sock in his face? That goes in an event called ‘Oats with a Sock in his Face.’ Workable, but doesn’t necessarily create an easily searchable photo database.

 3) Albums: Events in iPhoto work to organize photos into discrete occurrences, but sometimes one event can contain many type of photos. In my case, when I go out and about, I often have people shots, plant shots and craft/art inspiration photos, all from the same outing. Using albums, I could add all inspiration shots to a single album and they would also remain in the event from which they came. The more I think about it, the more this may be a frontrunner. An Oats album, a Plants album, and an Inspiration album. That should cover about 99% of my photos.

4) Something else: Picasa? Flickr? Who knows…

Ah, like I said, whatever I choose is going to take a good amount of dedication to get everything in order. I’m not exactly looking forward to it, but eventually it will have to be done. Hopefully it happens before 2020 ;) . So, any photo organization pointers? How do you organize your photos??

6 Comments
by folksyhome on June 13, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Daily Life
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Posted by folksyhome on June 13, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/13/too-many-photos/

State of the Garden 6-11-12

It’s almost summer. The weather is gorgeous. How ’bout we take a looksie outside FH today? You in? Good. Here’s what’s cooking in our yard:

The raised bed. God, I love that thing. Especially when it is brimming with life as it is now. How can you not just take a look at that and smile? Just me? There are a lot of question marks in today’s post. I’ll try to stop. But can I? Ok, promise this time.

In the left foreground you can see our avocado tree that is happy to be out of the house. In the bed we have tomatoes, melons (that are slowly trying to strong arm my tomatoes to the ground), cucumbers, artichokes, peas and onions. Everything is packed in tight, but it’s all the in-ground space I got! Flanking the bed is some cilantro in the watering can, lavender in the pot to the left, and some celosia and a pepper plant in the box to the right. At the far left corner is the raspberry, and on the front right corner is a artichoke. The trellis is a Mike special that he built for me using jute and bamboo. Industrious.

Here’s my other main ‘garden’ section, which is in front of the porch:

It’s admittedly pretty rag-tag, but it actually gets more sun than the raised bed. We have a weird sun path through our yard with especially tall trees blocking sun at random times throughout the day. Very frustrating! I’ve found this spot to be rather sunny, though, and it has served me well. Along with the labeled goodies in the above picture, there are onions, strawberries and a small fir tree seedling that we got as a freebie when we bought our Christmas tree a few years back. Here’s a view from the street:

Not bad, eh? (Don’t mind the weeds.) I’m really not great at container arranging for the purpose of looks. I’m working on it. But I do like the pops of color the cheepo annuals from Lowe’s provide. Nothing says summer like color! Quick, someone write that down! Oh wait…

Anywho, here is a little closeup of the empty-looking pots labeled as ‘Flowers!’ above. Sunflowers…

and an aster mix.

Back when I started gardening, I think I actually said, “I don’t get why anyone would grow flowers when you can grow food!” but, needless to say, I have changed my tune evolved. I think I can safely say I get as much enjoyment in growing a decorative flower as in growing a tomato, but I still am not so hot knowing the names. In time!

Finally, here’s is a little taste of what’s starting to produce fruit here in the Folksy Home garden:

Eeeeeeee!!!! We have baby veggies!! Yay!!

So, tell me, what is your garden growing this week? Any baby veggies??

16 Comments
by folksyhome on June 12, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Gardening
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Posted by folksyhome on June 12, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/12/state-of-the-garden-6-11-12/

This is the Season of the Pan

(Yep, the title is an homage to the Donovan classic, ‘Season of the Witch’, which I enjoy singing when I feel Mike is being irrational. You can imagine how much he loves that. But, he does the same to me, so we’re even :) )

So, why the Donovan song pun? Because today I am showing you how to definitively season your cast iron pans. If you own cast iron, you know this is easier said than done.

First of all, Mike and I, in the first months of our relationship, somehow came to the conclusion that we didn’t need non-stick teflon (pardon the triple negative) in our lives. To be green? To avoid carcinogens? Probably all of the above, but also, it just felt good to ditch the oh-so-vulnerable teflon coating for the weighty, earthy iron. And added bonus, we could fearlessly turn our steaks with a fork. A METAL fork! What did we do to deserve such good luck??

But adopting the hefty pans was not without its woes. There is a definite learning curve to cooking with them, and the pan seasoning is a whole other story. I really had no idea what an epic saga we were getting ourselves into. I didn’t even know you had to season pans to make them slick! At first, we had just one small pan, enough for two eggs on a Sunday morning, so scraping and scraping after a meal was not a huge deal. Then we doomed ourselves by getting a larger pan and wanting to get fancy and cook up some chicken, or maybe get crazy and even fry a steak! Everything stuck. And turned black. That has to be worse for you than some teflon flakes. The original seasoning the pan came with had worn off, and instantly we were deputized to find the best, most durable cast iron pan seasoning the world has ever known. And we found it! It only took us 5 years, but by god, we found it! Wanna know the secret?

Flax oil! Funny aside: my grandpa used to soak ground up flax seeds in a cup of water and give it to my brother and me as a snack. We loved the crap out of that stuff. Also, good for the digestive system, if you know what I mean. But back then when my bro and I were sipping the flax slurry I had no idea what far reaching uses laid in the little seed. Come to find out, it’s the best ever cast iron pan seasoning there is! Who knew?!

Mike found this little gem in the bible of good cooking, Cooks Illustrated. It’s simple and effective. He didn’t follow the directions to the T, but we got great, slick results. And after about 4 years of trial and error, mostly with that gross solid vegetable oil, we couldn’t be happier. (Btw, Mike did this while I was away, so all photo credits go to him. I didn’t even know he documented this little project until after. Love that guy!) First step? De-season your pans, you want a blank canvas to work with.

Mike just thoroughly hand washed them, but you can also put your cast iron into the oven and set it to self-clean. After they’re back to factory setting, set them in a 200 degree oven to warm ‘em up. Pull them out after 15 minutes and pour some flax oil right in them. Swish it around to coat the surface.

 Once everything looks coated, wipe the excess with a paper towel, and place the pan upside down in the oven and turn it to max. It’s important to put the pan in the cold oven so the pan heats up along with the elements.

Leave ‘er there for an hour and viola! Seasoned pan. Oh wait, you have to do that 6 times: warm up, oil coat, wipe, oven for an hour, repeat.  At least you only have to de-season it once! But seriously, it’s worth it. Mike did it over the course of 2 days, and it worked out perfectly. Apparently, the flax oil polymerizes with the surface of the pan to make an almost permanent coating. Cooks Illustrated even put the flax-coated pan in the dishwasher and it came out unscathed. Incredible!  Check out our results for yourselves:

Making eggs never felt so good.

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by folksyhome on June 8, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cooking, DIY
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Posted by folksyhome on June 8, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/08/this-is-the-season-of-the-pan/

A Few Furniture Design and Construction Considerations

I am in no way an expert designer. I’m just a crazy girl who likes to build stuff in her free time, so take my advice for what it’s worth. With that said, I am someone who started at the ground and kind of taught myself using the resources around me (namely, family and Google, my two favorite worldly entities). I’ve had plenty of “Oh eff it!” moments, but I’ve also had some “Thank goodness I thought of that before I cut the only piece of wood long enough to make what I need!” moments. So, to help save your from having to go back to Homey Deeps in the middle of a project (so frustrating!) or cursing a blue streak at the miter saw (feels good, but not so helpful), I’ve compiled a little list of things to think about when designing your own piece of furniture/anything made out of wood.  Unfortunately, it won’t prevent you from finding yourself like this while trying to figure things out:

1) Dimensional lumber sizes vs. actual sizes:

Okay, fine, if you’re thinking of building something, you probably already know this, but just to make sure you do, I included this tidbit because it really is that important. The dimensions on the signs for the pieces at home depot do not equal true measurements! Here are some general rules copped from this website:

  • subtract 1/4 inch for dimensions under 2 inches (51 mm)
  • subtract 1/2 inch for dimensions under 8 inches (200 mm)
  • subtract 3/4 inch for larger dimensions

And you can see a full chart of the conversions here. A lot of times when building it doesn’t matter what the dimensions are, but that they are the exact same across pieces. Easier said than done.

2) Screws Hitting Each Other: 

I’ve learned this the hard way. If you’re constructing something that will attach to two or more things, consider HOW (what direction, the screw size etc.) they will attach to each other before you drill pilot holes. I have most definitely gone to put in a screw only to hear that unsettling sound of metal grinding against metal. Don’t be like me, and plan where and how things will be attached before even screwing the first thing together!

3) Available Lumber Sizes:

Seems simple enough, right? Get your Google on, or visit your local hardware store/lumber yard to find out what’s available and design around that whenever possible. It’s a lot easier, quicker, and leaves less room for error than trying to shave off a 1/4 inch from a 3/4 inch wide, 6 foot long board. True story.

4) Where the piece will fit and what will fit inside of it:

I know what you’re thinking: ‘Duh!’ I know, I know, but give yourself a little wiggle room, too. If you’re a tried and true un-perfectionist like me, you know that a piece never ends up exactly as it was planned. Things squeeze together, and boards aren’t cut exactly to length. Ces’t la vie, but things will still be salvageable if you’ve left room for error. ALWAYS LEAVE ROOM FOR ERROR.

5) Tools you have:

Plan what you’ll need for cuts: miter saw, circular saw, table saw etc. Do not try to cut all pieces for a nightstand with a jig saw. There is not enough putty in the world to fill those gaps.  If you don’t have the tools necessary, have the hardware store do the dirty work or plan to borrow from a well-equipped friend. Not that kind of well-equipped. Get your mind out of the gutter!

6) Remember, patience, more than skill, is required in carpentry:

I wholeheartedly believe this. And yet I still have trouble following it. I actively try to consider sanding, wiping, dry time, etc. as part of the process. I try to find my inner zen in the back and forth brush strokes of the forth coat of poly. I am almost never failed by the superior results after taking the time for proper prep, but oy, but I still get bored doing it. Thank god for podcasts!

So those are my 2 6 cents. What are your design considerations??

P.s. The desk’s first coat of paint is on! It’s Benjamin Moore’s Van Deusen Blue:

From http://www.realsimple.com

And I know  you can’t get the full effect, especially against our navy living room walls (it looks grayer than it really is), but this is what it looks like right now.

Progress! If it ever stops raining, we’ll be well on our way to a new desk in no time!

2 Comments
by folksyhome on June 6, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Building, DIY, Furniture
Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by folksyhome on June 6, 2012

http://folksyhome.com/2012/06/06/a-few-furniture-design-and-construction-considerations/

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  • Maria @ FH

    Hi there! I'm a grad student, wife, and doting owner of the cutest dog you've ever seen. I love organizing, gardening, and taking on projects I only later find out I'm wildly too impatient for. Read along as I try to accept it's about the journey, not the destination, especially when it comes to DIY. Welcome!

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