Today I created 10 new blog posts.
I win.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
My bathtub had not been draining recently. Considering I've only lived in my current space for less than 2 months, and have been using a drain catcher thingy (that is the technical term) - it seemed unlikely that the drain could be plugged.
Yet it still was not draining. I had previously purchased the Turbo Snake. Another of the many miracle inventions seen on tv.
It had everything I needed. Even comes with a hook so that the turbo snake can be hung up and saved for another use. I did not keep the reusable hook. I did not keep the turbo snake for another day. I did remind myself that I am a grown up and that these are the kinds of things things that grownups handle. I did shudder .... repeatedly.
I am FIRE DRAGON !!!
The fire dragon has a very distinct personality. As it is dragons are considered to be the mightiest of all the zodiac signs but the fire dragon’s personality takes dynamism to a whole new level. The fire dragon has the enterprising traits that are characteristic of the dragon but it seems to be far more enhanced when the dragon is coupled with this hot element.
Although the dragon is considered as a symbol of might and glory, people born under the sign of the fire dragon are believed to have a great humanitarian spirit. At the same time the fire dragon possesses a great spirit for adventure. This is perhaps one of the reasons it is often considered to be a very restless creature which is always looking for some sort of activity to engage in.
The fire dragon is competitive by nature. As it is dragons are known to be brave and self confident hence you will not find the fire dragon backing away from any challenge that comes its way. Another special quality in the fire dragon is the fact that they are natural born leaders. Although they are strong they are some times accused of having a narrow vision and a one track mind.
This accusation is more so labeled at the fire dragon that has a hot temper which can easily flare if the dragon is provoked. This is not to say that the fire dragon is a perpetually angry character. On the contrary the fire dragon quite enjoys the company of those who can make him laugh. With all these characteristics the fire dragon surely seems like one of the most dynamic personalities drawn up by Chinese astrologists.
And so ....
The fire dragon has a very distinct personality. As it is dragons are considered to be the mightiest of all the zodiac signs but the fire dragon’s personality takes dynamism to a whole new level. The fire dragon has the enterprising traits that are characteristic of the dragon but it seems to be far more enhanced when the dragon is coupled with this hot element.
Although the dragon is considered as a symbol of might and glory, people born under the sign of the fire dragon are believed to have a great humanitarian spirit. At the same time the fire dragon possesses a great spirit for adventure. This is perhaps one of the reasons it is often considered to be a very restless creature which is always looking for some sort of activity to engage in.
The fire dragon is competitive by nature. As it is dragons are known to be brave and self confident hence you will not find the fire dragon backing away from any challenge that comes its way. Another special quality in the fire dragon is the fact that they are natural born leaders. Although they are strong they are some times accused of having a narrow vision and a one track mind.
This accusation is more so labeled at the fire dragon that has a hot temper which can easily flare if the dragon is provoked. This is not to say that the fire dragon is a perpetually angry character. On the contrary the fire dragon quite enjoys the company of those who can make him laugh. With all these characteristics the fire dragon surely seems like one of the most dynamic personalities drawn up by Chinese astrologists.
And so ....
I love my new laptop! I got the cover customer made from skinit.com. I only wish i had more things to put custom stickers on!
Re-Purpose Part Deux
In all my excitement to finish the dresser project below I decided early on that I would go out and find the perfect drawer handles to compliment the newly reclaimed dresser. I would find them - and they WOULD be perfect.
So I threw away the drawer pulls that had been part of the dresser. No need to strip the paint off of those. I wasn't going to use those anyways.
Fast forward 2.5 months.
I am still looking for drawer handles. Sigh.
I have tried my hand at painting some wood drawer handles to get the look I want but ... eh. They are just not right. I do like them - just not for this dresser. Here are the drawers pulls I created. They are still sitting on the kitchen counter.
If you look closely you may see that one of these things does NOT look like the others. He was my first experiement.
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one
No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know
`Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, worse than two
Poor guy - he will forever be alone.
In all my excitement to finish the dresser project below I decided early on that I would go out and find the perfect drawer handles to compliment the newly reclaimed dresser. I would find them - and they WOULD be perfect.
So I threw away the drawer pulls that had been part of the dresser. No need to strip the paint off of those. I wasn't going to use those anyways.
Fast forward 2.5 months.
I am still looking for drawer handles. Sigh.
I have tried my hand at painting some wood drawer handles to get the look I want but ... eh. They are just not right. I do like them - just not for this dresser. Here are the drawers pulls I created. They are still sitting on the kitchen counter.
If you look closely you may see that one of these things does NOT look like the others. He was my first experiement.
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one
No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know
`Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, worse than two
Poor guy - he will forever be alone.
Re-Purpose Success
After finding a place and deciding to move I looked at all the things I needed to accomplish in 2 weeks and said to myself, "you've got plenty of time to re-purpose that dresser that's been in your parents house for the last 3 decades". No problem.
Side note: I have never done anything like this before.
The dresser had been painted brown at some point - and I assumed that there was wood underneath, not just plywood, so I purchased a paint stripper and got to work. The paint stripper was mildly successful - but it was the hand sander that saved the day. In the end I decided that I liked little bits of paint still on the surface, and simply covered the dresser with a spray varnish. Here are the steps.
Drawers and dresser sitting with paint stripper on it - waiting for the goop to work its magic.
After many coats of goop, I moved onto the hand sander, and things went much faster at that point.
Sanding step:
I made a solo trip to the lumber yard where I purchased a peice of plywood and had it cut to specifications. I should mention that I am really proud of myself for going alone. Out of my element to say the least. I replaced the dresser backboard with the new piece of plywood to reinforce the support (the previous backing had been warped and cracking when I started). Also reattached some of the drawer ledges and created some new ledges for ones that had gone missing over the years.
Finished product in my bedroom now.
After finding a place and deciding to move I looked at all the things I needed to accomplish in 2 weeks and said to myself, "you've got plenty of time to re-purpose that dresser that's been in your parents house for the last 3 decades". No problem.
Side note: I have never done anything like this before.
The dresser had been painted brown at some point - and I assumed that there was wood underneath, not just plywood, so I purchased a paint stripper and got to work. The paint stripper was mildly successful - but it was the hand sander that saved the day. In the end I decided that I liked little bits of paint still on the surface, and simply covered the dresser with a spray varnish. Here are the steps.
Drawers and dresser sitting with paint stripper on it - waiting for the goop to work its magic.
After many coats of goop, I moved onto the hand sander, and things went much faster at that point.
Sanding step:
I made a solo trip to the lumber yard where I purchased a peice of plywood and had it cut to specifications. I should mention that I am really proud of myself for going alone. Out of my element to say the least. I replaced the dresser backboard with the new piece of plywood to reinforce the support (the previous backing had been warped and cracking when I started). Also reattached some of the drawer ledges and created some new ledges for ones that had gone missing over the years.
Finished product in my bedroom now.
My attempts to “re-purpose” old items into new gems never seem to go as planned. My brain sees beauty and my hands create crap. Case in point. I have been obsessed with leather lately. Not sure why. I decided to see if I could create a leather finish on different items. I purchased a leather spray paint kit (as seen at right), a frame from Goodwill. I was prepared for greatness. It was supposed to look like leather ….. right?
My first attempt is below .
I didn’t like it so did a couple of extra layers in an attempt to correct what seemed to be an error. Hmmmm …. No go. I started over with a different base color – here is the finished product. There is a faint texture but …. Eh.
What I did discover was that I applied the specialty glaze incorrectly the first time through. Sigh. No kit can account for user error.
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