Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Turkey Place Cards for the Table

Turkeys
If you are having lots of people for the holidays, it makes sense to have place card holders
so everyone will know where to sit. It's not necessary, but helpful. In my case-not really, not enough people. However, I can't help myself-I must create.......something.
What I do like and always liked about place cards is that they add something
"different" to the table setting. So this year I decided to make some turkeys to place at each setting.

These were made with my band saw using some scrap wood. I'm new to the band saw thing, so it took some time to cut them all out, but it worked out. Plus, I got some much needed experience at the saw. I love this tool!

I made a template out of paper and starting cutting. After all my pieces were ready, I glued them all together and painted them.


So now, I just pop in a card and write the persons name on it. Each turkey came out a different size and slightly crooked-not sure why and don't care. They are cute and add just a little something to my table.

Here is the entire group:


Now I just need to get all the other stuff together. Enjoy your holiday!!

Christy








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Thursday, November 18, 2010

New Painting Product



Green Toad Painting System

The Green Toad company was kind enough to send me several new paint supplies so I could try them out and share my thoughts with you. I do a lot of painting around here. It's the easiest and cheapest way to change the look of an entire room. Anything that makes this job easier is great.

A few things about these products.

*the brush handle is warrantied for life!
*The brush twists and turns 360 degrees, which certainly comes in handy while painting around windows, trim and doors. This saves you time. What a great idea-you just click and turn the handle and the brush changes the position.
*the handle has a little ridge around the base of the brush, so there is less of a mess. I really like this feature. All of my painting brushes have paint on the handles. It's impossible to get it off.
*the grip that the handle has, is comfortable, much more so than the regular brushes. Less wear on your wrist.
*when you are done, a button is pressed and the brush is released.


The roller system works the same way. You change rollers with a click of a button. Quick and easy-no struggling.
All the components are biodegradable. Throw any of it away and don't worry about it sticking around for 100 years. It's compostable.

Check out their web site for more information. http://www.thegreentoad.net/

Here are some photos that I took while using the tools.


Here it is in a straight position for painting.

Notice the handle grip? This just makes painting "more comfortable".

The above photo shows the handle now in a different position.
Easy clean up. The handle washes nicely.

Showing another position here. It's so neat.....You click and turn the brush easily. This comes in very handy when you are painting around windows and doors.
Another position.

Here shows the "ridge". This does a good job of keeping the paint off of your handle, keeping the handle nice and clean.

The little black button. Click it to release your brush and attach another tool-such as the roller.
One of the roller attachments. Clicks right onto the handle.


You only buy the handle once. After that all you need are the brushes or rollers. The prices are very reasonable and the entire collection makes painting easy.

I want to thank the folks at Green Toad for sending me the tools to try out. I'm sold on them!! I don't mind painting, but anything that makes it easier-is a good thing!

Check out the site @ http://www.thegreentoad.net/

Christy


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Monday, November 8, 2010



Last year when I happened to stumble upon the new platinum effusion lamp wick, I also came across these great new diffusers. They use water, a new type of stick and scents. That's it...just water and scent. I ordered a few to give them a try. I was really surprised to find out what a great job they do in a small room.
The diffusers I've used in the past come with "reed" sticks which seem to lose their usefulness pretty quickly. They get soggy and discolor pretty quickly. Stonewick has created a stick that is washable, porous and will last forever if you are careful with them. They feel like glass or ceramic but are porous enough to absorb the water/scent solution and fill your room with a great fragrance. I have placed them in smaller rooms-perfect for the bathroom or laundry room.

The mixture is the scent and tap water. Fill it up and forget about it. The water naturally evaporates over time and you just refill it. It's totally green. No additives or chemicals, just water and fragrance. You control the strength of the fragrance by adding or cutting the fragrance. Easy!

I ordered several of their fragrances. The package sells for $15.00. The kit includes the fragrance/eye dropper and sticks. The bottle is not included but most of use have something decorative around we can use. I think these will make great Christmas gifts because they are so different from what's out there in the stores. Check the link to the right of this post (upper right hand corner) and it will take you to their site. All the information is there.

Scents include-
apple cinnamon
slices
citrus
ocean
stargazer .....and more.
Their web site gives you a complete description of the scents and their components.

Below shows how the sticks actually look. You can see they are much more substantial than the diffuser reeds you get in the retail stores.


For those of you that use the "effusion lamps", you can also use your own scents to drop into the glass jar. Remember, the sticks are reusable and last forever. Now that's a bargain.

I just noticed that they have a promotion going for a free refill with purchase. Great!! The code is listed on the ad, at the bottom.
Christy

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Monday, November 1, 2010

Halloween-A Day Late and a dollar short....



I had the best of intentions!! Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time........
I planned on making these pumpkin candles for my screened in porch several months ago. I purchased the orange & black tissue paper and the glass containers (dollar store) a long time ago, but I just lost track of time and got too busy. So here is the best I can do-two completed candles (and honestly, I finished one up while answering the door last night).

I'm pathetic......I know.......

If you are interested in making these candles follow the directions here. I made 8 of these for the spring and they came out great. I do plan on making 6 more of these pumpkin candles to complete the set, each with a different face. I'll leave them out until Thanksgiving. What the heck, right?

I enjoy making them and love the way to turn out so I'll be making 8 more for Christmas. I had better start soon....

Here they are completed.


I also made these headstones-thought they would look cute on the table for Halloween next to everyones plate.......never finished them either. ugh.........
They did come out cute though. I used some scrap wood and cut them out using a scroll saw. I purchased myself one of these saws a year ago and I continue to experiment, create and just have some fun with it. So maybe I'll use them next year. Yes, there is always next year.
I spray painted these tombstones white and then hit them with some grey. Now, I'll hand paint some RIPS with names or something. They all have a small piece of wood glued behind them to keep them standing up.

Christy
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