Sexy legs and a stylin' formica redo

Hello everybody!  I have been really busy with too many open projects and too few hours, but here is one that has been completed and that I am entirely pleased with.  Pleased because it looks great and it cost me about $250 of fresh cash! I had a few bits and pieces already so I don't count them in because either they were free or I purchased them more than a year ago.

Ignore me in the background!

My daughter's bathroom was a bit sorry looking.  Kinda unfortunate because I hadn't allocated any money or time to upgrading her bathroom as other items seemed to demand priority.  Well that bit me in the old cheeks when I went into her sink cabinet to get some nail polish remover (my toes were looking really sad too, ah the end of summer - but I digress!). I discovered that the metal pipes were so corroded I could push my finger through them.  I didn't  push my finger in - but I did adjust my priority listing.  Here is her bathroom... note the faux marble formica  top and the  'used to be trendy' clear plastic faucet covers.  What you don't see is the rusted shower curtain pole and dated light fixture above sink.  Hey - we all have to make sacrifices :)

My original thinking was to only replace the pipe -- but that came with problems.  I ended up having to remove the taps and the sink to get to everything.  So by the time the pipes and the cabinet were off the wall and the sink in pieces I had to concede that it was a perfect opportunity to surprise her with a  stylin', but  budget conscious upgrade.  I went to look at new vanities ( $600+ ouch!).  Truth is a new vanity would stand out like a sore thumb and hers was a custom size (41inches), so a standard top wasn't going to fit either.  Can you hear cha ching???

A friend came over while I was in the pipe replacement mode and together we nodded our heads on the escalation of the project into 'operation bathroom redo'!   New taps, new light fixture (already had one), new shower curtain rod, new counter top (still formica, but the updated version!)   I chose a brushed gun metal finish.  The oracle was consulted, how do you replace formica?   Don't you just love YouTube university!?!  Yup, not hard but requires a special tool -- a router --  so we borrowed one.  The bonus add in -- to up the styling quotient --was the cast iron bath tub feet added to the cabinet instead of ordinary legs!  I had purchased a set of 4 about 18 months ago on a trip to Nova Scotia at a place called renovators-resource. I just had to have them-- I knew they would come in handy - yaaaay!

Ok, so we used a screwdriver, my drill, a special cutting blade to cut the formica along with my jig saw,  the specialised laminate glue and silicone to water proof the top where it met the walls.  The plumbing required wrenches, plumbers tape and putty and of course
 new PVC pipes.   The router was used to smooth the edges of the
formica so that you didn't get uneven rough seams.

Replacing the taps was pretty easy.  Off with the old and on with the new + a bit of plumbers putty  (It's like plasticine or playdoh you roll little snakes and flatten them out and press in place.)  Connecting the drain - once the instructions were followed worked well.  We used the existing hole in the plywood surface to trace and cut (jig saw) the sink hole in the formica and carefully measured the actual size of the rectangular cabinet top.  The jig saw cut was rough but it didn't matter because that bit would be under the sink.  On the straight edges we used the specialised tool to score and snap it apart.

The legs!  Well, the feet were actually taller than the existing legs and caused us to have to make adjustments.   Nothing is without consequences! Like lengthening the piping (pipe extension needed) and the tubing that connects the water to the taps and drilling new holes (masonary drill bit)  in the tile wall to attach the sink cabinet to.  But hey it was worth it!

Admittedly I didn't work with the electricals -- those bits scare me somewhat.  It did involve buying a white circular cover to hide the hole left by the other light fixture.  Fortunately that's a common problem and they have an application for that!

With the addition of the new shower rod we were done!  I added some silver decor items to glam it up and Dom dum dum dum!   Ok, I can't sing but who cares, you get the picture!

silver spray job

Moral of the story... don't let old pipes prevent you from revealing your sexy legs!

TD

Rough and ready -- chair envy

It's rained for weeks - mud city!

So the other day a pair of free chairs came my way. (Thanks Lynn!)  They were wrought iron swivel type bar height stools.  Rusty and with almost no seat cushions left.  I was in love!  I imagined them sanded down with new seats placed next to my iron maiden and my ottoman.

The trouble was, I didn't have any fabby fabric to set them up with.  Who wants to pay 50$ a yard for fabric? -- I wanted a free solution to materialise :)  after all free stuff shouldn't cost you money!!!! I had to think fast, I was too eager to get started on them so had to take extreme care not to go near a fabric store.  Then the idea came...   Burlap, I love the look of it-- it is rough and yummy all at the same time, AND I knew where it was free (favourite word again!)  for the asking!!!  My neighbourhood - roast their own - coffee shop.  Thank you Rock Island Coffee!

I snagged 2 empty coffee bags just for the asking.  One said Guatemala, one just had the weight and type of bean on the front.  They were perfect!  I decided to not use the printed side - cause they didn't match :(   But first things first.  I sanded the chairs down using my sanding block, so much easier than using paper.  Soon they were smooth and ready.

I dismantled the seats, turns out the pressed fibre board was in shreds, had to be thrown out.  No matter, I had some ends of 1/2 inch or so plywood and traced the shape and took my jig saw and cut out the bottoms.  The foam was in reasonable shape so I kept that.  Because there was no fabric cover to trace, I had to make my own pattern.

technical stuff!

I took the board, placed it on the burlap and took the next handiest measuring tool I had -- a nail file -- and used it to make the pattern. (Hey, I didn't go to school for this stuff, I make it up and use what I have!)  I made a mark on the nail file and measured out from the edge of the wood and traced a shape about 4 inches bigger than the stool.   Then just to be extra sure I cut  the burlap an inch bigger than my pattern.  The little voice in my head said you can work with too big, but who can tolerate too small!  Turns out it was a good call.  I needed the extra.  Science sm-ience ha!

I put them together, it worked.  I took extra care to get the corners tight -- that's the difference between an amateur job and a snazzy one!  BUT ... OH NO...  I loaned my industrial staple gun to a friend who had just gone away and would be gone for 2 weeks.  Who has time for that!! I needed my gun.  In my fervor I used push pins (readily available)  I just needed to see them together.  The corners slackened. But I got the gist.  On a practical level I added some stick-on pads to the bottom of the stool legs, I hate the sound of metal scraping the floor.  Now to add the wow factor... 

In my craft / junk/ floral  workroom I have a bin of fabric samples.  Last Christmas I made a tree of floral rosettes using some tweedy fabric samples.  Perfect!  I stripped the tree and re-purposed the rosettes.  Yes!  the wow factor I was looking for.

Love!

Even though they aren't finished  'cause my friend won't return for at least another week,  I assembled them for a picture to show you.  I can't wait on stuff like that.  I'm the type of girl that forces people to open their  Christmas gifts early - so to tame the urge, I shop on Christmas eve. Oh well, we all have our faults.

A friend commented on the chairs "do you think they'll be itchy??" My response?  Hell yes, keep your pants on!   Sometimes beauty comes at a cost!

TD

Fall into Christmas-- outdoor decor for the cheap and chic :)

I know, I know, people hate the mention of Christmas before Halloween (my other favourite time of year), but sometimes you need to plan in order to get the best deal and really max it out!    SO... that said, I have created a Christmas project I want to share -  tell me what you think :)

Its called a flower tower.  I saw this on Pinterest and immediately fell in love.  The colours are perfect for Fall and will appear Christmas-y when the time comes :D Even if my coleus isn't red!

BUT...60+ seedlings are a bit pricey, especially if you want the "grand mama/ mac daddy" version - and I do! So I set about 40+ cuttings from my own garden in water and waited until they rooted. (See, this stuff takes time.) I gathered some chicken wire, wire cutters, small zip/cable ties, soil, a length of PVC pipe, my drill and a clay pot.


I mostly followed their directions -- except I didn't have the type of wire they required and used chicken wire instead, which was in a roll in my basement. Needless to say the ultra sturdy chicken wire caused some problems (cutting this stuff is hard!) but I think I solved them... (band aids and gloves!) The original instructions are here. But basically you line the wire with landscape fabric, the kind that keeps the weeds out. Form the wire into a circle so it fits in the pot, cut to size, secure the circle with the ties and add soil. Water half way to pack the soil down. Fill to top. Insert pipe*. Then poke small holes through the wire and fabric and insert the plants. BINGO!, Bob's your uncle, and all that jazz - ok enough cliches, you get the point!

I made another small modification to the project because my tower is a big tower! I added a PVC pipe down the centre of the pot with about 20 holes drilled in random spots along the pipe. Ann's suggestion... better watering -- its still hot outside, can't let the babies dry out. 

Insert plants into the holes

I'm at the hurry up and wait stage, as its catching itself.  Soon I will shape it  into the pyramid shape, it will be lush and beautiful -- better than the  Pinterest one because I spent 0.00 $ on the plants. Nada/ zip/ nothing!!!  Come Christmas you'll wish you had been more forward thinking-- in September!  Note: coleus gets stronger colours if put in direct sun.. but wait until its fully caught before putting in direct sun- don't want to kill the babies! 

Looking a bit droopy at first!

Here it is a few days later looking much perkier!

 

As an aside, I'm going to demonstrate this project at Gorham's on October 5th, come and see how much better it looks after a little time!



Merry September!
TD








 

Cork obsession

A while back my daughter started collecting corks.  She collected thousands of them!  Sadly she revealed this obsession to the entire school when they asked for a small profile on each girl.  Most of the other girls rabbited on about American Girls or some other inane endeavour.  My proud daughter was into corks AND seemed to have an endless supply. The parents at the assembly appeared somewhat disapproving, oh well...

Like the good mother I am, I took those corks and decided to give them a high profile space in our home :) I had a small closet about 3' x 3', located just before the door to the patio -- just sitting empty.  I figured those precious corks would make good 'wall paper' for my new wet bar / wine closet.  I scored some free -- (Don't you just love that word?  Free!!) -- authentic wine cellar racking from a restaurant that was upgrading their cellars so I knew I could pull it off.


Here was the plan... I needed my skill saw, a hot glue gun, a hammer and some nails - pretty simple stuff!

A few sticking out to hold openers 'n stuff

See the shelves & fridge below

A friend popped by as I was working and helped me cut the racking to fit above the existing shelf in the closet and secure it with a few screws.  Next I began gluing corks to the walls using an alternating herringbone type pattern. I tried initially to match corks but I gave that matching thing up!  I glued thousands onto the walls - that took forever!!!!!!  If nothing else, I am a dedicated mother! I did it in stages, using the space as I went along gluing. I have to admit to needing to supplement her collection and went begging to my wine loving friends.

Brads up through centre of corks

ceiling view

I decided to use champagne corks to decorate the ceiling and to hold a few wine glasses.  I hammered brads into the centre of the champagne corks to secure the glass holders (brads = skinny nails about an inch+ long).  No point breaking the glasses. Then I added a mini fridge below the existing shelf to store beer, sodas, etc.

Lastly, (can I get an AMEN!) I added a few personal touches like an old school metal coca-cola bottle opener, ice buckets, coasters, stir sticks, some fabulously tacky paper drink umbrellas and of course, the wine :)

A good friend found this special cork (Burgess Cellars) and made this  shadow box for the door of my wet bar/ wine closet.  Perfect!  Who knew my family had cellar(s) ?!  Thirst, be gone!

Cheers!  what do you think?

TD

lady in waiting (warning no tools used on this beauty!)

Earlier this summer I was at a pop up show event and and spotted a wire framed woman's corset.  It was just like the ones dressmakers / tailors would have used except wire.  It was love at first sight -- I had to have it.

my wire lady :)

I had dreams of beautiful flowers trailing out of it  and designing the entire outfit with plant material.  My teeth were sweating at the prospect.  I walked by it and stared  a dozen times, praying no one else would buy it.  NO one did, not even me.  The shop closed down  :(

But because I believe that if you picture it and wish hard enough, it will eventually come true -- I got it!  The shop reopened and had a sale on items left over!  My lady was waiting there for me Yayyyyyy!

I seized her and dragged the life sized form to my carruck.  An older couple looked on curiously, perhaps my fervor was seeping out?!  They asked what I  was planning to do with "that wire thing".   Grrrrrr.  Some people - the kill joy types - have no vision.  I pictured roses trailing from  the hem, I could almost smell them I was sooo caught up,  only  to have those people momentarily enter my reverie with that sour, pinched face, eyebrows at the hairline look, as if they smelled something bad.

I composed my face, remembering my school girl manners "Good afternoon!" I  crowed proudly,  "I will have flowers and the like trailing from it, it will be a garden decoration"  I chirped.

"Oh... well, I suppose we hadn't though of that... we couldn't imagine what on earth you would want that for,"  they replied smugly.  Grrrr... Forget them, fast forward, I have it at home.

First I run to my unkempt Chinese fan palm tree and grab all the mesh that I can put my hands on.  I will need quite a bit to create the dress and to hold the soil inside.  Luckily there was loads of material for me to use.  I stuffed it inside, creating a brown dress.

miniature wandering Jew

Next stop the lower garden where I had planted some form of miniature wandering Jew, hoping that it would  make a good ground cover - it didn't.  But like most invasive type plants it had spread like crazy (something else to address later :s )  Anyway for now it was a delicate almost lacy, purple and green leaf.  Just right for the interim period it will take to get those roses to materialise.

I  poured soil in the inside using the mesh as a make shift planter and poked the plants into it along the bottom.  In the top I put two small pots filled with the wandering Jew plants.

Perfect, easy and very pretty.    I purchased a few trailing roses and set them aside.  These will take months to do what I want  them to do and besides,  it's August...   Now I just have to spritz regularly and enjoy-- hopefully next spring when the roses are trailing I will see that couple again.  I will carry a picture with me, just in case!  I bet they'll wish they had found her first.  I bet they won't have that pinched face look at all .. HA! all mine :)

Hang in there - it will be beautiful, you'll see :)

TD

Blue and blue, perfect teamwork!

Hello big world!  Recently I sat with a friend -the mosaic fiend, talking about a bench seat I wanted to make.  We scanned the oracle (Internet) for inspiration and came up with the idea for this next project.  A pallet type bench with mosaics. See here.

Mosaic and wood bench in blue hues :)

But instead of pallets I found some old bed slats from an ikea bed.  They were better because they were in a predetermined length and fully 'dressed' .  That's sanded and nice looking for you non tool types :).  In any case I set to work.  I used 8 slats from the bed and used a portion of a long piece of 2 x4 roof  lumber.  I had the roof wood because last hurricane my ceiling fell in and VOILA! I had a beautiful open beam ceiling.  The earth moves in mysterious ways... Fortunately I wasn't injured, just a bonus stack of wood and a new and beautiful view.  It makes staring at the ceiling or non ceiling a pleasure, but I digress...

For this project I needed my skill saw, drill, hammer, stain, grout, stained glass and a few brackets to stabilise the legs.







I took the slats and stacked them on top of each other so there was about an inch or so gap between them.  Three for the top two on the bottom allowing for 2 gaps in which to lay mosaics.   I decided how high I wanted the bench to be and cut 4 legs.  Next I stained the wood and labelled the bottom side with a 'B'



Once dry I assembled the top portion, stacked 3 and 2.  Then I screwed the sides to it.  I used two of the ikea slats for the sides as they were already the perfect size.  Next I cut the short end pieces from the slats and screwed them in.  Table top done!

I flipped that baby over and stuck a leg in each corner, I used 4 L brackets to keep them in place.  It was all together but it wobbled :(.   To further stabilise it I cut 2 more pieces from the roof wood, they were about 4.5 inches long.  Wide enough to keep the legs uniformly apart, that worked. Yeah!  Table complete... Two gaping holes waiting for some stained glass!

This started a big debate!!  My friend is a strong willed woman (so am I!)  My friend advised carefully planning the pattern on a separate piece of paper.  She recommended that I draw a strip the size of the gaps and lay the glass in,  as if it were the table.  Harrumph... This wasn't the way I wanted to go, it was slowing up my free flowing creative vibe...


I gave in and did it her way - so not like me :) but realistically she does know a thing about mosaics and the vision in my head was a thing of beauty.  Good thing I listened to her because she gave me the most valuable piece of advice, something I never would have considered!!!

Once we had the pattern set it was time to grout and place the pieces.  I used un-sanded grout in a grey colour.

mixes with water

 White would have been too stark.  I mixed the grout,  a little at a time, according to the instructions ('cause it hardens!) and started placing the pieces.  It didn't fit exactly as it had on the paper but it was close enough... Fantastic! I loved it :) we did one side at a time.  Her advice... DO
NOT throw the grout down the drain, don't even was your hands in the sink.  Think major plumbing bills as that stuff hardens in the pipes ... can you imagine? Would have cost a mint!!!  That certainly never occurred to me, phew!  Pays to listen to advice and take a back seat sometimes :).  On that note, another friend popped in as we were grouting and suggested the following modification to the last glasssection.  He suggested that we add a strip of wood as a filler, so we didn't have to use as much grout.  Made sense, we did that in side 2 with no ill effects, just less drying time.


Once the 2 stained glass strips were in, I wiped them with a damp sponge to remove the excess grout from the glass.  I did his several times, even used a fine sanding block to make sure all the excess was off ...ah... A thing of beauty.  Blue and more blue, reminiscent of my cricket team colours - how timely!



Tool Diva

Ps check tooldiva out on Pinterest, follow my latest projects!

My ocean themed penny loo :)

Fortunately or unfortunately my home had all ensuite bathrooms.  Do you know what that meant???? It meant that my bathroom got used as the default bathroom for guests. All my daughters friends, my friends and miscellaneous 'guests' would cruise through my sanctuary to use the loo :( big time!   I had to be super diligent, cleaning every day--- ain't nobody got time for that!

Time to get creative...  I did have a hall closet filled with stuff...  The closet was an old school jobbie, with a heavy galvanised pipe running the length.  I guess just in case someone might want to hang meat there(?!!).   It had wood panelled walls and was quite narrow about 26 inches wide BUT it was almost 6 feet long. PERFECT for a little loo, powder room etc etc. yaaaaaaay, let the angels scream "Hallelujah! ... now get out of my room!!!!!"

First - ditch the junk! I mean who ever opened that door?     I have to confess, I found the perfect sink vanity for sale on line, something about a designer's mistake... I've since which seen their brothers in a local restaurant - lucky me.  Next the smallest adult toilet I could find and a curio shelf, some fish a few pennies and presto "penny loo!"

glass and wood vanity

Looked right but it needed to work... we definitely need professionals, can't wing that kind of plumbing, could be a disaster of epic and smelly proportions!

Nassau Grouper by local artist, glass xmas balls with shells & pennies

About the decor .. I couldn't decide between an ocean or a penny theme so I combined it.  What do you think? I love it...ok, so no hefties, I better keep eating salads!







toodiva :)

I'm blind to you!

Recently, I was in a potential clients office and she spoke about being blind to the chipped paint and the worn look of a her building because she was there everyday and she knew the intrinsic value of the place and all the good things that came out of it.  She likened it to not being able to see the weeds amongst the flowers growing in her garden.  I realised I was the same way with my 2 garden hoses.

This  extra long monstrosity was in my driveway looking like a tangled python about to attack.  Bikes perched nervously around it.   The vicious coils threatened to smash my flower pots every time I dragged the hose around the garden.

I made a sad attempt to mount a plastic hose organiser to the soft stone wall  near the tap but needless to say, one pull and it was back in its favourite spot - right in my driveway, the first thing you saw when you visited,  never mind the debris that always gathered there uggh!  Not what I would call curb appeal :(

I had to make this work and I didn't want to lay out any beans because technically I had a hose organiser, I just needed to make it work and make it attractive.

I went into my basement to get some inspiration and there I saw it.  Four inch PVC pipe cutoffs and a cap that looked a bit like a hat.  Mind you the cap didn't fit exactly but looked official on top of the pipe, a kinda 'Gentleman Hose' vision floated through my head.  I had visions of a moustached pole gentleman holding my perfectly organised hose...    yaaaay, I figured I was on to something....

First I grabbed the black spray paint- think tux, then I assembled my saw so I could cut the PVC pipe, a drill to mount the hose organiser thingy, PVC cement glue, and a hoe and spade to dig the hole in which to sink the pipe.  I also grabbed a piece of reinforcement rod -just in case- all I needed now was some concrete mixture to set the pipe in the hole...  Hardware store trip ... Rockite... that's a quick setting concrete like mixture, easy to use - a bit like cake mix.  Just add water, stir, and Bob's your hose man!

Drying my pipe :)

Can't you see it as a hat?

 Those bejeweled, well coiffed, uniformed ladies at the hardware store always glance sideways at me.  Is it the glazed look in my eye or is it the mis-matched  clothing and hair covered with paint splatter  that's trying to masquerade as grey patches, who knows?  I'm just glad I can't read minds!

I measured the height of the pipe for the space.  Marked where I wanted the organiser bit to go and then drilled the holes.  Next I sprayed pipe and cap with the paint then left them to dry in the sun while I dug the hole. It had to be bigger than the pipe and deep enough to provide support for the contraption.  When that was dry I mounted the hose organiser to the pipe.

Next, I poured the rockite (batter) in the hole and put the pipe in and let that set (1 hour). I toyed with how I was going to make it look like a tuxedo man, or even a crazy nutcracker (!) but since I have the art ability of a drunken flea, I soon gave up -- consoling myself, I could and would eventually make this work.  I just need to consult someone with some artistic ability...  For now, my hose was up off the ground and the bikes given a few more feet to park... good enough!   Wait...  look at the picture...seems my caruck needs washing :(

Td

Having everything you need :)

Sometimes, you get to looking around and start mentally complaining and comparing your situation to other peoples situation, to people who seems to have it all sorted! The truth is, that it is very likely that we already have everything we need.  I started with this thought as I eyed the fabby sail cloth/ shade I had rigged up over my patio.  It was done in a really bush league kind of a way and it quietly irritated me :(  My quick and dirty set up was tied from the fence posts; between the invasive but beautiful passion flowers; to the rafter feet, and looked at best-- temporary. I was able to momentarily console myself saying it was easy to take down in case of a storm /hurricane. Laziness is a disease! Wanting things to be different and doing something about it are two different animals...

My angst was likely fuelled by the fact that some friends of mine had purchased similar shades and had theirs up and it looked super.   Never mind that they invited me over for cocktails AND to gloat over how wonderful theirs looked!! I had to do better! And with my new mantra, I already had everything I needed to make it right.   So I walked around the house and noted some old  1.25 inch galvanised piping I had from dismantling part of an old chain link fence.  It was almost invisible as vines had grown over it hiding it from view and excusing me from having to put it away or discard it. ( yikes!)  I also had the bits for the top and the pipe was in very long pieces of 20 feet, long enough to use for my project.  Presto, acknowledge and be grateful for what you have and more appears! Yaaaaaaaayyyy!

So I got out my hack saw - for cutting metal, a tape measure, my hammer, rubber mallet and a spare piece of left over wood for cushioning the pipe and got to work.  I cut the pole into 10 foot lengths.  I took the spare piece of wood and covered the top of the pole and banged it into the ground so it lined up with the side of the pillar cap -- so maybe a foot or more was underground.

It wasn't quite sturdy enough, I knew I needed to fasten it more securely.  Mainly because those pipes would be lethal if they fell on someone or something in a windstorm - using the sail cloth as a "sail!" (think lovely wrought iron and glass table). I took advice on the best way to do this and, after a trip to the hardware store, came back with Lag bolts/ shields etc for fastening to concrete.  This part took strength, I usually YouTube how to do everything, but this time I figured I knew best.  Using body weight to force the drill into the concrete was tough but I managed. It looked professional but industrial, not quite the look I wanted but ok..

I wanted it to look better than professional so I took some manilla rope - left over from the ottoman project- and wrapped and glued it to the pole.  I had to undo the bolts to get the rope to go under the fastener strap, but the end result is just what I was looking for.  Last was tying the sail rope to the cap at the top, which conveniently had a little hole in it....  Voila! 




All done and looking perfect. Martha eat your heart out!

What was old becomes new...

Just so you know, I am also into making stuff that just plain ole looks good... like this ottoman I made.  I got the idea from the Healthy Hybrid FB page - who got it from another girl called Nikki.  Since I made mine I noticed that Nikki is selling the instructions and asking folk not to publish the how to.  Here's the link to that ... http://thatwasawhat.blogspot.com/2012/08/another-tire-saved-from-landfill.html

In any case it was easy-ish, I modified hers in that I couldn't stomach the idea of all that crazy glue, so I looked around the house and found some left over floor tile glue I had lying around.   Maybe I was being cheap or just bullheaded, who knows? Any way, it 'eventually' worked out. The legs I raided from an ugly footstool that I had stashed away.  The project required my jigsaw, drill, a few screws, a few paintbrushes for the glue and a piece of circular glass for the top. Oh yes, and the tire and some plywood.

Mind you, if I did this again I would wear gloves...  the glue was all over my hands. I had to hide them over  the next few days in the office. Perhaps they were wise to use the crazy glue. But who ever follows instructions to the tee???  I did try other glues... gorilla glue (don't bother,
it foams up when it dries -- I had to discard the gross foamy mess along with the tire)  

I ripped the rope off of it so I could reuse the rope ( pricey stuff!)
Other tips... buy Manilla rope in 3/8inch.  Manilla, not sisal-- unless you only want it for indoors.  Manilla is treated to withstand the elements.  Sisal is not.  My stool is on the porch  :)

I started from a natural groove in the wheel so that my lines were straight and continued on.  When I got to the top I started from outside and worked towards the centre.  It took several hours and tons of rope...  like over 300 feet of rope.

I have to say, it is really satisfying to take something labelled trash and recreate a thing of worth and beauty. Reminds me of a story a woman told me about finding a scary, neanderthal  type and investing the time and renovating him, turning him into 'a man of beauty and substance'... but that's another story!

See picture below.  I didn't show or detail the entire process but ...  I did show you my failed tire and the end result. Voila! .... Note the ragged  cane rocker seat in the foreground ... sigh... another project in the wings...  :)

My tire turned ottoMAN :D

Yesterday I came across a woman who was about to trash a wooden frame (formerly a closet, she said!).  What did I do?  Went home grabbed my skill saw, safety specs and some gloves and prepared to dismantle and relocate this potential treasure trove via my caruck (car masquerading as a truck)  to my --just cleaned and now clear --basement.

There was a very friendly old gentleman at home who was prepared to let me plug in and go at it.  Unfortunately I noticed that almost all of the otherwise pristine 2x4s had a multitude of small nails in it.  :(   The thought irritated me a bit, I mean who wants to spend 2 hours pulling nails...  not me.  I had to cease and desist... poo!

Not one willing to let go of a bone easily, I scoured his back yard looking for something else I could source to ease my need to acquire!  Nothing, nada, zip...  SO after a nice chat and a thorough look through his garden, shed and everything else,  I went home empty-handed.

Driving back I had to satisfy myself with the conversation I had had.  The old guy was just recovering from a stint in the hospital but was as perky as ever.  Lots of talk about repairing an old boat, and  an old punt and his forays to the government dump to source all sorts of items.  It occurred to me.... I could end up like that in my retirement too...  or maybe I'm already there :)  Will have to get my fix another time...

The dogs got game!

Happy birthday Jilly!  My mate Jill is the queen of animal rescue, she owns a bazillion pets and a bazillion dollars to the vet :( oh well.  Heart of absolute gold!

 Recently I adopted a dog from Cayman Islands Humane Society ( great people ).  My Great Dane Phoenix died and I needed another doggy to fill the extra large hole in my life and my heart.  Enter Banks... The Sheppard mix puppy!  So... new dog, new dog bed... And since I found these cute small pallets it seemed  great reason to make him a bed.

It was a simple project embellished a bit.  Hopefully you like it!

 Single pallet

 Sides added

 Foot board from an old wine rack

Back storage for growth potential, will be used now to store toys :)

Way to go Banks!  Woof!