Puttering

This photo has nothing to do with the rest of the post, I just couldn't resist the picture (or the pun).

Say hello to my little friend

This post is actually about puttering.  That's what I call it when I'm doing a little of this, a little of that around the house or yard: puttering.  So here are a little of this, a little of that about my recent projects.

First up, a  "recent" furniture redo.  I actually did this months ago, but forgot to take after pictures and post about it.  This is one of my Grandma's china cabinets.  She had several; this was the biggest and most ungainly, so least likely to find a new home within the family.   But I thought it would fit in pretty well in my dining room with a little makeover.

Before:  Those handles are the big 80's hair of furniture.

I chose Fusion Mineral Paint because it wears well and requires little prep (that's always a bonus for me).  Also, I just wanted to try it.  I've done furniture projects with milk paint and chalk paint, both store bought and homemade, so I guess trying different paints is kinda my thing.  I liked this paint; it was a bit pricey but easy to use and to clean up, plus no VOC so I was able to paint this piece in the house.  I've already bought a new color to use on another project (coming soon!)

I thought I was going to go with something colorful for the interior, but when I saw this (Christmas!) wrapping paper I changed my mind.  The glass on the right side was broken, so Craig took the unbroken left side to a glazier so they could cut a matching replacement.  I replaced the ornate knobs and pulls with simpler ones.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and because my sideboard pieces were black it feels very cohesive.  Best of all, it is another piece from the original house that gets incorporated into the new one (and it is filled with dishes from both mine and Craig's family).

Close up of the wrapping paper lining.

Puttering on...

Instead of helping Craig build a fence weekend before last, I was putting my love of wine to good use.  I can't take credit for the idea but I can certainly take credit for the corks!  Add a piece of old plywood and an old wooden handle that I scrounged from the barn and voila: a seed planting tool.  I immediately put it to use starting radish, garlic and sunflower seeds in the newly-fenced garden.

Perfectly spaced indentations - just drop the seeds in and tamp the dirt down.

My last piece was from last weekend, and it was another chance to try a new product.  We've had this lovely little table for many years and it really needed some TLC.  I'd been putting it off because stripping and refinishing it would be so much work.  Then I read that you can apply Danish Oil to restore a finish and decided to give it a try. 

Before 

It needed some love all over, but the top was the real problem area.

Now, the instructions recommended starting with a bare surface, but I had read on the internet (so it must be true!) that you could go over an existing finish to even out scuffs and discolorations.  I decided to only sand the top down because it was in the worst shape.  If the rest of the table didn't turn out well I'd just have to bite the bullet and sand it all down anyway.  I'm happy to say it worked out beautifully.  After sanding the top down, I applied 4 coats of the Danish Oil (in a dark walnut shade), waiting about 30 minutes between each coat.  Basically you just keep applying it until the wood quits absorbing it.  I only did one coat on the rest of the table.  Then I let it dry for a couple of days before applying a coat of wax to the top only.  The wax is overkill because the oil is protection enough, but I'd like to keep that top looking nice for a good long time!

After

Feeling the love!

Before and After

I'm calling the Danish Oil an unqualified success, and I'll definitely try it again for some future puttering around.  

Have you tried any cool painting/staining products or techniques?  I'm always looking for a new project - let me know!  

Fences Make Good Neighbors, My Deer

It's time to get the vegetable garden ready!

Last year we created three different garden plots to plant spread things out. We had cucumbers and peas in one small area. Tomatoes, peppers, corn, sunflowers, bush beans and cantaloupes in another area and radishes, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, okra and ornamental pumpkins in a third area. Aside from a few successes (cucumbers, radishes, bush, beans, eggplant, zucchini and sunflowers) the gardens just didn't do much. Our tomato and peppers drowned in all of the rainy weather, the geese ate our first crop of corn, the deer ate the peas, the carrots never even produced a sprout and I tilled too close to the ornamental pumpkins and, well...let's just say I wasn't Neta's favorite gardening buddy for a while, despite my valiant efforts to revive the pumpkins.

This year the gardening theme is simplicity and security. We're back to a single, though expanded, plot (75' x 40') and it's going to be surrounded by an 8 foot tall fence.

So last weekend we got started...

Let the fencing begin!

This farm has no shortage of fencing and posts scattered among the barns and in the wooded areas, and we've certainly used those items for various things, especially the several dozen cages we've created for tomatoes or to protect young trees from marauding deer. The posts (6' - 7') are better suited for livestock fencing than fortifying against high-jumping deer, but we were lucky enough to have a couple of temporary utility poles left over from construction of our house and the cabin that we could use. Those work perfectly for corner posts and supporting our wide metal gate (another leftover).

One side complete.

The posts in between the corners are 10 foot metal T-posts. Those must be hammered in. I gave some thought to using the tractor and post hole digger, but a big hole of loose dirt doesn't make for a solid base, so I climbed a step ladder and drove them 2 feet into the ground with a sledgehammer. So much fun. Did I mention it was mid-80s and bright sunshine? Like I said, so much fun.

Those posts took me through Sunday to complete. Then it was on to the fencing and keeping the deer and other beasts out.

When you can only see one post, you've done a good job lining them up.

All posts in. The gate is leaned against the posts for photo purposes.

Along the bottom we used leftover rolls of 3 foot tall wire fencing that we previously used for the dogs in the rental house before moving. That fencing comprised the two long sides and the back (non-gate end).

Monday/Tuesday.

The two long sides were done after work and before sundown. I used T post clips to hold the fence tight to the T posts.

A T-post clip

You just fit it to the back of the fence and use
pliers to bend it around your fence or barbed wire.

The bottom fencing and part of the big gate.

Wednesday.

This is the part of the story where we get into the "hand-me-downs". Along the front we have a 12 foot long gate which we found in the big barn. I measured and drilled the holes for the screw gate hooks (pictured below for those not familiar) and hung the gate. The gate was pretty heavy hanging for a new post that hadn't had time for the dirt to firm up around it, so I added a block of wood on the post it closes against to keep it level and propped up when closed.

This weekend.

To finish out the front we added cattle panels which are heavy gauge steel panels of various lengths. We had several in each of the barns so we figured we might as well use what we had on hand, especially if it works and saves us money and a trip to the store. The panels are zip-tied to the metal posts so we can remove them in the off-season to allow us to get the tractor in there to till.

With the bottom complete we used more farm hand-me-downs. Scattered around the farm, in barns and under a tree or two are rolls and rolls of barbed wire, in pristine condition. We don't know what kind of wire it is - probably stainless steel - but it's been on the farm for years and it doesn't have a spot of rust on it anywhere. Alien barbed wire? We did three tiers of that up to the top of our 8 foot posts, also using T post clips. By the way, we still have thousands of feet of barbed wire left. Clearance sale, anyone?

If a deer can breach this, he is welcome to our veggies.

We also added a couple of 8 foot tall wood slats on each end of the gate and strung strands of barbed wire between them to get the gate in compliance with the rest of the fencing.

We're not going to guarantee it's 100% deer proof, but if a deer can find its way in, we'll tip our caps to them. The only option beyond this is armed sentries...or a minefield. Hmmm....

So now the two-weekend project of building a fence is complete and Neta has already started her planting of spring crops. I'm sure she's working on a garden blog post and will be telling you all about it in the coming days.