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Trash To Treasure

What's Everybody Working On Right Now?

17 years ago

I've been busy with a couple of short trips and a LOT of DGD's softball games. I NEED to hear about turning trash into treasure! LOL

What are you working on right now? It doesn't even have to be finished, just want to hear about it!

Comments (10)

mcnaughton
17 years ago
Well...after we get my daughters bedrooms traded (the college girl gives up the big bedroom) I'm going to make a large arrangement of frame samples (the L shaped ones) for the longest wall in our dining room. I have boxes of the samples in all finishes, but I think I will focus on the gold ones. There are many interesting textures and widths. I need suggestions on how to hang each of L pieces. I don't really want to attach them to a board or panel, but instead attach them directly to the wall. Aren't you glad you asked?
momofrkc
17 years ago
Welll, If you are sure you want to know...I dragged home a bunch of picket fencing over the past couple sun nights. Finally got it up in long corner of back yard slowly working on keeping deer out dogs in. Made some bird houses out of old wooden cannisters painted added them to posts put in ground in front of fencing.Every couple of days I run out and spray paint (liked the color spruce green + faster way to get them done)It has been pouring here. I am trying to finish the painting so I can plant. Trying to figure out which headboards I will use for my bench. Have lots and DH needs space to get to table saw. Finished,on rainy day,trimming towels with fabric to match the curtains and shade I made for the bathroom I just painted and redecorated. I also made a slipcover for the huge square ottomon I found outside an apartment(new but cat scratched on one side) I put it at the foot of my bed hoping at least one of dogs will sleep on it since they dont like the dog pillow! I also have a couch that I need to stain and recover 6 cushions for my sunporch- that hasnt been finished in 15yrs. But according to DH this is the summer! Bought house with badly done leaky room added in the 60's and its the last room to get attention. Part of garage is filled with stuff waiting to go in there. If DH finished it it would clear out the garage. Maybe I shouldnt go there....Once it gets finished I get to paint the whole thing! I also have an old window that I want to make a coffee table with for porch. I want to attach plywood to the back and do broken china patterns in the 6 squares. I have a primitive hooked rug almost finished for my family room,a friend bought me the class. A rolling cart filled with yarn and books as a bday gift from another friend cause she is into crocheting afghans and baby blankets for her future grandchildren.Ha,none of her 4 kids are in serious relationships yet. But she figures it is better than eating in front of the TV. How about you got anything going????Dianne in upstate NY(in case you were wondering if the weather was an excuse)
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Well, that doesn't look right. Now what?
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OK, I'm back with more exciting pictures! First, so it doesn't get lost below -- marcolo -- I read installation instructions for a different one of these shower kits to get an idea of how they are installed, and they said do NOT use 100% silicone caulk. I don't know why. Also, it said NOT to caulk the interior where the frame base meets the pan, only the exterior seam. Why is that? Before I ripped this out, it was caulked (and coming loose) on both sides. Anyway, I decided to partially disassemble the shower frame to get a better idea of what is going on and how to fix it. Here's where I am now: First, as you can see, the wall panel was not plumb when it was adhered to the wall. That would be, of course, because they didn't level the pan when they put it in, so when they lined the wall panel up with the pan, it ended up crooked. Duh. Pretty sure whoever installed this never heard of a level. A closeup view shows it even better. The jamb (metal frame part that was screwed to the wall) only barely overlapped the wall panel by the time it reached the bottom. The screws at the top of the frame went through the wall panel, while the screws at the bottom did not. The pan is badly out of level in all directions (the other wall is even more out of plumb, sigh). Now we can see the state of the drywall underneath the panel... ...and it is really not good. Crumbling drywall and scary black stuff (mold?) extends several inches up behind the wall panel. Here's a little drawing I did showing how the studs/drywall/shower wall come together -- or don't, as the case may be. The studs are badly out of plumb too. Easy to see how the slightest gap in the caulk inside the shower meant water getting under the edge of the shower wall panel and wicking up into the green board. Sooo....now I'm not sure where to go next with this. One thought is to cut away (from behind) the edge of the drywall that is sitting down inside the pan, and then insert some kind of extra flashing behind the wall panel so that any water that got behind it would not get any further. Another would be to cut away all of the damaged drywall (several inches) and patch it, adding flashing as in the first option -- again, this would be from behind. No, I don't exactly know how I would do that, but maybe there's a way to McGyver it. ;) I could try to remove the wall panel (it seems to come away from the green board pretty easily), replace the studs (they are not plumb either) and all the green board, and re-adhere the wall panel. The studs are only there to support the shower wall. This could help solve the fact that the wall flexes where it doesn't meet the studs. The risk of course is that I could break the wall panel, and then I'd really be in trouble. Also, I'm not sure how easy it would be to get just the one panel out without having to take the corner and the other panel as well. Removing only the one panel wouldn't address the other wall of the shower which doesn't seem to have leak problems (probably due to the slope of the pan and the fact that the shower head is on that wall) but I would not be surprised to find water damage to that side as well. And of course there's always the chance this is just a complete waste of time and I will have to bite the bullet and replace this shower kit with another. I don't think there's any way to get the pan leveled, and the fact that it's not level really throws the rest of the installation off. I'm not clear on whether removing and leveling the pan would mean having to do something with the drain height, which might be outside of my DIY abilities (though I do have a great plumber I could call). I'm just not too confident this shower can be made watertight enough to not leak into the room beneath. I haven't even shown the issues we have with the seal thingy at the bottom of the door, where water can easily leak out onto the bathroom floor, and I know that if a good bit of water ends up on the floor, that alone can mean a leak downstairs -- water that goes under the baseboard pretty much goes right on through the subfloor. Any advice at all would be very much appreciated. As is my usual habit, I decided to dig into this problem while my husband is out of town, and I'm going to be nobody's favorite person in my house if I don't restore this bathroom to working order pretty soon! (The other shower is in the basement, and none of us really likes using it -- plus it's the same shower kit and I'm betting it isn't installed any more accurately than this one was!)
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I have a sweater for my lovely daughter "on the needles" right now. I am blissfully ignoring the fact that once the part done on circulars is done I will have to run to the store, since I bought two pairs of straight needles instead of two sets of DPNs in those sizes. It is a free Red Hart pattern on a label, and of course I bought the needles based on the outside details. What was inside was more direct about the DPNs so now I have two sets of needles I don't need. I swear the ball band was laughing. I finished a shoulder shrug for my mom's b-day, it just needs a tassle or two. I have it out so I can admire it while I work on other things LOL. I have 20 balls of sock yarn on the table mocking me. Some will be socks for DD (which she will wear and refuse to remove) and some will be socks for me (which I will wear for a minute, admire, get overheated and rip them off and fling them across the room). I might knit a pair for my sister if she ever lets me close enough to her feet to measure them. Now that I am learning to knit and getting a bit more confident, I can see I will be very very very busy.
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I agree with the above post. Lose the extra weight before trying to conceive. I was about 15 lbs heavier than I like to be when I conceived (last February) It was right after the holiday eating binge and I fractured my foot and was unable to work out for a month and a half which led to the weight gain. I was thrilled to be pregnant, but not to start out fifteen lbs ahead already! My baby was born 11 weeks ago, and I have 10lbs till I am down to where I was at when I became pregnant, but then I STILL have fifteen more to go after that! YUCK! Be careful though, you don't want to lose too much, or lose too fast because that could upset you menstrual cycle and all your hormones. Maybe just exercise a bit more and make sure you are eating a healthy diet. I would start on prenatals because they are so important! My doctor said the ones over the counter are just as good as prescription. I would take a vacation, or even just stay in a hotel for a night. Save $$ as much as you can. I am a teacher, and when school lets out in May I will not be coming back...my baby needs me...I miss him so much right this minute I could cry! You will want to be with your baby if at all possible so start that home based business. Don't buy baby things till your pregnant, and even then, I have just recently learned...DON'T BUY NEWBORN STUFF! My baby is 2 1/2 months and this morning he is comfortably wearing a 6month outfit! He is not fat...just so long! So many people will give you newborn stuff, they will wear it once. Save your $$$ for when all the gifts quit pouring in. When I was pregnant, I started stockpiling diapers. This has helped a TON. I kept all the receipts in case my baby didn't do well with a particular brand I could return them, but so far he is doing great. We haven't returned any! We just went and bought a jumbo pack of diapers every pay period while I was pregnant. That sure helped. We probably won't be buying diapers for a year! It's nice, because since we are paying daycare until May money is tighter, and diapers are expensive even with coupons, so it was nice to get that out of the way. I will quit rambling, everyone else answered so well it looks like you have tons of great help! Aspen (and baby Logan)
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Is Everybody Happy With Their Rainfall Now?
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Comments (16)
Cochise, Yay! Tomatoes in the ground! That always says 'Spring' to me more than anything else. Is twine fencing just horizontal lines of twine strung from pole to pole? I'm trying to picture it. It is good to hear your birds are back. I think listening to the birds singing, chirping and (in the case of blue jays, squabbling) is one of the best parts about working outdoors. Kim, All that rain is so exciting because we know what it is like when the rain doesn't come. We should be just slightly cooler than you if our forecast is correct. It shows a lot of forecast highs from 77-79 with just one 80, but it wouldn't shock me if we got hotter than forecast. The best thing, though, is our humidity is not going to be real high so we are supposed to have a few really pleasant, sunny, warm, comfortable days with no rain. I've already been out there this morning and it is awfully wet so for today I'm mostly just hoping the standing puddles either soak in or dry up. My garden is the best it has looked in late April in several years, and I also have standing water in several paths, but it will have to dry up on its own as the water always drains downhill from the property next door (both above-ground and under-ground) so I just have to wade through the water in the pathways and wait for it to dry up or soak in. This is going to be a good day for weeding the raised beds if they need it (I weed weekly so there shouldn't be an awful lot of new weeding to do today). I'd like to mow and get out the string-trimmer and clean up the fence lines, but I might have to wait another day or two for the grass to dry out. I will finish thinning the fruit on the fruit trees today. I've been doing it a little at a time over the last couple of weeks, but didn't thin it all in one day. Prior experience has taught me that when hail is in the forecast, I should thin in stages instead of all at once because there's nothing worse than thinning your fruit so that is has exactly the right spacing and then having hail come along and thin out 85% of the fruit you have left. Since all those days with big hail in the forecast didn't drop any hail here, I need to go ahead and finish thinning the fruit myself.' I'll be treating the big areas of standing water with Bt dunks and bits as well today, and probably treating the fire ant mounds with the small amount of organic fire ant bait that I have left. The fire ant bait I ordered shipped yesterday so it will be here in a couple of days. Depending on how many grasshoppers I observe today, I might do the first grasshopper treatment with Semaspore today. I've been waiting for the rain to stop so I could finally do this. It seems late if you look at the calendar, but I haven't seen nearly as many lately as I was seeing a month ago, so maybe the rain and the chilly weather and the wild birds have been thinning out the hoppers for me. I usually treat for them more in April than in May, but there was no point in putting out Semaspore when it was raining every day as it likely would have washed away before they ate much of it. I'm looking forward to getting a lot done outdoors this week after the ground and grass dry up a little bit more. Right now it is still a lake out there. Dawn
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lydia1959
17 years ago
I have a few things calling my name...I need to strip and refinish a couple wood pieces - an old chair which I found at a yard sale for free (also needs upholstering) and a old stereo cabinet found for $10. which I need to make a shelf for as well. I think it would make a neat liquor cabinet but I'm more of a beer girl. LOL I also have a large multi-paned window that I am going to try using transparencies and Print Shop so that it looks like an old shop window with words and graphics. I still have tipsy-pots on my list as well as a bunch of bowling balls - I have a idea besides lizards or frogs this time! Probably a winter project.
marilyn_c
17 years ago
I'm not working on anything, but still dragging home junk. I drove by my mother's old house today and saw that her neighbor had an iron table on his truck to be hauled to the scrap yard.
I should have inquired about it...he would probably have given it to me, but I didn't. However, I did give my DH explicit instructions to go by there tomorrow and get it for me! ;)

Hope it isn't too late.
netla
17 years ago
I have a soccer ball-sized plastic net float that I'm planning to paint an owl on. I just need to file off some lettering first. I have had an offer to display my rock painting at a craft shop, but only if it's something large. I don't have any rocks of that size handy, so I settled on painting the float instead.
wichitarick
17 years ago
hi
not near enough and really have not done much ,had a bunch of stuff lined up to paint with d.d. but then got real sick
(seizures) and feel like I,m losing a battle.
BUT i,m still junking and managed to pick up a lot of stuff for free at a sale by helping out total was 6$
the rings I will use for a rose collar and a planter after painting terra cotta.
also got 2 cases of jars , the church keys are for a wind chime with beer openers and A A coins lol.
the stove is new .
a lot of misc. pots, lattice, compost,
I will try to paint 3 sets of clothes line posts soon with high end green metal paint , they are the supports for blackberry beds.
oh also got a new bike for d.d for 5$
Rickcenter>
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marilyn_c
17 years ago
Rick, I'm sorry you've been sick. I always enjoy your posts.
I hope you are much better now. Take care.
des_arc_ya_ya
Original Author
17 years ago
Me, too, Rick. Hope you are feeling better.
ranaeluvstexas
17 years ago
Hi I have never posted at this section of THS before mostly in the home decorating forum. What I am working on right now is 2 things I am changing to coordinate. I got this wooden box for a quarter and a lil shelf thing fir 2.50 at good will. I am repainting them and embellishing them with wooden appliques(sp?) and adornments. I took some before pics and will post both when I get them done.

Just call me RaNae by the way
Momof6
17 years ago
I am in the process of cleaning up my play-junk-storage building to make a lil garden retreat....(more work than I bargained for) ...so was surfing on E-bay for ideas last nite for shabby chic and saw that someone had the same idea I had...... found this at a yard sale a year or so ago for a quarter.....so painted it shabby pink...( before I saw theirs)....I am taking Rick's advice and painting it pink...LOL...I had a oopps moment as I started painting before I took the before pic...guess creative minds think a like....Mary

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