A new twist on an old tradition- Ruler Growth Chart

Many people remember having their height measured on a door frame or a specific wall of their home growing up.  It's fun to measure up against siblings at the same age, and look for growth spurts along the way.  I have no idea how I happened upon this project, however my Internet browsing lead me to a totally cute Ruler Growth Chart idea.  Apparently they are quite a popular commodity in homes of families with children these days.  They look good enough to hang anywhere in your home, and they can go with you if you move to a new house (which happens quite a lot these days for many families).  While growing up in Southern California from ages 4 to 16, I lived in 7 different homes.  I decided this was a must have and would be a quick project to work on.

I used a piece of tongue and grove pine board that was left over from building Lady genevieve's bedroom door (which I will post about as soon as we are able to hang the track and door).  The truth is that I accidentally cut one of the boards too short and had to go and buy another one.  So this piece was left over because of a mistake I made.  But it worked out perfectly because I had a great piece of wood to make our Ruler out of.

Process:

I traced my numbers straight
from my computer screen.

I cut the board down to 5 1/2 ft.  I wanted to mount the ruler 6 inches from the floor, therefore foot 1 lands 6 inches from the bottom of the board.  The top of the board ends at the 6 foot mark.  Then I used 120 grit sandpaper to smooth and prepare the surface for stain.  I applied 2 coats of Miniwax Cherry stain.  Then I used a measuring tape and made a pencil line at every inch along the board.  Every third line was 2 inches long.  At the foot markers, I made 3 inch long lines.  Then I found a font I liked from my computer, and increased the size of the numbers to size 205.  I traced the number onto computer paper right from the screen, so that the paper was back lit.  I then re-traced the numbers onto the wood, pressing firmly into the wood as I traced each number.  I purchased a very cool Sharpie Paint Pen from Joann Fabrics.  I bought the thickest point.  It worked wonderfully, and was so much easier than using a paintbrush.  I traced over each line and number with the pen.  Then I applied 2 coats of Miniwax polyurethane (Satin) to finish the Ruler.

* I randomly made my inch marks on the right side of the board.  Then I realized that most Ruler Growth Charts have the inch marks on the left side.  Though it looks different from the norm, it does the job of looking like a ruler and giving us a place to measure heights over time.  Just a matter of preference.

Raspberry Trellis

We've been meaning to build a trellis for the raspberries all summer, and we finally got around to building one the past couple weekends.  We already had all of the materials that we needed to build trellis.  We used some old wood left over from the house renovation,  in addition to 2 new pine boards left over from my Double Dutch Barn door project.  We found enough plastic coated clothes line in the garage, that the previous owners left behind.

The Laird dug a hole 18 inches deep at each end of the raspberry row.  He set each post in, and wedged a rock in next to the post for a tighter fit.  Then we found 2 pieces of old wood that happened to be a good width for the lower cross beams.  He used 2 screws to secure the cross beam to the post, at a height slightly lower than the current raspberry plants.  He drilled a hole into each end of the cross beam.  Then we fed some old plastic coated clothes line threw each hole and stretched them across to the trellis on the other end of the row.  We tightened the line and stapled the clothes line to the cross beam.  We used 2 slightly longer boards for the upper cross beam, and repeated the steps to hang the lower cross beam.  We randomly chose heights for both cross beams- to what we think will fit the raspberries at their full grown size.  We may have to adjust the line heights down the road, if this set up doesn't fit.   And now we can check that task off the master list!  All it cost us was a few hours, as all the materials we found in the garage/ barn.

Our raspberry plants transplanted well last Fall and survived the brutal winter we had.  They are growing well, and currently producing late summer berries.  We are unsure how large the plants will grow in future years, so we may have to adjust the heights of the cross beams if the brambles don't grow as high as the upper cross beam.

Our trellis building efforts was a learning process, as we built what we had in mind- rather than following a tutorial.  Initially we secured the cross beams to the inner side of the post.  But as we wired them up, we realized that securing the cross beams to the outside of the post would create more strength within the lines.  So, we undid our work, and then redid it.  Much better design. 

  Aside from preventing the heavy fruit filled raspberry brambles from bending towards the ground, we built the trellis as a way to protect the raspberries from the animals.  Though the animals haven't bothered the berries since the dead of winter, the Laird always says, "It only takes one night to destroy the bunch."  One night, the deer bit off the new growth of a couple plants last winter, which stunted some of the plants growth and fruit.  So we did not want to continue to risk this years fruit by taking a chances.  We will be draping Deer X netting over the trellis to keep the animals off our new growth in the heart of winter.

And now we have a trellis to support and protect our baby raspberry row.

Interior Double Dutch Barn Doors

The old Laundry Closet doors

We enter the house through the Great Room

As previously mentioned, we needed a new door solution for our laundry room.  The set up of our house is such in that we enter through the back of the house, directly into our Great Room.  Directly across from the door, stands our "laundry closet".  Originally, it had 2 wooden bi-fold doors- though one door was broken, and the other very difficult to open.  Because the laundry closet is often quite cluttered and full, it's quite an eye sore.  In order to maintain some peace in my mind and block my view of the mess, I have had the working door hung and the broken door folded and partially covering the opening- leaning on the door frame.  And it's worked for the time being.

After building a door for lady genevieve's room, I was quite inspired to build a set of doors for the laundry closet.  I love to learn how to do new things, and I love being creative.

I love barn doors, and am discovering there are more styles that I knew existed.  My internet search brought me to a blog of a person who started out building a barn door style baby gate for their stairs.  They eventually built an upper door to match, and ended up with a Dutch barn door.  What a beautiful door and great idea.  Remodelaholic has an excellent step-by-step tutorial of how to build a Dutch Barn door- including materials, tools and lots of diagrams.

My door dimensions were very similar to the one Remodelaholic built.  The materials list was extremely helpful.  I built these doors out of pine boards & drywall screws (same materials suggested by Remodelaholic tutorial). After sanding the assembled doors, I distressed the doors.  I used a hammer to add some ding/ dent marks, scattered on the door surface.  Then I used a screw and poked small holes, in clusters, scattered across the door surface. Then I applied Provincial Miniwax Stain.  I allowed the stain on the frame & "X" supports to stay on longer than the rest of the door, for a two toned look.  The wood stained so beautifully!  The 3 distressing techniques (carved board edges, dings, & small screw clusters), added so much to the character of the door.  Two coats of Miniwax Polyurethane (satin), sanded between coats and the doors were done.

I purchased 8 black gate hinges (3 1/2 inch) and 2 simple, black 6 1/2 inch handles from Amazon.com.   The upper door knobs & door latch both came from Lowes.  I used Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze to give a more rustic look to the door hardware. What an amazing difference!  I love this new view as I enter my home.

Back side of doors

Currently, designing and planning the next project- Entry organization for all those shoes, & bags piled up near the door:  A storage bench & cubby tower.  If you look closely, you can see where I have taped out the tower on the wall near the door.  My inspiration comes from mud room designs.  I imagine this project will be a bit more challenging, so it may take some time to complete.

Old Soggy Bottoms- Bidding farewell to "Old Leaky"

"In constant sorrow all through her days.  

I am a woman of constant sorrow.  

I've seen trouble all my days.  

I bid farewell to "Old Leaky.  

The one whom I, have trusted so."

 This is the sentiment of mom's of babies with soggy bottoms (a.k.a. leaking cloth diapers).

Soggy Bottom Boys - "Constant Sorrow"

Cloth Diapering- I knew well before I was ever pregnant that I wanted to use cloth diapers.  One of my co-workers used cloth diapers with her firstborn and then 2 years later with her twins (yep, 3 babies in cloth diapers), and I was sold.  If this woman could work full-time and cloth diaper 3 babies, then I could probably do it too.  I love cloth diapers because they save thousands of disposables from the landfills.  Cloth diapers save us hundreds of dollars. And they are better for my baby's little soggy bottom.  Plus they are so stinking cute.

We use Bum Genius Brand cloth diapers.  We have both the pocket diapers and All in Ones.  Snaps and Velcros.  I like the pockets for when the baby is small, and the All in Ones for when the baby output increases.  I prefer the Velcro kind, but the snaps don't wear out as quickly.  There are ways to purchase gently used cloth diapers.  One of our local stores, Luvaboos, has a consignment sale every year.  Before lady genevieve arrived, I went to one of the sales, and picked up 5 gently used diapers for $50!  Considering they are about $20/diaper, I was excited.  Little did I realize, I knew very little about what to look for in a used cloth diaper.  I just wanted stain-free.  When lady genevieve was a few months old, not even, she started leaking through whenever she'd wear certain diapers.  After investigating, I realized the legs holes weren't tight and I could see her bottom through the huge gap.  Uh Oh, worn elastic!  Cloth diapers that don't hold their contents are no good, and don't serve their purpose at all.  I can't remember how I found out about repairing the elastic in cloth diapers, but I searched the Internet and watched a great You Tube tutorial (there are lots out there).  The first few times, it took me longer than I would have liked and was quite exhausting.  But I was a new mom at that time and was severely lacking in sleep.  Recently, I noticed that the leg holes on our other diapers (that we got brand new), were loose and in need of a refresher.  

Found this tutorial on You Tube-

How to Repair elastic in Bum Genius Diapers

Diaper Repair Kit + other tools used

Cotton Babies (maker of Bum Genius) has a Diaper Refresher Kit.  It includes instructions, Velcro tabs, elastic, and diaper tabs.  I purchased a few and repaired the elastic, diaper tabs and Velcro tabs on my used diapers.  I saved one of the elastic pieces and use it for cutting new elastic to proper length.  I use 1/4" braided elastic for the legs and waist bands.

Elastic replaced (left) vs. Worn out elastic (right)

See the difference?  The white has a much longer (stretched) elastic leg opening

New elastic waist (top) vs. Worn Elastic waist (bottom/white)

Diaper with all elastic removed

Diaper turned inside out

Opening where elastic is removed and then replaced

A diaper with refreshed elastic!

My first round of refreshing diaper elastic went quite slowly.  This time around, I can sew in 3 new bands of elastic in 30 minutes.  The part that takes the most time is seam ripping the old elastic out.  I will bring a diaper and seam ripper wherever I go, and if I have a few free minutes I work on ripping elastic out, in preparation for new elastic.  I use my sewing machine to sew new elastic in, but on a recent 6 hour drive, I hand sewed a few elastic bands while in the care.  It takes a while longer, but if you do not have a sewing machine, doing it by hand works just as well.

Another reason Cloth Diapers rock-  Just like most material things in this life- they don't last forever.  Cloth diapers do wear out!  But thankfully they are very easy to refresh, which means more money savings, as you can use them for multiple children.  Think about the money savings!

Oh Diaper Sprayer, Where have you been the past year?!

Do you cloth diaper?  Got a Diaper Sprayer?  Make one.

After 16 months in the world of cloth diapers, I finally decided it was time for a diaper sprayer.  I figured that I would just go for the BumGenius brand, since we use BG cloth diapers and I am quite satisfied with them so far.  But due diligence lead me to do a little research about other brands available, and lo and behold, I discovered that diaper sprayers are fairly simple to build yourself, for a bit less than the commercial brands.  This excited me, as I both enjoy learning new things, and take satisfaction in both saving money and building things (that are simple).  There are a bunch of blogs out there that cover DIY Diaper Sprayers, so I am not going to repeat what is already well covered. Gidget Goes Home DIY Diaper Sprayer Tutorial, was simple and filled with step by step photos.  She even has a materials list with a link to each item on Amazon (minus 1 that I was able to get at Lowes).  The links were extremely handy, and I ended up purchasing my parts through Amazon.  I went to Lowes, thinking I could collect all the parts quicker than waiting for them to arrive in the mail.  But couldn't find everything I needed, and was a little overwhelmed with all the different plumbing parts out there.  If you decide to build a diaper sprayer, I highly recommend ordering your parts with the links to amazon.  And amazon is so quick, that I got the parts in less than 48 hours.

The Laird kindly helped me put it all together.  He knows a little bit about how the toilet hooks up and plumbing technique, so I let him do the installation.  He applied a little Thread Sealant on each connection, to create a tight seal and prevent any water leaks.  There are a lot of threaded connections in this Diaper Sprayer, therefore many places for leakage.  So if you have a leaky sprayer, or are building your diaper sprayer for the first time, and don't have a lot of experience with plumbing, definitely get the Thread Sealant.

Though it isn't the prettiest thing, it is much prettier than the scene that happens as I dunk and scrub poopy diapers in the toilet!  I had the opportunity to spray my first poopy diaper this morning, and it was amazing!  I am so grateful to have a diaper sprayer.  Got a Diaper sprayer?

I think the sprayer is powerful enough

The Ice Maker Supply Line connected to main water supply for toilet
with the Adapt-A-Valve T fitting.

The Shut off Valve & adapter between the Ice maker Supply Line (top) and the Spray hose (bottom)

I hung our diaper sprayer up with a white hook on the side of the vanity cabinet.

A diaper sprayer is a must for those using cloth diapers!  Say goodbye to scrubbing poop into the toilet bowl, and hello to your new friendly sprayer.  This project cost about $30.  Commercial diaper sprayers cost between $40-$60.

Gratitude of today: This handy diaper sprayer & the Laird who installed it

Toddler Renaissance Costume

After finishing a little outfit for lady genevieve for our trip to the Renaissance Festival, I decided she needed a hat to top off her costume.  After a little google image research, I decided to make a simple muffin cap.

This Muffin Cap Pattern worked quite well for me, as I simply adjusted for a toddler size head.  I found a great cream flower embellishment in the ribbon section of the craft store, and beautiful white feather.  I sewed the hat & embellishment with a sewing machine, and attached the feather by hand.  I added a band of elastic inside the hat brim for a snug fit.

I wish I could share a pattern for the dress, however I simply made it up as I went.  It is made out of a bunch of rectangle pieces of fabric, sewn together. Even the straps are separate and attached at the end.  I did not have much luck with grommets on my costume, so I used a rope-like embellishment and sewed loops on the inner- upper dress, to be able to lace the dress in the front.

We happened to get a perfect Carters Onsie shirt handed down to us, and just had to make a ruffled skirt.  I used this Elastic waist skirt tutorial to create a skirt.  I added a wider ruffle to the bottom of skirt to add length and make it show beneath the outer dress, and sewed a sash onto the front of the skirt (that ties in the back) to hide elastic waste band.

The beautiful thing about this costume is that it was made out of the left over scraps from the costume I made for myself 4 years ago.  So we now have matching costumes!  She was quite a hit at the festival!

In the Midst... of many projects

It's been a bit since my last post, and the reason is that I am busy working on a number of projects.  All of them are on the brink of completion, so there will be a handful of posts coming very soon.

Double Dutch Barn Doors for our laundry closet.  Building, sanding, staining, polyurethane-ing.  The hardware is ordered.  Had a little sanding mishap between poly coats, and had to sand down to raw wood and start over.  The other 3 doors are done.  Waiting for 2nd coat stain to dry, and then application of 2 coats of polyurethane.  Then when the Laird and I have time to hang them, we'll be posting!

Crown Moulding in for kitchen.  Waiting for 2nd coat of paint to dry.  This will be one of the final projects for the kitchen, for a while.

Sliding Barn Door for lady genevieve's bedroom.  Found some aluminum track and trolley rollers online.  2nd coat of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint is drying.  When we have some time, we'll work on hanging the track and door.  

The making of our littlest lady.  Tomorrow is lady genevieve's first trip to the Sterling Renaissance Festival.  We started a costume for her many months ago, that I was making up a

s I went.  When I tried it on her for size, it seemed like it was going to be too small.  Discouraged I put that project away, until this past week knowing that we'd be going to the festival.  The Laird and I both have costumes, so it would have been sad to not have something fun for lady genevieve to wear.  I started working on it again.   My sister graciously hands down all of my niece's clothes to genevieve- we are so lucky.  There happened to be just the perfect shirt to go under the dress.  I found a simple tutorial to make a ruffled skirt and a simple muffin cap- and now we have a real little lady on our hands!  So excited about how it turned out.  

Keeping very busy, but chipping away at the project list.  Enjoying every minute of it, and getting closer to wrapping up a few big projects.