Thursday, September 30, 2010

It's Our Favorite Furniture Hacker!

You have NO idea how many times I tried to have this post!!?? First there was a problem with blogger, THEN there was a problem with me and THEN the power went out!!! 

Well, it's all better now cause finally-


Rayan from.....





Is here today to give us another step by step tutorial!!
(better late than never- right Rayan?)

This woman is A-mazing!
She really takes ALL the work out of figuring out how to be a Do it Yourself-er!

Check out this cool project she put together for us!

Mr. Treasures and I love to end the evening reading a book or watching a little t.v.
This would certainly come in handy!

Hi Everyone! Rayan from The Design Confidential here...Excited to be visiting with you today! I hope you enjoy this fun little project and perhaps even give it a go...



Plans for the bed can be found here, if you are interested in building that!



(don't ask what happened here- I have NO idea! stop by Rayan's to find the missing photo- HA!)
This project is really simple and can be modified for an even easier build if you don't have access to a miter saw or any saw for that matter.



2 1/2" Pocket Hole Screws (if you are a Kreg Jig Owner)

2 1/2" Screws

4 -2" Casters

Wood Glue

Wood Filler

Sandpaper

Finishing Supplies

Wood:

2 - 2x12 @ 8'



Tape Measure

Drill

Sander - optional - you can hand sand depending on the boards you choose.

Kreg Jig - optional - this allows you to hide your connections and form strong joints, however, traditional countersinking screws is always an option as well.

Saw - optional - you can have your local lumber supply cut your boards and skip the mitered corners.



1 - 2x12 @ 75"

2 - 2x12 @ 35"



Using a Pocket Hole System will provide the most professional appearance, however if you aren't using one, pre-drilling and countersinking is recommended.

Check for square after each step, and adhere to all safety standards.

This can be built without mitered corners, you would simply need to shorten the legs by 1 1/2" if you plan to keep it the same height.

Height is adjustable if you prefer more space between the bed and the table. Just be sure you account for this prior to cutting your boards.

Cut your boards to the appropriate length and miter the outside edges on both sides of the top and one side of the legs. Fasten using your Kreg Jig set to 1 1/2" stock or use 2 1/2" Screws from the top of the top down into the legs.



Attach casters to the legs, and fill screws holes, sand and finish as desired! Easy Peasy...and so convenient for reading, working on a laptop or breakfast in bed!



I hope you enjoyed this fun and fast little tutorial. Feel free to browse my other plans, hope to see you soon! Xx Rayan

Thank you so much Rayan!!!

Don't forget to  head over to The Design Confidential to see what else Rayan's been up to!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

What can I say...

What can I say?

Sometimes life gets in the way.

I haven't been a very good blogger lately.

Actually I haven't been a "very good" anything lately.
(currently working on correcting this)

I was hoping to post a fabulous Makeover Monday for you today but it's just not going to happen.
(insert sad face here)

Good news is Wednesday, The Design Confidential has a special guest post for us so make sure you stop back by for that!


In the meantime, bare with me- I'm still trying to work out some kinks in my personal life.


Angie

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

What's in your backyard?

Hi everyone!! I'm still insanely busy with work, home and projects!!

Ruby was nice enough to stop by with a special guest post about seeking adventures in your own "backyard"

If you've been following along for any length of time, you know that my eh hum budget has changed drastically over the last several years.

My last post of  2009 titled Wipe the Slate Clean you'll see that I realized that not all the changes we lived through were bad.


In fact, thanks to Ruby I realized the great adventures we could have in our own town.

 Places I've lived close to for over, well let's just say a veerrrry long time .
I'd never thought to check them out!




Anyhow, a big thank you to....

Ruby,



 for dropping by today with one of her adventures!!



Hello, My name is Ruby from Ruby's Musings. I am quite honored to be asked to be a guest blogger. My blog covers many aspects of my life. One of which is searching out adventures in my own back yard so to say , and do show that one can have a day trip out on a small budget and still have a wonderful time. This is one of my posts from our last adventure. I hope you like it

Hubby got what is known in car sales as a "spiff" , so instead of being forced to sit home for two weeks in a row we were able to set out on another adventure. Keeping in the exploration of back country roads and local attractions, we spent Monday night going through pamphlets and maps. It was decided we would go to Sutter Creek's Gold Mine. It was out of our normal 20.00 and under plus gas budget, but hey the spiff would take care of it , so it was time to splurge. Gas tank filled, snacks and water packed in the ice chest and the GPS unit clued in , we headed out.

Sutter Creek is in Amador County , in the Gold Country , off Historic HWY 49 , and South East of where we live. We seem to always be on HWY 49, it just has all the best towns located on it ! It is a lovely drive, and I, having grown up on a small farm ( very small , 5 acres to be exact) love being out in the middle of the country. It is one of the most pleasant things I know of. Anyway, we drove just around an hour through back roads, and country towns ....tiny places with name like Sloughhouse and Drytown . We even drove through the town of Amador. It is a VERY small town, even if the county is named after it...Just gotta love the stop signs! Plus the entire town is antique shops! Wish we did not always go on adventures on Mondays and Tuesdays cause many things are closed!

   
     
Soon we arrived at the entrance to the park....


Drove down the long winding road and pulled into the small parking lot. 

 

Inside there was a great gift shop, historical photos of local miners from years past, a movie theater with a movie about mining, miners and the California Gold Rush. Then there was the maps of all the places , from all over the world , have visited ....we are one of the many push pins now .





We stepped outside once the movie was over ,  and waited for the tour jeep to arrive and took the chance to snap a few pics.....
Pan for gold anyone?? You really can, just buy a bag of silt, and go out and have a go!


Pardon the frown, the bench was hot, the sun bright...

Here it comes....

Looks like everyone got back safe, time to grab the hard hats, red for adults, and white for children.


We loaded up, our tour guide checking us in on the board...16 of us.
      Then we were off.....  
 Down the steep, bumpy, dirt hill.....

 And into the mine......LAST CHANCE....(only kidding)
Now I took a load of pics inside, and do you know not too many of them actually turned out, between the bumpy ride and the dim lighting, photo, after photo, blurry, streaky, and just too dim to tell what it was. We only took the jeep half way, then it was on foot, via stairs and walk ways. We stopped off in the Safety Room to be told about how miners operated and tried to stay safe and well to sit in total , pitch black darkness...never been in such a dark space ! You could not see your hand in front of your face. 

We looked at veins of quartz , that is where the gold lies . We find out the mine is a modern mine, 1989 and only operated till the early 90's , but may open again next year. There is a lot of gold in this mine to be had! We see equipment old and new, and get history lessons about how miners used to operate and how it is in modern times. It was all very fascinating! The photos that did turn out where nothing much more than pics of rock and earth, but this one is nifty as it is what is left over from the bottom of the ocean! I am not kidding!
Soon our tour ends, at 550 feet below the surface, we get back in the jeeps and before you know it , we see the light at the end of the tunnel ....YES!! it does exist !
  Be sure to check out the official site , and there is a couple videos if you are interested in seeing more . There is also a hint on this page of where we will be exploring next! I am super excited, I will tell you that...more hard hats and pearls for sure in my future. 

After we left the mine, and ate our snacks we had packed for lunch, we headed into the actual town of Sutter's Creek. It is a charming town of gift shops, antiques, places to eat and old historic homes...of course we found the wine shop! You can sample the wines from various wineries in the area for free, as many as you like! I decided on Champagnes...well sparkling wine since it comes from California. Then we also found an import cheese shop , and sampled an array of yumminess, and even came home with a French cows milk cheese, by the name of Mimolette Cheese. It looks like Cantaloupe...the color, the outer rind. It comes from Lille France, and was a favored cheese by King Louis XIV ...tastes a bit like Parmesan . 







So that was our adventure of the Hard Hat and Pearls....
  I hope it inspires you to have your own adventure and hit the road , no matter your budget, there is always new places to explore !
 


Thanks again Ruby!!!

Now get out there and see what your town has to offer but, before you go, don't forget to stop by Ruby's blog !!!