tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25338118858177585062024-03-05T00:59:08.382-05:00The ReFORMatoryWhere society’s outcasts are made useful againBettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-13803890928638671652014-07-23T13:08:00.001-04:002014-07-23T13:08:10.898-04:00Bottle Recycling
Here's a candle holder trio I made from the tops of beer bottles (remnants from our kitchen redo). The bases are made from some decorative laser cut wood pieces which I found at Micheal's and then I wire wrapped to hold the bottles. The stands are slices from some table legs we recycled when we build our bathroom vanity (we build that before I started blogging & one of these days I Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-88616780127278276682014-07-16T16:38:00.000-04:002014-07-16T16:41:00.482-04:00Wire Wrapped Glass Chip Necklace
I've got way to many materials to recycle, including all the bottles from the kitchen renovation. I finally used some to make a wire wrapped necklace. I had my husband slice the rim of a beer bottle off and I filed down the edge of a chip from the same bottle for this creation.
Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-17954387845816310752014-04-11T11:35:00.000-04:002014-04-11T11:37:57.867-04:00Bobcat Lens Cap Holder
As you may know, my husband is a brilliant photographer & I have linked often to his flickr where he goes by the name Baubcat. He often misplaces his lens cap and a few months back I saw a cap holder on B&H that attaches to the camera strap & the lens cap snaps into it. I was thinking of buying one, but then realized he had multiple lenses with different size caps & I didn’t Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-75722886510772951812014-01-18T15:41:00.001-05:002014-01-18T15:56:57.203-05:00New Life for Some Old WorkMy great niece is still a preteen but she's very much into fashion, loves watching design shows, and designing outfits. For her last birthday gift I decided to frame one of my old fashion illustrations from college in the 70's. It took my sister-in-law & I forever to decide which of my old works we thought she might like best and it ultimately was decided by which one I could find a frame to Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-90307761411110733782014-01-18T14:50:00.000-05:002014-01-18T14:52:24.126-05:00Quick Upcycled Boot CuffsI've been eying quite a few boot cuffs on Etsy lately & decided I should try to make some. I don't knit, but recently while in my sweater drawer I noticed a sweater my mom handed down to me that didn't really fit. I liked the pattern & realized the sleeves would probably fit around my calves. So I cut about 12" off each sleeve. I folded about 3" over and then folded it again to give it Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-89927730527725109422013-07-21T14:59:00.000-04:002013-07-21T15:01:51.205-04:00Kitchen Before and After
I've definitely neglected my blog since returning to work in the engineering field. The kitchen was completed months ago, but I hadn't taken time to get my husband to snap some nice photos. Finally made time for that, in between work & using my days off to painting & reorganizing the other rooms in the house after the re-wiring job. I put together some before & after shots so youBettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-61400652816246347482013-06-12T14:18:00.001-04:002013-06-12T14:22:37.863-04:00Father's Day Card Handmade
Father's Day Card, a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.
My handmade card for dad for Father's Day. That's an old photo of my big sis & I in his lap probably in 1959.Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-45269923219363927962013-06-07T17:50:00.002-04:002013-06-07T17:50:37.052-04:00Flower Embellsihed T-Shirt
This is a recent birthday gift I made for one of the family members. Most of the fabric I used for the flowers were remnants from the 1970's hence the psychedelic, hippie look of the top. A few of my vintage buttons are in there too.Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-56249462359572613212013-05-26T15:17:00.002-04:002013-05-26T15:30:34.174-04:00Cupcake Birthday Cakes
Our family has grown so big that it's now beginning to be almost impossible to get everyone together on one date for birthday parties. We end up postponing over & over...
This weekend, we finally did catch-up and combined 4 birthday's into one party. Didn't want to bake 4 individual cakes (would have been too many leftovers) so I looked for ideas for arranging cupcakes andBettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-2550733482392186352013-05-18T13:34:00.000-04:002013-05-18T13:34:28.015-04:00Organizing the New KitchenWow, I didn't remember us having this much crap. I've already organized the pantry and put away the plates, glasses & cups, but I keep finding more & more boxes of dishes (mostly pots & pans & plastic containers). Even though we have more cabinet space than we used to, I seem to be baffled about how to put away and organized all theses dishes.
Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-84084329718627489762013-05-15T16:31:00.000-04:002013-05-15T16:31:05.858-04:00Wire Wrapped Upcycled Jar Vase
This is what I made my mom for Mother's Day. Years ago I had torn from a catalog a picture of something similar . The photo was very small, so I couldn't really see the detail of how it was made and I think they were smaller.
Well to make mine, I went out & got some glass beads (blue and clear) some 16 gauge blue craft wire (two 7 foot packs) and some silver wire from the Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-64572140904400364702013-03-18T21:53:00.000-04:002013-03-21T12:07:12.310-04:00Inexperienced Tilers at Work
After weeks and weeks of delays due to missed appointments and scheduling conflicts our contractor finally came a week ago and installed the backerboard for the backsplash. He brought us thinset & trowels, but left us on our own to install the glass tile backsplash. He was very uneasy about cutting glass tile. We are using 6"x12" tile, so they are a bit large. My husband took a few days Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-33247168032232487542013-02-15T14:45:00.000-05:002013-02-15T14:45:17.791-05:00Kitchen Renovation Winding DownWe’re finally approaching a completed kitchen. We’ve been drilling the holes to put the hardware on the cabinets and get them hung, but it turned out that we didn’t get a few of the hinges that connect the two piece doors for the corner cabinets. They arrived yesterday, so we should be able to finish hanging and adjusting the doors this weekend. We still have the backsplash left to complete and Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-18259955675219672432013-02-08T17:15:00.001-05:002013-02-08T17:24:43.005-05:00New Electrical Panel
New Electrical Panel, a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.
Yeah, we passed our final electrical inspection today. Here's our new relocated breaker panel. Not quite sure why it needed to be so large, it's less than half full. Now I need a tall narrow work of art to cover it up. Guess I'll have to look through the thousands of my husbands photos for something the right dimensions. I also need to pick Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-17239875574375412832013-01-31T14:15:00.000-05:002013-01-31T14:15:33.590-05:00Bottle Bottom ValanceWe finally finished mounting the bottle bottoms in the valance & connected it to the cabinets. We just love how it came out, can't wait to finish the bottles on the bar counter. Of course we had to take took it back down this morning as the electricians are here to install all the light fixtures and outlets. Little by little, we're finally approaching the end of this overdue project.
Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-2748055053231451442013-01-17T16:54:00.002-05:002013-01-17T16:54:33.579-05:00Kitchen Sink Installed
YEAH! We finally have a kitchen sink. Earlier in the week one side of the kitchen got the counter tops installed, with the sink under-mounted. The other side of the room had two counter pieces that needed to be re-cut because the brick wall isn't square to the wall it abuts. Anyway since the sink side was ready, the plumber came today & installed the faucet and water filter and hookedBettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-37028226671180894032013-01-14T21:15:00.002-05:002013-01-14T21:21:01.683-05:00Mounting Bottle Bottoms in Wood
Bamboo Finish on box to heighten Brick Wall
Bottle Bottom Template for Valance
Sometimes simple ideas are harder to execute than you expect. My idea of mounting glass bottle bottoms into the wood we used to build-up our brick wall to counter height took days & days of planning & practice to figure out how to accomplish it.
First of all a lot of beer bottles appear the same Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-4118945458518715122012-12-22T20:35:00.001-05:002012-12-22T20:53:28.756-05:00Alehouse Amber Counter Top
IMG_3312, a photo by BaubCat on Flickr.
Today the counter top fabricator came to make the template for our recycled glass counter tops. Later in the day we drove up to his shop to inspect the two slabs that will be used.
I love these Vetrazzo counter tops even more now that I've seen the full slabs. The small sample pieces or online photos just don't do it justice. Certain pieces of the glass Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-50766097587996325212012-12-19T23:34:00.001-05:002012-12-19T23:39:53.578-05:00Installing Kitchen Cabinets
Installing Upper Cabinets, a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.
Those beautiful Bamboo cabinets are finally getting installed. At first it was a bit of a shock seeing the large open room & my new floor getting covered over by the cabinet carcasses. Made the room start feeling crowded. But after enough of them got placed, the design started to come together and I'm getting psyched. Can't wait tillBettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-1993980784817334452012-12-19T23:13:00.001-05:002012-12-19T23:20:44.284-05:00Finished Floor Installed
Finished Floor Pattern, a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.
We finally got my floor design installed (my mid century modern inspired pattern). The marmoleum click was relatively easy to install, a typical floating floor. The most difficult part was accounting for the expansion gap at all the different trim locations. It took a bit of thinking to accomodate those gaps & still keep the design Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-38961825208652989132012-12-08T23:32:00.000-05:002012-12-08T23:32:19.491-05:00Choosing Paint ColorsWhy is it that every color on a paint chip looks so pretty but when you put it on the wall it sometimes makes you want to puke. I had such a hard time choosing the paint color for the kitchen.
The ceiling paint gave me a bit of trouble…I found the perfect paint color swatch, but the sample paint didn’t come out matching it, so I ended up going back for a sample of the next darker shade & Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-65986385946143278962012-11-25T11:13:00.000-05:002012-11-25T11:13:23.722-05:00Concrete Beam Repair
One wall in our kitchen is a concrete support wall so it was the only one we didn’t knock out all the plaster on. It was also the one most out of plumb; the room measures more than an inch wider at the ceiling than at the floor. There were some problems with the plaster surface over the concrete and we could feel some hollow gaps in between the 2 layers. That meant Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-50786623937611807952012-11-22T13:33:00.000-05:002012-11-22T13:33:30.307-05:00Inside Corners / Outside CornersAfter putting up the new drywall in our kitchen, we had to form inside corners up three walls and between the 3 new walls & the ceiling. We also had to form outside corners on the window frame, the pass-thru and the hallway entrance. There was also an outside corner on the concrete beam above the brick wall, but that repair will be part of another post.
some materials used
Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-9177734001292271702012-11-22T11:54:00.000-05:002012-11-22T11:54:25.981-05:00Happy Thanksgiving
Well
here it is the biggest cooking day of the year and we still don't have
our new kitchen. Our temporary facilities just don't cut it. So luckily
my mom invited us up to her house for dinner, so we'll be "getting out
of Dodge" for a few days. Hope everyone has a nice holiday & fills
up on plenty of great food.
Temporary kitchen, sink's out in the laundry room, fridge is justBettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533811885817758506.post-33549117143472528942012-11-07T13:05:00.000-05:002012-11-07T13:05:26.655-05:00Bamboo Cabinets Ready for AssemblyThe beautiful bamboo kitchen cabinets have finally arrived. They are now stacked up in two rooms in the house waiting for us to finish the walls & floor so we can assemble them and install them.
Bettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04527220117175277214noreply@blogger.com1