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Plumbing, You Can Do It

by chris at 7:32am Wed, 6 Aug 2008 under Hobbies, Crafts & DIY
Last week my son decided to flush paper towels down the toilet. Why did he do that, you ask. I do not know. I don't ask those questions anymore. Questions like why couldn't you just throw the paper towels in the garbage can that sits next to the toilet? or Why do you have to break the soap up into teeny tiny pieces in the shower? Or, Why did you think it was a good idea to hang from the towel rack?

Refashionistas: What To Do With Jeans

It's been a while since I've done written about the refashionistas, those creative, frugal fashion crafters who take older, unworn clothes and thrift-store finds, cut, paint, sew, style, and design great new functional items from them.  A gold-mine of ideas for used jeans can be found at WiseBread's post: Twenty-five Things to Do With Old Jeans by Myscha Theriault. Let's examine some of her ideas:

Grout - What? I'm Supposed to Clean It?

by chris at 4:00am Fri, 1 Aug 2008 under Hobbies, Crafts & DIY
It has recently come to my attention that I have been neglecting the grout in my tile floors. Really, I have always assumed that the slight discolorations here and there were character. Not so, a friend has told me. She has her grout professionally cleaned every six months or so. Unless your grout is white, you don't want to use chlorine bleach as it will discolor the grout, resulting in a mess that is worse than before. Before you begin your scrubbing, you will want to vacuum your floor thoroughly. Then get out your scrub brush.

The Ugliest Room

by chris at 11:47pm Tue, 29 Jul 2008 under Hobbies, Crafts & DIY
This room in my house sums up all that was wrong with the previous owners decorating choices. The walls are painted a flat peach colored paint. Accented by random rectangular shapes painted a flat orange color, the exact color and sheen of the tempera paint that kindergarten children use to paint their paper mache Halloween pumpkins.

Crafting a Life: Building a Crafty Online Community

This year, when you talk to a knitter with any kind of online presence, they mention Ravelry. I can't remember a time when an online community developed such strength and following as quickly. I've talked with a number of crafters who speak wistfully about the hope of building a similar community that might include other activities. A site like Ravelry for quilters, jewelry makers or all those paper crafts.

Crafting A Life: Craft Blog Round-Up

I missed the Craft and DIY Bird of a Feather session at BlogHer '08, or I'd be highlighting the many people who came to share their passion during that session. Instead, let's look at what's been happening in the rest of the blogosphere: Dyeabolical spent the week sewing pencil cases (can the start of school be far behind?). ARTJuNK girl believes we should Do What You Love~