Tag Archives: DIY

DIY: Window Frame (Part 1)

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I <3 DIY projects. I don’t do them nearly as often as I like but when I do I always get this amazing sense of happiness! And while there are times that my ideas turn to crap and I’m frustrated, there are the magical times that everything works out perfectly.

Well, this story is not one of the perfect ones. Lol.

About a month (*cough* or two) ago I was searching Pier 1 in hopes of finding a window frame type of wall hanging that I could use to display some old and new photos of my closest family members. I’d had the idea running around in my brain for quite some time and was ready to get things moving. Sadly, I couldn’t find anything that I was in love with, so I chose not to purchase anything. But, just my luck, I got a call from my roommate a few weeks later. She’d been walking through the alley of our street and had come across an old, crusty, sad looking window frame (that looked to have literally been taken down from a house) with the glass STILL INTACT.

If you couldn’t already guess, I jumped my butt in my car and went to rescue this sad, misused window frame and promised to once again make it beautiful. Boy, was that harder than anticipated. But, I am nothing if not persistent – especially when I have a vision.

So, with a couple, well… with 4 trips to Home Depot I’m nearly done with my project and my excitement is simmering.

Here are my steps, along with my mistakes – and here’s hoping this helps you with your own project, and saves you some time!

Just so you can get an idea of what I was dealing with, here are some pictures of the frame BEFORE I started removing the thousands layers of white paint. Phew. THAT was a process.

Window Project 4

Window Project 1

Window Project 2

6,000 layers of crusty, old white paint.

Window Project 3

Actually, I’m pretty sure it was exactly 6, 791 layers of paint. Lol

I’m not going to lie guys – I was nervous. I had NEVER removed any kind of paint accept the acrylic kind, and we know that doesn’t count. BUT, with some advice from my Mom (the ultimate DIYer and all knowing Home Depot shopper) I made my way to Home Depot with a list of items I thought I’d need. Little did I know – I should have FULLY taken her advice instead of trying something new. Lol. When will we ever learn?

Warning: Please be safe when using paint stripper in-doors. It is highly toxic and the area must be thoroughly ventilated.

So, here’s what you’ll need if you’re interested in embarking on a similar (or the same) type of project:

  • Klean-Strip KS-3 Premium Paint Stripper (DO NOT use the Citristrip Stripping gel unless you want to waste hours of your life and end up with Popeye arms. But, if you must do this inside, have children and much more patience than I, I would still suggest it’s use.)
  • Klean-Strip Odorless Mineral Spirits
  • Drop Cloth (size you need is based on the size of your project)
  • Safety Gloves (chemical resistant)
  • Cheap paint brushes (3-4)
  • Masking Paper (optional)
  • Steel Whool
  • Scotch Tape
  • Safety Goggles
  • Mouth mask (optional and dependent on ventilation indoors)
  • Wood Stain (whatever color you prefer)
  • Polycryclic Protective Finish

Window Project 5

Here’s what I did (and please pay attention to what NOT to do):

1. I laid out my drop cloth and used the masking paper and masking tape to line and cover the glass of the window.

Window Project 6

2. Please keep in mind I started with using the CitiStrip as my paint remover. Worst. Decision. Ever. I’d purchased it (instead of the standard paint stripper) because I was using it indoors and I’d thought, because it said “Safe for Indoor Use” that it was the best bet. Plus, I read tons of great reviews on it before I purchased it. As I stated earlier, if you must do this inside, have children and much more patience than I, I would still suggest it’s use. If not, please skip these next steps until you get to my use of the  Klean-Strip KS-3 Premium Paint Stripper, as it worked WONDERS ( go to Step 5).

I poured the CitiStrip into a cheap plastic paint holder then put on my safety goggles and gloves.

Window Project 7

3. Using one of the cheap paint brushes I started applying the stripper onto the window frame, making sure to cover every inch of the caked-on paint as I could.

Notice how happy and excited I look? That does NOT last long.

Notice how happy and excited I look? That does NOT last long.

Window Project 10

Window Project 9

Window Project 8

4. The Citistrip instructions state that I should leave on the stripper for at least 30 minutes. I waited nearly an hour. Maybe it was because there were so many layers, maybe I should have waited two hours. WHO KNOWS. But I ended up using nearly the full bottle and a ton of elbow grease trying to strip the paint layers off…. for NADA. The Citistrip caked on the window, the tool I used to scrape it off and my gloves – it caked on EVERYTHING and was a sticky catastrophe. And still, the paint and the Citistrip residue wouldn’t come off. Seriously guys, I started to worry that I wouldn’t EVER be able to get it off and that I would have to scrap the project. :(

Nearly 4 hours and 2 full coats of CitiStrip later, I was a frustrated hot MESS.

Window Project 12

Window Project 13

Window Project 14

Window Project 15

By this point, and nearly 4 hours and 2 more coats of CitiStrip later, I was a frustrated, hot MESS.

Window Project 16

Window Project 16

5. Frustrated and not understanding WHY the CitiStrip wasn’t working I went online to search, again, for posted results. Everyone else seemed to have had WONDERFUL experiences, except me. *deep sigh*

Refusing to give up, I went back to Home Depot and purchased the Klean-Strip KS-3 Premium Paint Stripper and the Klean-Strip Odorless Mineral Spirits.

*lifts up praise hands*

THIS stuff is the BUSINESS!!!!!!

Window Project 17

Using the Klean-Strip KS-3 Premium Paint Stripper was as easy as PIE. I slapped it on top of the left-over MESS of the CitiStrip and the paint started coming off like BUTTER within 15 minutes!!! Say what say whoooo?!

And since this stripper is very toxic…I needed to ventilate the room a little more.

Window Project 18

See. The CitiStrip DID come in handy. Just not for its original purpose. *insert dramatic eye roll here*

6. After two coats of the Klean-Strip KS-3 Premium Paint Stripper I could see WOOD, and I couldn’t have been more excited. Once I determined all of the paint was removed I used the Odorless Mineral Spirits to remove any traces of the paint stripper, as it “cleans” the wood and provides a clear surface for the wood stain.

And look. LOOK! WOOOOOOOOOOOD. There was WOOD underneath all those ugly layers of white paint. Woooohoooo!!! The wood isn’t perfect, but its EXACTLY what I wanted.

Window Project 19

DSC_0756

Window Project 20

Window Project 23

Window Project 22

Window Project 21

Stay tuned for the next part of this project – staining, printing my photographs and finally, hanging it in my newly re-decorated room.

Halloween Goodies: Caramel Apple Jello Shots

Posted in D.I.Y., Food Porn, Uncategorized by

This post was originally pulled from That’s So Michelle. And I’d like to thank @hecticivan for the heads up.

This Saturday I’ll be hosting, with the help of my roommate, a Halloween Bash! Wooohoo!! And even though I’ve promised myself that I won’t be cooking enough for an army, I HAD to do something cool. And what better than these Caramel Apple Jello Shots?! Special thanks again to Michelle for allowing us to re-blog this post!

(If you wanted something with a little bit more alcohol content you could always try them out with Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka instead of butterscotch schnapps)

Shopping List (makes about 40 slices/shots)
10 small granny smith apples
1 envelope knox gelatin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 drops yellow food coloring
1 envelope Land o Lakes caramel hot chocolate (Regular would do just fine if you can’t find caramel)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butterscotch schnapps
lemon juice

1. Half and hollow out  apples cutting them from the stem down. I used a melon baller to hollow the apples and it worked well. After hollowing them squeeze some lemon juice on top to reduce browning.

2. Mix your 1/2 cup water with your envelope of hot chocolate in a medium sized sauce pan. Whisk it to make sure all the chocolate is combined. Add the 1/2 cup of coconut milk, whisk again.

3. Sprinkle your gelatin on top and let it sit a few minutes. Turn on low/medium heat and mix the gelatin until all is combined.

4. Add 1/4 cup sugar and simmer slightly until sugar is combined. Add your food coloring until you get the caramel color desired. I used two drops. Let mixture cool to warm. Pour in your 1/2 cup of butterscotch schnapps.

5. With your apples arranged so they fit tightly and secure on a cookie sheet, pour your caramel jello mixture into your apples. Refrigerate overnight.


6. Cut halves in quarters and those quarters in half again. Serve immediately. (The lemon juice can only prevent the browning for so long). Trim off the sides of the apples that have browned too much!

For featuring on your website please make sure to contact thatssomichelle@gmail.com.

D.I.Y Fruit & Yogurt Parfait

Posted in D.I.Y., Food Porn by

Is your schedule so busy during the week that you barely have enough time to sit down and have a nutritious breakfast? Need a pick me up during your last few hours of work; a snack NOT in the vending machine? Or is the weekend here and you want an interactive snack you can make with the kids! Well, I’m going to share with you a healthy breakfast/snack option that will have you scraping the bottom of your cup wishing you had just a little bit more left!


*See My suggestions for ingredients in parenthesis*

 

1 Container of Yogurt (Organics- Vanilla Bean)

1 Cup of chopped fruit (Strawberries)

1 Bag of Granola (Safeway-Almond & Honey) ( Bare Naked FIT –Triple Berry Crunch)

1 Glass or plastic To-go container ( easy travel necessity )

What you do:

1. Place chopped fruit in the bottom of your container

2. Scoop approximately 3-4 tablespoons of yogurt over the top of the fruit

*NOTE: Steps 1 & 2 can be switched to your liking 

3. Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of granola over the top of your Yogurt

4. ENJOY!

NOW WASN’T THAT EASY!?

Special thanks to @AbovTheInfluinc for the Yogurt suggestion!

The key to a great parfait is DEFIANTLY the YOGURT!

D.I.Y Skinny Salad Dressing

Posted in D.I.Y., Food Porn by

As the summer quickly approaches, the thought of beaches and bikinis are lurking in the back of our minds. We begin to wonder, are we ready to prance in that swimsuit, flirt in that backless sundress… if not, I’m sure a diet change is on the horizon. Salads seem to be a diet staple, it’s an easy way to pack lots of nutrients without a lot of calories. But even salads can have just as many calories as that cheeseburger you crave, with a fatty dressing… Don’t worry. I have the solution for you (and for me), homemade Salad Dressing… its quick, easy, fresh and very low in calories. Even for those who aren’t worried about their waistline, but want a dressing that will spike up a mundane salad, this post is for you.

 

 

Skinny Salad Dressing

Yields 4oz

Prep Time: 2 mins Cook Time: 3 mins

What you need:

1/4c  Apple Cider or Balsamic Vinegar, you can also use the juice of a large lemon

1/4c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove, pressed or minced

1 tbsp Agave Nectar or Honey

Sea Salt to taste

Cayenne Pepper to taste (Optional)

Mason Jar or any container with a secure lid

 

 

What to do:

Empty all ingredients in to Mason Jar. Secure the lid and shake until all the ingredients merge. Voila!!

This will last in the fridge for up to two weeks. Feel free to adjust the ingredients accordingly, this is kind of tart, so add more honey if you like a sweeter taste. Add cayenne pepper if you want it to pack a spicy punch. Play around with the vinegars, lemon juice, or other citrus fruits, oils etc… the possibilities are endless :)