Teaching During a Pandemic

 What are we learning about teaching during a pandemic?

Check out what students and teachers have to say in a brief video created by SafeSchools

Preparing for a New Puppy

2 Problems: 

    1. How do we block off the kitchen in preparation for a new puppy? 

    2. The backyard fence is falling apart.

Solution 1: I used plastic lattice from Home Depot to create the right sized gates for our space. It took one 8 x 4 sheet of lattice to make these gates (see photos below).

Hooks and eyes in the back keep the gates secure, and there is no hardware on the front side. The gates are light and easy to unlatch and move.

And there were enough leftover scraps to made this portable stair-blocker.

Solution 2: I replaced the fence with post and rail and new gates. Also checked the perimeter and repaired gaps in the fence.

Before...

Along the way and after...

So far, they work!

Caning a Small Chair

This is my third caning experience. I'm getting better at seeing mistakes--hope that means my skills are improving.

Pandemic passtime...

My Second Caning Adventure

I finished the corner chair two years ago and recently turned my attention to this bent-wood rocking chair. You can view photos of the deconstruction and the finished corner chair in my 2019 post, Can I Cane a Chair?

Honey, an elderly Norwich Terrier, is my caning companion.

A rolled up piece of cane is soaking in the purple tub for about 10 minutes before I can use it. I found clothes pins helpful in keeping the the roll under water.

It was so exciting to get to this final stage of adding the edge over the holes in the seat. At this point I was seeing the cane pattern on the backs of my eyelids whenever I closed my eyes!

Completed project--not perfect, but it'll do.

Small Chair Restored

This chair was wobbly and uncomfortable. So the project required glue, foam, and new fabric.

Deconstructed...

Re-glued and a coat of walnut Restor-a-Finish...

New foam and a layer of Dacron...

Finally, the fabric...

Slipper Chair Restoration Project

A friend found this beautiful antique slipper chair in the garbage and asked me to restore it.

The photos below show some of the stages of the process. 

First, the deconstruction...

Reconstruction...

The finished piece...

 

Frame Earring Holder

I decided to make frame earring holders for my two granddaughters--why not display earrings instead of letting them get lost in drawers? The display helps keep track of jewelry and it looks cool as it fills up.

 Here are the steps and photos of the completed (easy and fun diy) project.

1. Yard sales are a great place to find picture frames, and I had two that fit this project perfectly. 

2. I found 1/4 in. 23-Gauge Galvanized Steel Hardware Cloth at Home Depot. A 2 ft. x 5 ft. roll costs just under $10. Measure, cut, and staple into the back of the frame. 

Note: Be careful when stapling into the back of the frame. The frame on the right above has a white (wood putty) milk paint border because my staples showed through the front. On the second frame, I bent the wire "cloth" so I could staple into the side (thicker part) of the frame.

3. This is my favorite part, mainly because I enjoy using my pneumatic upholstery staple gun. Cut pieces of fabric to use as a background behind the wire. Staple it to the back of the frame.

4. So now the frame can hold earrings with hooks, but what about the ones with posts on the back? I added a strip of jute seat webbing by weaving the purple ribbon through it and the wire mesh (a curved upholstery needle worked well here). Posts can easily poke through the jute, and it is sturdy enough to hold lots of earrings.

5. Add wire to the back for hanging, and if you zoom in on the photo you can see the 1/2 inch clear bumpers I added to the bottom two corners.

And here's a front view of both frames, completed.