How to make your Rocket Stove more rockety (rocket stoves forum at permies) Everything seems to be going nicely here. I do want to make the point that rocket mass heaters were not designed to maximize "rocketyness" (meaning WHOOOOSH factor). They are designed to minimize the amount of fuel you need, and most particularly the amount of smoke you create, in order to get a comfortable and practical heat for most indoor purposes. A faster draft in the heat riser might lead to unburned smoke being pulled through too quickly, and incomplete combustion. A larger fuel box means the burn tunnel becomes a bottleneck. The one in the video was a cool experiment, but the occupants are having some trouble now with smoke escaping from the woodstove when they go to feed it, and planning to replace it with a 'real' rocket mass heater. A similar hybrid run by a forester friend in southern Oregon works fine, so it may just be a problem of that particular woodstove or the way we set it up. -Erica
How to Use Paint Chip Samples to Personalize a Rolodex | InMyOwnStyle.com I am a visual girl…I like to see things, pretty things, tactile things, organized things. I love color, paint chip crafts, office supplies, stationery, and art supplies. I am not a tech-ie and don’t want to have everything including the kitchen sink in my computer files. I like connection, hands-on to all my contacts, links, codes, passwords, URLs, user names, etc, etc, etc… I love the Rolodex system and this one I found on Brian and Kristen’s Photostream on Flickr makes my heart go pitter-patter. I have always used a Rolodex, but since I started blogging, I needed a bigger one and found one that I think I can transform to look similar to the one I am drooling over above. I found this Rolodex at a local discount store. Here is what my new Rolodex looked like right out of it’s clam-shell packaging. This is the base that holds the cards. These are just your ordinary brown lunch bags that I ripped up to used to decoratively cover the base. and I let it dry for about an hour on a foam plate.
Aging Brass Technique | How to Age Brass | Brass Aging | InMyOwnStyle I like brass. Yep – I admit it. I favor the gold finish over silver or bronze. It adds warmth and a nice patina and contrast to the furnishings in a room – plus it is classic – always be in style. For the sideboard I painted, I wanted to add aged brass drawer and label pulls, but the un-lacquered ones that Vandyke’s sells, were on backorder until mid July. They did however have bright brass in stock. That is what I did. I read about using salt and vinegar, lemons, and other solutions, but they took time and the results were not satisfactory. How to Age Brass supplies needed: First you have to determine if the brass you want to age has lacquer on it. If you are not sure if it has lacquer on it or not – dip it in some nail polish remover or acetone for a minute or two. If it starts to look like this… it has lacquer on it. I bought the can of acetone at Lowes. The “000” steel wool does not rough the surface, it only removes some of the Brass Ager so you can achieve the exact look you desire. 1.
How to Make a Fabric L:id for a Basket I like many of you – am in super organizing mode. The New Year always deserves a fresh start and I am going through every room of my house purging all the clutter and organizing the rest. One way I try to tame what is left is to place the stuff into decorative baskets. I use them in my pantry, linen closet, office, and mud room. One of my favorite storage tips is basket lids. When I originally stacked the baskets they fell into each other and looked disheveled. This photo is taken in my guest room. They also look pretty and add color and interest to a bookshelf. To learn how to make the labels – click over to my post entitled – How To Make Wipe-Off Labels for Organizing your Stuff How to Make a Lid For a Basket: supplies needed: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Voila, you have a great stackable basket lids in your own style. You'll love these!
$10 DIY One Hour Upcycled Firepit | House & Fig Happy weekend to you. Yesterday Joe and I wanted to do a fun and quick project for the house. We thought a firepit would be fun but didn’t like the looks of the ones sold at Home Depot and this geometric firepit at DWR is out of our budget. Eventually, Joe will design his own and fabricate it himself but since that will take a fair amount of time and energy we decided to make something quick in the interim. A few years ago while on a trip to Joshua Tree Joe’s friend Jens introduced him to the washing machine drum firepit. Materials we used: 1 Recycled Washing Machine Drum (we got ours at a used appliance store for $10) Angle grinder (optional) Cup wire brush, Cut-off wheel, and Flap-wheel sanding disc (for grinder, also optional) Safety Glasses Angle-stock and Flat-stock steel (optional) High heat black paint (optional) When we got the drum home we thought it could also make a fun, diy, side-table with lights inside. Step One: Strip the drum. Step 2: Remove center spindle.
Mason Jar Sewing Kit This is a really fun way to reuse a mason jar and makes both a handy tool for your craft room or a fun gift! Keep reading to find out how to make your own mason jar sewing kit Clean mason jar (I used a small one but you can use any size)Any fabricGlue GunStuffingPencilScissors Using the lid of the mason jar, draw a circle onto the fabric about 1 inch wider than the jar lid. Place the lid bottom side up placed directly on top of the middle of the fabric, bottom side up. Continue in the same manner until only 1/4 of the lid is left as shown above. Stuff batting inside the top of the lid until it’s poofy and even Now seal up the last section of the fabric to the lid Make a line of glue along the inside of the outer lid piece Press the pin cushion lid inside the outer lid piece and let dry Now fill the inside of the jar with sewing essential: pins, string, embroidery thread, zipper, mini scissors, etc and screw the lid on top (it will be harder to screw on with the fabric but should still work).
7 Survival Life Hacks That Could Save Your Life Please Share This Page: Google + stumbleupon tumblr reddit If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials and info! I had so much fun watching this short but informative video by HouseholdHacker! Candlelight from Tin Cans What I love about this is that using an empty soda can will make use of the candle in a more efficient way! How To Get Clean Water This method of using a piece of cloth is just genius. Natural Mosquito Repellant I don’t know about you but I HATE mosquitoes. Cereal Box Microwave Wouldn’t it be great to cook your food in a cereal box? Needle And Leaf Compass If you don’t have a compass (or a super smartphone) you can use this clever method to help you tell which way is north.
Tinted Mason Jars in Rainbow I love using mason jars for decorating and a seemingly endless supply of craft projects. But rainbow tinted mason jars, just like the vintage ones you can never find anymore? This one might be my favorite project with mason jars yet! Mason Jars Mod Podge in Gloss (buy it here) Food coloring Ramekins to mix colors Newspaper or paper bag Mix food coloring with a T or so of water into individual ramekins. Add a couple T of mod podge into your mason jar Add one ramekin of color into the jar and stir to incorporate it all together With a bowl underneath, carefully twist the jar around coating the whole inside with the mod podge/food coloring mixture. Let dry upside down on the paper Do the same with the other colors. Place the jars face down on top of wax paper and a cookie sheet into an oven, set on warm. When they're ready, they'll look clear and the mixture should lose most of its streaks.
Epsom Salt Luminaries: Some Winter Beauty Recently I’ve seen a few crafty ideas around the internet using epsom salts, but I wanted to come up with something different. I’ve been itching to make some new luminaries, something that would be elegant and pretty against winter’s white snow. Something that says Christmas, but isn’t limited to the holiday. Something that could be kept out all winter long. The idea for these epsom salt luminaries hit me and I couldn’t wait to take the idea from my head and make them a reality. UPDATE: Please see my article on crafting with epsom salts for important information (including info on discoloration, see the picture below of them all white), especially if you plan to make these for an important event such as a wedding. The moisture in the salt will eventually evaporate, leaving you with white salt on your jars. These should be one of the last things you make, no more than a week before the wedding. Recently I saw some really pretty sea glass luminaries in white, light blue and light green.
Make a Personalized Room Plaque with your Child.#more-32366 <div class="greet_block wpgb_cornered wpgb_shadowed"><div class="greet_text"><div class="greet_image"><img class="enable-pib-img-under" src=" alt="WP Greet Box icon" data-recalc-dims="1"/></div>Thanks for coming by! I try to feature a new creative tutorial every day -- and I'd love to have you follow along: <a href=" rel="nofollow"><strong>subscribe to my email updates</strong></a> or <a href=" rel="nofollow">come follow along on Facebook</a>.<div style="clear:both"></div></div></div> Spring Break is coming up soon!! Here’s a fun kids’ craft your kids will love to make that I shared last week on Mom It Forward. We used Mod Podge for this project from Plaid — can I just say that I am a huge fan of Mod Podge?? Kids Room Personalized Mod Podge Plaques When you are a kid, your room is your sanctuary. My kids loved making this. xoxo
How to Make Your Own Wicks for Candles Candle making is a popular crafting activity. They make fun and unique gifts, are customizable and give of lovely scents when lit. Many crafters create their own candles but wicks are often purchased at a hobby store. For a completely handmade candle, use just a few steps and simple materials. Things You'll Need Cotton Kite Strings Or TwineClothespins And LineTable SaltScissorsOld NewspapersPaper And Binder Clips show more Dissolve two tablespoons of table salt and four tablespoons of borax in 1-1/2 cups of warm water. Soak a 1-foot length of regular cotton kite string or twine in the solution for 15 minutes. Hang the string with a clothespin for five days to be sure it is completely dry. Use a paper clip to dip the string in melted wax three or four times, coating it completely. Store wicks rolled up in a newspaper. Add only one chemical for color variation.