DIY: Fail

I like to keep things real over here on my blog, that's one of the reasons I named it "Adventures" in Creating. That's why I thought I'd share this "fail" with you. ;)


As I've said a few times before, a lot of what I do is based on an idea and scheme I get in my head. I think about and research the best ways to go about implementing said idea and scheme. Most of the time my research pays off and my projects turn out successful. 


Other times, well they just, don't. 


This was one of those times. Like a lot of the country Oklahoma is going through a major heat wave. The Con-Man and I are stuck inside most of the day which can get old especially for a rambuncious 2 year old. Our rental is in a new neighborhood built on old farm land- this means no trees. No trees = no shade = barren desert backyard.

So I wanted to figure out a way to get some shade in the yard, preferably off the patio. I've always loved what Morgan of the Brick House did for her yard. She used a Sun Shade to create a cool spot to hang out in and eventually will put a pool under it.

I was pumped when I saw Overstock had their Sun Shades on clearance! I bought on 11'x11' for only $30. Score! 

My main problem is that usually you need these things secured to the side of your house or have posts secured in a hole with poured concrete. As a new renter I didn't think my landlord would be please with large holes dug in his yard of drilled into the side of his house. 

So I brainstormed a way to do a temporary set up that I could easily take down as I needed. I was all excited to write an awesome post about how I bought and cut posts for it, poured concrete, hung up my shade and let Con-Man play his heart away in his new shady yard.

Everything seemed to be on task until I tried to hang up my sun shade. My posts kept toppling over with the slightest breeze. After a few unsuccessful attempts I thought if I weighted them down with bricks that might help.

But no....

Ugh Curses! Obviously I need to rework this plan, I haven't completely given up on it yet. I will have shade in my yard and it has to be soon. It's not getting any cooler around here anytime in the near future!

Repainting- The Deck

Our house has been on the market for almost 3 weeks now. We've had steady showings and most of the feed back has been positive. No offers yet but our realtor said in this market it could take a few months to find a buyer.


One of the kind of negative comments we've received is about our deck. We use it a lot, to lounge on while we watch Con-Man play, hanging out with friends and grilling. 

But over time the paint treatment that was done has worn away.

I have some theories on how this could have happened. I don't want to name any names, but I think I know who the culprit may be....

In an effort to make our home look as good as possible we decided to repaint the deck. I started by looking up some tips on deck refinishing:

- Remove all plants and cover any landscaping before using a paint stripper or deck cleaning product

- Don't use chlorine bleach and always do a test spot before using a cleaning product on the entire surface

- A clear coat of urethane will not protect your deck from UV rays

- Clean your deck before applying a finish coat with a powerful hose and scrub with soapy water and wait 24 hours between the cleaning process and starting the painting process

- Look for a finish product that is water resistant

- Don't over apply your finish coat, the wood can only absorb so much before it becomes over saturated

- Wait at least 3 hours between coats

I  bought some paint that is specifically made for outdoor decks I got started painting. (The painting was the easy part...) I went to Home Depot and had them match the paint for me since I'm not sure what the original color was. It matches almost exactly!

I also decluttered the deck by removing my homemade patio furniture and moved all the potted plants so people could see how large the deck is.

The steps look a lot better and Gracie approves!

Anyone else been taking on outdoor projects lately?

Wine Bottle Citronella Candle

I had been collecting wine bottles and bugging my friends and neighbors to save them for me so I could try out my previous wine bottle project. Well now I have a ton of wine bottles and not all of them are wine glass worthy. For example these large ones:

are way to big to be a glass. I like to think I'm a Wine Connoisseur not a Wine-O ;) So what to do with them? I had seen a post on Design Sponge I thought I could really use. Our backyard is nice but the Texas mosquitoes are killer. Using a wine bottle as a Tiki Torch is a great idea. I don't have anywhere to hang them like in the tutorial so I thought I would try it out minus the steps that involved actually hanging it on the fence.

I ran over to my favorite store Home Depot (seriously I would love to work here part time if I had the time so I could get discounts on tools and supplies!) and bought the following:

1/2" x 3/8" Copper Coupling
1/2" Copper Cap (Both copper items can be found in the plumbing section and are really cheap!)
Tiki Torch Replacement Wick
Tiki Torch Fuel
Electrical Tape

First I took the Copper Coupling and wrapped the 1/2" end with the electrical tape enough times around so it fit tightly in the bottle opening. This is to keep the coupling from falling in.

Then I slid the wick through the coupling and left a little hanging out the top.

Since my bottle was on the large side the wick didn't reach all the way to the bottom and I didn't want to use that much fuel for one bottle. So I filled the bottom with water first so the oil would sit on top.
Next just fill the wine bottle with the torch fuel. A funnel would be helpful here, if only I had one.

Finally just slide the coupling and wick into place make sure it's tight. Let it sit for a few minutes so it will absorb the fuel. (Can you see where the line of the oil and water meet? Pretty cool.)

Then light and enjoy!

When you are done use the Copper Cap as a lid to help keep the wick dry when your not using it.

So easy! That will teach those pesky mosquitoes to hang around out yard.

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