Patio Steps

Since I failed to get a good before pic of this project, I'll have to make do with this old property listing photo. See that lattice that closes in the patio? And that teeny tiny opening to the backyard at the right?

At some point there was a hot tub out here, so we figure the lattice was there for privacy. Along with those red shades that you can just make out at the right of the picture. Steamy.

Here's a picture of Zach working on the sprinkler system, during which he got sidetracked and tore down one of the lattice panels. You can also see the edge of the flower bed, which had to be moved over a few feet.

Here's how it looked after we moved the flower bed and removed the second panel:



Next, we needed to extend the step so there wasn't such a sharp drop from the patio to the yard. We tore out the old step so we could build one solid step that extended all the way to the flower bed. We used pressure treated pine and secured it to the concrete patio slab using masonry screws. We also filled in around the step with gravel to improve drainage and prevent the boards from rotting.

You can spy the beginnings of our next project in the photo above...any guesses? It's got something to do with that white blob behind the bushes.

Moss Letters

Image from Pottery Barn

Image from dear lillie

What you'll need:

Wooden craft letters (I used 6" letters)

Reindeer moss

Hot glue gun + glue

Total project cost for 6 letters: $11

Using a got glue gun, glue the moss to the front and sides of the letter. I suggest doing one small section at a time, so the hot glue doesn't harden before you have a chance to stick the moss on. For six 6" letters, I used one 4 oz bag of moss. The moss tears easily and is very pliable, so it's not difficult to fit it to the shape of the letter. However, to help define small curves, I found it helpful to wrap the moss around to the back of the letter and secure with a drop of hot glue.

You run, you slide...

you hit the bump and take a dive! (If you have no idea what you just read, click the video below and be transported back to 1991.)

So why the reference to backyard summer fun in the middle of March? This is why:

The sprinkler system is finally done! But I'm getting ahead of myself...let's recap the final stage of the project (Read the rest of the story here).

We dug up and replaced all of the valves and valve boxes and did a little rewiring.

And since we're now experts at replacing sprinker heads, here's a brief how-to:

What You'll Need:
Riser
Teflon tape
PVC pipe cutter
Sprinkler head

First, dig around the old sprinkler head until you reach the white PVC pipe at its base. Take care while digging so you don't break the underground line. Unscrew the old head and throw away. You may need to clean out the PVC pipe if it has a bunch of gunk in it. Wrap the end of the riser with teflon tape and screw in to the sprinkler line. Screw on the sprinkler head to determine the right height. You want the top of the head to be level with the ground so it doesn't get damaged by the lawnmower or foot traffic. Unscrew the sprinkler head and cut the riser at one of the unthreaded sections, using a PVC pipe cutter. One you've cut your riser to the correct height, wrap the top with more teflon tape and screw on the sprinkler head. Fill in the hole and your done! Repeat 30 times.

We also installed micro-drip lines in some of the flower beds. Adapters are available that can be easily screwed onto a riser where you would normally install a sprinkler head. From this adapter you can run flexible rubber hosing that connects to a variety of drip irrigation heads, like the one below.

Flagstone Walkway

Before

Before, you had a direct line of sight from the street to our lovely brown trashcan. This area was constantly muddy, and despite our best efforts, we couldn't get any grass to grow here....of course the weeds and moss had no objections.

We removed a couple inches of dirt to make room for the gravel and flagstone, then dug a trench around the perimeter of the walkway for the edging. We went with a composite edging for it's affordability and resistance to rot. It's also made from recycled materials and more flexible than metal edging. It's very easy to install; all you need is a rubber mallet and the metal stakes included with the edging to secure it into the ground. We added a wooden trellis and framed out a small flower bed in front of it.

The next step was to lay the flagstone. We started with a layer of limestone road base then layed down our flagstone pavers. On top of that went crushed granite, to fill in all the cracks between the stones.

After

We planted a knock out rose bush in the front flower bed and a bougainvillea in the bed along the fence. They should be very pretty when in full bloom, and the rose bush will help disguise the trash can even more.

Meow Meow Meow Meow

Our already low maintaince cat has become even less demanding thanks to this:

Introducing the Ergo Systems Auto Pet Feeder. That's right, we're living the American dream, and automating yet another one of our daily chores. We're one step closer to the House of Tomorrow.

Our cat, like many cats, insists on sitting outside our bedroom door every morning and meowing. For hours. Or until we get out of bed and feed him. And if we have overnight guests, he figures he'll have better luck outside their door. Our motives for buying an automatic pet feeder were not based entirely on laziness though. We also wanted a better way to feed him when we went out of town, instead of leaving a bowl full of food for him to gorge himself on.

We'd been considering this purchase for a while, but finally had the incentive to buy one thanks to Offermatic, which offered us a $30 discount to Vitamin Emporium, where we bought the pet feeder.

This thing holds over 40 cups of food, which translates to over 40 daily feedings for our cat. After researching several different products, the Ergo pet feeder was the only one to receive consistently positive ratings. One of the biggest complaints about other models was that the cat figured out how to get food out of the dispenser whenever they wanted.

So we've solved the early morning feedings, but of course our cat still demands several hours of lap time and paw kneading each day. But we're happy to oblige.

Homemade lip balm

I decided to make my own lip balm after reading this blog post on Design Sponge. The recipe seemed simple enough, and called for just a few ingredients: beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oil.

I already had some coconut oil on hand and purchased the beeswax from Heavenly Harvest on Etsy. I also purchased some essential oil on Amazon. The best price I found for lip balm containers was at Sunburst Bottle Co., where I purchased several plastic containers for just 30 cents each.

To make approximately 2 containers (20 ml) of lip balm, you will need:

2 tablespoons beeswax, grated

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2-3 drops essential oil

A glass container with a spout and handle (I used a Pyrex measuring cup), a medium sized pot, a metal spoon and water

1) Fill the pot with a few inches of water and bring to a boil

2) Grate the beeswax. I used a cheese grater.

3) Add the beeswax and coconut oil to your glass container and place in the pot of boiling water.

4) As the beeswax and coconut oil begin to melt, stir to incorporate. Allow the beeswax to melt completely.

5) Remove from heat and add essential oil. Stir.

6) Pour into container and cover with lid. Let cool. Lip balm will be solid at room temperature.

You can experiment with the amount of beeswax and coconut oil to get the consistency you want. A good rule of thumb is 2 parts beeswax to 1 part coconut oil. Likewise, you can add more or less essential oil, depending on how strongly scented you want your lip balm.

I also created labels for the lip balm containers. You can download a free pdf of the labels here.

This funny little tool is a Fiskars circle cutter. It can cut circles from 1" to 8", so it's perfect for jam jar labels or, in this case, lip balm labels. I also opted to buy the circle cutter guide, which makes it a lot easier to line up the cutter around your object.

Image sources: beeswax, coconut oil, essential oil, lip balm container

Homemade Wheat Crackers

I started baking my own bread last month and was contemplating an attempt at homemade crackers when I came across this recipe for wheat thins. I took it as a good sign, especially after seeing how basic the ingredient list was:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for topping
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

I added all the dry ingredients to my stand mixer and whisked until incorporated. Next I stirred in the butter, water, and vanilla. You will probably need more than the 1/4 cup of water called for in the recipe; I added water slowly until the dough stuck together and clung to the whisk.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, about 1/16" thick. (They key here is for all the crackers to be a consistent thickness, so they bake evenly.) Cut the dough into squares using a pizza cutter.

Transfer the crackers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. You'll want to keep a close eye on them so they don't burn.

This recipe was incredibly easy, and the dough rolled out perfectly. I will definitely be making these again!