ToolGirl Mag Ruffman

Beer Bottle Cap Table

via diygadgets.blogspot.com

Continuing my fascination with round things plunked in grout, this would be a great treatment for a basement bar top or even a backsplash.

Amanda Edwards and her penny-tiled floor

via www.mandolinmosaics.com

I know, I know, I'm obsessed with coin flooring this week!  Amanda Edwards' stunning kitchen floor is tiled with pennies using black sanded grout. Then Amanda sealed it with clear polyurethane.  And this is only a sliver of her skill.  Lift your spirits in under 5 seconds; visit her web site to see the breathtaking stained glass works she spins from her limitless imagination. The colours and movement in her pieces will make you feel like you just took a vacation.  

Nickel Tile Floor! A DIY Bathroom Renovation

via www.apartmenttherapy.com

After the penny tiling investigation (in the previous post), I discovered some long-suffering souls who figured out one way to solve the coin-embedding mystery in their bathroom renovation. Their step-by-step instructions are a testament to determination.

Make The Best of Things: DIY crackle finish with Elmer's Glue and paint

via makethebestofthings.blogspot.com

I've always used fish glue (from Lee Valley Tools) or 'mucilage' - the paper glue we used in kindergarten with the little slitted pink rubber top - to create crackled and crazed paint effects.  

The minor aesthetic problem with mucilage and fish glue (which, just FYI, smells like dead fish) is that they both give a very glossy effect to the cracks, which looks sort of cheesy on some projects.

Using white glue or carpenter's glue offers a much softer matte finish, as detailed on this lovely blog, Make the Best of Things. I love this girl's work and I never thought of doing a crackle finish on cloth. How cool. She gives lots of detail about her experiments in creating crackle finishes with different base coats and degrees of thinning (both glue and top coat). Give 'er a click, eh.

Turn your artwork or photo into DIY wallpaper

I love this concept from young entrepreneur Matthew Pullerits.

Choose from millions of high res shots or upload your own image to Ink Shuffle, a Toronto company that will print a custom mural for you.  And it's easy to remove if you want to replace it, unlike most wallpaper I have known.  Plus Ink Shuffle's adhesive won't damage walls.  If you're an artist, you can earn royalties by uploading your images.

Here's how to get your own DIY wallpaper.  Prices start at around $50 - an average wall costs around $250. Every order is custom sized to fit your wall.  (as big as 20x20 feet)

 

 

 

 

d-i-y leather cabinet pulls (via holton rower) | The Improvised Life

via www.improvisedlife.com

Roofing nails are the secret to these leather pulls.  Freakishly cool.

The Periodic Table of Swearing

via thatslikewhoa.com

This is a great icebreaker for corporate parties or staid family reunions. Each button emits audio of a geeky swear. And the swears are British too, so they sound peri-Shakespearean.

DIY Chalkboard Paint

You can buy chalkboard paint in green or black, but why limit yourself to those scholastic-y colours? Maybe you want to make a chalkboard wall in the kitchen for a family communication center, or maybe you're making a kids' art table like this...

...and it would be fun to use a colour other than black or green.  

So get a quart size can of flat paint in any shade you like (I used Olympic Premium Zero VOC because it dries in an hour, has no odour and carries a lifetime warranty) and pour the amount of paint you'll need into a separate container.  Then add unsanded grout powder (available in the tile aisle) with the ratio of 1 rounded tablespoon of unsanded grout to 1 cup of flat paint.  Stir it up well and then roll out 2 or 3 coats on the surface you want to transform into a chalkboard.  You can use a hair dryer to speed up the drying time if you're rushed.  Cool eh?  

Green Toys - Building tools for kids

Plastic kids' tools made from recycled milk cartons.  Great for fine motor skills, developing 3D aptitude and eye-hand coordination.  What's not to love?  For ages 2+. Thanks to Kevin Fraser for the heads up.  

Home-Dzine - What can you do with an old pallet?

via www.home-dzine.co.za

Wow, check out the beds, benches, racks, tables and even wall paneling! Most pallets are made of hardwood, so with some sanding and a bit of a linseed oil, they clean up to rustic chicness.