Determine Quality of Thrift Shop/Flea Market Furniture Finds

Before I write of furniture I want to say a few words about the British Open taking place at Muirhead in Gullane, Scotland.  While I am interested in the golf, I am even more interested in the area in which the tournament takes place.  The ESPN coverage includes bits and pieces of the surrounding areas and the history of the golf club.  I am fascinated.  I wish I could see more and hear more.  Please let me know if you are from the area and perhaps are going to the Open.  I would love to hear your take on it.

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When I go to find furniture to makeover I always do some real looking when I find a piece.  It is not worth getting a piece for little money if it will not stand up to being refinished or refurbished.


The post from DIY Network written by Karin Beuerlein More
gives a very comprehensive guide to evaluating used furniture pieces.  The post contains info from Teri Masaschi, author of Foolproof Wood Finishing: For Those Who Love to  Build & 
 Hate to Finish.
The subjects covered are:

Is the Piece Painted?

Is the Construction High-Quality?

Does the Piece Need to Be Re-Glued?

What Will the Wood Look Like When You’re Done?

The evaluating tips are spot on and can save you money and frustration when followed. 
 "Buy the piece for what it is rather than what you think you can make it — you can get lost in the fantasy about what it used to be."

Teri Masaschi

Please click here for the particulars.


Meanwhile .... keep it simple and make it real.
Jeanne






 

Rain Barrels

"We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."

                                                 Jacques Cousteau

 

 

 

History records the collection of rainwater as far back as 850 B.C.  Through all these thousands of years the means of collecting the rainwater went from the most simple of a banana leaf used to direct the rain to an urn, to the enormous aqueduct systems underground in the desert regions.

 

When I was a teenager it was popular to collect rainwater to use in shampooing hair.  I might have done that a couple of times but it proved to be too much trouble and I never saw any great results.  So much for my foray into being environmentally conscious at the age of fifteen.

 

I live in Florida where the use of water is critically overdone.  To correct this problem there are many restrictions on watering lawns, flower beds and vegetable gardens.  Aside from the environmental impact of over-watering, there are stiff fines to be paid if the watering bans are not followed. 
I do not believe that there are "water police" scouring neighborhoods to find offenders but do believe that neighbors who are responsibly aware of restriction abusers will report them. 

 

There is a way to keep flower beds and vegetable gardens flourishing without skirting restrictions and be environmentally responsible at the same time.  This is the use of rain barrels.  This is the simplest of all solutions because the rain is collected in large (55 gallon) barrels and then used on the vegetation. 

 

There are rain barrel systems that can be purchased and there are very good DIY rain barrel systems.  Because of my being cost conscious (cheap) I recommend the DIY systems.  Because I am not an authority on this, I will give a couple of links to sites that seem to be easily understood and thorough in making rain barrels. 

 

If we keep it simple what more can we ask in our easy livin'?

 

Rainbarrel DIY 1                   Rainbarrel DIY2