Another Cat Toy Done on the Cheap

Willow (previously known as Test Kitten, T.K. for short) has grown, and so have her needs. She gained size, but lost none of her energy, and so needs more cat safe activities to keep her out of trouble. When I noticed how excited she got over some pool noodles that hubby and I bought (to be featured in  another project), I figured that would be the perfect building block for Willow's new scratchy-batty-chew toy.

Early test to see if she's even interested. She is!

The base was the side of a drawer from my soon to be replaced (fingers crossed) wardrobe. We stabilized it using small sections of pool noodle cut in half length-wise secured with duct tape . The longer vertical section of noodle was secured with my trusty Gorilla Glue.The fuzzy ladybug toy was from a package of assorted toys. She played with it maybe 3 times since getting it, and it had a dangle to tie it to something, so I did. I poked a length of ribbon through the top of the noodle and knotted it at a length to facilitate maximum swinging. 

Shortly after this pic, the toy was attacked from above.

I covered the base using some scrap fabric I had laying around. I figured she would think the duct tape was the real novelty and so this cover seemed like a good idea. It looks better too. Although this doesn't get as much love as some other toys, she still loves to beat this mercilessly. Another win on the cheap.

After many attacks a few weeks later. As you can see, it stands up to the Willow test.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Preparing Old Wine Bottles for Upcycling

I have been collecting old wine and liquor bottles since we moved into this apartment. On occasion so bring them home from work, the rest are from cooking and personal consumption here at home. Since hubby gathered them all together and they filled a whole box, I figured I better use them.

My first project will be a set of small organizers for a small metal rack in my bedroom. The wire shelves make using some containers here troublesome, so I figure heave glass containers will be the perfect solution for holding combs, brushes, and other small items that always seem to get lost and tossed around. Plus it has to look better than the old shoe box I am using now.

The first step is to clean the bottles and remove the labels. I hit up Pinterest as usual and came across a very useful pin that compared label removal methods. To spare you the trouble of looking it up, soaking the bottles and a mixture of very hot water and baking soda works best. Since not all ornate bottles were clean, I decided to combine the cleaning and label removing steps and added dish soap to the soak water. It seems that the cheaper the wine, the harder it is therefore the label. Ok, there's nothing scientific in that, just observational. Also clear bottles seem to be a bit harder to work with - perhaps a stronger adhesive?

Here are my results from the first four bottles that I soaked. While I got all of the labels off, I am left with a bit of glue to clean up. Still, this is better than hours of peeling and scraping. To remove the left over residue, and even some left over sticker scraps from the second set I did (not pictured) I turned to canola oil. Just wipe a good layer over the affected areas and allow it to sit for a n hour or two. The oil beaks down the adhesive enough to be easily wiped or lightly scraped from the bottle. Then just wash away the oil with dish soap.

Here are the final results, all ready to be cut and decorated. I can't wait to get to the next step!

DIY Waste Basket from Upcycled Magazines (Redone)

Once upon a time while searching for craft ideas on the internet, I happened upon a site featuring recycled paper crafts. One young lady made sturdy and attractive baskets from old magazine pages. The idea stuck in my head, and when I found I needed a new bedside waste basket I knew what to do. While apartment hunting, we had picked up loads of visitors booklets and catalogs and luckily I knew where my glue sticks and hot glue supplies were. I even had an appropriately small box lid. I got to work rolling paper "logs" with the glue stick, and then fastening them to the lid using my hot glue gun. I loved the finished product and it served me well for 2 years. Then it got smashed. I decided it was time for an upgrade.

I regret to say that I have lost the original link for instructions on making the logs, but I have found another that covers it: Magazine Vase and Pencil Holder. The only difference is that I used glue sticks instead of Mod Podge.

Weaving the "logs" together

I spent a while testing it apart and picking off old bits of hot glue. Once I had the bare components of box lid and paper "logs," I got to work. Using 24 gauge wire, I wove the logs together in sort of a random basket weave. I could have been a bit neater, but I was aiming for strength. Since I had ripped some of the logs I had already decided that aesthetics were no longer an immediate priority.

I wove the wire at the bottom and center of the logs to create a long panel. Next, I returned to the original design by hot gluing the panel to the lid. I then added glue between the logs. The finished product is much stronger, (and a little lopsided - oops) so goal achieved. Now to decide how to decorate it...

My lopsided basket. I wove a little too tightly. I think if I make it look like twigs, the lopsidedness of it will look natural.

Cleaning Sand Dollars

This week, one of the servers in the restaurant I work for was given some sand dollars by a customer (along with a tip). He knows that I love to make stuff, so passed them to me to see what I could do with them. If you have ever picked up sand dollars on the beach before, you know that they aren't clean by any standard. In fact, they aren't even slightly white. These were brown, and a little fuzzy for lack of a better term.

Filthy sand dollars before soaking.

To get that creamy white color they must be cleaned first by a fresh water soak. I soaked mine for over 24 hours. This is largely because it was already 6 pm and the sun was required to finish the task. In the end, this was a good thing because most of the debris fell off in the last 6 hours. I also was careful to change the water a few times... it can get smelly!

Just added to bleach. See how much cleaner they look already.

Follow the soak with a ten minute bleach bath followed by a good rinse.

Out of the bleach and into the sun.

The final step is a sun bleaching session. This should help with any yellowing. I did not have yellowing after the bleach, but a few grey and pink spots remained. The sun cleared these right up in two hours. Please keep in mind that the times I used here worked for these sand dollars. Dirtier ones may need more, and cleaner less. Use your best judgement.

Finished product.

In the end, I was left with 4 beautiful sand dollars ready for crafting for the price of a splash of bleach... total win.

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

My husband and I met in the Chicago suburbs. I had lived in the region for my entire life, and my husband is from a military family, so after years of moving around the world, they settled there when he was in high school. Needless to say, the local treats of the area were a regular part of our daily lives. So now that we have been away for about four years, we are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. It is basically impossible to find Chicago style deep dish pizza in the pan handle of Florida. Dominos is fine for a quick fix, but we needed the real deal. It was time to get to work.

The pan seemed like it was going to be the biggest hurdle. I believed incorrectly that I would need an overpriced specialty pan. Then as luck would have it, while searching through dough recipes, I found that spring form cake pans were perfect for the task. I was also pinched  for time, so while I made the dough from scratch, I let the bread machine do the hard part. The recipe I used is found here on Food.com. Once the bread machine had finished its work and the rising part had completed, we simply shaped it into the pan. I cheated and used a rolling pin to get the process started, but finished by gently pulling the dough to the correct shape as often recommended.

This done, we began layering in our ingredients. This included a pound of mozzarella, onions, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and mini pepperoni slices. Stop this we added our sauce. We like ours chunky and so added a can of red pepper spiced diced tomatoes to the store bought marinara. I finished this off with fresh basil from my window ledge garden. The final topping was a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

After about 40 minutes we had ourselves a pretty good dinner. As this was an experiment, there are a few changes to be made next time. We may add ground beef. Also, I will perform the veggies a bit. I also really need to practice with dough. All in all though, this was good. Furthermore, it ended up not costing a lot since it easily made 6 individual meals. I'm definitely keeping this on our menu.

It got a little lopsided, but that's my lack of skill with dough showing.

Meals in 20 - Roast Beef Sandwich with Au Jus

Cooking is a major hobby for me. I can't think of many things more rewarding than watching the look of joy pass across the face of someone who has just tasted one of my creations. That being said, lengthy, complex meals are not always possible. Several days ago, Dear Hubby and I spent a good deal of time running errands ending in a grocery store trip. By that time we were exhausted and starving. We could have ordered take out, but the truth is we had a craving for Italian Beef sandwiches, and living in the panhandlers of Florida, they are impossible to find. When we were in Chicago, there were countless restaurants that served or one could find tubs of the stuff in nearly any store. The correct way to make it requires hours that we were unable to wait through. Then Hubby came up with a plan.

We started with good roast beef from the deli. You know the kind, perfectly pink in the middle, not sliced until you order it. We had them slice a pound and a half on the second thinnest setting. We also picked up beef broth, mushrooms, and hoagie rolls. In retrospect, a fresh clove of garlic and fresh oregano would have been good too.

This is the "doneness" we wanted. It cooks more in the au jus. 

To assemble the sandwich, we wanted the broth adding Italian seasoning, garlic pepper, and a beef bullion cube to boost the beefy goodness. This also eliminated the need to add salt. Next we added the mushrooms to flavor them and warm them. Lastly, we added the roast beef to give it more flavor and warm it. When everything was hot, it time to begin building. Slit open the rolls, and add the beef being sure to get a little of the au jus to soften the bread. Then add  the mushrooms and enough mozzarella (or whatever cheese makes you happy) and close top the sandwich. The hot meat should melt the cheese. Dish up a little of the au jus for dipping the sandwich, and chow down.

I only use Kräft cheeses. They are largely lactose free meaning they are the only choice for me. 

This is one of my favorite meal hacks because it can be personalized in so many ways and it is so quick. Not too expensive either - the roast beef was the most pricey bit. Of course we have leftovers which is always my goal. It was a great meal for a lazy night. Can't ask for much more.

Shoeless no more

In my normal boring life, I work in a restaurant, mostly in the kitchen area. As you may expect, there are frequently spills and slippery debris on the floors that can lead to painful slips and falls. For that reason, we are require to seal slip resistant shoes. In that past two and a half years I have been through four pairs of shoes. I need a new pair, but money is tight right now, so when the sole of my current pair blew out, I decided the get a little more life out of them by combining two pair of shoes to make use of the best part of both.

Using a heat gun to remove the soles.

All removed

My current shoes are men's oxfords. I love almost everything about them. They're tasteful and not overly masculine. They have the cheapest soles though. I started noticing that my feet kept getting wet and when I investigated, the bottoms had given up the fight. The pair I owned previously didn't fit my look at all, and had begun losing the stitching in the uppers. Also the soles were separating from the uppers, which is what gave me the idea.

How I created the sizes needed.

I used duct tape to hold the new soles to the shoes. Gorilla glue does not bond instantly.

Using a heat gun, I removed the soles from the ugly pair and trimmed away the edging. My current shoes have heels, so I cut the soles to fit the heel and main base of my oxfords, and pulled out the Gorilla Glue. It is important to note that Gorilla Glue expands so use it sparingly. I forgot that fact, so when the glue was dry, I had glue to trim from the edges. I cut it away with my pocket knife. Because the shape of the two shoes were so different, it does look a bit like I am floating, but that's a little fun. Point is, 2 days in,and no one has noticed, and I have dry feet. Total win in my book.