We-Design-Day: Palletable Fun!

With my recent interest in upcycling all I can, I've really being taking notice of all the interesting ways people are reusing things in their lives. One item that I hadn't considered reusing (before seeing this) were pallets.

I recall hauling heaps of them away when I managed a warehouse and calling around to company after company asking them to please take them... I may have even offered my sister as part of the deal once (she worked with me), but I still couldn't get rid of them!

Now, I'd really like to get my hands on a pallet or seven! I always saw the wood as moderately valuable but until you really look at an object as a whole and not as the sum of it's parts and even toy with the idea f making it something it isn't, are you really able to open up to the infinite possibilities so many things in our present world can offer us.

A woman (who shall remain nameless) recently built herself a snazzy back yard retreat out of pallets!


Work in progress

There are numerous things to consider when reusing pallets - I like Funky Junk Donna's article about pallet wood. Check it out, please, before undertaking any pallet wood project.




From shelving units to tables, there are hundreds of ideas out there for reusing pallets and the wood salvaged from them. If you ensure the quality of the found items, use them responsibly and keep an open mind, we all could seriously reduce our consumerism!


Finished Product

Need some more inspiration? Check out these cool places for funky and interesting pallet upcycling!

The WebEcoist 13 Fab Pallet Projects
The WebEcoist - 20 DIY Pallet projects
Pallet Long Island

Thanks for stopping in and see you again next week for our We-Design-Day!

We-Design-Day: How do you solve a problem like...

How much light do I need in my work space?

Today, I'm going to explore more about lighting design. If you remember this post, we discussed the types of lighting - today, I want to get a little more in depth about how we can use those lighting ideas and how you can employ them to creatively, aesthetically and functionally design the lighting in your home or office.

As always, first we must cover a bit of terminology (put your learning hats on)...

Lumens the unit of measure of light output - traditionally defined as one lumen equals the same amount of light put out by one candle
Wattage determines the energy used by the light*
Light output how much light a light source will generate
Colour Rendering Index a measure of how precisely an artificial light source displays colours
Colour Temperature colour temperature of a light source indicates the colour of the light put out by the source and is measured in degrees Kelvin (the lower the value, the warmer the light put out. Higher values are cooler. Incandescent bulbs are lower (more yellow) as where fluorescent bulbs (especially traditional ones) are more blue
Efficacy is the ratio of the lumens produce to wattage consumed (or used)

*We all know bulbs are sold by watt - 40, 60 or 100 watt (incandescent) and now we've got 15, 22, 32 (and many more) in fluorescent bulbs. This number does not equal light output by the bulb (or brightness of the bulb). This number - the wattage of the bulb - only specifies the amount of energy used by the bulb each and every time the light is turned on. To measure the brightness, we have to use Lumens. Additionally, looking at other factors, like temperature or colour rendering index of the brightness quality will also aid us in selecting the correct lighting for our homes.

The next step is to examine the space we are designing the lighting for and the activities that will be going on in the room. All rooms in our homes have different requirements and needs based on the function of the space. There are variables we can try to accommodate when developing our plan.

Who is using the space and how is their eyesight? As we age, our eyes require more time to see things and we require much more light to see. The type of tasks being done are also a key factor as to "how much" light will be needed.

Professionally, I have used a set standard when doing lighting designs and similar principles and guidelines should be employed. When we look at lighting as a whole, standardized light levels can be (and have been) employed. Naturally because every situation is different, the levels can be adjusted to meet the needs of the space, client and design.

Here are some averages to give you an idea:
Space Recommended Light Output (lumens/square meter)
Kitchen 300 - 550
Living room 300 - 500
Home office/workshop 500 - 1200
Dining Room 200 - 350

During my research, I happened upon a gem of a resource. It is a simple and effective planning guide for lighting! Provided for free download from our friends at the Office for Energy Efficiency with in the Department of Natural Resources Canada, is the Home Lighting Design Guide Pocketbook

I'm going to wrap it up here for this week - there is a lot of information to digest and because its a big subject, it is important to take the time to sit back and think through the space you are going to be illuminating.

References:
Natural Resources Canada
Home Depot Canada
TCP
BC Building Info
MegaVolt
Image courtesy of Outdoor Wedding Lighting

52 Week Challenge: Purging "stuff"

What do you do with two full boxes of stuff you don't want and/or need any more?

Naturally, if you're married to a photographer, you have it all professionally photographed, edited and touched up and made purty!



Then, once all that is done, you commence the big PURGE.


Any guesses on what this is?

I asked Laura a question a while back about a couple of appliances I had that I never used but didn't want to part with because I might need them one day... Her advice was something along the lines of if I hadn't used them (at that point, it was 10 years) would I ever and what could be in that space that I really do use.

I didn't have the courage to ask her what to do with things I've purchased that I don't remember buying...


I'm sure I thought this was really cool when I bought it...


This little treasure involved a box of wine... Need I say more?


I know - harmless little picture frames... Except for the fact that I made these up more than 10 years ago for our old kitchen. My husband thought they looked stupid (I'd framed pictures of various spices I'd cut out from the side of a gift bag - he had no vision) so I never hung them up. Ever. I tossed them in a box... And they stayed there for eleven years...

Eleven years... Who hangs on to stuff they aren't using for eleven years?


I don't know how to do counted cross stitch.


This is a piece of very stiff, hand woven 'cloth' from the Philippines. In my defense, I bought it as part of a fundraiser the women in the cafeteria where I used to work were doing. In 2005.


Spring tension rod: 1999 New, in package...

See, if there really ever was someone who needed the 52 Week Challenge, it most certainly is me! All of this stuff (along with items like unopened Christmas ornaments from Ikea, four partially painted birdhouses, a ream of 11x17 vellum, a magic eight ball, and 17 plastic embroidery framing hoops) is diligently being posted on our local Earthcycle and Freecycle groups. because one person's junk is always another's treasure!

Thanks for stopping by!

We-Design-Day: Upcycled Interior Chic - a way to save MONEY!

As promised, here is the updated budget! I'm so excited to see the savings! By repurposing old previously loved furniture, I can save over $800! And it will be CUSTOM to my tastes and needs. Does it get better?



Perhaps! I've been scouring the free ads and looking for 'second' hand flooring. There are an amazing number of ads posted by people who bought too much flooring (or not enough and can't match it) and are trying to get rid of it. I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to come up! I did consider doing a painted treatment to the floor - like an etch or staining - but my husband assured me it would be worth getting a floor - and he's likely right. Bare concrete (especially in a basement application) can be cold! And because I hope to be working in the space for long periods of time, I better make sure it is inviting.

The construction schedule is still behind (and not updated as it's on the home computer) - but I have good reason! We leave for holidays on Friday so I won't be blogging or renovating anything! We are taking a week off - from everything! It doesn't do the renovation any good, but I'm sure it will do a whole bunch of good!

So come back for the next installment of We-Design-Day, coming to you on July 6th! Until then, happy renovating!

We-Design-Day: Need vs Want

The one thing I've learned in my years doing design - and even working - is that sometimes, the need must outweigh the want. Remember when I mentioned how interiors often get pushed to the back burner because the building envelope takes presidence? Well... Guess what?

First, our roof needs replacing. We've known about the necessity to do it since we bought the house (the shingles had 5 to 10 years of life left - we're at 7 now). Second, our shed... It's just a rickety old tin shed and we planned on replacing it our second year here. However, during our first winter here, we learned that our garage floods with the spring melt... Like really, freezes your tires and garage door in place floods so we spent the money we'd saved for the shed replacement and had the garage mud-jacked. Last year, the clasps that hold the doors close broke so we've had to jimmy the door in place before we lock the shed. It works - however, if there is a strong wind (which there has been several this spring), it starts to blow the both doors inwards, thus revealing all of our gardening supplies and treasures. So as we retooled the doors for the 52 time this spring, I told my husband I thought we should take half the basement renovation budget and apply it to the shed rehab.

I have sad face - mostly because of all the work I put into finding the right solution for my storage issues and the excitement I had over getting a spanking new space... But, being the eternal optimist who always looks for silver linings and was inspired by a song on the (only) children's only television station we get, I've decided to forge a slightly different path...

I'm still working out the whole plan, but if you watch the video, you'll see what inspired me why it's not all that bad to be going back to the drawing board and looking at this project in a different light!

MPM # 47

TroubleMaker's Dinosaur Cake - made with love by me, his Mom!

I’m having a difficult time recuperating from the Week of TroubleMaker’s birthday. I just can’t seem to get into my regular groove. It probably doesn’t help that spring has finally arrived in Alberta and the only place I want to be is not inside! We’ve been getting to +7 Celsius during the day and after a long and snowy winter; I’m ready to bare my arms to the sun! We were even discussing the possibility of trying to please the Sun Gods a couple of weeks ago as the sun had seemingly taken a permanent vacation from these parts.

In attempt to “Green” up my menu planning, I started looking for a digital solution that would allow me to plan a month at a time but still give me the flexibility to look at it in weekly sections. My general practice was to use this menu plan I custom created two years ago when I returned to work after my maternity leave. This allowed me to plan breakfast, lunches and dinners a week at a time and create a weekly shopping list that I could take with me to the store so that I could refer back to the menu before checking out and ensure I had everything required for the menu. It has worked great for us. When I do my month, I sit down with four or five copies and plan. This also allows me to bulk shop and hit sales and coordinate it all with our pay cheques.

The problem is that it isn’t very Earth friendly. Although I do write in pencil, I recycle the menu each week with the trash (I could erase and reuse but I need something time efficient too). This practice seems logical but I want a greener option that makes planning easier and still provides me with a menu I can stick up in the kitchen for quick and easy reference. Along with the planner is my spreadsheet of meals with needs updating often (as I try to include one to four new recipes monthly). So here is my needs assessment:

Green
Flexible
Easy
Hard copy-ready

I have looked at various ideas – chalk board, white board, magnetic board but I’ve found faults with each. Chalk dust is an issue for me (both mess and allergy wise), white boards invariable get TroubleMaker giddy with excitement and his hands black with felt and I have a very large repertoire of meals – too many to make a magnetic board with magnetic dinners feasible.

I’m not certain that one specific solution is the answer. I did find many great ‘online’ planners that I can download and use but then there is always the paper print out. Additionally, of the digital planners I tried, I felt they were not flexible enough and too difficult to edit or modify – even with my computer programme saaviness. The answer? Well, I haven’t figured that out yet but I did decide to try and custom create something that will work for me (and hopefully others) that incorporates ease of use with flexibility. No two people cook the same, nor do two people plan the same so I think it be a challenge but definitely worth the attempt!

This week, I muddled through while my husband played the 75th round of “Monster ‘gucks” with TroubleMaker. I rushed through and made a grocery list for them to take on their Shopping Adventure today.

And since I’m writing on Tuesday and not Monday (or Sunday), I can review the Monday night “new recipe” from Monday night. First, I continue to try the recipes from Kraft’s Canada as they are simple and easy. I don’t always like the fact they push their products but I do understand that’s the whole point, but my disappointment doesn’t come from that. It is actually because everything is so bland in taste and they seem to forget key points like adding a little sugar and some Worchester sauce to canned tomatoes in order to temper the acidity. So, as always, I made it as the recipe said and then add my own enhancements to make it palatable.

Just so you know I seasoned my chicken breasts with salt, pepper, basil and oregano (both sides). I also added about a ½ tsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of Worchester sauce and a good amount of the same seasonings I used to season the breasts. I ended up added about a ¼ cup of sour cream too in an attempt to control the heat of the red pepper flakes – I used red chili pepper flakes and it made it a bit too spicy for TroubleMaker. Oh, and added a diced red pepper. We also served it over spaghetti because I don’t care for rigatoni. I used fresh Parmesan, Asiago and Romano blend cheese and some marble cheese (as I was out of mozza).

April 5 to 11
Monday: Chicken Pomodoro
Tuesday: Boston Brutes
Wednesday: Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-upsThursday: Omelets
Friday: Nachos
Saturday: Enchilada Casserole
Sunday: Crock pot roast beef

How do you plan your menu - any tips, tricks or ideas? For more great ideas, check out the Org Junkie’s Menu plan Monday!

Going (more) Green Thursday!

As some of you may have noticed, I added a “badge” to my site last week (see, that’s it there on the right)… “I’m taking baby steps!” it says – Sustainable Baby steps towards living a more ‘green’ lifestyle. Tara over at the The Organic Sister has recently launched a really interesting website site that introduces green at an beginner's level and has different ‘steps’ one can take (with associated badges) to implementing, living and understanding the benefit of going green.

I know, I know – many will roll their eyes at “green” and “global warming” and all that, but for me, it is really important. I’ve always likened myself to somewhat of a steward for Mother Earth living as consciously as I can and taking steps to reduce my impact on the planet on which I live. Throughout the course of my 36 years, I’ve had different levels of success and there are some things I have adopted as “routine” for my life.

Some of the “green” things we do:
Recycle
Chemical & pesticide free yard care and gardening
Used cloth diapers, wipes and nursing pads when our son was an infant/baby/early toddler (he's been out of diapers for months now)
Don’t use any chemical household cleaners
“Freecycle” objects that have more life (furniture, clothing, toys, household goods)
Public transit (to work)

And I know there are more things we do but also more things we could be doing and that’s where I’d like to go. I want to learn more and I want to do more. I want to understand the marketing that goes in to products and understand the real impact – both financially and environmentally.

The one concept that I was introduced to when I first visited Sustainable Baby steps was the idea of greenwashing I have to admit, I’d never heard of it before and I was concerned that it was perhaps a “made up” term – especially when I saw the first item on the list…

Paper Towel.

There are a few things I really like in life and paper towel is one of them. Now, I’m not all “Yes! Paper towel!” but I love it in the kitchen for clean-up and wiping my hands when handling (raw) meat. I went home that night and suggested the possibility of the made up term to my husband – and my reason – paper towel.
He looked at me with just a hint of surprise in his eye.

“Paper towels are like (enter brand name floor dusting device). A broom or vacuum does a great job but people buy them anyway.”

And I took a moment and realized he was right. But what would I use? Perhaps the stack of 20 tea towels I have that get used one or two per week? I argued the laundry factor (and now I’ll admit, I do not do the laundry in our house – my husband does) but he said the cost would be less – especially when you pay $2 (or more) a roll.

And this got me thinking.

Paper towels
Plastic baggies
Garbage bags
Paper napkins
Feminine napkins
Kleen-x
Toilet paper
Disposable dish cloths
Plastic wrap
Foil
Wax paper
Disposable baking sheets
Cotton balls
Cotton ear swabs
Drinking straws

Those are 15 things that are single use items currently used in my home. And although we don’t often use paper napkins (we switched to cloth two years ago) the rest we do use and I have been using without much thought for a very long time.

I can tell you I will never give up toilet paper that, my friends, was a great invention. But what can I give up?

As I finish my lunch today and toss six (yes, six) plastic sandwich baggies in the garbage I think that can be one of my first “baby steps”. We run our dishwasher every night so utilizing (even plastic) lunch containers for my carrot sticks and another for my crackers would really bare no serious hardship, perhaps that is one thing I can “green” this week.

Can I “Green” one thing a week? I certainly am going to try – I have to, especially if I want there to be a tomorrow for TroubleMaker!

Baby step # 1 – reduce the use of plastic food storage bags

All good design starts with an idea

Anyone who knows me will tell you I not only pile stuff, but I collect, keep and even hoard stuff. I’ve watched episodes of the hoarding show and I laugh and joke with my Mom that my step-dad is a hoarder… I didn’t realize I’m prone to condition until I started to try and sew the back pack I wanted to make for TroubleMaker.

A few weeks ago, he found a button – not just any button but a button of a backpack. I have a sewing room and as a former manager of a sewing supply warehouse, I have lots and lots of sewing stuff… One of my obsessions when I worked there was buttons. We had an entire warehouse of buttons – think of a design and I used to be able to go to the bin and find it for you. I loved buttons and would buy packages and boxes of discount buttons so I have a fairly substantial collection… Although I have tried (and with some success) to give away, freecycle and even garbage a few hundred pieces of my collection, I still have many and my son honed in on this one and began to beg me to make him a ‘backpack’.

Saturday afternoon, with TroubleMaker playing next door, I did just that.
I have not sewn anything since I tried (early in the summer) to make TroubleMaker and I matching aprons to cook in (meaning they are cut out and ready just not sewn together). Stacked on top of the cutting table are photo albums and various craft items from a few miscellaneous projects.

Stacked would indicated order. None is present so I need a different word.



Really, it’s all heaped and piled haphazardly and even the slightest jar to the table sends things sliding in a catastrophic landslide! I shoved stuff aside and laid out the fabric I selected to use. I moved a stack of junk off the ironing board (onto the floor – the only space left) and began to work. Part way through the project, I thought of an improvement and I started to hunt for a slider I wanted to use to make the straps adjustable. I know I had them somewhere but I gave up after 20 minutes or so and finished his backpack – with fixed straps.













More than a year ago – we (meaning me and my husband) decided it would be a good idea to some remodeling downstairs. One of the major changes we decided on was to move my sewing room out from the ‘third bedroom’ and move his ‘mini’ studio into my sewing room. We decided to tear down the wall that encloses his current office to open it to the family room so I can sew and craft while TroubleMaker plays. This will also allow my Husband to leave his equipment set-up and consolidate his prop storage to one room instead of two (and sometimes three).













This will also mean I have to be tidier, more organized and unable to leave projects strewn about. That scares all of us as I’m not known for my organizational skills nor am I known for my ability of keeping my stuff in one area. But perhaps if I have a well orchestrated plan and with plenty of purging, I can complete this dream. I have sketched out a custom built storage unit and I know how I’ll arrange the furniture in the newly (deconstructed) space. I have plans for keeping TroubleMaker’s toys together and new plans for prop storage.




Custom Designed Storage Unit









A place for everything and everything in its place is the only way this can work.

The only way…






Check back next Wednesday as I take you through the design process and share a colour rendering and new floor plan of the proposed space!


I'd also like to thank my Husband (Blackstone Images) for making the pictures look so good - he did a good job of hiding the absolute disaster that my sewing study is... Thank you!

Our Family Favourite Recipe Index

I'm naturally disorganized so I usually have to look elsewhere to find inspiration to get me organized and I sure found it with Org Junkie's Family Recipe Index!

This is a marvelous idea and so Earth Friendly! Yippee for good ideas!

So without further adieu - here are some of our favourites!

Breakfast Ideas
Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Basic Blueberry Muffins
Apple Strudel Muffins
Gingerbread Waffles
Crockpot Egg Casserole


Lunch Ideas
Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sanwiches My Hubby was horrifed at this recipe - he made it relunctantly for TroubleMaker one day and it was a hit. a HUGE hit - try it - if you have a kid in the house, they'll gobble it up!
BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Dinner Ideas
Chicken
Mushroom & Chicken linguine
2 Step Honey Dijon Chicken
Easy Hot Wings
Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Skewers
Chicken Biryani
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chinese Takeout Lemon Chicken
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Chicken Pot Pie (simple)
Chicken Noodle Soup
White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sauce

Beef
Enchilada-Casserole
Crockpot Meatballs
Lasagne
Beefy One-Pot Dinner
Beef Stroganoff
Slow Cooker Beef Roast
Bacon Cheeseburger Roll Ups
Beef with Snow Peas
Beef & Bean Burritos
Weeknight Lasagne Toss
Beef Stroganoff
Swiss Steak
Hamburger Hash
Sante Fe Shepherd's Pie
Lasagna Toss
Sweet and Sour Hamburger
Taco Dip Supper

Pork
Mom's Crockpot Ham
Chili's Grilled Copy Cat Recipe
Sausage & Tomato Rigatoni
Pork Lo Mein
Pork Roast with Brown Sugar Glaze
Crustless Quiche

Fish
Tuna Casserole
Tortellini w/ Salmon ricotta sauce
Salmon Patties


Vegetarian (Lacto-Ovo)
Creamy Primavera Tortellini Salad
Gramma's Homemade Macaroni & Cheese
Vegetable & Cheese Empanadas
Fettucine Alfredo
Weeknight Italian Pasta Bake

Breakfast for Dinner
Tater Tot Casserole
Farmer's Breakfast

Sides
Low Fat Scalloped Potatoes
Tomato & Cucumber Salad
Gramma's Potato Salad
Creamy Tortellini Primavera

Other
Taco Seasoning
Frog's BBQ Sauce
Homemade Spagetti Sauce
Corrie' Spanish Rice
Coyote Fritters
Caramelized Onion & Olive Tart
French Onion Soup
Baked Potato & Leek Soup
Chicken Nuggets
Vegetarian Stuffing
Gramma's Buns
crust
Corn Chowder
Minestrone Soup
Epicure's Extraordinary Cheese Dip